Often, when the days start to shorten, travelers split into two camps: those chasing the snow and those running from it. Some find joy in a chalet with easy access to fresh powder and a lively après scene. Others crave a bungalow on the beach where they can feel the sun on their skin. No matter which group you fall into, winter often brings a bonus: smaller crowds and better travel deals, especially in the shoulder weeks between holidays.
Some destinations shine brighter in the colder season, albeit for different reasons. So we’ve rounded up 14 of the world’s best to tempt you into traveling during winter’s short few months.
1. Boston, Massachusetts
Will you need layers for a snowy-season trip to Boston? Sure. But for a city break with all the totems of winter, Boston more than delivers.
The season transforms the city’s historic streets into something out of a snow globe—brick row houses dusted in white, gas lamps flickering through the early dusk, and the smell of soul-warming seafood chowder drifting from restaurants in the Seaport area. You can lace up your ice skates on Frog Pond in the Boston Common, thaw out over afternoon tea beneath the soaring ceilings of the Boston Public Library, or hear the crunch of snow as you walk through the winter wonderland that is the Arnold Arboretum. Catch a hockey game at TD Garden, browse the boutiques of Beacon Hill and Newbury Street, or duck into a cozy tavern for a pint in the Back Bay. In Boston, winter isn’t just endured—it’s part of the charm.
2. Fiji
Winter in the Northern Hemisphere means summer sunshine in Fiji, where December through February brings warm ocean breezes, turquoise lagoons, and that signature island slow-down. This is technically the wet season, but showers tend to be short and dramatic—followed by brilliant bursts of blue sky—so travelers still find plenty of time to explore. It’s also shoulder season, which means fewer crowds and better rates at Fiji’s boutique resorts and private-island hideaways.
Divers and snorkelers can head to the Great Astrolabe Reef or the Somosomo Strait, famous for its technicolor soft corals and manta ray sightings. On land, you can hike through rainforest trails to waterfalls on Taveuni, kayak along the mangroves of Viti Levu, or take a boat trip through the Mamanuca and Yasawa islands, where you’ll find sandbars that disappear at high tide and villages that welcome visitors with kava ceremonies.