

The happiest place on earth gets even merrier over the holiday season as Disneyland is transformed into an extravagant winter wonderland right in the heart of California. You’ll find some of the best illuminations at the 368m Fernsehtur (TV Tower), Alexanderplatz Market, Opera Palace, National Opera and the famous Brandenburg Gate and Charlottenburg Palace. Within the city squares and boulevards nearly 60 different Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Markets) provide even more glistening sights along with all the shopping, food and Glühwein (mulled wine) you’d expect from a Christmas market. Berlin’s illuminations are such a draw that visitors with a passion for photography can sign up for special guided tours of the lights. When the sun goes down on Berlin, the city’s historic buildings, streets and every available tree branch is lit up with colorful projections and row upon row of fairy lights. Germany is the home of Christmas Lights so it’s no wonder the country’s capital really shines during the holiday season. Top this off with stalls selling crafts, gifts, local produce, season foods and festive drinks and you’ve got enough Christmas spirit to cheer even the biggest Grinch. From mid-November 10 of Vienna’s city squares are transformed into beautiful Christmas Markets decorated with bushy trees and strings of twinkling fairy lights hanging from every available surface. Vienna, Austria If experiencing a traditional European Christmas is on your list, it doesn’t get more perfect than celebrating Weihnachten in Vienna, Austria. This state of the production sees the city’s cathedral transformed into a colorful storyboard with a “4D” projection of light, sound, and even scent.Ĩ. For a dazzling performance like no other, check out the popular Magic Christmas display.

In the Old Town Christmas Markets, taste festive treats and mulled wine, and then see if you can spot Santa or listen to carols in one of the city’s many churches.

Each house on the block is decorated in the owner’s unique style and some homes include toy trains on rooftops and hubcap Christmas trees.įor the Christmas season, Lithuania’s capital city Vilnius gets covered in colorful garlands of electric lights and the country’s largest ‘Christmas tree’ (the Vilnius television tower under a vale of lights) is lit up. Now in its 62nd year, the “Christmas Street” light display sees thousands of visitors descend on this unassuming neighborhood to view some of the most fantastic, and quirky, lights in North America. The tradition continues, and every year from December 1-12, around four million locals and tourists alike come to celebrate Japan’s enduring resilience near Higashi-Yuenchi Park.įor 11 months out of the year, 34th Street in Baltimore is like any other street in North America, but in the month of December something truly magical takes place. After the Kobe earthquake of 1995, Italy donated thousands of hand-painted bulbs to the city and these were transformed into an intricate, gothic-style luminarie designed by Valerio Festi and Hirokazu Imaoka. Seasonal illuminations around Christmas time have become a popular attraction in cities across Japan and none is more beautiful than the Kobe Luminarie. Every year thousands flock to the Medellin River to gaze at the million dollar displays, sample delicious food and enjoy street performances. In December, the city’s thoroughfares, roads and parks are covered in thousands of fairy lights, with the most impressive displays found in Avenue la Playa and the Medellín River. Singapore’s famous shopping district celebrates with twinkling street lights, dressed-up shop windows, concerts, musicals and exhibitions.Ĭhristmas in Medellin, Colombia, is a time of families coming together to celebrate and enjoy the simple pleasure of looking at amazing decorations. Every evening from November 20 to January 2, Orchard Road and Marina Bay in Singapore are lit up in full-on seasonal splendor with its Christmas in the Tropics light display. In recent years, the magic of Christmas lights has spread even further afield to countries throughout Asia. Just the thought of a steaming hot drink cupped in your gloved hands, a woollen cap on your head, a fluffy scarf wrapping you up tight as you soak up the seasonal spirit in a city sparkling with the glow of lights has prompted online travel adviser (to offer its list of Top 10 Christmas lights displays. Christmas holiday lights hang from trees to illuminate Champs Elysees in Paris as rush hour traffic fills the avenue leading up to the Arc de Triomphe November 22, 2012.
