Celebrating Christmas in Grenada, the spice island makes sense. The Christmas market in St Georges the capital is infused with the smell of cloves, allspice and nutmeg. The locals are so enthusiastic about baking Christmas treats that when we visited the shops had sold out of flour. Best of all both Grenada and the smaller island of Carriacou resound to the sound of festive Parang music, a joyful mix of Latin inspired music featuring the cuatro guitars and mandolins and the local shak shak. Locals flock to midnight mass and then enjoy a feast of baked hams, sorrel punch, black cake and spiced rums. All this and some of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean.

St Georges, Grenada
www.carriacouparangfestival.com
Google map: bit.ly/ueBmSz

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This family run four-star hotel offers a three-day Christmas package which is just magical! Kandersteg is the archetypal Swiss village set in a deep valley and blanketed with snow in winter. We stayed in the Ruedihus, a 300-year-old chalet (think Heidi, but bigger and more comfortable) with beautiful antique Swiss furniture and home-made Bircher muesli for breakfast, but had full use of the facilities of the main hotel 10 minutes walk away, including a luxury fitness centre with gym, sauna and heated indoor and outdoor pool. Tea and cake were served every afternoon in the country house-style lounge with open log fire and luxurious sofas. During the seven-course gala dinner on Christmas Eve, hosted by the owner and his family, there was an interlude where we all sang Christmas carols and every guest received a gift from under the Christmas tree. Later, the hotel mini bus transported everyone who wished to the candlelit Christmas Eve service in the tiny village church. On Christmas Day the 'Pelzmartiga' (local men dressed in furs and medieval costumes) roamed the streets, rattling chains and ringing bells to chase away evil spirits. Another gala dinner on Christmas evening rounded off a perfect Swiss Christmas - unforgettable!

www.doldenhorn-ruedihus.ch
CH-3718 Kandersteg
+00 41 33 675 81 81

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Delphi, Greece. Climb by bus to this seductive place of the Gods. Pass hills packed with olive trees and look out on the gulf of Ithaca panning out below from this sudden and shocking height. Drink from the fountain that spouts out ice cold nectar from the Delphic hills and alone with Zeus, gently jog the 100 yards in Delphi's still almost perfect ancient stadium. Later in the day have a one/one session with the Oracle. She only tells me things I already know - that Delphi is beautiful at Christmas and that there are so few tourists here you can have this place to yourself.

Google map: bit.ly/tVZIwh

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There’s a secret that I’m hesitant to share as the rest of the year Venice is always overflowing with tourists, but at Christmas it’s a real joy. Not crowded, but enough people around to give it a magical Venetian atmosphere. You’ll stumble upon little Christmas markets in the squares, admire the crafted Murano glass tree baubles glistening from shop windows, and relish the beautiful fresh foods near the Rialto. This time of year there are no queues for the Acadamia Gallery or the Saint Mark's Basilica and we’ve even been in the vast council chambers of the Doge’s Palace with just us and the security guard. It’s cold there this time of year – but often with bright blue skies during the day, so a good coat is an essential. Then, by a tick of the Torre dell'Orologio clock, it’s time to ring in the New Year with the annual huge celebration and party in St. Marks Square. A great way to see Venice full of people again.

Google map: bit.ly/umO3Wi

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If you are in the traditional "white villages" of southern Spain during the Christmas holidays, you can experience many traditions based on religious beliefs. There are "belens" (nativity scenes) set up all over the villages - spot the "caganer" figure with his trousers down squatting in the traditional scene! In the bars, you may see a travelling group of shepherd musicians playing and dancing. On Christmas Eve, families have meals including special treats like turron, and little oil lamps sparkle in the windows of the houses. There are processions through the villages, most noteably on Three Kings day on 6th January when children leave out their shoes for the kings to fill with presents - as they pass by, the kings give out sweets and gifts. Best of all, the weather is warm and pleasant and if you're lucky, you could spend the 25th of December on a sandy beach ...

Google map: bit.ly/uAx09a

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Needing to get far away from the traditional family UK Christmas, but eschewing airports, my daughter hit the search engines. On 18th December we two headed south to Marseille, with three tight-knit trains delivering us from Brighton in time for a late fish supper on the port. The next morning we boarded – along with over 2000 Tunisian ex-pats, going home for the holidays – the huge ferry to Tunis. Bad weather delayed us a little, but we got to know our fellow passengers and had warm invitations which ensured we eventually arrived intact in Mahdia, where we had rented a beautiful flat, very cheaply, for three nights. After exploring this unspoiled coastal town – and nearby El Djem - we caught the coast train back north to Tunis. Warm hospitality again met us at the Dar Ed Medina hotel, in the old city, where the fantastic staff ensured that we had a non-Christmas to remember. We’ve often thought gratefully of our kind hosts as their society has been in upheaval this year. But Tunisia is still welcoming independent travellers… get booking!

Travel details: Eurostar and TGV London to Marseille.
Ferry SNCM: www.sncm.fr/
Marseillle-Tunis return. Journey approx 19 hours. Very comfy cabins.
Tunis-Mahdia by train: daily, 4 hours.
Mahdia: Villa Zouila Mahdia, only £25 per night for the beautiful Olivier apartment. Great meals cooked by neighbour on request.
19 avenue Taieb Mhiri, 5100 Mahdia
+32 479 414 910
Tunis: Hotel Dar El Medina www.darelmedina.com/
Atmospheric rooms and a stunning rooftop terrace, in the old walled city.
64, Rue Sidi Ben Arous Tunis 1006, Tunisia
+32 71 563 022

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I once spent Christmas in the Jebel Sahro mountains of southern Morocco. We arrived in Marrakesh to be surrounded by the exotic - dust, donkeys, palm trees and hot sun, reminding me more of a Christmas nativity story than anything I'd seen before. On Christmas day we headed south, zigzagging over the High Atlas mountain passes in a very full minibus (snow at the top - White Christmas!!) and down to the hot south, through the oasis town of Ouzerzat with it's flat-roofed (Bethlehem nativity scene) houses of pink and yellow mud, and on to the mountains. That night we stayed in a traditional Berber house in a small village with no streetlights, camping mats placed on traditional brightly coloured Moroccan rugs. We dined in a Berber tent in the courtyard, lit by traditional lamps, watching a bright starlit clear sky in the crisp desert night above the camp fire which kept us warm. We feasted on traditional Moroccan food. Our Muslim Berber hosts had, aware that for most of us this was Christmas Day, prepared a tray of delicious Moroccan pastries, crisp and light yet heavy with syrup and nuts. We ate them washed down with the ubiquitous sweet mint tea which was to become a favourite comfort food throughout our trekking trip. What better way to enjoy this special time of year than through the combination of an exotic trip and a reminder of the season with the traditional 'Christmas nativity' setting?

www.exodus.co.uk/countries/morocco-holidays/jebel-sahro

www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2008/nov/30/jebel-sahro-morocco-walking-holiday

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The port of Cochin in Kerala is home to one of India's largest communities of Christians. Untroubled by Akbar the Great and his descendents, southern India took its influences from China, Africa and Europe. Vasco da Gama first arrived in Fort Cochin in 1498 and in 1524 returned to die on Christmas Eve. He was buried in the church of St Francis. This refreshingly unfussy building – the first European church to be built in India – still stands amid the banyan trees and cricket greens of Fort Cochin (unlike Vasco da Gama whose remains were removed to Portugal).
Like any UK high street, outlets selling tasteless decorations mushroom all over the city from the end of November. In the Yuletide run-up Cochin buzzes with pre-Christmas shopping euphoria. Several times I have been pushed out of the way by sharp-elbowed nuns searching for the perfect Christmas tree bauble along Broadway in Ernakalum's market area. Unlike the UK it's always a festival atmosphere and it is not uncommon to be offered a high-spirited Keralan welcome and cup of tea in the middle of the scrum.
From the 24th December Fort Cochin ratchets up the party with a seven day carnival. Expect fireworks every night (and sometimes in the day), elephants, dancing, games, food, general revelry and more fireworks!
NOTE: I've been based here for 18 months and have only ever heard it referred to as Cochin by the locals. Nobody uses Kochi except in correspondence.

Fort Cochin (also Fort Kochi) and Ernakalum, Kerala, India
Google map: bit.ly/rYaskG

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I can honestly say I never thought I would spend Christmas outside of the UK or away from my family, but I was presented with the opportunity to work at a ski resort in Canada over the 2009-2010 winter season and it was too good a chance to pass up. Having never skied before (or even touched a pair of skis), I was a little apprehensive at first but considering I had five months to get good, I can safely say by the end, I could at least call myself an intermediate skier.
As for Christmas at the resort, well, what can I say - it was spectacular. Snow, more snow, Christmas lights, more snow, skiing, Christmas dinner with my friends (during a break between shifts) and even more snow. Of course, having watched Miracle on 34th Street and knowing the charm of a British Santa Claus, my employers had a special job for me and I duly donned the white beard and red hat and spent half the day ho-ho-ho-ing around the resort. Apart from a touch of vertigo when experiencing my first ride back down the chairlift (cue much ho-ho-ho-ing while green in the face and rushing to the staff office to throw up - fortunately the beard came off just in time), my experience as Santa went very well and the children at the resort were exceedingly grateful for my having delivered all their presents the night before.
Anyway, I would recommend Christmas at Panorama to anyone and especially those people who want to get away from it all and work at the resort for a season. I had the most amazing time and would go back in a second, if I happen to have a spare five months one year.

www.skipanorama.com
Organisation who arranged my placement www.ccusa.com
Google map: bit.ly/u537F0

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My favourite Christmas was spent in Nature's Valley on the Garden Route in South Africa – a wild and remote area tucked between the Tsitsikamma Mountains and the rolling blue Indian Ocean. In South Africa, Christmas is mainly celebrated on Christmas eve and it's a very laidback, low-key affair. I stayed in a homely, rustic backpackers called Wild Spirit, where dinner was eaten together in a log cabin overlooking the native forest below, followed by a few ice-cold Black Labels round the camp fire. On Christmas day, myself and some of the other guests hiked part of the famous Otter Trail in Tsitsikamma National Park, then drove to Jeffrey's Bay for the surf and parties. Of course, you can always add in the highest bungee in the world! It doesn't get much better than this.

www.natures-valley.com/
www.wildspiritlodge.co.za/
R102 Nature's Valley Road, The Crags 6602, South Africa
+27 44 534 8888
Google map: bit.ly/tLYTvp

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We went to Rajasthan for Christmas with the original intention of getting away from traditional festivities. However, our hosts at Fort Chanwa had trimmed up with a tree and there were cheap crackers and party hats to accompany our Indian Gala Dinner. The whole evening had a lovely sense of things as they used to be; a quality that reminded me of childhood Christmases.
On New Year’s Eve the Maharaja threw a party for the locals, and my boyfriend and I dressed in Rajasthani costume - to the great amusement of the Indian guests who were all in the latest designer gear.
At the end of every evening we drank our nightcap around fire baskets on the lawn, and then watched the bright north star from the rooftop before retiring to bed - what could be more Christmassy than that?

www.fortchanwa.com
No. 1 PWD Road, Jodhpur, 342001‎
+91 291 2432460
Google map: bit.ly/u2MAuZ

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The cosmopolitan city of Berlin is a great place to spend Christmas. Wrap up warm and set out in the snow to explore this fantastic city with its mix of ancient and modern history. Call in at the Christmas markets in Potsdamer platz, see the beautiful Sony Centre lit up in blue lights. Try an alternative Christmas dinner – the Berlin classic currywurst (a curried sausage) and a beer then join a million people for the famous New Year's Eve party at the Brandenburg gate complete with a fairground, live music and the midnight fireworks - Fröhliche Weihnachten!

www.visitberlin.de
Google map: bit.ly/v1R3C6

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The snow filled cobbled streets of Salzburg are the perfect location for a Christmas market. Every stall is packed with festive treats, from soft and chewy iced gingerbread and hundreds of varieties of marzipan to Amaretto flavoured mulled wine. The air is filled with the aroma of Christmas trees and gluwein, wrap up warm, listen to the choir singing Christmas carols and treat yourself as you wander through the fairy lit streets of this magical place.

Market info: bit.ly/verffx
Google map: bit.ly/sDMNYl

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Cosmopolitan? Yes. Funky? Yes. Atmospheric? Definitely.
Tucked under the Victorian Arches, on Brighton beach, the ‘Fortune of War’ bar is the place to go.
Hip at any time – but give it a whirl on the longest night of the year, the winter solstice, and you will not regret it.
Buy a good hot mulled wine or two to get into the festive spirit and then walk down to Madeira Drive to watch Brighton’s annual ‘Burning the Clocks’. Amazing and unique, paper and willow lanterns, in all shapes and sizes, are carried in a parade through the city, illuminating the spectators, and then burnt on the beach. Tradition has it that all the hopes and dreams of the lantern makers are passed into the fire.
Followed by a great firework display over the sea, the festive mood has been set, so back inside for another mulled wine or two. Happy Christmas!

157 Kings Road Arches
Brighton and Hove BN1 1NB
+44(0)1273 205065
Google map: bit.ly/vEzlSw

Burning the Clocks
www.visitbrighton.com/whats-on/burning-the-clocks-p372371

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Last year, my aunt and I visited Krakow to do our Christmas shopping. While there, we stayed just off the main market square in a neat little hostel. Every morning we were awoken to the smell of fresh food coming from the market below. It was the perfect place to find homemade, tasty foods and drinks for the family. I bought everything from honey, homemade wine to delicious handmade biscuits. It was perfect. The snowy landscape made the hot foods even better, as it warmed you from the inside out. I enjoyed it so much I'm hoping to go back next year.

The Rynek, Market Square, Old Town
Google map: bit.ly/v0TgXw

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This free event showcases outdoor entertainment, including carolers, brass band concerts, choirs and European folklore dancing. The Distillery District is a historic area with brick-lined streets filled with cafes, restaurants, and shops, all housed in Victorian-era industrial buildings.
The entire district is decorated and lit up for the season, including a 45-foot White Spruce tree with 18,000 light ornaments, located in the main square. There are endless things to do for people of all ages. Kids can ride the Ferris wheel, visit the Reindeer Zoo, walk through a fairy tell forest maze, learn about Christmas traditions all over the world, and make ornaments and stocking stuffers. Adults can try a variety of specialty beers, mulled wines and Christmas cocktails, as well as shop for hundreds of unique and local handicraft products, as well as
Christmas merchandise and specialty baked goods. There is also plenty of “street” food to be had: hot chestnuts, grilled sausages, and warm pretzels with artisan mustard. This is the perfect place to get you in the mood for the Christmas holidays.

www.torontochristmasmarket.com
Distillery Historic District, Toronto, Canada
+1 416 364 1177
Google map: bit.ly/s4vwiP

* Giulia is our Been there local for Toronto. You can see her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/places/canada/toronto/index.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/GiuliaFalsetti

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For an unusual UK shopping encounter. A year- round magical Christmas experience in the picturesque Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds. Full of exquisite and imaginative decorations from around the world, we visited in the height of summer and it felt incredibly odd perusing various winter-themed decorations, baubles and Christmas nativity scenes, hidden amongst huge Christmas trees, listening to traditional hymns, while standing in just a t-shirt, shorts and sunglasses. Quite possibly the strangest Christmas shopping I'll ever do.

www.christmasshopbourton.com
High Street, Bourton on the Water, Gloucestershire GL54 2AP
+44(0)1451 822622
Google map: bit.ly/u2vx9q

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Nathan Phillips Square, located at the forecourt to Toronto City Hall, hosts numerous events
throughout the year, and starting November 26 until the middle of March, the famous outdoor skating rink will be open to the public.
Visitors can rent skates, get them sharpened, and have access to the indoor changing rooms.
This is the perfect way to end a winter day in the city. Skate rental includes 2 hours of skating. Adults = $10.00, and children = $5.00.
If you’re in town on November 26, be sure to attend the Cavalcade of Lights, beginning at 7pm in the Square. The event features the official lighting of the city’s Christmas tree, fireworks at 8pm, live musical performances by award-winning Canadian artists, and a skating party on the rink.

www.cityskaterentals.com
100 Queen Street West, Toronto, Canada
+1 416 304 1400
Google map: bit.ly/vcZFli

* Giulia is our Been there local for Toronto. You can see her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/places/canada/toronto/index.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/GiuliaFalsetti

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Christmas has finally arrived in Seville. It is not as sparkly or 'in your face' as a British Christmas scene but is definitely here, with flamenco-style villancicos (carols) are being played from the stands at the Feria del Belén.
It may seem excessive having a whole market dedicated to the nativity scene, but it is here where they do not do things by halves. The feria starts mid November until 23 December, and its 20-odd stands have a range of hand-crafted figurines, buildings, bridges, even a pyramid if you wish. Their nativity scene does not just include the stable and baby Jesus in a crib: it extends to the mountains, the farmlands, rivers, ponds and often proudly takes up a large table in Spanish families' houses.

This year (2011) the market takes place alongside the Archivos de Indias and the Cathedral. Other years it can be found at the Plaza de San Francisco next to the Ayuntamiento.
Google map: bit.ly/vG6xW6

* BecomingSevillana is our Been there local for Seville. You can read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/seville-local-kim.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/BecomingSevillana.jsp
She also has her own blog: becomingsevillana.blogspot.com/

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My favourite winter wonderland in the Arctic Circle is a stay at Kakslauttanen Holiday Village deep in the Finnish countryside. Staying in a traditional log cabin it has a romantic open fire place, private sauna room and outside hot tub. You can also chose to spend a night or two in a heated glass igloo where you can see the Northern Lights from the bed when looking up through the glass on a clear night.
It's a perfect winter location for a Siberian husky sledding experience, snow mobile excursion close to see views across to the forests of the Russian border where you stop for soup around a camp fire, ice fishing with the local Sami people in their traditional costumes or a Reindeer safari in a snow-cloaked forest, all efficiently arranged through Discover the World.
The snow laden pine trees is a perfect location for Christmas, a great romantic break or adventure with your family.

www.discover-the-world.co.uk

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