10 Travel Destinations to Have the Best Christmas Vacations for Families

The Best Places to Go for Christmas in the US

There’s a reason Architectural Digest considers Colonial Willamsburg as one of the best towns in the United States to spend Christmas.

This historic city is full of the holiday spirit and celebrates Christmas in 18th-century fashion. It boasts of well-decorated Christmas trees, bustling holiday markets and family-friendly events that will make you fall in love with the town and its people.   

If you want to make it your next holiday getaway, below are some of the best places to go visit during Christmas in this area:

• Williamsburg Christmas Market
• Ice Skating at Liberty Ice Pavilion
• Busch Gardens Christmas Village
• American Revolution Museum at Yorktown and Jamestown Settlement

Jackson Hole is a small town that offers a variety of the most family-friendly Christmas vacation ideas that you can do if you choose to pay it a visit for the next holiday.

Make sure to pack up everyone’s ski gear – the whole family will spend most of its time on the slopes. This snowy destination is also the perfect place to try other winter sports such as sleigh-riding, sledding, and snowmobiling among other activities.  

And if you’re not keen on doing any activity that may be a bit physically demanding, then pay a visit to Jackson Hole’s historic town square and enjoy as the thousands of Christmas lights breathe a different life to the holiday season. Santa will also be in town so make sure to bring the little ones along for the trip.

Apart from visiting the Mountain Resort and the Jackson Town Square, here are the other places to go for a Christmas adventure with the family: 

• National Elf Refuge
• Yellowstone National Park
• National Museum of Wildlife Art
• The Wort Hotel
• Holiday Art Bazaar at the Center for the Arts Lobby and Black Box Theater

If you’re planning for a magical holiday for your family, then Leavenworth should easily be in your shortlist of the best places to visit for your Christmas vacation.

Bask in the beauty and brightness of this Bavarian mountain town in Washington when hundreds of thousands of Christmas lights decorate the buildings and streets. Roaming around the Bavarian village would certainly feel like you’re in a real-life snow globe. 

Aside watching the lighting ceremonies in the town, you can also cross off a lot of Christmas activities in the family’s bucket list by paying a visit to the following tourist spots: 

• Leavenworth Reindeer Farm
• The Nutcracker Museum
• The Gingerbread Factory
• Icicle Creek Center for the Arts
• Enchantment Park

Among the best Christmas travel destinations to visit on your next holiday vacation is the Mohonk House in the Catskill Mountains of New York. If you’re looking for an old-fashioned Christmas celebration, then there is no better place to stay than this Victorian-style castle resort.

It might seem like a world away, but this National Historic Landmark is only a two-hour drive from the bustling New York City. 

Apart from the iconic scenery, not a day will be boring during your stay as the Mohonk Mountain House hosts a variety of fun, family-friendly activities from winter sports, arts and crafts, hiking, and nightly concerts and magic shows.

Some other places to visit near the area include:

• Huguenot Street
• DM Weil Gallery
• Minnewaska State Park
• Mohonk Preserve
• Woodstock Farm Sanctuary

Stowe, Vermont easily finds a spot in our top 10 Christmas travel destinations. 

If you want a quaint Christmas celebration with the family, then this historic winter town in New England is just the right place to visit next. It boasts the classic charm of an early-19th-century English village and all sorts of family-friendly activities that will make each day of your stay worthwhile. 

It promises the best sights to see, great food to eat, and fun family-friendly winter activities – from tree lightings and lantern parades to ice skating and skiing. 

• Trapp Family Lodge
• Spruce Peak Village
• Mount Mansfield
• Gentle Giants Sleigh and Carriage Rides
• Smugglers’ Notch

The Best Places to Visit During Christmas in Canada

6. Quebec City, Canada

If you’re looking for a Christmas destination that is just a little bit closer to home, then a getaway to Quebec City will be right up your alley. As one of the oldest cities in North America, many of the establishments still boast of French colonial architecture that will surely transport you to older and much simpler times. 

If you don’t want to plan a trip in the middle of December, Christmas will still be very much in the air for the rest of the winter season in Quebec when the annual Winter Carnival kicks off in February. 

Some of the best places to visit during Christmas in the city include:

• Fairmont Le Château Frontenac
• Place D’Youville
• La Citadelle de Québec
• Quartier Petit Champlain
• Grande Allé

Many people flock to Banff National Park to get a taste of a picture-perfect Canadian Christmas. Lake Louise will be your main hub when going on a holiday adventure in the Canadian Rockies. It’s the perfect place to go ice skating with the entire family.

The snow-capped mountain view also makes a great backdrop for skiing and snowboarding. The resorts in the area also offer a variety of indoor activities and amazing food that will constantly remind you to savor the scent of Christmas that’s always in the air. 

If you decide to make Banff your next holiday destination, here are some of the tourist spots in the area you should consider visiting as well:   

• Banff Town
• Fairmont Banff Springs
• Lake Minnewanka
• Banff Park Museum
• Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary

If you and your kids loved the popular Christmas children’s book, then you can recreate the fantasy with the entire family by riding The Polar Express. The train journey may not actually lead to the North Pole, but the whole experience promises to deliver a magical memory that your children will not want to forget. 

The Polar Express trains are open every holiday at more than 50 locations in North America. Kids are encouraged to wear their pajamas and feel perfectly cozy while enjoying readings, listening to nostalgic music, and drinking hot chocolate aboard the train.

Click here to find a Polar Express™️ Train near you!

The Best Christmas Travel Destinations in Europe

Prague is a very beautiful city in Europe, but it is truly stunning during the Christmas season. If you’ve been saving up for a holiday getaway for quite some time, then having a white Christmas come to life in Central Europe is surely worth the trip. The entire city is clothed with bright lights and Christmas decorations that keeps the holiday spirit alive.

But the main ingredient that really makes the experience among the best Christmas vacation for families are the Christmas markets. They bring the residents and the tourists together, allowing both sides to enjoy good food and the visitors to share in the local’s holiday traditions.  

Here are some of the places to to visit during your Christmas trip with the family:

• The Old Town Square
• Vltava River (particularly at night)
• Charles Bridge Tower
• Castle Hill
• St. Vitus Cathedral
• Prague Astronomical Clock

Planning to spend your next holiday vacation in Europe? One of our recommended Christmas travel destinations to visit is Copenhagen, Denmark where the whole month of December is dedicated to making the entire city a winter wonderland.

Share a fairy tale-like experience with the whole family by including the following sites to your itinerary:

• Tivoli Gardens
• Frederiksberg Ice-rink
• Christiansborg Palace
• Nyhavn Christmas Market
• Museum of Copenhagen
• Amalienborg

Conclusion

It’s nice to dream of a family Christmas getaways but keep in mind that these things cannot be easily done at the last minute. The most popular holiday spots are quickly booked, so you need to have everything planned to the very last detail to make the experience smooth, fun, and memorable for everyone.

Most of the destinations we identified in this list are perfect for winter lovers. But if you want to get away from the cold and are looking for something different from the usual snowy white Christmas, have a look at our recommended list of warm weather Christmas destinations.

And don’t forget to bring your Koala Kloud inflatable footrest to make sure you and your little ones travel in comfort wherever you go!

What’s your favorite in our list? Which Christmas travel destination is your family planning to go to next? Let us know in the comments below!