With Christmas coming up, festivities around the world are well and truly beginning to take over. Christmas is a time for tradition, with different cities and cultures celebrating it in all manner of ways. Even though everyone has their own traditions, why not try something new? Experience a new taste of Christmas, or try out some of the more unique traditions across the globe. So if you fancy some sun, or maybe even just some fantastic lights, there are some wonderful places for you to visit at Christmas.

London, England

One of the most vibrant and exhilarating cities to visit during Christmas. The city comes to life during the festive period. You can forget the hustle and bustle, simply becoming engulfed with the feel-good factor. The whole city gets decorated, packed full of lights and trees. With markets galore, there’s a great opportunity to get stuck into some street food, and try out some authentic English cuisine.

If there’s one place in particular to be in London, check out Hyde Park. The whole place transforms into a complete ‘Winter Wonderland.

’

Barcelona, Catalonia

Sick of the freezing cold? Barcelona is the place to go. It’s a break from the bad weather but isn’t too hot. During the festive period, the place is completely transformed. If you fancy a break from the old roast dinner, then the Spanish certainly know how to feed you. Christmas food, usually consists of seafood, tortilla de patatas, croquettes and caldo con delotas. It’s a world away from turkey!

If you can stay until the 5th of January, then you’re in for a treat. The city puts on an enormous parade, celebrating the three Kings, Melchior, Balthazar and Gaspar. The three go through the city, with cannons, fireworks and even camel’s joining them.

New York, America

Already a fantastic place to visit, but during Christmas there is simply no place like it. The whole city is lit up, with free ice skating rinks set up in Central Park along with an enormous tree, which has been going up for 84 years. There’s street stores galore and simply no better place to do your Christmas shopping.

If you really want to feel the Christmas vibe of New York, grab yourself a pretzel and head to Central Park, the spectacles there will simply blow your mind.

Reykjavik, Iceland

If you need a break from the usual Christmas celebrations, then this is the place to go. Iceland has a few peculiarities to say the least. The décor is slightly different to what you might usually expect! 13 ‘Yuletide Lad’s’ which are effectively scruffy Santas supposedly bring gits to 13 well behaved children, during the 13 nights which lead up to Christmas.

The main pull for this fantastic city in Iceland, however, is surely set to be the magnificent Northern lights. On top of the brilliant decorations, they truly do make it an extraordinary place.

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg in Austria has recently become a very famous city. But not for the most conventional event! A recent Christmas/horror film called Krampus is based on a famous tradition from Salzburg. Across Austria and parts of Bavaria, people dress up as the terrifying alpine bests, which search the streets for naughty children.

Apart from the rampaging monsters, Salzburg is a wonderful place to visit come the festive period. Filled with stalls and home to the perfect box of chocolates. The city is also home to the memorable hymn ‘silent night.’

There are plenty more which could have been included on the list, with so many famous cities having their own unique set of traditions. But for Christmas beauty and pure theatre, these are the places to go!