Where is the best place to go for Christmas in the USA?

There is no single best place, so pick by weather. For city lights, New York has the widest list of events in our guides, and Chicago has a free market that opens 20 November. For village lights and snow, Leavenworth in Washington runs Christmastown from 27 November to 24 December. For warm weather, Hawaii and Puerto Rico are covered below.

What are the best warm places to go for Christmas in the US?

In our guides, Hawaii, Key West and Puerto Rico. NOAA lists Honolulu's December normal at a high of 81.8 F and a low of 69.2 F. Puerto Rico's Christmas season runs from Thanksgiving to mid January. Key West's December normal is a high of 77.7 F and a low of 68.3 F. We did not check any hotel rate.

Where can I go for a white Christmas in the US?

Lake Tahoe and Yellowstone are the snow trips in this guide. Neither is guaranteed on a given day. Heavenly at Tahoe lists a 20 November 2026 opening, and says opening dates depend on snow. The Yellowstone over snow season is listed from 15 December 2026, and dates depend on the weather.

What are the best Christmas trips for families?

Three that suit children and have official 2026 dates in our guides are the Polar Express and other Christmas train rides, ZooLights in Chicago and Washington, DC, and the Bryant Park rink in New York. Train rides run 45 minutes to 90 minutes. We did not check which events suit which ages.

What are good Christmas vacation ideas on a budget?

Start with what lists free entry. Leavenworth's lights, Chicago's Christkindlmarket and the St. Augustine Nights of Lights are free to enter, and the Bryant Park rink has free admission, with skate rental extra. A budget is also about flights, hotels and parking. We did not check any of those prices.

Can I take a Christmas trip in the US without a car?

Yes, for the city trips. We have car free guides for New York, Chicago, Washington, DC and Puerto Rico. Leavenworth and Lake Tahoe are easier with a car, and both can require chains in winter. Leavenworth also has an Amtrak train and an Amtrak bus from Seattle.

When should I book a Christmas vacation?

We could not find an official source for the best date to book, and we did not check prices. What we can say is that some dates are fixed. Train rides sell by date, and Grand Canyon Railway and Durango and Silverton list different refund rules in our guide. Read the rules before you pay.

Christmas Vacation Ideas in the US

Choose the weather first, then the city or the town. For city lights go to New York, Chicago or Washington, DC. For snow and a small village full of lights, go to Leavenworth, Lake Tahoe or Yellowstone. For warm days, look at Hawaii, Key West or Puerto Rico. The 2026 dates come from our own guides, which read each official page in October 2026. Where a date is not confirmed, we say so.

At a glance

Trip	Weather	2026 dates in our guides	Cost to look
New York	Cold	Bryant Park rink from 28 October, Fifth Avenue decor from 20 November	Rink admission free
Dyker Heights, Brooklyn	Cold	Lights go up the weekend after Thanksgiving, says Time Out	No fee found
Chicago	Cold	Daley Plaza market 20 November to 24 December	Market entry free
Washington, DC	Cold	ZooLights 20 November to 3 January 2027	ZooLights $10
Leavenworth, WA	Snow likely, not promised	Christmastown 27 November to 24 December	Lights free
St. Augustine, FL	Mild, not checked	Nights of Lights 21 November to 18 January 2027	Lights free
Lake Tahoe	Snow	Heavenly lists 20 November opening	Not checked
Colorado ski towns	Snow	Opening dates in our Colorado guide, some tentative	Not checked
Yellowstone	Deep snow	Over snow season from 15 December	Snowcoach $179.45 one way
Honolulu	Warm	December normals, 81.8 F high	Not checked
Key West	Warm	December normals, 77.7 F high	Not checked
Puerto Rico	Warm	Thanksgiving to mid January	Not checked

City lights

New York

The Bryant Park rink opens on 28 October 2026 and runs to 28 February 2027, and the Bryant Park page says admission is free, with skate rental from $18.72. NYC Tourism's release says Fifth Avenue's holiday decor starts on 20 November, and Radio City's Christmas Spectacular runs from 4 November to 4 January. The Rockefeller Center tree is reported to be lit on Wednesday 2 December 2026, but we could not open the center's own page, so check it. The city is easy without a car, because the subway stops at Rockefeller Center and Times Square.

For house lights, go to Dyker Heights in Brooklyn. Time Out says the lights go up the weekend after Thanksgiving and are best from mid December to New Year's Eve. Take the D train to 79th St, then walk about 15 minutes. We found no official 2026 schedule, because homeowners set their own dates.

Chicago

Choose Chicago lists Christkindlmarket at Daley Plaza from 20 November to 24 December 2026, and entry is free. NBC Chicago, reporting the market's announcement, gives its hours as 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Choose Chicago also lists the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival on Saturday 21 November and ZooLights from 20 November to 3 January 2027. The market's own site was blocked to us, so we did not read it directly.

Washington, DC

The National Zoo lists ZooLights from 20 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 at $10 a ticket. The National Christmas Tree and the Capitol tree have no 2026 ceremony dates yet. In 2025 they were lit on 4 December and 2 December, so keep the first week of December in mind. Metrorail fares run $2.25 to $6.75 on weekdays before 9:30 p.m., says WMATA.

Snow and small town lights

Leavenworth, Washington

The Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce lists Christmastown from 27 November to 24 December 2026. The lights are on every day from Thanksgiving through February, from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Parking fills on weekends, and a free shuttle runs from the park and ride behind Safeway. From Seattle, Amtrak's Empire Builder reaches Leavenworth at 8:17 p.m., and the next train out is at 7:18 a.m. WSDOT can post traction tire and chain signs on US-2 over Stevens Pass.

Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is a winter trip too. Heavenly's site shows winter operations opening on 20 November 2026, and the date depends on snow. Ski areas around the lake include Heavenly, Northstar, Palisades Tahoe, Kirkwood, Sugar Bowl and Diamond Peak, and we name them only. Caltrans can require chains on I-80 and US-50, so carry them. Most local buses and the Lake Link shuttle are free, but we did not find a car free way to reach every beach.

Colorado ski towns

For a ski Christmas, Colorado has many resorts within a drive of Denver's airport. Our Colorado guide lists eight resorts with their 2026 to 2027 opening dates, which pass covers each, and the buses and train from Denver. Some opening dates are tentative or not confirmed. The I-70 Traction Law can apply when it snows.

Yellowstone

Only the road from the North Entrance at Gardiner to Cooke City is generally open to regular vehicles in winter, says the National Park Service. The park lists its 2026 to 2027 over snow season as 15 December 2026 to mid March 2027, and dates depend on the weather. Yellowstone National Park Lodges lists a snowcoach from Mammoth to Old Faithful at $179.45 one way for an adult. This is a long trip and not a cheap one, so read the guide before you pick it.

Lights in a warm place

St. Augustine, Florida

The area's visitor site says Nights of Lights is free and runs every evening from 21 November 2026 to 18 January 2027. Light-Up Night is on 21 November at the Plaza de la Constitucion gazebo. Parking costs more. The city garage is $20 a car from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and $5 from 5 to 9 p.m., but the city's notes say the off peak $5 rate does not apply during Nights of Lights. A free circulator bus runs downtown daily.

Sun

Hawaii

NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals list Honolulu's December high at 81.8 F and low at 69.2 F, with 2.18 inches of rain at the airport. Winter is the wetter half of the year, mostly on the windward sides. The state parks office says humpback whales arrive as early as September and stay as late as May, and NOAA's sanctuary says sightings peak from January to March. We checked no flight or hotel prices.

Key West

Key West is a walking town of 2 nights, plus 1 more day for the Dry Tortugas. The ferry to the Dry Tortugas leaves at 8:00 a.m. and returns at about 5:15 to 5:30 p.m., and the park fee is $15 for ages 16 and over, included in the ferry ticket. The Hemingway Home is $19 for an adult, and the Lighthouse is $17. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals give Key West a December high of 77.7 F and a low of 68.3 F. We did not check any Christmas events there.

Puerto Rico

A US citizen does not need a passport for Puerto Rico, says CBP's FAQ, though you still need ID at the airport. The Christmas season runs from Thanksgiving to mid January. Three Kings Day is Wednesday 6 January 2027. The San Sebastián Street Festival in Old San Juan is Thursday 21 to Sunday 24 January 2027, set by a San Juan city ordinance.

What we checked and what can change

Most facts on this page come from another tripprimer guide and are linked above. Each of those guides read its official pages in October 2026, and each says what it could not confirm. On 14 October 2026 we checked each fact here against those guides as they are now.

We also read NOAA's 1991 to 2020 monthly normals for the Honolulu and Key West airports, and Time Out's Dyker Heights page, on 14 October 2026.

Not confirmed: the Rockefeller tree date, the 2026 dates of the National Christmas Tree and the Capitol tree, any 2026 Dyker Heights schedule, Key West's Christmas events, any flight or hotel price, ski ticket prices, and which events suit which ages. For ski opening dates, see the Colorado and Tahoe ski guides, which mark the dates they could not confirm. Dates, hours and fares can change, so read each linked guide and its source the week you book.