Christmas travel splits neatly in two. There is the Christmas you flee — the airport on December 23rd, the flight to somewhere warm, the beach on Christmas Day and the WhatsApp video call to your family from a sun lounger. And there is the Christmas you embrace — the market in a European square, the mulled wine, the snow if you are lucky, the cold if you are not. Both are valid. Neither is better. The choice depends on what kind of Christmas you need.
The Fleeing Christmas: Sun and Sand
The Canary Islands in December deliver 18-22°C. The water is cool — 19°C — but swimmable. Tenerife and Gran Canaria have the most reliable sun. Lanzarote is quieter. Fuerteventura has the best beaches. Flights from the UK take roughly four hours. The Christmas dinner will be a buffet and it will be fine. The real Christmas dinner is the grilled fish on the beach on December 26th. The Cape Verde islands, six hours from the UK, are warmer — 23-26°C — and the beaches at Sal and Boa Vista are empty white sand. The infrastructure is basic. The escape is complete. Marrakech is a three-hour flight and delivers a different kind of warmth: the souks, the tagine, the rooftop terraces, the call to prayer echoing across the medina. Christmas in Marrakech is not Christmas. It is better.
The Embracing Christmas: Markets and Snow
The German Christmas markets begin in late November and run until December 23rd or 24th. Nuremberg is the classic: the Christkindlesmarkt in the main square, the wooden stalls, the Lebkuchen (gingerbread), the Glühwein in ceramic mugs. The mug deposit is €3. Keep the mug. Munich has the largest market in the Marienplatz, a 30-metre Christmas tree, and the medieval market at Wittelsbacherplatz with crafts and food from the Middle Ages. Strasbourg claims to be the capital of Christmas — the market has run since 1570, the oldest in France, and the entire city centre is decorated. The half-timbered houses, the canals, the cathedral lit at night. It is as beautiful as the photographs. Vienna has multiple markets: the main one in front of the Rathaus, the smaller ones at Schönbrunn Palace and the Spittelberg. The ice rink in front of the Rathaus is the size of two football pitches. The ice rink is free if you bring your own skates. The mulled wine is not free. Budget €5 per cup.
The Practical Detail
Book flights for the week before Christmas by October. Prices rise sharply from mid-November. Christmas Day itself is the cheapest day to fly. Most European cities shut down completely on December 24th evening through December 26th. Plan meals ahead. Book a restaurant for Christmas Eve dinner weeks in advance. The markets close on December 23rd or 24th. They do not reopen until the following November. The ski resorts over Christmas are the most expensive two weeks of the year. New Year in the Alps requires booking six months ahead and costs roughly double the January price. The week between Christmas and New Year — “Twixmas” — is the sweet spot: flights are cheaper, accommodation drops, and the markets have closed but the cities are still decorated. The lights stay up until January 6th, Epiphany.
What kind of Christmas traveller are you — the one who flees or the one who leans in — and where did you go that got it exactly right?
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