Full-Day Trips at Christmas: Our 9 Picks for December

1.Rovaniemi: Santa Claus Village & Santa Park in One Day

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 23 reviews · 5.5 hours · from $387Our pick

Spend about 5.5 hours at Santa Claus Village and Santa Park with an English, Spanish, or Italian-speaking guide. Meet Santa, receive one framed photo per booking, cross the Arctic Circle, collect a certificate, enjoy lunch, and watch shows at Santa Park. Hotel pickup and drop-off in central Rovaniemi are included.

“Tour estremamente positivo anche grazie a Ivan, la nostra guida, che ha organizzato tutto veramente molto bene, senza trascurare nessun cliente e mettendo tutti a loro agio. Tour e guida più che consigliati, in particolare Ivan!”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Rovaniemi: Santa Claus Village and Santa Park Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 16 reviews · 6 hours · from $318

You’ll visit Santa Claus Village and Santa Park in a group of up to six, with pickup in Rovaniemi, a reserved Santa visit, Arctic Circle crossings, Snowman World in season, Elf School, a magic train, gingerbread baking, and a virtual sleigh ride. English, Russian, and Ukrainian guides are available.

Check availability →Read our full review

3.London Christmas Day 1 Day Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 15 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $80Best value

Spend Christmas Day seeing London from an open-top hop-on, hop-off bus. Your one-day ticket covers the bus and onboard Wi-Fi, with stops around London, Holland Park Avenue, Notting Hill Gate, and Bayswater Road. The tour is in English and does not include a river cruise, walking tour, food, or attraction entry.

“What a wonderful way to see the sites of London! we enjoyed this tour very much and saw many things that were incredible”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.One day tour Christmas markets Innsbruck – Bressanone – Vipiteno

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 11 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $301

Join Matteo and the Concierge Dolomites team for a Christmas market day from Bolzano to Innsbruck, Vipiteno, and Bressanone. You get short guided walks, free time for markets and old-town streets, private transport, onboard WiFi, and pickup from your accommodation or a station or cable car. Snow can affect the route.

“The tour was not available on the given date, so I could have it one day after or one day before. I chose one day after and it was the day when it snowed 40 cm in the Alps. We could not make it to Innsbruck, but Matteo offered a memorable experience. First we were into the snow until the frontier, in Gries bei Brenner, then, besides Vipiteno (Sterzing) and Bressanone (Brixen) which we could see (the info point in the city has a booklet writing about the most important Christmas markets in South Tyrol which are Boze, Sterzing, Brixen, Bruneck and Meran), we went up the mountains to Ortisei…”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Levi: Day Trip to Santa Claus Village with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 8 reviews · 8 hours · from $423

Travel from Levi to Rovaniemi with an English-speaking guide, explore Santa Claus Village, cross the Arctic Circle, visit Snowman World, and enjoy a buffet lunch. Children ages 4 to 12 receive 10 minutes of mini snowmobiling. The 8-hour trip includes pickup at selected Levi hotels and resorts.

“Het is veel geld voor wat je krijgt. Wij hadden een busje voor onszelf, we waren met 6 personen. Lunch was karig en pas om 2 uur, half 3 vertrokken we alweer terug naar ons hotel. Gids was er niet, maar goed, bezoek aan Santa was fantastisch. Let op tijdens het bezoek aan Santa mag je zelf geen foto’s maken. Als je ze wilt moet je kooen. Je koopt dan een link zodat je ze zelf kunt downloaden. 2 foyo’s en een videoflimpje, € 60,00.”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Day trip to Santa Claus Village from Levi

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 8 reviews · from $429

Ride from Levi to Rovaniemi through snowy Lapland forests, then spend the day at Santa Claus Village. Cross the Arctic Circle, visit Santa, browse the post office, shop, enjoy lunch, and visit Snowman World when open. Children ages 4 to 12 can try mini snowmobiling. The group is limited to 16 people.

“It was good but it would have been helpful to know the visit with Santa is based on first in first served as we ended up getting there too late to be able to see Santa because our guide said we had to leave at a set time and the only time to see Santa was after that time so we missed out and that was our main purpose for going to Santa Claus Village.”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.From LIlle or Bruges, Christmas Truce to Passchendaele Ypres 1 day WW1 private

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $532Top rated

Join Søren of A Foreign Field WW1 Tours for a private, nine-hour journey through the Ypres Salient. Visit Messines Ridge, Hill 60, Polygon Wood, Tyne Cot, John McCrae’s site, Menin Gate, and original trenches at Sanctuary Wood. Hotel pickup is offered from Bruges, Lille, Ghent, Arras, and nearby towns.

“An incredibly moving day with outstanding guidance from Soren, our tour leader! He was so passionate and knowledgeable about the subject and really brought history to life for me. My husband is a WWI buff and he enjoyed every minute. It’s truly incredible to see and hear what happened back in 1914-1918! GREAT day and ask for Soren! If you are lucky, you can stay for the Last Post! Convenient pick-up at our Brugge hotel made it very easy!!!”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.From London: Christmas Day Trip to Windsor, Oxford & Avebury

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 3 reviews · 10 hours · from $268

Leave London Victoria at 8am for a full Christmas Day out with an English-speaking guide. Visit Windsor, enjoy a three-course meal at a traditional pub, walk through Oxford, and see Avebury’s prehistoric stone circles before returning to London around 6:30pm.

“bonne excursion .tres bon guide et tres sympa, chauffeur tres bon et prudent bemol le repas note tout juste 5/10 tres bonn journee”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Roman City of Cologne: Day Trip from Amsterdam Christmas market

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 2 reviews

Travel by private air-conditioned vehicle from Amsterdam to Cologne for a 12-hour day trip. See the Hohenzollern Bridge, Cologne Cathedral, Old Town area, and Museum Ludwig. Bottled water and onboard WiFi are included. The listed price covers up to three people, but a guide and attraction fees are not included.

“Cuidad bella, para recorrer en monopatín en horas de la noche. El centro, la catedral gótica y la Rivera del río son majestuosas de noche.”

Check availability →Read our full review