A Christmas trip to Europe can take many forms: An evening beneath designer lights in Barcelona, a canal cruise past illuminated art in Amsterdam or a stroll through London’s iconic holiday markets with mulled wine in hand. Each city has its own holiday rituals, too. Ahead, find three festive itineraries with ideas for what to see, which traditions to experience and where to stay.
Barcelona, Spain: Design-Forward Lights
Barcelona knows how to make a grand entrance into the holiday season. Its Christmas light switch-on is a citywide occasion in late November, with choir performances and dances leading up to the moment streets and squares begin to twinkle.
Holiday visitors can take an evening walk along Passeig de Gràcia (a high-end shopping district) or Carrer d’Aragó, one of Barcelona’s main arteries, and you’ll see that the displays aren’t traditional holiday lights: The city commissions designers and architects to create custom, artistic lighting for some of its major streets. The lights stay on until Jan. 6 (Three Kings Day) each year.
Save time for the Fira de Santa Llúcia outside Barcelona Cathedral. Held since 1786, the market is a place to browse ornaments, handmade gifts, festive instruments and the tiny figures used in Catalan Nativity scenes. For another market stop, head to the Fira de Nadal near the Sagrada Família basilica. Between stalls, look for torró, the nougat with Marcona almonds that makes an excellent edible souvenir.
A Unique Local Tradition: Meet the gift-giving log: Children care for the tió de Nadal, a small log with a painted face and a red cap. At Christmas, they sing to it and tap it with sticks and gifts and sweets appear from beneath its blanket. You’ll spot little tiós for sale at holiday markets.
Where to Stay: At Nobu Hotel Barcelona, the 23rd-floor namesake restaurant gives holiday diners sweeping views of the city, the Sagrada Família and the Mediterranean.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day menus bring a festive touch to Nobu’s Japanese-Peruvian cuisine, while dishes exclusive to Barcelona draw on Catalan flavors and local produce. Staying through New Year’s Eve? The luxury lifestyle hotel marks the occasion with a tasting menu, champagne, live music and a DJ.
London, England: Christmas Markets and Iconic Light Displays
Photo: VisitBritain/Pinzutu Films/Ula Blocksage/VisitBritain/James Osmond
London puts on its holiday best after dark. Holiday visitors can get a nice introduction to the city’s famous lights displays on an open-top bus tour that takes visitors past Regent Street’s illuminated angels, the lights of Oxford Street and landmarks such as Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus and the London Eye, a cantilevered observation wheel on the banks of the South Bank of the River Thames.
London is also famous for its Christmas markets, with wooden chalets selling holiday gifts, as well as ice skating rinks, mulled wine and festive dishes like raclette melted over potatoes. You could count down the 12 days of Christmas and still have a new market to visit each night, including the Trafalgar Square Christmas Market, which is home to a giant, iconic Norwegian Christmas tree and attracts carol singers to Winter by the River at London City Bridge, which comes with views of Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.
Harry Potter fans can venture beyond central London for Hogwarts in the Snow at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London. From Nov. 14 through Jan. 17, the film sets get a seasonal makeover, complete with Christmas trees in the Great Hall and snow that crunches underfoot.
A Unique Local Tradition: The Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square has traveled a long way to reach London. Every year since 1947, Norway has given the city a tree as a thank-you for Britain’s support during World War II. When Germany occupied Norway, the Norwegian king and government took refuge in London, where they helped coordinate resistance efforts.
Where to Stay: Lore Group’s two London hotels each bring their own style to the festive season.
On the South Bank, Sea Containers London puts families close to the Southbank Centre’s winter festivities, Christmas markets and seasonal shows. Interconnecting rooms and suites make it easy to stay together, while in-room surprises, Christmas movies and cozy robes add to the fun for younger guests. After a day out, families can gather for dinner with river views at Gordon Ramsay at Sea Containers, while grown-ups can head to 12th Knot for cocktails overlooking the skyline.
In Shoreditch, One Hundred Shoreditch offers another option for families and friends traveling together. Its Rooms For Six connect two rooms, giving groups a shared base for exploring the neighborhood.
The hotel group’s Christmas trees are part of the experience, too. Last year, for example, Sea Containers worked with textile studio Colours of Arley on a playful striped design and hosted family workshops where guests made Christmas crackers (decorated paper tubes that pop open) from fabric offcuts. This year’s trees are still under wraps.
Amsterdam, Netherlands: Illuminated Art Along the Canals and the Arrival of Sinterklaas
Photo: I amsterdam media library/Christmas Village
In Amsterdam, holiday lights create an outdoor gallery, with 20 artworks commissioned and placed in photogenic locations throughout the city. From Nov. 26, 2026, through Jan. 17, 2027, the Amsterdam Light Festival brings these illuminated artworks to the city’s canals and streets. See them from a canal boat with a glass roof or bundle up for a walk or bike ride between installations. The theme and artworks for this edition have yet to be announced.
For another quintessential winter outing, lace up your skates at the Ice Rink at Museumplein with the Rijksmuseum, the national museum of the Netherlands, as a backdrop. Warm up afterward with a hot drink and an oliebol, a sugar-dusted Dutch doughnut that’s crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside and sold during the festive season.
A Unique Local Tradition: Amsterdam’s holiday celebrations begin before December. On Nov. 15, 2026, Sinterklaas (the Dutch iteration of Saint Nicholas) is set to make his annual arrival by boat, sailing along the Amstel before continuing through the city on horseback with families lining the route to welcome him. During the holiday season, children sing Sinterklaas songs and leave a shoe by the door or fireplace, often with a drawing or wish list and a carrot for his horse. They may find chocolate coins, pepernoten (small, spiced cookies) or a little gift tucked inside the shoe.
Where to Stay: Located along the central canal belt, Pulitzer Amsterdam brings together 25 restored canal houses, with guest rooms that pair Dutch craftsmanship and modern design.
On Christmas Day, Jansz., the signature restaurant, serves a three-course lunch and a four-course dinner, with a vegetarian menu available on request. The dinner features special dishes like king prawn carpaccio, sea bass with orzo and lobster bisque, and tenderloin with black garlic jus, followed by bread-and-butter pudding. Jansz. also offers a four-course dinner to close out the year on New Year’s Eve.
Or a central hideaway also in the heart of Amsterdam, Kimpton De Witt Hotel pairs Dutch-inspired design with contemporary rooms and spaces to unwind after exploring Amsterdam. Expect twinkling trees and special menus during the holiday season. For a nightcap, head to Super Lyan, the hotel’s neon-lit cocktail bar, which was named Best Bar in the Netherlands and ranked among Europe’s 50 Best Bars list for 2026.
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