Location: Tivoli Gardens and Højbro Plads
When: Ends December 31and December 21, respectively
What to Expect: Entering Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens during the holiday season feels like wandering into an undiscovered Nordic village. This 175-year-old theme park is transformed annually into a Christmas market with 60 stalls swathed in magical decor, including log cabins draped in pine cones and layers of snow—and that’s without mentioning the garden itself, which glows with over 70,000 Christmas baubles and 1,000-plus trees draped in lights. A 10-minute walk away, Højbro Plads also lures in visitors with 18,000 sparkling lights, plus live reindeer pulling a Santa’s sleigh.
Where to Stay: Villa Copenhagen (5 and 15-minute walk)
Bath, United Kingdom
Photo: Getty Images
Location: Bath
When: Ends December 11
What to Expect: If you’re looking for a more pastoral feel, head to the Cotswolds, England’s most romantic region of storybook countryside. “With quaint villages adorned in lights, caroling, and frequent dustings of snow, the Cotswolds evokes Christmas from the days of old,” Marchant says. The ancient city of Bath sits on the region’s edge and is hosting the 20th anniversary of its annual holiday market this year. With over 150 stalls offering unique goods like pottery, hand-knit socks, artisan cheeses, and beyond, you’ll cross off your shopping list—and then some.