Where to Spend Christmas 2026: 14 Destinations Compared

Christmas Day 2026 falls on a Friday, which makes Sunday 20 to Sunday 27 December the natural week to go away. The harder choice is the kind of Christmas you want: near-certain snow, a big city in full costume, summer heat, or one tradition found nowhere else. This guide covers 14 places across those four moods; for the rest of the month, see our December guide.

For each place you get the 2026 event dates organisers have published, December weather from the national meteorological service, what shuts on 24–26 December, access, what to book first, a cost marker and the honest downside. Every date below was read on 4–5 October 2026 from the organiser's or tourism board's own page, or from the news report we name where no official page was available; where 2026 is not out yet, we say so and give the 2025 date.

Weather figures are climate normals, mostly for 1991–2020, so they describe a typical month rather than any single day. Prices are converted at the European Central Bank's reference rates for 2 October 2026.

Christmas 2026 at a glance

Destination	Why at Christmas	Key 2026/27 date(s)	Dec high / low	Cost marker and vibe
Rovaniemi, Finland	Santa Claus Village, snow nearly every year	Santa's send-off 23 Dec (2026 details pending)	−4.9 / −10.6 °C (23 / 13 °F)	Santa photo €40; families
Zermatt, Switzerland	Car-free village, skiing to 3,883 m	Lift season 1 Nov 2026 – 3 May 2027	1.5 / −6.3 °C (35 / 21 °F)	Day pass from CHF 89 (€96); skiers
Québec City, Canada	Old Québec under snow	German market 19 Nov – 23 Dec	−3.3 / −11.4 °C (26 / 11 °F)	Markets free; French-speaking
Sapporo, Japan	Deep snow, street illuminations	Odori lights and Munich market to 25 Dec	2.0 / −4.0 °C (36 / 25 °F)	TV Tower ¥1,200 (€7); 25 Dec is a workday
New York, USA	The tree, the rink, the Rockettes	Tree lit 2 Dec; Spectacular to 4 Jan	6.8 / 1.0 °C (44 / 34 °F)	Rockettes from $55 (€49); crowds
London, UK	Winter Wonderland	Hyde Park 19 Nov – 3 Jan, shut 25 Dec	9.0 / 3.9 °C (48 / 39 °F)	Entry £1–£8.25; city stops on the 25th
Copenhagen, Denmark	Tivoli's Christmas season	Tivoli 13 Nov – 3 Jan, closed 24 Dec	2.4 °C mean (36 °F)	Tivoli from DKK 180 (€24); cosy
Prague, Czechia	Old Town Square market	Markets 28 Nov – 6 Jan	2.7 / −2.2 °C (37 / 28 °F)	Open-air; big shops shut noon 24 Dec
Gran Canaria, Spain	Beach plus a sand nativity	2026 not announced (2025: 15 Dec – 8 Jan)	22.3 / 16.7 °C (72 / 62 °F)	Nativity free; mild
Madeira, Portugal	A month of street festivities	Market night 23 Dec	21.0 / 15.5 °C (70 / 60 °F)	Workshops free; wettest month
Sydney, Australia	Christmas in midsummer	Carols 19 Dec; Sydney Hobart start 26 Dec	25.3 / 17.6 °C (78 / 64 °F)	Spectator boat AU$419 (€259); beaches
Oaxaca, Mexico	Night of the Radishes	Noche de Rábanos 23 Dec	28.9 / 11.0 °C (84 / 52 °F)	Public square; dry
San Fernando, Philippines	Giant lantern displays	2026 not announced (2025 shows to 1 Jan)	30.3 / 24.6 °C (87 / 76 °F)	Mall and plaza shows; hot
Reykjavík, Iceland	Yule Lads, 18:00 bells	Yule Lads arrive 12–24 Dec	3.3 / −1.6 °C (38 / 29 °F)	Museum ISK 3,300 (€24); dark

White Christmas: four places where snow is the norm

Snow on 25 December is a matter of odds. These four have the best odds, backed by weather-service numbers.

1. Rovaniemi, Finland — Santa's hometown on the Arctic Circle

The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) is blunt about Lapland: in its 1981–2010 statistics, a white Christmas there came practically every year. Rovaniemi adds the full Santa operation. Santa Claus Village, 8 km north of the centre on the Arctic Circle, opens every day of the year, and Santa Claus Office (free entry) runs 08:00–20:00 daily from 30 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, Christmas Eve and Day included. The city's 23 December send-off, Santa Claus is on his way, was livestreamed in 2025; 2026 details had not been posted on 4 October.

FMI's 1991–2020 normals for Rovaniemi airport give December highs of −4.9 °C (23 °F), lows of −10.6 °C (13 °F) and 50.9 mm of precipitation. On 21 December 2026 the sun rises at 11:08 and sets at 13:22, with civil twilight from 09:16 to 15:14 (US Naval Observatory).

The airport is 3 km from the village, and VR's Santa Claus Express sleeper runs from Helsinki, with private cabins from €49 (about $55); on 5 October VR was selling night-train tickets up to 25 April 2027, so Christmas week is already on sale. Book the bed first: Arctic TreeHouse Hotel's Christmas package fixes your stay at 23–26 or 24–27 December, three nights minimum. The village's Iittala store closes on 24 and 25 December. Meeting Santa is free; a photo costs €40 (about $45) and a private Christmas Express Pass €500 (about $561) per family.

The trade-off: about two hours of sun, nights near −10 °C (14 °F), and a full moon on 24 December 2026 that will drown faint auroras; see our northern lights guide.

2. Zermatt, Switzerland — car-free and snow-sure

Zermatt solves the snow question with altitude. Its pistes climb to 3,883 m and the lift company sells skiing 365 days a year. The 2026/27 winter season runs from 1 November 2026 to 3 May 2027, with the Sunnegga-Rothorn and Gornergrat areas opening on 28 November, so Christmas week sits well inside it.

MeteoSwiss normals for the Zermatt station (1,638 m, 1991–2020) give December highs of 1.5 °C (35 °F), lows of −6.3 °C (21 °F), frost on 30 nights out of 31 and 82.6 hours of sunshine.

The village is car-free. Drivers park at Täsch and take the shuttle train, which leaves every 20 minutes and takes 12; direct trains run every half hour, about three and a half hours from Zurich Airport and four from Geneva or Basel.

A one-day Zermatt lift pass starts at CHF 89 (about €96), but that floor price applies only from 1 to 27 November 2026 and from 19 April 2027. Check hotel terms early: Mont Cervin Palace's conditions let it bill 100% of the booked services if you leave early, and it sets cancellation fees by travel period and length of stay. If you are staying on for New Year, our guide to New Year's Eve in the snow picks up from here.

The trade-off: snow certainty costs money. The CHF 89 floor price does not apply in Christmas week, and strict hotel terms leave little room to change plans.

3. Québec City, Canada — Old Québec under real snow

From late November, says Destination Québec cité, Old Québec becomes a Christmas village. Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1991–2020 normals for Jean Lesage airport give December 75.7 cm of snowfall and at least 1 cm of snow on the ground on 27.7 days. Highs average −3.3 °C (26 °F), lows −11.4 °C (11 °F), and wind chill drops below −20 °C (−4 °F) on 11 days.

The Québec City German Christmas Market runs from 19 November to 23 December 2026 across six free sites around City Hall, Thursday to Sunday plus Monday 21 to Wednesday 23 December (11:00–21:00, Sundays until 18:00 and the 23rd until 20:00). The Grand Christmas Market at the Grand Marché runs from 21 November to 24 December, also free, and the German market's Kaléidoscopes puts free shows on three Old Québec stages from 27 to 31 December, 14:00–21:00.

Québec law shapes the week: shops may admit customers only from 08:00 to 17:00 on 24 December, must close on the 25th, and may open 13:00–17:00 on Saturday 26 December. Jean Lesage airport is 16 km from downtown, with direct flights from cities in Canada, the US and Europe, and VIA Rail runs daily from Toronto, Ottawa and Montréal. Book Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners when you book the hotel.

The trade-off: the German market closes on 23 December, so Christmas Day itself is cold, quiet and mostly shut.

4. Sapporo, Japan — deep snow and street lights

Sapporo is the snow pick for travellers who want a working city around them. The Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991–2020 normals give December 113 cm of snowfall, snow falling on 27.9 days and an average deepest snow cover of 47 cm, with highs of 2.0 °C (36 °F) and lows of −4.0 °C (25 °F).

The Sapporo White Illumination, running since 1981, lights Odori Park from 20 November to 25 December 2026, 16:30–22:00, extended to midnight on 23–25 December, while about 220,000 LEDs line 1.5 km of trees on Ekimae-dori. The Munich Christmas Market in Sapporo, born of the city's sister-city link with Munich, fills Odori Park blocks 1 and 2 on the same dates, 11:00–21:00.

Japan's 2026 public holidays end on 23 November, so 24 and 25 December are ordinary working days and the city runs as normal. JR trains reach Sapporo from New Chitose Airport in about 30 minutes. For a view over the lights, the TV Tower observation deck costs ¥1,200 (about €7) for adults and stays open until 22:00.

The trade-off: Christmas here is lights and a market, with no public holiday around it, and both the market and the Odori lights end on the 25th.

Festive cities: the big Christmas set pieces

Trees, rinks, markets and shows, with one catch: on 25 December some of these cities almost stop.

5. New York City, USA — the tree, the rink and the Rockettes

Rockefeller Center has put its 2026 dates on the calendar: the tree arrives on Saturday 7 November and is lit on Wednesday 2 December, according to Time Out's report of 29 September. The Rink opens for the season on 10 October; last season admission ran $22–$124 (about €20–€110) depending on date and time, plus $12 (€11) for skates, NBC New York reported.

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular runs from 4 November 2026 to 4 January 2027 and plays on Christmas Day itself, with 25 December seats listed from $105 to $592.50 (about €94–€528), against $55 (€49) on the cheapest dates. Book those seats, and any Christmas Day table, before the flights. Our New York guide covers airports and neighbourhoods.

NOAA's 1991–2020 normals for Central Park give December highs of 6.8 °C (44.3 °F), lows of 1.0 °C (33.8 °F), 111 mm of precipitation and 12 cm of snow. The chance of at least an inch of snow on the ground on 25 December is 13.2%. Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026, is a federal holiday.

The trade-off: a white Christmas is roughly a one-in-eight chance, and the headline moments come with crowds; Time Out notes that the crowd at the lighting is a spectacle of its own.

6. London, UK — Winter Wonderland and a city that stops

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland runs from 19 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, every day except Christmas Day, until 22:00; on 24 and 26 December it opens at 10:00. Every visitor needs a timed entry ticket, listed at £1 off-peak, £5.50 standard and £8.25 peak (about €1.20–€9.70), and rides cost extra.

The Met Office's 1991–2020 normals for St James's Park give December highs of 9.0 °C (48 °F), lows of 3.9 °C (39 °F) and 58.6 mm of rain on 11 days, and Heathrow logs only 55 hours of sunshine in the month.

Christmas Day is the one day London's transport stops. For 2025, London TravelWatch said that, as usual, there would be no National Rail services and that the only TfL services running would be taxis, Santander Cycles, e-scooters, coaches and Dial-a-Ride, so no Tube or buses. Museums close too: the National Gallery shuts from 24 to 26 December and on 1 January. In 2026 the Boxing Day bank holiday moves to Monday 28 December.

Arrive by the 23rd. The Heathrow Express runs every 15 minutes between Paddington and Heathrow, a 15-minute ride, finishing earlier on Sundays and bank holidays. Book Christmas lunch within walking distance of your hotel; our London guide helps you pick the area.

The trade-off: short, grey days, and a Christmas Day spent on foot.

7. Copenhagen, Denmark — Tivoli in winter

Tivoli's Christmas season runs from 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, with every ride open plus two Christmas rides, the Elf Train and the Forest Carousel. Entry starts at DKK 180 (about €24); entry plus a ride pass for 23 December costs DKK 429–449 (about €57–€60). Mind the gap in the calendar: Tivoli is closed on 24 December, while the 25th and 26th are on sale.

The Danish Meteorological Institute's 1991–2020 figures, as filed with the World Meteorological Organization, give a December mean of 2.4 °C (36 °F) at Sjælsmark, north of the city, and 58.4 mm of precipitation on 12 days at Landbohøjskolen in Frederiksberg.

Getting around is easy: the Metro runs around the clock, every day, with a line straight from Copenhagen Airport. Pick your Tivoli day before you book flights, and reserve Christmas Eve dinner early, because Tivoli is off the menu that night.

The trade-off: Tivoli's calendar skips Christmas Eve, and a 2.4 °C (36 °F) average with precipitation on 12 days is raw weather for an open-air park.

8. Prague, Czechia — Old Town Square through Christmas week

Prague's two big markets, on Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square, run from 28 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, 10:00–22:00, so they keep trading through Christmas week, after many German markets have packed up (our Christmas markets guide has those dates). Prague City Tourism says its 2026/27 Christmas listings go live in late November.

Czech law sets the rhythm of the holiday: shops larger than 200 m² stop selling at 12:00 on 24 December, Štědrý den, and stay shut on the 25th and 26th. The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute's 1991–2020 normals for Praha-Ruzyně give December highs of 2.7 °C (37 °F), lows of −2.2 °C (28 °F), 25.9 mm of precipitation and 48 hours of sunshine.

From the airport, trolleybus 59 reaches Veleslavín in about 15 minutes, where you change to metro line A, all on ordinary city fares. The markets are open-air; budget in koruna, at CZK 24.47 to the euro on 2 October. Our Prague guide covers where to stay.

The trade-off: from Christmas Eve lunchtime the big shops shut until the 27th, and the sun is scarce, at 48 hours for the whole month.

Warm Christmas: sun, sea and different traditions

Swap snow for sun, and each of these four adds a tradition you can join.

9. Gran Canaria, Spain — a nativity built of sand

On Las Canteras, the city beach of Las Palmas, sculptors build a full nativity scene out of sand every Christmas. The 2025–26 Belén de Arena, its 20th anniversary edition, ran from 15 December 2025 to 8 January 2026, daily 10:00–22:00 (10:00–20:00 on 24 and 31 December and 5 January), with free entry and no tickets. The city's tourism office says money collected there goes to soup kitchens. The 2026–27 dates had not been published on 4 October.

AEMET's 1991–2020 normals for Gran Canaria airport, as filed with the World Meteorological Organization, give December highs of 22.3 °C (72 °F), lows of 16.7 °C (62 °F), 25.9 mm of rain and 188 hours of sunshine. Christmas Day is one of the national holidays fixed in Spain's Workers' Statute.

Fly to Gran Canaria and take public transport into Las Palmas; the nativity's organisers ask visitors to use it. The sand scene is free, so the budget goes on the room and the flight.

The trade-off: expect T-shirt afternoons and sweater evenings, with highs of 22 °C (72 °F) and lows of 17 °C (62 °F), and the 2026 nativity dates are still unconfirmed.

10. Madeira, Portugal — a month of street festivities

Madeira treats the season as its biggest party. The official Christmas and New Year programme runs from 1 December 2026 to 10 January 2027, with events in Funchal's streets every day and a Christmas market on Avenida Arriaga for the whole period, where free Christmas workshops sit beside the stage. The Missas do Parto, dawn masses from 15 to 23 December starting at 06:00, end with pork-in-wine-and-garlic sandwiches and home-made liqueurs in the church squares. The night to plan around is 23 December, when the Farmers' Market (Mercado dos Lavradores) holds its Christmas market night and the party runs until dawn.

IPMA's 1991–2020 normals for Funchal give December highs of 21.0 °C (70 °F) and lows of 15.5 °C (60 °F), but December is the city's wettest month: 94.8 mm on about nine days.

Funchal's airport lists routes from cities including London Gatwick, Manchester, Hamburg and Munich. Most of the programme happens in the streets, so the room is the main cost.

The trade-off: you get Funchal's wettest month, and the island's biggest night, the New Year's Eve fireworks, falls just after this week; our New Year's Eve guide covers it if you can stay on.

11. Sydney, Australia — Christmas in midsummer

Sydney does Christmas outdoors. The 44th Carols in the Domain is on Saturday 19 December 2026, broadcast nationally on Channel 7, and on Boxing Day the Sydney Hobart yacht race leaves the harbour at 13:00 AEDT on its 628-nautical-mile course. The organisers suggest South Head, North Head, Watsons Bay and Christison Park in Vaucluse as land viewpoints. On Christmas Day the beaches take over, and professional lifeguards patrol Bondi all year, so swim between their flags.

The Bureau of Meteorology's long-term averages for Observatory Hill give December highs of 25.3 °C (78 °F), lows of 17.6 °C (64 °F), 77.1 mm of rain on eight days and 7.6 hours of sunshine a day.

Christmas Day is a restricted trading day in New South Wales, so most shops close, though businesses that are not retail shops can open; on Boxing Day all shops may trade. Public holidays fall on Friday 25, Saturday 26 and Monday 28 December 2026. Book harbour-view tables and rooms as soon as your flights are fixed.

The trade-off: the flight is long from Europe or North America, and the best seat for the race costs real money: the only public spectator boat inside the start's exclusion zone, The Jackson, charges AU$419 (about €259) a head.

12. Oaxaca, Mexico — the Night of the Radishes

On 23 December, Oaxaca's Zócalo fills with scenes carved from radishes, with flowers and other natural materials, for the Noche de Rábanos. The 2025 edition was the 128th, opening from 15:00, according to Mexico's tourism ministry, whose Visit Mexico site lists the 2026 edition for 23 December; the 2026 programme had not been posted on 5 October.

The weather is the opposite of a northern December. The National Meteorological Service's 1991–2020 normals for Oaxaca city (1,594 m) give December highs of 28.9 °C (84 °F), lows of 11.0 °C (52 °F) and just 9 mm of rain on two or three days. Christmas Day is a mandatory rest day under Mexican labour law.

Fly into Oaxaca's airport, one of the airports run by ASUR, and arrive by the 22nd. Book a room within walking distance of the Zócalo, since the radish scenes are a one-evening show in a public square. Seeing them costs nothing beyond the trip itself; budget in pesos, at MXN 20.58 to the euro on 2 October.

The trade-off: the displays last a single evening, and nights fall to 11 °C (52 °F) after afternoons of 29 °C (84 °F), so pack layers.

Traditions worth the trip

Two Christmases built around a single tradition, worth the long journey if that tradition is the point.

13. San Fernando, Pampanga, Philippines — the giant lanterns

San Fernando's giant parols are lanterns about 6 m (20 ft) across, wired with thousands of bulbs that flash in sequence to music. The festival has run since 1908, interrupted only by war and the pandemic, AFP reported. In 2025 the 117th edition, the Ligligan Parul competition, was held on Saturday 13 December at Robinsons Starmills, with ten barangays taking part; the 2026 date had not been announced on 4 October.

On a 20–27 December trip you see the exhibitions; the judging night is over by then. In 2025 the lanterns lit up Robinsons Starmills nightly from 18:00 between 14 and 23 December, glowed between City Hall and the Metropolitan Cathedral at 21:00 on Christmas Eve, and returned to Starmills on 25–26 December, with more shows until 1 January.

PAGASA's 1991–2020 normals for Port Area, Manila, the nearest station with a full 1991–2020 record that we found, give December highs of 30.3 °C (87 °F), lows of 24.6 °C (76 °F) and 98.5 mm of rain on about eight days. Clark International Airport is in Pampanga itself, and every arriving passenger must register on the eTravel portal. The shows are staged at a mall and in a civic plaza, so the main costs are getting there and a room.

The trade-off: the competition night falls before Christmas week, and in 2025 the detailed exhibition timetable appeared only the day after it.

14. Reykjavík, Iceland — Yule Lads and the 18:00 bells

Iceland's Christmas cast runs to 13 Yule Lads. Visit Reykjavík lists them arriving one a night from 12 December, ending with Candle Beggar on the 24th, while children leave a shoe on the windowsill for a small gift (or a potato); the last one leaves on 6 January, when bonfires mark the end of the season. On 23 December many restaurants serve fermented skate at lunch, and at 18:00 on Christmas Eve church bells ring across the city to start Christmas.

Expect holiday hours: Visit Reykjavík says many businesses close or shorten hours on 24, 25 and 26 December, while restaurants, hotels, pools and tour companies often run holiday schedules, and normal rhythm returns on the 27th.

The Icelandic Met Office's 1991–2020 normals for Reykjavík give December highs of 3.3 °C (38 °F), lows of −1.6 °C (29 °F), 94.9 mm of precipitation on 15 days and 12.6 hours of sunshine in the whole month. On 21 December 2026 the sun rises at 11:22 and sets at 15:29. Most international travellers arrive at Keflavík (KEF). As a price marker, the National Museum's adult ticket is ISK 3,300 (about €24).

The trade-off: daylight lasts about four hours, the average December high sits above freezing at 3.3 °C (38 °F), so snow on the ground is not a given, and the full moon on 24 December will wash out fainter auroras.

Practical tips

Plan Christmas Day transport before you fly. London's Underground does not run on 25 December and the rail network shuts; Copenhagen's Metro runs around the clock; Japan treats the 25th as a working day; Reykjavík keeps holiday hours from the 24th to the 26th.
Learn the shop rules. In Prague, shops over 200 m² stop at 12:00 on 24 December and stay shut on the 25th and 26th. In Québec, stores open 08:00–17:00 on the 24th, close on the 25th, open 13:00–17:00 on Saturday 26th and close again on 1 and 2 January. In New South Wales most shops close on the 25th and all may trade on Boxing Day. Buy Christmas Eve supplies in the morning.
Book Christmas Eve and Day meals when you book the room. Visit Rovaniemi warns that some restaurants need reservations and some serve hotel guests only, and Visit Reykjavík says restaurants run holiday schedules. Some packages include the meals: Arctic TreeHouse's Christmas stay covers festive lunch and dinner from 23 to 26 December.
Expect fixed dates and minimum stays. Arctic TreeHouse sells its Christmas package for 23–26 or 24–27 December only, three nights minimum, and Mont Cervin Palace can bill 100% of the stay if you leave early. Read the cancellation terms before you pay.
Fly on the quiet days. In 2025 US airport checkpoints screened 2.07 million people on Christmas Day, 26% fewer than on Monday 22 December and 29% fewer than on Sunday 28 December, the busiest day that week (TSA). For when to buy, see when to book flights.
Check the moon. The full moon falls on 24 December 2026, so aurora chases in Lapland and Iceland that week face a bright sky.
Dress for wind chill. Québec averages 11 December days with wind chill below −20 °C (−4 °F), and Rovaniemi's average December low is −10.6 °C (13 °F).

Plan Your Christmas Trip in 30 Seconds

Pick one of the 14, add your dates and build a day-by-day itinerary around the events above, leaving room for the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day closures. It is free, and you do not need an account to see it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Where is a white Christmas most likely in 2026?

Finnish Lapland. The Finnish Meteorological Institute says a white Christmas there came practically every year in its 1981–2010 statistics. Among cities, Québec City averages 27.7 December days with snow on the ground and Sapporo 113 cm of December snowfall, while New York's chance of an inch on the ground on 25 December is about 13%.

Where can I spend Christmas somewhere warm?

Oaxaca is the driest, with 28.9 °C (84 °F) highs and 9 mm of December rain on Mexico's 1991–2020 normals. Sydney averages 25.3 °C (78 °F), Gran Canaria 22.3 °C (72 °F) and Funchal 21.0 °C (70 °F), though December is Funchal's wettest month. The hottest is the Philippines, where Manila's normals top 30 °C (86 °F).

Does public transport run on Christmas Day?

It depends on the city. London has no Tube or national rail service on 25 December. Copenhagen's Metro runs around the clock every day, and in Japan the 25th is a normal working day. In Reykjavík many businesses close or cut hours from the 24th to the 26th, so arrange airport transfers in advance.

Which Christmas events have confirmed 2026 dates?

As of 4 October 2026: Hyde Park Winter Wonderland (19 November to 3 January, closed 25 December), Tivoli (13 November to 3 January), Prague's markets (28 November to 6 January), Québec's German market (19 November to 23 December), Sapporo's lights and Munich market (to 25 December), Carols in the Domain (19 December) and the Sydney Hobart start (26 December, 13:00). Gran Canaria's sand nativity and San Fernando's lantern festival had not announced.

What closes on Christmas Eve?

More than most visitors expect. Tivoli is closed on 24 December, Czech shops over 200 m² stop selling at 12:00, Québec stores close at 17:00, and London's National Gallery shuts from the 24th to the 26th. Book Christmas Eve dinner ahead wherever you go.

Is it cheaper to fly on Christmas Day?

In the US it was the quietest day of the 2025 holiday week: checkpoint data show 2.07 million people screened on 25 December, against 2.92 million on Sunday 28 December. Fares vary by route, so compare the 24th and 25th with the weekends either side before you book.