A different way to celebrate Christmas

In Amsterdam, the holiday season begins in mid-November. Venice of the North is adorned with enchanting decorations and lights, and promises many seasonal activities to share with family or friends. A festival of lights is organised from the end of November to mid-January, along the Amstel River.  The highlight of the festival takes place on December 23rd: dozens of small illuminated boats sail in procession on the Prinsengracht canal.

Athens is a city where Christmas is celebrated brilliantly: decorated and illuminated squares in the capital. You will be surprised to discover that the calendar and traditions are a little different. When you leave for Christmas in Athens, you can enjoy the large Christmas tree on Syntagma Square, the illuminated lights all over the city, the ice rinks.

During the Christmas season, Brussels is not lacking in entertainment: choirs on Place Sainte-Catherine, concerts on Place du Marché aux Poissons, the Ferris wheel, the ice rink. It's a party everywhere! The Belgian capital erases the winter gloom with a great deal of light, delicacies, beer and mulled wine!

Copenhagen is full of things to do at Christmas time. The gardens of Tivoli house one of the most beautiful Christmas markets in the city. Lined with fir trees, this magnificent painting is completed by the frozen lake transformed into an ice rink: a real fairy tale! Let yourself be won over by the magical atmosphere of Copenhagen.

Decorated with garlands of light, giant Christmas wreaths and gravity defying chandeliers, Dublin is magical during the Christmas season. Stroll through its cobbled streets, listen and listen to the sweet melodies of street musicians. Dawson Street or Bethlehem? Dublin is transformed into a real stable to accommodate a traditional Nativity scene with its living crib.

If you don't know where to go for Christmas yet, London is the perfect place to go. Come to Hyde Park to discover the Christmas market and Winter Wonderland, an amusement park. You will be directly immersed in the Christmas atmosphere and dazzled by the many activities, from the Ferris wheel to the rides and the ice rink.

Almost all of Madrid's districts are immersed in the magical atmosphere of Christmas. Throughout the holiday season, multicoloured illuminations flood the Spanish capital. Every year, creations adorn several major avenues in the city centre, and huge bright trees are displayed at strategic points in Madrid.

To enjoy a "White Christmas", Moscow is the ideal destination! The city's architecture and famous monuments covered with a beautiful layer of white snow, nothing better to sublimate the enchantment of the period. Namely that the Russians celebrate Christmas on December 25, of course, but also the Orthodox Church on January 7! The opportunity to enjoy the city's festivities and entertainment for longer.

Palermo knows how to combine gastronomy and a festive spirit. The churches seem to be in competition with each other to be the one with the most beautiful, the largest, the most magnificent crib. Going to Palermo for the end of the year celebrations is a chance to listen from your balcony to itinerant musicians singing a Sicilian lullaby. Listen to them carefully and Santa Claus can come by without waking you up.

The atmosphere in Strasbourg during this period is unique. It is in the late afternoon, when night falls, that the magic sets in: the windows shine, the decorations embellish the facades, the scents of spices and cinnamon recall childhood memories, the carols resonate from the back of the churches. With its four centuries of tradition, you will not miss its famous Christmas market.

If Christmas means snow and tradition for you, the Austrian city of Vienna is for you. The smell of Christmas shortbread, hot punch and roasted almonds floats in the air. The old town and the shopping streets have put on their festive costumes; the Christmas atmosphere hovers over the city. Don't forget to visit Schönbrunn Palace: before entering it you will immediately recognize the melody "Sweet Night, Holy Night".