Five cities for a last-minute Christmas break

Amsterdam

Amsterdam goes all out for Christmas season. Your first stop should be the Museumplein, where the ice rink is open from 24 October 2026 to 16 January 2027 and the Christmas Village market sets up around it from 3 to 27 December. There are market stalls and a restaurant selling warming dishes such as cheese fondue.

If you prefer something a bit trendier, head out to the Sunday Market's Funky Xmas Market at Westergas on 20 December. It is a good place to buy presents made by local artists and creatives.

From 26 November 2026 to 17 January 2027, the city also hosts the 15th edition of the Amsterdam Light Festival. The event dedicated to light art is a calm way to celebrate the winter season, without any Christmas hassle. You can explore the artworks on foot or on a special canal cruise.

Finnair flies from Helsinki to Amsterdam twice a day.

Rome

Do not miss the beautiful nativity scenes around Rome during the Christmas season. Every church has one, and the best known stands in St Peter's Square, next to the Christmas tree. Under Bernini's colonnade, the international 100 Presepi exhibition shows around a hundred nativity scenes from December to Epiphany. Another impressive nativity scene can be found by the Spanish Steps, with papier-mâché figures showing 19th-century Roman street life. Smaller ones can be seen in shop windows and museums, for example.

Christmas season is also a great time to experience concerts around Rome. Many of the churches have seasonal music, one of the highlights being the Baroque Concerts in the Capuchins Crypt.

Finnair flies to Rome twice every day.

Luxembourg

Luxembourg City turns its old town squares into a string of Christmas markets. The Winterlights season runs from 20 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. Start at Place d'Armes, where the Lëtzebuerger Chrëschtmaart is the city's original Christmas market, with a large tree, a nativity scene and two carousels. A few minutes' walk away on Place de la Constitution, the Wantermaart has about 40 chalets around the Gëlle Fra monument and a Ferris wheel with views over the Pétrusse valley and Pont Adolphe. Near the railway station, the Niklosmaart on Place de Paris adds live music and a cottage where children can meet St Nicholas.

Save room for the market food: Gromperekichelcher, crisp potato fritters, go well with a cup of mulled wine or Feuerzangenbowle. If you would rather skate, the Wanterpark in the Kinnekswiss park has an ice rink with skate hire.

Finnair flies from Helsinki to Luxembourg several times a week.

Berlin

Germans know what they are doing when it comes to Christmas markets. In Berlin, there are over 100 to choose from. Some of the best known include the Weihnachtszauber Gendarmenmarkt (23 November to 31 December 2026), where you can sip your glühwein while admiring the huge tree, and the Christmas market at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, with around 170 stalls for seasonal shopping. If you want to take a trip to the olden days, choose the Opernpalais Nostalgic Christmas Market selling cute wooden toys and ornaments.

You could, in fact, buy all your presents while you are in Berlin. The department store KaDeWe is your one-stop shop, where the chocolate and candle displays alone are very impressive. For more chocolate, visit the Rausch chocolate house on Gendarmenmarkt and the Hussel shops. For small boutiques with special gift items, the Hackescher Markt is worth a visit.

Finnair flies from Helsinki to Berlin several times a day.

Copenhagen 

You can't talk about Copenhagen around Christmas time without mentioning hygge. You can really make the most of cosy hygge vibes in the city's many coffee shops and restaurants. The mulled wine gløgg is served everywhere, and the Danes like it strong and with lots of raisins.

Another Danish festive treat is risengrød, or rice porridge. A good place to try it is the porridge restaurant GRØD. The familiar Danish favourites of beer and smørrebrød also get a Christmas twist in many of the restaurants. The Christmas beers tend to be very dark and expect a variety of fish or paté on your open sandwich.

There are a lot of seasonal events to attend, too. George Balanchine's The Nutcracker runs at the historic Old Stage of the Royal Danish Theatre from 20 November to 22 December 2026. In the historical open-air museum Frilandsmuseet in Lyngby, very near Copenhagen, the weekends from 28 November to 20 December 2026 are dedicated to Christmas as it was celebrated in the past. There are games to try, theatre to see and animals to pet.

Finnair flies from Helsinki to Copenhagen several times a day.