Where to Spend the Holidays in 2023: Christmas-Themed Cruise, Tour, and Hotel Travel Picks

Not everyone wants to be home for the holidays. During Christmastime, many tour operators, cruise lines, hotels, and destinations offer visitors festive experiences. For clients seeking celebratory travel this December, here are some of this year’s best Christmas-themed trips and places to visit. 

Land tours get festive 
Tour operators are getting Christmassy with their end-of-year products. Brendan Vacations’ Ireland’s Festive Adventure package is a 10-day journey exploring four of the country’s major cities from Dec. 20 to 29. Guests will travel city to city by railroad, stay at hotels of their choosing, and spend Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and St. Stephen’s Day in Killarney, where they’ll enjoy a cocktail reception, bountiful holiday dinner, and lowkey brunch, respectively. The trip also includes stops in Dublin, Limerick, and Cork, with visits to historic castles, the Irish Emigration Museum, and the Cliffs of Moher. 

Sita World Tours is offering a Christmas version of its six-day Hidden Powers & Northern Lights package from Dec. 23 to 31. Travelers will see many of Iceland’s natural wonders, including its many waterfalls and scenic national parks. On Christmas Day, guests will visit the Lava Centre, walk along Iceland’s black sand beaches, and enjoy a festive Christmas dinner at their hotel. A tour guide will bring guests to find the best view of the Northern Lights during the evening with the clearest skies. What could be more magical on Christmas? 

Travelers voted Charleston, South Carolina as the best U.S. city in Travel + Leisure’s 2023 World’s Best Awards. Now they can experience the city during Christmastime on Collette’s seven-day Southern Charm Holiday tour. Guests will choose from a walking tour or a Fort Sumter Cruise in Charleston. They’ll also see the James Island County Park holiday display, Christmas carolers, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, and Mercer Williams House in Savannah. The trip is from Dec. 3 to 9, a great way to kick off the holiday season.  

Collette also has Christmas-themed trips planned in New York City and London, as well as Christmas markets tour covering Prague, Vienna, and Budapest in nine days and Germany and Austria in eight days. While none of Colette’s market tours fall on Christmas Day itself, there are several package options from November through Dec. 23. 

Speaking of Christmas market tours, those are quite popular among tour operators. EF Go Ahead offers four extended Christmas market tours in Europe lasting anywhere from 11 to 18 days. Club Adventures has two different 8-day European market tours to choose from, and Classic Journeys is offering a 7-day Europe’s Christmas Markets Special Edition package. 

Hotels deck the halls 
Christmas cheer overflows at hotels across the world during the holiday season. If your clients are traveling to the popular Charleston, South Carolina this year, consider sending them to Hotel Bennett. For the second year in a row, this luxury hotel will feature a life-size gingerbread house on its first-floor lobby, where there will be elves serving hot chocolate for the season. There will also be a tree lighting ceremony on Dec. 7, as well as tea with Santa on the weekends from Nov. 25 through Dec. 24. 

For those traveling to Mexico, the Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya has festivities planned for guests of all ages from Dec. 21, 2023 through Jan. 1, 2024. The hotel and resort will immerse guests in local Christmas traditions with its décor, activities, and dining experiences. Children can participate in festive art classes or learn to make guacamole and chocolate Santa Clauses. Plus, Santa himself will make a poolside appearance at the hotel. Andaz Mayakoba will also offer a Christmas Eve buffet and brunch for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.  

Those looking for Christmas cheer among more wintry weather can check out Vail Resorts’ several ski destinations in the United States. Noel Nights is returning to Northstar California’s Village at Northstar Ice Skating Rink. This festive, kid-friendly event happens for a few Fridays in December: Dec. 3, Dec. 10, and Dec. 17. Also, Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Colorado will host a tree lighting ceremony on Dec. 9 and fun, festive events for families on Dec. 23 and 24. 

If it’s the ambiance your clients are after, Four Seasons hotels get always decked out for the holidays. To see some special decorations this year, we recommend the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris, Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, and Four Seasons Hotel Seoul. Plus, Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon, Portugal and Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire are celebrating with festive dining options, and Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva, Switzerland will feature a Le Chalet des Etoiles, a Christmas Popup.  

Cruises celebrate Christmas 
A White Christmas awaits on Intrepid Travel’s tour at sea from Argentina to Antarctica from Dec. 18 to 28. The Ocean Endeavor ship will take guests to the Antarctic Peninsula, where they’ll see plenty of wildlife, including seals, whales, penguins, and seabirds. The ship holds 200 passengers and has a gym, library, and range of room types.  

Viking offers several different European Christmas market river cruises that will include cities such as Paris, Amsterdam, Zurich, Prague, Berlin, and Budapest. Some of these are brand-new itineraries just debuting this year. There are $25 deposit deals happening now that you and your clients won’t want to miss. 

Celebrity Cruises is offering some special Christmas Cruise itineraries, including a Thailand & Vietnam trip, a New Zealand Holiday, a Galapagos Inner Loop cruise, and many others. As it gets closer to the holidays, clients looking to book a last-minute trip can get great value booking some of these sailings. Particularly, there is a discounted cruise from Barcelona to the Canaries and Morocco sailing from Dec. 21, 2023 to Jan 2., 2024. 

Travelers can also find especially festive cruises with Oceania and American Queen Voyages. Oceania has Caribbean, Latin American, and Australian cruises around Christmastime this year, while American Queen Voyages is offering festive Mississippi River Christmas cruises. 

Best holiday destinations 
There is heightened excitement for the Christmas season in Asheville, North Carolina this year. Why, might you ask? The city’s historic Biltmore house is featured in a brand-new Hallmark Channel film, , which premieres Nov. 26. Biltmore will be adorned in 1940s Christmas decorations, hold daytime tours and nighttime candlelight events, and even have costumes from the movie on display. 

The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism and the Division of Festivals will host the 2023-2024 Crucian Christmas Festival from Dec. 10, 2023 to Jan. 6, 2024 on the island of St. Croix. U.S. travelers can fly here without a passport and still get that Caribbean island-feel this Christmas. The festival will feature cross-cultural food, music, and dancing, combining the Caribbean, African, Spanish, and Dutch influences of the region. 

It’s Christmas all year round in Rovaniemi, Finland, but a visit on Christmas Day is sure to be extra special. Santa Claus Village is where the magic happens – in other words, where visitors can meet Santa Claus, cross the Arctic Circle, see the Northern Lights, and get astounding nature tours. Guests can even get reindeer rides and visit a husky park. Nothing says Christmas more than these ultimate wintery experiences. 

Salzburg, Austria is another destination that’s all about Christmas spirit. There are museums and stores completely dedicated to the holiday, plus many festive tours of medieval castles and opportunities to ice skate in what’s known as “Mozart’s City.” Another popular activity is a visit to Hohensalzburg Fortress, a tall tower and historic landmark that will host several events this season, including Christmas tours, concerts, and markets.