Travel News

The best holidays to book for December 2024, from sun-drenched St Lucia to Krakow’s Christmas markets

Simon Calder’s Travel

Tempted to take a final holiday of the year but not sure where to start? You can embrace Christmas completely by spending the festive week on a skiing holiday in the Austrian Alps, where there’s plenty to do if you have non-skiers in the group.

Combine Christmas with culture by exploring Krakow, which will be in full festive flow throughout December.

If escaping the cold is more your thing, book a blissful week on the beaches of St Lucia and soak up the sun. Hikers can enjoy relatively mild days in southern Spain where the white villages of Andalusia blend into dramatic landscapes.

If you prefer to stay closer to home, lose yourself in the countryside of Shropshire and Gloucestershire, or enjoy the bracing north Cornish coast in one of the county’s newest properties.

Wherever you want to go on holiday in December, take a look at these ideas.

Read more: The best Christmas markets in Europe – and where to stay in France, Belgium and Germany

Austria

Skiers and snowboarders should head to Zell am See

Skiers and snowboarders should head to Zell am See (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

You don’t necessarily need to be a skier to enjoy a lakeside Christmas in the Austrian Alps. Stay at Hotel Edelweiss in Zell am See and revel in the beauty of Lake Zell, which until 31 December is the glittering setting for one of the town’s Advent markets. Meanwhile, skiers and snowboarders in the party can hop on the zellamseeXpress gondola to reach 80km of slopes. SNO has a week’s B&B at Hotel Edelweiss from £574pp, down from £835pp, departing 21 December and including flights and transfers.

Read more: Bad Gastein is a ski spot full of wonders beyond the slopes

St Lucia

Head to St Lucia for a blast of Caribbean sunshine

Head to St Lucia for a blast of Caribbean sunshine (Getty Images)

For a blast of Caribbean sunshine, fabulous volcanic beaches, excellent seafood and lush volcanic landscapes of forested mountains, jungles and waterfalls, head to St Lucia. The diving here is exceptional, one of many reasons to stay at the Marigot Beach Club & Dive Resort on the island’s west coast. Overlooking sheltered Marigot Bay, the villa-style resort guarantees spectacular sunsets. Away Holidays has a week’s B&B from £1,673pp, including flights and transfers, departing 14 December.

Read more: Why now’s the time to explore the ‘quiet revolution’ of St Lucia’s wild side

Poland

Krakow’s exquisite Old Town will be hosting a superb Christmas market until 26 December

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