Where to go between Christmas and New Year

83 routes that our season estimate rates as best for this time of year, in Europe, North America and Oceania. Trips of up to 10 days.

Wondering where to go over the holidays by RV or camper? Between Christmas and New Year’s, winter has a firm grip on much of Europe and North America: short days, snow in the mountains and many campgrounds closed. If you want mild weather, head south to Andalusia, the Algarve or the Canary Islands. Winter fans go to the Alps, where winter campgrounds offer heated facilities close to the slopes.

The routes below are the ones our season estimate rates as good in December and January, limited to trips of up to about two weeks. Our tip: ski regions and winter campgrounds book up early for the holiday season, so reserve ahead. Ferries and tunnels can also be busy around the holidays. Make sure your heater, gas supply and winter tires are ready before you leave.

How we work: data and estimates

USA · 33 routes

The newest 24 are shown here; all routes are in the trip guide catalogue.

Coast & island drives

USA · 33 routes

Florida Gulf Coast and the Everglades

Florida’s Forgotten Coast

Pacific Coast Highway south: Malibu to San Diego

Oʻahu circle: Diamond Head to the North Shore

Kohala and the Hāmākua Coast: Kona to Hilo the northern way

Superstition Mountains, the Apache Trail and Tonto Basin

Tucson and Mount Lemmon: from saguaros to pine forest

Manatees, cypress swamps and shell beaches – by camper along Florida’s Gulf Coast to the Everglades

Lava fields, black beaches and cloud forest – a campervan loop around Hawaiʻi Island

Single-lane bridges, bamboo forest and sunrise above the clouds – by campervan along the Road to Hāna and up Haleakalā

Coquina forts, sand tracks and launch pads – by camper along Florida's Atlantic coast from Amelia Island to Vero Beach

Texas Hill Country on US-290: LBJ country, Luckenbach and wildflowers

Spanish missions and the Frio River canyonlands

Blackwater, cypresses and crystal-clear springs – by camper from the Okefenokee Swamp down the Suwannee River to the springs of North Florida

Spring pools, manatees and sand pines – by camper from Orlando through the Ocala National Forest to the springs of Central Florida

Florida’s Space Coast: Kennedy Space Center to Daytona

A1A from Jacksonville to Daytona: forts, lighthouses and coquina

Central Florida springs: Wekiwa to the Ichetucknee

Turquoise to the Horizon – Along the Overseas Highway to Key West

The Overseas Highway to Key West

Joshua trees, salt lake and palm oases: by camper through the deserts of Southern California

Orange groves, the Pink Moment and island hopping – by camper through Ventura, Ojai and to the Channel Islands

Islands in a sea of desert: by camper through Arizona’s Sky Islands: Chiricahua, Bisbee, Tombstone, Saguaro and Organ Pipe

Dust, lakes and saguaros: by camper along the Apache Trail through the Superstition Mountains to Roosevelt Lake

Europe · 3 routes

Laurel forest, lava fields and trade-wind clouds – by camper across Tenerife and La Gomera

Lava fields, wine hollows and shifting dunes – by camper across Lanzarote and Fuerteventura

Rock needles, pine forest and shifting dunes – by camper around Gran Canaria

Oceania · 47 routes

Surf breaks, limestone stacks and sandstone ridges – by camper along the Great Ocean Road to the Grampians

Rainforest, granite bays and wombats at dusk – a campervan loop around Tasmania

Bays, bush and penguins – by camper along the Princes Highway from Sydney to Melbourne

From Franz Josef and Fox Glacier to Haast and Jackson Bay

Karri giants, granite coves and beach kangaroos – by campervan through Western Australia’s South West to Esperance

Mountain ash, muscat and snow poles – by camper through Victoria’s High Country

Sandstone gorges, gold-rush villages and snow-grass plains – through the mountains of New South Wales by camper

Mackenzie Country lakes and Aoraki / Mount Cook

The Catlins coast from Balclutha to Invercargill

Crown Range and Lake Wānaka to Cromwell

Te Anau to Milford Sound via Homer Tunnel

Bluff to Stewart Island / Rakiura and Ulva Island

Convict road, Semillon and snow-grass highlands – by camper through the Hunter Valley into the Barrington Tops

Pelicans, crater lakes and terra rossa – by camper through the Coorong to the Limestone Coast

Mineral springs, steam trains and gold-rush towns – by campervan through the Macedon Ranges and the Victorian Goldfields

Misty forest, sandstone gorges and wombats by the river – by camper through the Southern Highlands to Kangaroo Valley

Grand Pacific Drive: Sydney to Kiama

Blue Mountains and the Central West

Apple orchards, wooden boats and the end of the road – by camper through southern Tasmania to Cockle Creek

Red wine, volcanic spires and starry skies – through the Central West of New South Wales by camper

Tulip fields, a flat-topped mountain and the end of the world – by camper through Tasmania’s north-west and the Tarkine

Hunter Valley to Port Macquarie

South Coast: Kiama to Narooma

Canberra and the Snowy Mountains

Other holidays

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