10 best places to visit in winter on a budget

Hellen Keller says, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all”. Snowy landscapes, ice lakes, cities that are filled with events, fairs, festivals. What are the destinations to visit (especially) in winter? We have selected for your ten best places to visit in winter. Wear a scarf and a hat and go with us!

10 best places to visit in winter

Winter is the perfect time for visiting countries. In the calendar, mark the month October to January. Make a plan in September. If you have enough time, try to travel by road.

FINLAND

For many of us, Finland is above all the country of Lapland, the homeland of Santa Claus and his most trusted reindeer. Did you know that here there are over 200,000 specimens? What a better opportunity to go for a ride and get an authentic taste of the magic of Christmas.

Don’t sleep until the starting of the morning to witness the natural spectacle par excellence: the Northern Lights. The phenomenon is visible in Finland about 200 days a year. We assure you: you will be shocked!

The Winter Carnival Lahti is a must if you travel with the whole family: three days of music, culture, theater, dance, circus, and performances. Advice for foreign food lovers: try the Karjalanpiirakka, a traditional Finnish sweet and the Korvapuusti, a cinnamon paste, that will delight your palate. To be accompanied strictly with a steaming cup of coffee.

JAPAN

In winter, in the beautiful city of Tokyo, you will see shrines, temples and ornamental gardens entirely covered in soft white snow.

To fight the cold weather, treat yourself to a relaxing bath in the outdoor spa. Japan is full of them, and it will be the best reward after a whole day out in a zonzo. Do not miss the Ashikaga Flower Garden in the city of Kanto, which you will find illuminated by over three million light bulbs. A light show, to be immortalized with your smartphone. If you are looking for an “exclusively” winter event, choose the Sapporo Snow Festival, held in the Parco Dora city park.

Born in 1950, this festival is famous for its snow sculpture contest. Every year, more than 15 countries take part in it, with over 400 mammoth sculptures, obviously made of snow.

SLOVENIA

In Slovenia, you can experience both a temperate winter, on the side facing the Mediterranean, and a stiffer winter near the Alps. Lake Bled is undoubtedly the most impressive place to visit, especially in winter, when it is completely covered in snow. The church that rises in the center, dating back to 1400, seems to come out of a fairy tale and certainly deserves a visit.

Be sure to check out the Bled Castle Museum and its wine cellars, where you can fill your bottle and take home an exclusive souvenir.

NORWAY

Even in Norway, nature offers unique emotions, thanks to the landscape of the fjords and the lights of the northern lights.

The Norwegian fjords are among the natural wonders of the world, and we can only agree! Now also UNESCO heritage sites, the Geirangerfjord and the Nærøyfjord offer visitors a breathtaking view. The Tourism Agency Visit Norway describes the Northern Lights as “a fashion show that comes straight from the ’80s”. The merit of the color palette that turns from green, pink, purple, blue. How to give him wrong? We were there on tour too.

If you’re there in February, do not miss the Northern Lights Concerts of folk music in the striking Ishavskatedralen cathedral in Tromso.

CANADA

Winter is the season when Canada wakes up. Departing from the city of Beff, you can take the Icefield Parkway and get lost (not literally) among the Canadian landscapes. Along with this journey on the road, you will discover glaciers, snow-capped mountains and, if you are lucky, you will also have the opportunity to spot bears and mountain wolves.

During the winter months, cities fill up with events. As the Quebec Winter Carnival, for example, held every year since 1894. Among the attractions: snow sculptures, sled, and canoe races, and much more. Or the Winterlude, in Ottawa, held in the first three weeks of February.

Here you will find the largest ice rink in the world (as large as 90 Olympic skating rinks, to get an idea). Do not miss the Montreal En Lumiere, one of the most important and famous Canadian winter festivals.

NEW ZELAND

In New Zealand, their winter is our summer, and their summer is our winter. Keep this in mind when you book your holidays in this wonderful land!

The Queenstown Winter Festival is held in June, for example. And Queenstown is one of the best places to ski, snowboard, or elixir (the practice of off-piste skiing using the helicopter for ascent).

A cruise along the Milford Sound Fjord in Fiordland National Park is an experience not to be missed. The reason? The blue waters surrounded by the snow-capped mountains seem to come out of a postcard. If you are heading in the northern hemisphere, instead, you go to their summer. The climate will, therefore, be mild and perfect for engaging in high-adrenaline activities such as canyon swimming and rafting. Not surprisingly, Queenstown is also known as the “Adventure Capital.”

CZECH REPUBLIC

Here the Christmas atmosphere is breathed already from mid-November. Prague, the capital, has one of the largest Christmas markets in the world.

The famous market is held in the old city, precisely in Piazza Vecenslao, where you will be enveloped by the smells, the sounds, and the typical Christmas air that you breathe in this period. Among the folkloristic traditions, the procession of the Magi is worth a visit. Held every January 3 on the famous Charles Bridge.

NETHERLANDS

Amsterdam is fascinating all year round, but the illuminated canals during the Festival of Lights in December and January are worth a visit. If the temperature drops below 4 degrees, the channels will freeze, and you will have the chance to skate on it.

Have you been tremendous or terrible this year? Ask Sinterklass, our Saint Nicholas, during the parade in mid-November. Hoping for sweet and non-coals dispensation. Culinary tip: fill your stomach with street food and other delicacies, such as the Bitterballen, the typical local meat-filled croquettes.

UNITED STATES

It is difficult to choose the best place to visit in the winter in the United States. There is Alaska, for example, with its glaciers, elk and grizzly bears. Or Lake Thoe, between California and Nevada.

If you choose to go to Alaska, do not miss the Fur Rendevouz, the winter festival held in Anchorage, between February and March, from 1935; this festival brings together all the local winter traditions, from processions to sled huskies.

What if this was the right opportunity to go to New York? The outdoor skating rink at Central Park is one of the city’s most popular attractions. That, along with shopping on Fifth Avenue, or in the big stores, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and Barney’s, make New York the most desired and desired destination for the Christmas holidays.

AUSTRIA

Last but not least, it is the country that has been called “the prettiest village in the world.” Austria is a small jewel in Europe, and already the photo of Hallstaat below makes the idea of the suggestiveness of its cities

Vienna certainly deserves a visit of at least two days, especially during the Christmas period. We’ll talk about it here. Do you like listening to carols, typical Christmas folk songs? Stille Nacht, one of the most famous, was born right here, and precisely in the small town of Oberndorf. Near Salzburg, here you will find a museum dedicated entirely to the song.

Share your experience of these best places to visit in winter after reaching your home.