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The Best Places to Visit During Christmas in the USA

America does Christmas in every register: New York's window-and-tree spectacle, snow-globe mountain towns, a Bavarian village in the Cascades, and warm Southern cities glowing under a million lights. Ten of the best places to spend Christmas in the USA, ranked with honest weather, timing and costs - from full-on snow to no-coat-needed.

Top pick: New York City

See hotels in New York CityPrices for a week in December
By Alice7 min readPublished
Table of contents
Snow-covered New York City street scene on Christmas Day
Photo: Jazz Guy · CC BY 2.0

In Brief

What are the best places to visit during Christmas in the USA?

The best places to spend Christmas in the USA are New York City for the Rockefeller tree and department-store windows, Aspen and the Rockies for a snowy ski Christmas, St. Augustine in Florida for its warm Nights of Lights, Leavenworth in Washington for a Bavarian-village Christmas, and Washington, D.C. for the National Christmas Tree and free festive museums. Choose by climate: the Northeast and Mountain West deliver snow, while Florida and the Southwest offer a mild, lights-filled Christmas without the cold. Book flights and hotels early - the holiday week is peak domestic travel.

Key takeaways

  • New York City is the heavyweight - Rockefeller tree, Fifth Avenue windows, Central Park skating - but also the priciest and most crowded at Christmas.
  • For guaranteed snow, aim at the Mountain West (Aspen, Breckenridge) or New England; for a warm Christmas, Florida and the desert Southwest.
  • St. Augustine's Nights of Lights and San Antonio's River Walk lights are the best warm-weather festive displays in the country.
  • Christmas week is peak domestic travel - book flights and hotels well ahead, especially in the ski towns.

The best USA Christmas destinations, compared

Every destination compared - jump to the one that fits your group, budget and dates.

DestinationWhy it winsChristmas weatherPrice
New York CityThe Christmas-city heavyweight championCold, 0-6°C, chance of snow; peak crowds and prices.$$$
Aspen & the Colorado RockiesThe snowy ski-town ChristmasCold and snowy, -8 to 2°C; prime ski season, peak rates.$$$
St. Augustine, FloridaA warm Christmas under the Nights of LightsMild, 12-21°C; Nights of Lights mid-Nov through Jan.$$
Leavenworth, WashingtonA Bavarian Christmas village in the CascadesCold and snowy, -3 to 3°C; lighting festival weekends in Dec.$$
Washington, D.C.The National Christmas Tree and free festive museumsCold, 1-8°C, occasional snow; museums free year-round.$$
Woodstock & Stowe, VermontThe picture-book New England ChristmasCold and snowy, -8 to -1°C; dependable white Christmas.$$$
San Antonio, TexasRiver Walk lights, warm and livelyMild, 8-18°C; River Walk lights late Nov through Jan.$
ChicagoA German market and Magnificent Mile lightsCold and snowy, -6 to 1°C; Christkindlmarket late Nov-Dec 24.$$
Santa Fe, New MexicoAdobe glowing with farolito lanternsCold and dry, -6 to 8°C; farolitos peak Christmas Eve.$$
Savannah, GeorgiaMild, mossy and Southern-festiveMild, 6-16°C; festive tours and lights through December.$$

The best places to spend Christmas in the USA, ranked

Price band is a typical nightly hotel rate: $ budget · $$ mid-range · $$$ high-end. Booking links open Trip.com.

  1. New York City, USA

    New York CityUSA

    $$$ · High-end

    The Christmas-city heavyweight champion

    Nowhere else concentrates the season like New York: the Rockefeller Center tree and rink, the Fifth Avenue department-store windows, ice skating in Central Park, the Radio City show and markets at Bryant Park and Union Square. It's crowded and pricey over the holidays, and completely worth it once.

    Christmas weather
    Cold, 0-6°C, chance of snow; peak crowds and prices.
    See New York City hotelsHigh-end prices for a week in December
    New York City tours & ticketsSkip-the-line entry and day trips
    Plan itWhere to stay in New York

  2. Aspen & the Colorado RockiesUSA

    $$$ · High-end

    The snowy ski-town Christmas

    For a white Christmas with the works, the Colorado high country delivers: Aspen and Breckenridge decked in lights, world-class powder, sleigh rides and torchlight ski parades on the slopes, and cozy apres-ski by the fire. The whole Mountain West runs on holiday cheer - and holiday demand, so book early.

    Christmas weather
    Cold and snowy, -8 to 2°C; prime ski season, peak rates.
    See Aspen & the Colorado Rockies hotelsHigh-end prices for a week in December
    Aspen & the Colorado Rockies tours & ticketsSkip-the-line entry and day trips
  3. St. Augustine, Florida, USA

    St. Augustine, FloridaUSA

    $$ · Mid-range

    A warm Christmas under the Nights of Lights

    The nation's oldest city stages one of its best festive displays: the Nights of Lights drape the historic district in millions of white bulbs, reflected off the bayfront and the Spanish colonial streets - all in mild Florida winter warmth. The classic no-coat Christmas with genuine old-town atmosphere.

    Christmas weather
    Mild, 12-21°C; Nights of Lights mid-Nov through Jan.
    See St. Augustine, Florida hotelsMid-range prices for a week in December
    St. Augustine, Florida tours & ticketsSkip-the-line entry and day trips
  4. Leavenworth, Washington, USA

    Leavenworth, WashingtonUSA

    $$ · Mid-range

    A Bavarian Christmas village in the Cascades

    This tiny Cascade-mountain town remade itself as a Bavarian village, and at Christmas it commits fully: the whole center glows under lights, a German-style market fills the square, sleigh rides run through the snow, and the alpine setting makes it feel transported from Europe. The most concentrated small-town Christmas in the country.

    Christmas weather
    Cold and snowy, -3 to 3°C; lighting festival weekends in Dec.
    See Leavenworth, Washington hotelsMid-range prices for a week in December
    Leavenworth, Washington tours & ticketsSkip-the-line entry and day trips
  5. Washington, D.C., USA

    Washington, D.C.USA

    $$ · Mid-range

    The National Christmas Tree and free festive museums

    The capital does a stately Christmas: the National Christmas Tree lit before the White House ringed by the 50 states' trees, the US Botanic Garden's model-train show, ZooLights at the National Zoo, and the world-class Smithsonian museums warm, festive and free. A rich, budget-friendly festive city break.

    Christmas weather
    Cold, 1-8°C, occasional snow; museums free year-round.
    See Washington, D.C. hotelsMid-range prices for a week in December
    Washington, D.C. tours & ticketsSkip-the-line entry and day trips
  6. Woodstock & Stowe, Vermont, USA

    Woodstock & Stowe, VermontUSA

    $$$ · High-end

    The picture-book New England Christmas

    New England is where the Currier-and-Ives Christmas is real: white-steepled Woodstock and Stowe under fresh snow, covered bridges, village greens strung with lights, sleigh rides and old-fashioned Wassail celebrations. Add nearby skiing and it's the cozy, snowy, small-town holiday at its most photogenic.

    Christmas weather
    Cold and snowy, -8 to -1°C; dependable white Christmas.
    See Woodstock & Stowe, Vermont hotelsHigh-end prices for a week in December
    Woodstock & Stowe, Vermont tours & ticketsSkip-the-line entry and day trips
  7. San Antonio, Texas, USA

    San Antonio, TexasUSA

    $ · Budget

    River Walk lights, warm and lively

    San Antonio throws one of the South's warmest, liveliest Christmases: the River Walk lined with thousands of lights and reflected in the water, river barges caroling, the Alamo Plaza tree, and Ford Holiday River Parade kicking it off - all in mild Texas-winter comfort with strong Tex-Mex and mariachi flavor.

    Christmas weather
    Mild, 8-18°C; River Walk lights late Nov through Jan.
    See San Antonio, Texas hotelsBudget prices for a week in December
    San Antonio, Texas tours & ticketsSkip-the-line entry and day trips
  8. Chicago, USA

    ChicagoUSA

    $$ · Mid-range

    A German market and Magnificent Mile lights

    Chicago leans into a Midwestern big-city Christmas: the Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza (an authentic German-style market with gluhwein and carved ornaments), the Magnificent Mile lights, Millennium Park's skating ribbon under the skyline, and the Museum of Science and Industry's Christmas Around the World. Cold, snowy and full of cheer.

    Christmas weather
    Cold and snowy, -6 to 1°C; Christkindlmarket late Nov-Dec 24.
    See Chicago hotelsMid-range prices for a week in December
    Chicago tours & ticketsSkip-the-line entry and day trips
  9. Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

    Santa Fe, New MexicoUSA

    $$ · Mid-range

    Adobe glowing with farolito lanterns

    Santa Fe's Christmas is unlike anywhere else in America: the adobe old town lined with farolitos (paper-bag lanterns) and pinon bonfires on Christmas Eve, the Canyon Road walk aglow, and a Southwestern-Hispanic holiday tradition centuries deep - all in crisp, high-desert winter light with mountains behind.

    Christmas weather
    Cold and dry, -6 to 8°C; farolitos peak Christmas Eve.
    See Santa Fe, New Mexico hotelsMid-range prices for a week in December
    Santa Fe, New Mexico tours & ticketsSkip-the-line entry and day trips
  10. Savannah, Georgia, USA

    Savannah, GeorgiaUSA

    $$ · Mid-range

    Mild, mossy and Southern-festive

    Savannah dresses its live oaks and historic squares in lights for a mild, elegant Southern Christmas: candlelit tours of the antebellum district, the riverfront market, horse-drawn carriages under the Spanish moss, and holiday theater - the coziest warm-ish festive city in the South, and a natural pair with Charleston.

    Christmas weather
    Mild, 6-16°C; festive tours and lights through December.
    See Savannah, Georgia hotelsMid-range prices for a week in December
    Savannah, Georgia tours & ticketsSkip-the-line entry and day trips
    Plan itThings to do in Savannah

How to choose your US Christmas trip

Snow or warmth - decide the climate first

The US lets you pick your Christmas weather. For a guaranteed white Christmas, aim at the Mountain West (Aspen, Colorado), New England (Vermont) or the northern cities (Chicago, Leavenworth). For a warm, coat-optional holiday, Florida (St. Augustine), Texas (San Antonio) and the milder South (Savannah) still glow with lights minus the cold. Sort by climate, then by city.

Big-city spectacle vs small-town storybook

New York, Chicago and Washington offer the grand-scale version - iconic trees, big markets, shows and museums - with the crowds and prices to match. Leavenworth, Woodstock, Santa Fe and St. Augustine give the intimate, one-of-a-kind version, where the whole town becomes the attraction. Both are great; they're just different holidays.

Ski towns and NYC book earliest

Christmas week is peak domestic travel, and two categories fill first: the ski resorts (Aspen and the Colorado high country price at their yearly peak and sell out) and New York City hotels. If either is your plan, book flights and rooms months ahead. Mid-tier cities and the Southern spots stay more available and better value later.

Time the lights, not just the day

Most US festive displays run for weeks, so you don't have to travel on Christmas Day itself to catch them - St. Augustine's Nights of Lights, San Antonio's River Walk and DC's trees all glow from late November into January. Traveling in early or mid December often means the same magic with lower prices and thinner crowds than the holiday week.

USA Christmas: FAQ

The questions travelers ask most while picking.

New York City is the classic answer - the Rockefeller tree, Fifth Avenue windows and Central Park skating make it the country's signature Christmas city - but the 'best' depends on the holiday you want. For a snowy ski Christmas, Aspen and the Colorado Rockies; for a warm one, St. Augustine's Nights of Lights in Florida; for something unique, Bavarian Leavenworth in Washington or farolito-lit Santa Fe. Match the destination to whether you want big-city spectacle, small-town charm, snow or sun.

Head south and southwest. St. Augustine, Florida pairs mild 12-21°C warmth with its spectacular Nights of Lights; San Antonio, Texas lights up the River Walk in comfortable winter temperatures; Savannah, Georgia offers a mild, mossy Southern Christmas; and the desert Southwest - Santa Fe, Scottsdale, Palm Springs - stays sunny and cool rather than cold. Florida and southern Texas are the most reliably warm, so aim there if a no-coat Christmas is the goal.

The most reliable snow is in the Mountain West and the far north: Aspen, Breckenridge and the Colorado Rockies, Park City in Utah, and Jackson Hole in Wyoming all combine dependable snow with festive ski-town cheer. New England - Vermont towns like Woodstock and Stowe - is the classic snowy small-town Christmas, and Leavenworth in Washington's Cascades and the northern cities (Chicago, Minneapolis) usually deliver a white holiday too. Elevation and latitude are your best guarantees.

For the ski towns and New York City, book two to three months ahead at least - both hit peak demand and peak prices over the holiday week, and the best ski-resort lodging sells out even earlier. Mid-tier cities (Washington, Chicago, San Antonio) and the Southern spots stay more available and are better value, especially if you travel in early or mid December rather than Christmas week itself. As a rule, the snowier and more iconic the destination, the earlier you need to commit.

It depends on the destination. The big cities - New York, Chicago, Washington - are best done without a car, using transit and walking between the festive sights. The small towns and mountain destinations - Leavenworth, Vermont, Aspen, Santa Fe - generally need a car (or a resort transfer) to reach and to explore, and winter driving means allowing for snow. A simple rule: fly-and-transit for the cities, fly-and-drive for the villages and ski towns, with winter tires or chains where snow is likely.

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Photos via Wikimedia Commons, used under their respective licences.