‘Best’ destinations for Christmas you can fly to from Liverpool

They’re only a few hours away

Christmas seems to creep up on us earlier and earlier every year, with much of our city already getting into the festive spirit with decorations and events in the build-up to Christmas. In Liverpool, we’ve always gone all-out for the festive season, with so much to see and do from November through to December.

But as we edge closer to Christmas, many of us will be looking to use up a few days annual leave and head for a last minute break abroad before the new year. Luckily for us, there are tonnes are destinations across Europe choose from.

There are many places especially popular at this time of year that you can still visit. Or if you’re planning ahead, you can start looking at what’s available for winter 2025.

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Global magazine Time Out have recently released their list of 21 best places to go for Christmas in the world for 2024. At Time Out, all of their travel guides are “written by local writers who know their cities inside out.”

Here, we take a look at the “best place” to visit for Christmas “in the world” according to Time Out – and the destinations included that you can fly to from Liverpool John Lennon Airport. Find out more in our list below.

Lapland, Finland

When you think of Christmas destinations – of course Lapland is going to make the list. Located in the northernmost part of Finland, Lapland’s capital, Rovaniemi, is often referred to the hometown of Father Christmas and is around a three-and-a-half hour flight from Liverpool.

Renowned for its winter landscapes and activities, you can also meet Santa himself in the Santa Claus Village. Back in October, Ryanair announced a new schedule to Lapland-Rovaniemi airport from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to the “magical” destination.

Time Out said; “There are few destinations as legendarily Christmassy as Rovaniemi, which, as the capital of Lapland, is also the official hometown of Santa Claus. But Rovaniemi isn’t all about Santa. Once you’re done exploring Santa Claus Village and getting reindeer rides about town, be sure to sweat out your worries with a festive sauna – a Finnish Christmas tradition.”

We found flights from Liverpool to Rovaniemi on December 1 at 4.20pm and returning on December 6 at 1.15pm for £57 with Ryanair. To find out more, click here.

Reykjavik, Iceland

Another top Christmas destination is Reykjavik, on the coast of Iceland, which is just under a three-hour flight away from Liverpool. Renowned for its history, culture and breath-taking natural beauty, Reykjavik is both the country’s capital and largest city and has long attracted tourists for everything from the Blue Lagoon to the Golden Circle and visitors who want to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights.

In September, the ECHO also reported how PLAY will be relaunching its route from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to Iceland and the United States this winter. Time Out said Reykjavik is best for “the lads” – but not the lads you may think.

They said: “We’re talking about the ‘Yule Lads’, 13 folkloric dudes who traditionally leave gifts in boots for Iceland’s well-behaved kids. Christmastime is also just a rather lovely time to visit Reykjavik, with the city boasting markets and ice-skating – as well as, thanks to its extra-long nights, great opportunities for viewing the Northern Lights.”

We found flights from Liverpool to Reykjavik on November 29 at 11.15am and returning on December 2 at 9.25am with PLAY for £94. To find out more, click here.

Marrakesh, Morocco

Morocco’s capital, Marrakesh, is under four hours away from Liverpool. And regardless of what time of year you visit, you’ll feel like you are a world away when you step off the plane.

Here, you can enjoy stunning architecture, delicious food and a vibrant culture. From Liverpool, you can fly to Marrakesh with easyjet and Ryanair.

Time Out said: “Christmas isn’t celebrated by the vast majority of people in Marrakech, making it perfect for escaping conventional festive vibes. The Moroccan city also isn’t anywhere near as hot in December as it is in the summertime (hitting highs of 20C without dipping too low at night), so exploring its medina, souks, mosques and riads is even more pleasant.”

We found flights from Liverpool to Marrakech on December 5 at 6.05am and returning on December 8 at 11.20pm with Ryanair for £28. You can find out more here.

Prague, Czech Republic

While Prague is a beautiful city all year round, its true charm comes out in the winter months – with its Christmas markets, cobblestone streets and fairy-tale architecture. A must visit city, Prague is home to the Old Town and the grand Astronomical Clock, as well as the open-air gallery of Baroque statues on the romantic Charles Bridge.

The flight time to Prague from Liverpool John Lennon Airport is around two hours. Since October, easyJet has been offering a thrice-weekly service to the historic city, but you can also fly to Prague with Jet2.

Time Out said: “With its awesome gothic churches and winding baroque streets, Prague is one of Europe’s most dazzlingly pretty cities at any time of the year. But at Christmastime? Well, the Czech capital somehow gets even prettier. The key attractions here are the markets, which take over the likes of Prague Castle and Wenceslas Square with local specialities such as medovina (honey wine), rybí polévka (traditional fish soup) and perníčky (spicy gingerbread).”

We found flights from Liverpool to Prague on December 2 at 12.20pm and returning on December 6 at 12.15pm with Jet2 for £139. You can find out more here.

Vienna, Austria

If it’s too last minute for you to plan a Christmas getaway for this year, you can already plan ahead for 2025 to visit Vienna. . Renowned for its rich history, cultural heritage, stunning architecture and vibrant arts scene, Liverpool John Lennon Airport described Vienna as one of Europe’s “greatest and most underrated city breaks.”

The flight time to Vienna from Liverpool John Lennon Airport is around two hours and 30 minutes. In response to strong demand for Christmas Market getaways, Jet2.com and Jet2CityBreaks will operate a mini-series of dedicated trips to Vienna from the Speke airport for the first time in winter 2025.

Time Out said: “Whether you’re watching Krampuses (a sort of nightmarish Austrian anti-Santa) roam the streets, munching on toffee apples at one of the city’s many Christmas markets or simply soaking in the very, very pretty street decorations, we challenge you not to get totally swept up in Vienna’s all-encompassing Chrimbo vibes.”

We found flights with Jet2.com for winter 2025 from Liverpool to Vienna, departing on December 4 at 1.55pm and returning on December 7 at 7.55pm for £212.40. You can find out more here.

Full list from Time Out

1. New York City, USA
2. London, UK
3. Copenhagen, Denmark
4. Lapland, Finland
5. Edinburgh, Scotland
6. Phuket, Thailand
7. Reykjavik, Iceland
8. Caracas, Venuzuela
9. Bruges, Belgium
10. Sydney, Australia
11. Tokyo, Japan
12. New Orleans, USA
13. Marrakech, Morocco
14. Greenland
15. Prague, Czech Republic
16. Cape Town, South Africa
17. Singapore
18. Vienna, Austria
19. Guatemala City, Guatemala
20. Colmar, France
21. Nuremburg, Germant