Five places you can enjoy a white Christmas – direct flights from Manchester, including Lapland and Riga

The chances of Manchester getting some snow on Christmas Day are slim. There were only six recorded snowy Christmas days in the UK in the 20th century, and the last time we saw a white Christmas was in 2010. 

But for other places in the world, white Christmases are a given, which makes them excellent destinations for a December getaway. Here are six snowy destinations you can fly to from Manchester Airport this winter. 

Lapland

Flights: TUI and easyJet fly to four different Lapland airports

The Nordic region, which straddles Finland, Norway and Sweden is the home of Santa Claus and 40,000 people fly here from Manchester every December. In particular, the Finnish city of Rovaniemi makes the perfect family holiday. This is where you will find the famous Santa Claus village.

Riga

Flights: Ryanair flies to Riga from Manchester three times a week throughout December

The Latvian capital on the Baltic coast has some of the best Christmas markets, set against the backdrop of the historic Old Town with its cobbled streets. It has everything you’d want from a festive market, including mulled wine, hot chocolate, roasted chestnuts, grilled sausages and some bargain souvenirs. 

The Alps

Flights: Direct flights from Manchester – Grenoble (France), Geneva and Zurich (Switzerland), Milan-Bergamo (Italy), Munich (Germany), and Innsbruck and Salzburg (Austria)

Europe’s largest mountain range has a lot to offer, especially if you’re into skiing and other winter sports as many of the resorts are open in December. However, there are plenty of other places to explore as well, including  Innsbruck, Bolsano and St Moritz for Christmas markets. St Moritz is also the starting point of  Switzerland’s Glacier Express, which offer breathtaking views of the Alpine scenery. You’ll also find a range of festive culinary treats here, such as Italian panettone, German lebkuchen and French terrine.

The Pyrenees

Flights: Direct flights to Girona on the Spanish side and Toulouse on the French side

Andorra is one of the smallest countries in the world and this time of year is known for its beautiful snowy views of its mountain peaks and quaint towns. The festive speciality here is Turrón nougat and polvorones, a type of sweet and crumbly almond cookie.

Toronto

Flights: Direct flights with Air Canada or Airtransat

Toronto is Canada’s largest city and it gets a lot of snow over the winter months. Once there, you can easily check out the Algonquin Provincial Park, which is known for its natural beauty, with dog sled rides and wildlife spotting. If you want something to do in the city, there is also the Distillery Winter Village, one of the oldest and most popular Christmas markets in North America.