12 December Destinations That Go All Out For The Holidays

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12 December Destinations That Go All Out For The Holidays
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Categorically speaking, December is a wonderful time of year to travel, as destinations around the world put on their finest in celebration of the holiday season. From the profusion of poinsettias and light displays in Mexico City to the wafting scent of roasting chestnuts in the streets of Salzburg, these are some of the world’s most magical December destinations.

By Erin Lindholm

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12 December Destinations That Go All Out For The Holidays.
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Munich, Germany — While Munich might not be able to stake claim as the oldest or largest Christkindlmarkt in Germany, there’s something to be said for how readily this city’s Bavarian vibe segues into the holiday season. In addition to hosting a large Advent market around the central Marienplatz, dozens of other contemporary and traditional holiday markets and craft fairs (including a medieval Christmas market) pop up across town, and the city’s December calendar is packed with live performances and other events.

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12 December Destinations That Go All Out For The Holidays.
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Moscow, Russia — While Christmas Day isn’t celebrated until 7 January in Russia – in accordance with the Russian Orthodox Church – that doesn’t make Moscow’s holiday celebrations any less magical. On the contrary, the city’s Journey Into Christmas festival, which runs from mid-December to mid-January, rolls Christmas and New Year’s celebrations into one month-long fête that includes impressive lighting installations, street shows, concerts, a traditional chalet marketplace and more.

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12 December Destinations That Go All Out For The Holidays.
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New York, New York — Ask any New Yorker: There’s nothing quite like New York City during the holidays. Seemingly every building has some sort of holiday dressing on, and there’s a palpable joviality in the air. Wandering between Midtown’s Rockefeller Center, Bryant Park and the Fifth Avenue flagships to downtown’s Washington Square Park and Union Square, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a city block that doesn’t exude holiday cheer. (And if you run into dozens and dozens of Santas… well, that’s called SantaCon.) [Photo: Thomas Hawk/Flickr]

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12 December Destinations That Go All Out For The Holidays.
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Cape Town, South Africa — Just because the holidays coincide with the summer season in the Southern Hemisphere doesn’t mean that they’re any less festive! Case in point: Cape Town, which kicks off celebrations with a day-to-night street party the first Sunday of December to commemorate the official “turning on of the lights” on Adderley Street. Picnicking and holiday singalongs at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens is another popular tradition, and the city has a number of holiday markets, too. So pack your Santa hat — but don’t forget your flip-flops!

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12 December Destinations That Go All Out For The Holidays.
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Bangkok, Thailand — While Thai culture is largely Buddhist, that doesn’t stop Bangkok from fully embracing the spirit of the holidays, which is called “festive season” here. You can’t miss the lights and decorations that pop up in prominent shopping plazas and at seemingly every hotel, as well as in bars and restaurants and at the city’s night markets; even some of the tuk-tuks get blinged out for the holidays. Layered onto Bangkok’s colourful culture, the added decor is indeed a festive experience. Naturally, celebrations continue through the New Year.

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12 December Destinations That Go All Out For The Holidays.
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Medellín, Colombia — Dazzling light displays transform Colombia’s second-largest city into an optical holiday wonderland for six weeks every year; even the Medellín River itself is illuminated as a part of The Lighting of Medellín, also known as Alumbrados EPM or Alumbrado Navideño. And while the riverfront and the historic Avenida La Playa are home to the most impressive installations, this year displays will be installed at dozens of sites throughout the city, for a total of more than 26 million lights across Medellín.

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12 December Destinations That Go All Out For The Holidays.
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Salzburg, Austria — When a city can trace its holiday traditions to the 15th century, you know it’s the real deal. Such is the case with charming Salzburg, which never looks better than during the weeks leading up to Christmas with a fresh dusting of snow. By then, the Christkindlmarkt stalls have returned to the city’s historic centre, and Hellbrunn Palace has been transformed into a winter wonderland, Hellbrunn Advent Magic. This year Salzburg is celebrating the 200th anniversary of “Silent Night,” which was penned in a small town in the region. [Photo: www.christkindlmarkt.co.at, Salzburg]

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12 December Destinations That Go All Out For The Holidays.
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London, England — From the angelic illuminations that soar over Oxford Street to the Christmas carols that fill the air in Trafalgar Square, the British capital most definitely pulls out all the stops to celebrate the holidays. And while Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park doesn’t exactly fit with a quaint, Dickensian vision of the holidays, the fairgrounds promise loads of fun for all ages. For a different sort of wonderland, book tickets for Christmas at Kew at the Royal Botanic Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage site just to the south of London.

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12 December Destinations That Go All Out For The Holidays.
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Strasbourg, France — The capital city of France’s Alsatian region and self-proclaimed “Capital of Christmas” shares historic and cultural ties with neighbouring Germany – one of them being the tradition of a festive Christkindelmärik. Strasbourg’s Christmas market, founded in 1570, is the oldest such tradition in France; today it hosts more than 300 stalls spread throughout the city streets, which are themselves quite festively attired with lights, bows, ornaments, tinsel, evergreen arrangements and even teddy bears.

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12 December Destinations That Go All Out For The Holidays.
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Mexico City, Mexico — From the ubiquitous presence of potted poinsettias, which signal the holiday season has arrived, to the light installations and towering árbol de Navidad (Christmas tree) that anchors Mexico City’s central Zócalo plaza, CDMX has no shortage of holiday cheer. And since Mexico celebrates the Christmas season through 6 January (the Christian holiday of Epiphany), there’s plenty of time to hop on a Turibus night tour of the city lights, browse for poinsettias in Xochimilco historic district and soak in the city’s holiday spirit.

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12 December Destinations That Go All Out For The Holidays.
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Oslo, Norway — Although their European neighbours to the south tend to be the poster children for holiday celebrations, Scandinavian countries are no less festive. Norway’s capital city of Oslo has six different Christmas markets that feature everything from locally made artisan goods to gløgg (mulled wine) and lutefisk — a dried cod dish that is something of an acquired taste. If there’s one market not to miss, it’s the Spikersuppa, which is located in the heart of the city.

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12 December Destinations That Go All Out For The Holidays.
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San Diego, California — What this Southern California destination lacks in snow, it makes up for with spirited enthusiasm for the holidays. San Diego’s historic Gaslamp Quarter, Balboa Park and the iconic Hotel del Coronado (celebrating its 130th anniversary this year) are always fully decked out in lights and decor, and there’s no shortage of holiday events on offer. Other family-friendly destinations – including SeaWorld, the San Diego Zoo and Legoland – also get into the holiday mood.

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12 December Destinations That Go All Out For The Holidays

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