Prevailing wisdom suggests we should all spend Christmas at home. However, amidst the dim, fuzzy brown 40-watt bulb of winter weather, enforced conviviality, TV specials and over-cooked sprouts, getting away can be the best Christmas present ever. Here's where to head…
Cape Town: Southern Hemisphere summer bathes the city in bright light and warm breezes. Catch a morning cable car up Table Mountain, head to the beaches of Camps Bay for a swim and light up a braai for lunch. In the evening take a table at one of Victoria and Albert Waterfront's many restaurants. Book early - airline seats are always in demand at Christmas.
Havana: Artfully crumbling facades hark back to when the city rode high as a playground for the rich, the famous and the disreputable from across the US. Forget Christmas retail therapy - this is an atheist state and thanks to Fidel and a bullying US trade embargo the global High Street hasn't reached Havana. Instead enjoy music, mojitos and viva la revolución!
Malta: Winter never really bites in Malta, a fact celebrated by long-stay visitors. Busy with tourists in summer, the Baroque wonderland of Valletta takes on a more local feel off-season, the same being true of the island's beach resorts. Across the country Christmas retains a strong spiritual connection, particularly amongst the churches of Gozo, a 20-minute ferry ride away.
Lake District: Villages freed from summer crowds, Christmas in Cumbria offers unobstructed views of the fells and lakes. Though some visitor attractions are closed, properly kitted out walkers can still enjoy stunning high level and valley hikes. Langdale and Borrowdale in particular are never more beautiful than when the fell tops are sprinkled with snow.
London: Compact and easily explored on foot, in a city not known for its patience the West End at Christmas has a surprisingly welcoming feel. Avoid the zombie apocalypse of Oxford Street shopping, instead enjoy the sight lines of Regents Street and the jumble of Soho's alleyways. Take a turn on the London Eye and follow up with a Thames Clipper riverboat to Greenwich.
Mayerhofen: Austrians relish the winter outdoors, and ski season in the Tirol is certainly big business. However, despite the undoubted lure of the pistes, below the sharp peaks of Ahorn, Penken and Horberg, Mayerhofen remains a remarkably traditional alpine country town. For those who love the mountains, whether up close or from afar, the resort offers an honest and uncomplicated Christmas break.
New York: No longer necessarily an exotic destination, Manhattan's unavoidable cinematic references are still strong for Christmas visitors, accentuating feelings of being extras on When Harry Met Sally. Wrap up well, wear your trainers, take in the views from the Empire State, explore Fifth Avenue, wander Central Park, and have 'what she's having' at Katz's Deli on Houston Street…
Prague: Freezing winter temperatures and a concentrated dose of Gothic architectural fantasy are part of Prague's central European Christmas package. Cross the Vltava River by the 14th century Charles Bridge, check your watch by the Old Town Square's Mediaeval astronomical clock and convey seasons greetings to the 'good king' himself in Wenceslas Square.
Sharm el Sheik: Egypt's social and political turmoil can't be ignored but to be brutal holidays in Sharm, and other Red Sea resorts, never really connected with the country beyond anyway. It's a simple offering; Christmas with sunshine, sand, sea and an international standard resort, and right now it's all at a bargain price.
Tenerife: Quieter than the summer months, average temperatures of 16 Celsius mean Christmas Day on Tenerife can be spent bobbing in the sea whilst observing distant snows on the slopes of Mount Teide. Popular resorts like Playa de Las Américas offer a 'traditional British' Christmas. If that's what you want to avoid, head instead to the island's capital of Santa Cruz.
This article has been produced in association with www.talkholiday.com
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article