The Best Places to Travel to This December

These days the weather is so all over the place that it’s almost unfathomable to think that in just the blink of an eye it will be December. It's a time of year when, though a whole year has passed and we should feel exhausted, it’s always somehow just the opposite. December is a time of excitement, of new horizons, of celebration. There’s twinkling lights, powdery precipitation—or palm trees with tinsel—and magic of all kinds, whether it’s the sun glinting off snow in a city you’ve only ever seen in summer, northern lights dancing on the horizon, or a visit with a wholesome—or naughty—Santa (that’s in Germany).

Opt for a white Christmas, a hot Hanukkah, a temperate Kwanzaa or just relax as you take stock in the year and look forward to 2025. We’ve got festive celebrations, hot springs and cold drinks. Plus music festivals and shimmery snow globes and a party that lasts 45 days—we see you, Puerto Rico—and everything in between. ‘Tis (almost) the season.

When you think of Vienna during the holidays, your mind probably goes straight to the Christmas markets. And with good reason: Ringed with Baroque architecture, the Austrian capital’s outdoor fare are some of the most brightly lit, festive, and extravagant in all of Europe—featuring ice skating rinks and carousels, all with the scent of sausages and roasted chestnuts lingering in the air. Even more magic? Viennese delicacies like bauernkrapfen (donut-like fried pastries) for sale. And who wouldn’t want to drink glühwein out of a little red boot?

Even if Mother Nature doesn’t grace your trip with snow, there is always one place the white stuff can easily be found. Vienna is the home of the Original Vienna Snow Globe Factory and Museum, where the very first snow globe was invented, by accident. Today these schneekugels come in all shapes and sizes, serving winter year-round. But first, learn the best way to enjoy them. Rather than shaking the snow globe, as most are inclined to do, flip it over, wait a few minutes, then flip it upright. Thank us later. 

Perhaps your perfect holiday season means coquito and pasteles. In that case, you’re headed to Puerto Rico, where the holiday season lasts not one week, but a whopping 45 days. Things heat up right after Thanksgiving and continue with Nochebuena, the night before Christmas when families gather to exchange gifts, then continues with Three Kings Day on January 6. The festive atmosphere doesn’t stop until mid-January, culminating with the multi-day Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián, a purely Puerto Rican festival that takes over the streets of Old San Juan with circus acts, dancing, and costumes with giant papier-mâché heads.

While you’re in Old San Juan, book a stay at the Palacio Provincial, a restored 19th-century building with a pool and popular rooftop bar, and views straight to the harbor. Get the historic lay of the land with Patria walking tours, sip piña coladas in their birthplace, and look to the future of elevated cuisine at lala, the new restaurant by Guillermo López Folch, a chef who cut his teeth at Le Bernardin in NYC. The restaurant is co-owned by none other than Bad Bunny.

While some might seek snow and cold weather, others like to go where the palm trees are covered in tinsel, where the last recorded snowfall was in 1977, and where Will Smith has staked an unceasing claim on the city’s anthem. They’re going to… Miami. And while sun and sand is definitely a draw, we’ve got ways to go beyond the surface. Perhaps you’d like to delve into the city’s Latinx side with cafecitos, salsa dancing, and some of the best Cuban sandwiches in the country (including one that’s in a restaurant with a Pitbull-themed bathroom). Or maybe aesthetics are your preferred activity, from art deco architecture-hopping on Ocean Drive to admiring murals on Wynwood. 

But if you’re a hip hop lover, Rolling Loud deserves a space on your calendar. This December, the largest hip hop festival in the world, celebrates a decade of beats in the place it all started. From December 13 to 15, see headliners Travis Scott, Future, and Playboi Carti and acts like Shaboozey, Metro Boomin, Sexxy Redd, and many, many more. You’re lucky you’re reading about this early. You should probably buy tickets, like, now. 

We all know Cleveland rocks, but this winter it’s also bringing something historic to its repertoire. This December the Cleveland Museum of Natural History will complete a multi-year, $150-million expansion and transformation, upping its square footage to more than 375,000 square feet, with two acres of outdoor area. It opens on December 13, and they’ll be hauling out more of their collection to integrate into gallery floors. If you’re in the Christmas mood, Cleveland is also the location of the house where A Christmas Story was filmed. See the leg lamp, wear the pink bunny suit, and crawl around as you see fit (just don’t shoot your eye out). Round out the experience with a production of A Christmas Story at the Cleveland Playhouse, a holiday tradition.

While you’re in the area, this December Cuyahoga Valley National Park (30 minutes away from Cleveland) celebrates its 50th anniversary (it first became a national recreation area in 1974, before graduating to a national park in 2000). Festivities go through the end of 2025, with a range of speakers and programming highlighting Native heritage as well as the women who shaped the valley.

As we noted earlier, European Christmas markets are magical places, where you can wander around with a stein of beer or cup of warm boozy glühwein, peruse festive tchotchkes, and marvel at lights draped on stunning historic architecture. You can find this twinkling holiday magic everywhere from Zagreb to Munich, Nuremberg, Vienna, Strasbourg, Tallinn, Budapest, Malaga, Govone, and a particularly impressive spectacle in Edinburgh. (In the US, we have something similar: It’s called "Christmas in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter" at Universal Studios Hollywood.)

But there’s only one place you can get in on the XXX-rated version. Germany’s Santa Pauli, held in Hamburg’s Reeperbahn red-light district, is a debaucherous romp where Santa chugs beer, people perform Pornokaraoke, and topless drag queens run the show. You can make your own mulled wine, and trees are decorated with dildos. Hey, festivity comes in all forms.

We’re all familiar with Jackson Hole as a destination for winter sports. But if you’re looking for something a little bit more under the radar, with the wide open skies, tasty beer, damn good steakhouses, and, yup, some quality skiing, relocate about four hours southeast to Casper. Here, the sporting events lean more toward fly-fishing: The North Platte River is a bucket list destination for anglers year-round, with miles of blue-ribbon waters. In the winter months, add ice fishing to the schedule—Fat Bear Fishing will take you out to the Pathfinder Dam for that.

Into dinosaurs? The tiny and hands-on Tate Geological Museum at Casper College is a massive hidden gem. (Ask to visit Lee Rex and you’ll be escorted to a back annex where still lying in the plaster used to excavate him is the only T-Rex found in Wyoming that’s remained in-state.) On Casper Mountain, you’ll find stellar hiking trails and the intimate Hogadon Basin Ski Area, with a gorgeous, glass-walled lodge for all your apres needs. Downtown, you’ll find your breweries, Backwards Distilling Company (try the absinthe), and the airy Nicolaysen Art Museum (AKA “The Nic”), which holds pieces by the likes of Matisse but also showcases talented local artists. Casper is also the only place that the Oregon, California, Mormon, and Pony Express trails all came through. Learn all about them at the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center. Just a short drive away is Independence Rock, where pioneers signed their names for their relatives to see when they passed by, as a guest book of sorts.

Despite its name, it really never gets that cold in Iceland. The highest summer temperatures peak in the 50s, while winter stays around the 30s. If you’re planning a trip to Iceland in the winter months, when the days are short and dark, you’re going for specific reasons. Maybe you’re hoping to visit some of the seasonal ice caves for some chilly spelunking. But you’re definitely hoping to see the northern lights. It’s one of the best places in the world to see this life-changing phenomenon, after all, with peaks from September to March.

In between aurora chasing, take advantage of the country’s geothermal activity. Iceland sits on a spot where the continental plates ease apart and lava boils up, setting the stage for more than 45 natural hot springs spread throughout the country (and 130 volcanoes, over 30 of which are still active). In addition to pools you can hike to, there are the ones with the entry fees. We don’t have to tell you about the Blue Lagoon, but are you familiar with the new(ish), less crowded oceanfront Sky Lagoon in Kópavogur, just a 20-minute drive from Reykjavik? They’ve recently added a new Skjól Ritual which incorporates raw elements found in Iceland, like krækiber (crowberries) that thrive in the lava fields.

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