Trending Christmas destinations for 2026: where travel searches are rising
From Steamboat Springs and the Alps to Athens, Hanoi and Rio: the places seeing the biggest jump in Christmas 2026 searches, and how to read the data.
Dreaming of a Christmas getaway? This year’s travel search trends offer plenty of inspiration, from snowy Alpine escapes to cultural capitals and warmer destinations. Reports from HomeToGo and Google Flights highlight the places attracting increased interest for Christmas 2026. These rankings measure growth in searches rather than total bookings or visitor numbers, and the reports primarily reflect the American travel market. Even so, they offer a useful starting point for planning a festive holiday.
Snowy escapes lead Christmas search growth
Mountain destinations dominate HomeToGo’s Christmas 2026 rankings, with travellers showing growing interest in ski holidays and winter getaways. Steamboat Springs in Colorado leads the list, recording a 500% year-on-year increase in searches. Austria’s Arlberg follows at 279%, ahead of Grindelwald in Switzerland at 263% and Megève in France at 257%.
| Rank | Destination | Year-on-year search increase |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steamboat Springs, Colorado, USA | 500% |
| 2 | Arlberg, Austria | 279% |
| 3 | Grindelwald, Switzerland | 263% |
| 4 | Megève, France | 257% |
| 5 | Beaver Creek, Colorado, USA | 203% |
| 6 | Big Sky, Montana, USA | 173% |
| 7 | Copenhagen, Denmark | 83% |
| 8 | Strasbourg, France | 69% |
| 9 | Lapland, Finland | 58% |
| 10 | Tromsø, Norway | 36% |
The results point to two recurring holiday themes: mountain escapes and destinations with a strong festive atmosphere. Seven of the 10 destinations are outside the United States, showing growing interest in international Christmas breaks among HomeToGo’s American audience.
The Rockies: Steamboat Springs, Beaver Creek and Big Sky
Three of the top six are in the American West. Steamboat Springs, the clear leader, is a Colorado ski town known for its gondola and a relaxed, small-town feel.
Plan Steamboat Springs: 3-day itinerary | 5-day itinerary.
Beaver Creek, also in Colorado, rose 203%, and Big Sky in Montana climbed 173%, with Lone Peak dominating the skyline.
Plan Beaver Creek: 3-day itinerary | 5-day itinerary.
Plan Big Sky: 3-day itinerary | 5-day itinerary.
The Alps: Arlberg, Grindelwald and Megève
Europe’s mountain resorts take places two to four. Arlberg in Austria is a large ski region linking famous villages such as St. Anton and Lech.
Plan Arlberg: 3-day itinerary | 5-day itinerary.
Grindelwald in the Bernese Oberland sits beneath the Eiger and suits travellers who want dramatic scenery plus winter walking and sledding as well as skiing. Megève in the French Alps is a car-free-feeling village centre with a polished, traditional character.
Plan Grindelwald: 3-day itinerary | 5-day itinerary.
Plan Megève: 3-day itinerary | 5-day itinerary.
European festive destinations are gaining interest
Ski resorts aren’t the only places attracting attention. Copenhagen, Strasbourg, Finnish Lapland and Tromsø also feature in HomeToGo’s rankings. Their inclusion gives travellers several different directions for a Christmas itinerary: a city break, a festive-market holiday or a northern winter escape.
Copenhagen recorded an 83% increase in searches. Its harbour district, Nyhavn, is among the city’s most photographed corners.
Plan Copenhagen: 3-day itinerary | 5-day itinerary.
Strasbourg rose 69%. The half-timbered Petite France quarter is the classic setting for the city’s festive-market season.
Plan Strasbourg: 3-day itinerary | 5-day itinerary.
Lapland in Finland saw a 58% rise, driven by snow, sled rides and northern-lights hopes, while Tromsø in Norway rose 36% as an Arctic city with easy access to aurora tours.
Plan Lapland: 3-day itinerary | 5-day itinerary.
Plan Tromsø: 3-day itinerary | 5-day itinerary.
For anyone planning a seasonal getaway, these destinations make a useful shortlist. The next step is to check the activities, accommodation and transport available for your exact dates, particularly if you intend to travel over Christmas Day.
Beyond the mountains: Google’s trending holiday destinations
Google Flights presents a different view of the season. Its list of trending international destinations covers Christmas and New Year’s Eve together, highlighting places with the largest relative increase in flight searches compared with 2025. The five destinations are Athens, Québec City, Rio de Janeiro, Hanoi and Guatemala City.
Athens, Greece pairs mild winter weather with the Acropolis and a lively old town. See our Athens guide for neighbourhoods, tours and tips.
Plan Athens: 3-day itinerary | 5-day itinerary.
Québec City, Canada offers a snowy, European-feeling Old Town dominated by the Château Frontenac.
Plan Québec City: 3-day itinerary | 5-day itinerary.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is the warm-weather outlier, with summer beach weather over the holidays.
Plan Rio de Janeiro: 3-day itinerary | 5-day itinerary.
Hanoi, Vietnam blends street food, history and cooler, comfortable winter temperatures. Read our Hanoi guide to plan your stay.
Plan Hanoi: 3-day itinerary | 5-day itinerary.
Guatemala City, Guatemala is a gateway to colonial Antigua, volcano hikes and Maya heritage.
Plan Guatemala City: 3-day itinerary | 5-day itinerary.
The mix suggests that year-end travel interests extend well beyond traditional snowy holidays. Cultural capitals and warmer getaways are also gaining attention. Google also names New York and Orlando as perennial crowd favourites. Their absence from the fastest-growing list illustrates an important distinction: an established holiday destination can remain popular without recording the largest jump in searches. Our New York guide covers the classic Christmas city break.
What these trends mean for your Christmas plans
Use these rankings as inspiration rather than a definitive list of where everyone is going. A large percentage increase can reflect a rise from a relatively small starting point, and searches do not always turn into bookings.
The two reports also measure different things. HomeToGo examines holiday accommodation search trends, while Google Flights tracks flight-search growth for the Christmas and New Year period. Their rankings should be read separately rather than combined into one global league table.
When choosing your destination, start with the kind of holiday you want: time in the mountains, a festive city break or a warmer year-end escape. Then compare flight availability, accommodation costs and seasonal opening hours. Christmas 2026 is still ahead, so final visitor figures are not yet available. For now, the search data shows growing interest in a varied mix of destinations, giving travellers plenty of possibilities for their own festive getaway.
Sources: HomeToGo’s 2026 Holiday Travel Report and Google’s “Wheels up: Trends and tips for 2026 holiday travel”. Search trends available as of 26 October 2026.