I’m a travel writer who loves all things Christmas – these are Europe’s best festive hotels

Best for: A splash-out stay for a couture Christmas

Six hundred handmade Burberry bows will outfit the iconic Claridge’s Christmas tree this year – an installation so famous that Londoners treat its annual reveal like a cultural event. This season’s tree, designed by Burberry’s Daniel Lee, is paired with hanging bells and chess-piece ornaments inspired by the brand’s Equestrian Knight. Claridge’s has been a Mayfair institution for over a century, and at Christmas it’s at its best. Art Deco marble gleams underneath garlands, afternoon teas are served beneath twinkling lights, and the atmosphere is so royal you half expect William or Kate to stroll past (it wouldn’t be the first time). Order a martini at The Fumoir then sink into a jewel-toned sofa for some incredible people-watching. 

Time Out tip: Book the afternoon tea far in advance, and if you’re after a picture of the tree, go early in the morning before the crowd

Address: 41-43 Brook Street, W1K 4HR London

Price: Starting from around €800 per night

Closest transport: Bond Street Underground Station is a five-minute walk away

📍 Discover more of the best Christmas hotels in London

Best for: Soaking up Paris’s festive spirit

Ah, Paris at Christmastime. The ultimate dream, oui? If you’re going to soak up the city at its most sparkly, you might as well stay somewhere that matches the elegance of the season. Overlooking the Tuileries Gardens and just steps from the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Le Meurice plays right into your fantasies of a Parisian holiday romcom. Inside, you’ll ooh and ahh over the 1835 palace’s majestic décor, towering trees, and floral installations and art-filled ceilings. Indulge in a Christmas or New Year’s Day brunch under warm lights and polished marble. 

Time Out tip: Hit Le Meurice’s signature restaurant, Le Dalí, for festive tea and pastries before the early winter sunset (book well in advance)

Address: 228 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris

Price: Starting from around €1,500 per night

Closest transport: Concorde or Tuileries Métro stations are within a five-minute walk

📍 Discover more of the best Christmas hotels in Paris

Best for: Countryside calm away from the city holiday rush

How does sipping a Baileys hot chocolate in front of a fire while a live Irish band plays inside a 13th-century castle sound? Not sure it’s possible to picture anything cozier. Set on a 350-acre estate on the shores of Lough Corrib in County Mayo, the towering Ashford Castle’s dramatic, historic halls become a perfect backdrop for festivity, pristinely decorated with garlands in every direction and a 20-foot Christmas tree grown on the estate. The days around Christmas are packed with tradition and events, including a buffet lunch, movies in the castle cinema, wine tastings in the cellar, and a black-tie gala dinner that ends with live music and dancing.

Time Out tip: Don’t skip the Christmas morning cruise across Lough Corrib, complete with traditional music and hot whiskey

Address: Ashford Castle, Cong, F31 CA48

Price: Starting from approximately €490 per night

Closest transport: Ireland West Airport Knock is about a 40-minute drive away

📍 Discover more of the best hotels in Ireland

Best for: Having a Christmas market in your back garden

If you’re looking for a mountain getaway, The Chedi Andermatt – tucked into the Urseren Valley in the Swiss canton of Uri – is designed as a base for winter adventures and embracing the art of lounging. The heart of the holiday magic here centers on the Winter Village, a lantern-lit courtyard lined with chalet-style huts built from locally sourced wood and fir trees that get replanted around town after the holiday. Fire pits keep the whole space warm and cozy. Add in a Finnish barrel sauna tucked behind the huts, steaming hot tubs under the snowfall, and a soundtrack of live music drifting from the lobby, and you start to get the picture. Inside, you’ll find a legendary Cheese Tower featuring Swiss fondue and raclette, a Michelin-starred Japanese Restaurant and a truly enormous spa.

Time Out tip: On Christmas Day, join a guided snowy stroll with the hotel’s resident llamas, a tradition that’s become one of the Chedi’s most joyfully weird and beloved winter rituals.

Address: Gotthardstrasse 4, 6490 Andermatt, Switzerland

Price: Starting from approximately €550 per night

Closest transport: Andermatt railway station is opposite the hotel.

Best for: A more affordable Christmas trip

Every year, the holiday season is officially underway in Copenhagen when the lights go up on the façade of Hotel d’Angleterre, a 1755 landmark and one of the city’s grandest hotels. Towering nutcrackers welcome guests inside where a glittering holiday universe awaits, including the Creations space filled with handcrafted ornaments and decorations meant to be keepsakes for life. Balthazar Champagne Bar leans fully into the festivities with cocktails like ‘Cherry Christmas’ and its beloved Champagne-and-gløgg combo. Saturdays mean Danish æbleskiver and warm gløgg from 2-5pm. For families, in-room holiday cinema comes stocked with cocoa, popcorn, and gingerbread cookies, plus a Christmas Eve visit from Santa himself. 

Time Out tip: Just outside the hotel doors you’ll find Kongens Nytorv, where the hotel’s own Christmas-market hut serves spiced gingerbread hearts, crisp cookies, and its signature Snow Queen’s White Gløgg.

Address: Kongens Nytorv 34, 1050 Copenhagen

Price: Starting from around €130 per night

Closest transport: Kongens Nytorv metro station is a very short walk away

Best for: Roman elegance and nonstop celebratory energy

One of the oldest and grandest properties in the Eternal City, the St. Regis Rome leans fully into holiday glamour with a month-long lineup of festive celebrations. A butler in a top hat welcomes you inside, where Belle Époque marble is wrapped in twinkling garlands, a glittering tree anchors the lobby, and live music turns the space into a festive salon each night. At LUMEN, the hotel’s on-site restaurant, guests can enjoy a series of seasonal menus – including the Christmas Eve ‘Cocktails & Cuisine’ dinner accompanied by live music – while the holiday artisan shop offers panettone, truffles, and beautifully wrapped gifts created in collaboration with Marchesi 1824.

Time Out tip: Grab a signature cocktail at LUMEN around 7pm to catch the sabrage ritual (champagne sliced open with a sabre)

Address: 3 Via Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, 00185 Rome, Italy

Price: From around €1000 per night

Closest transport: Metro A Barberini station is a five-minute walk

📍 Discover more of the best hotels in Rome

Best for: Being minutes from Vienna’s Christmas markets

The Ritz is synonymous with luxury, and Vienna with elegance, so combine the two at Christmastime and you’ll be in for a treat. Set along the historic Ringstrasse, the hotel not only looks the part but plays the part, with special experiences meant to have you telling stories about them for years to come. Case in point: the Atmosphere Rooftop Bar Perrier-Jouët Winter Terrace overlooks Vienna’s glowing Christmas markets, the city’s rooftops, and the spires of the old town. Warm up with hot punch, mulled wine, and Austrian winter classics like goulash and sweet Buchteln. Downstairs, the festive dining lineup spans a truffle market, a Sicilian-inspired “White Christmas” menu throughout December, and a lavish Christmas Brunch.

Time Out tip: Book one of the hotel’s heated rooftop gondolas, where you can enjoy raclette while looking out over the city’s Christmas lights.

Address: Schubertring 5–7, 1010 Vienna

Price: Starting from approximately €550 per night

Closest transport: Stadtpark U-Bahn station is a four-minute walk away