Finally on the road! To do Christmas shopping, experience the magic of Christmas in unusual places, welcome the new year. Far from home but with the same joyful atmosphere.
Christmas Markets
A tour through lights, colors, scents, flavors, handcrafted gifts and local food and wine to discover the best Christmas markets in Europe: from those in Budapest, which animate the refined and elegant capital of Hungary, to those of Naples, where an area of the city is always dedicated to its famous nativity scenes: the market in San Gregorio Armeno, in the Spaccanapoli district; from the Stockholm Markets, among the oldest in Europe, to the thousand lights and the scent of mulled wine among the stalls of Trentino Alto Adige, in Merano, Bolzano or Breassanone, to the market that surrounds Schönbrunn Castle, the mythical residence of the Princess Sissi in Vienna (Tour Proposals, info: boscolo.com).
Advent is also a special season in the Lake Constance International Region (Bodensee in German): in the weeks leading up to Christmas, people prepare for the holidays by choosing decorations and gifts and celebrating the shortest days of the year with toasts and gastronomic delights. Due to the difficult pandemic situation, the only market confirmed for 2021 is the one in St. Gallen, Switzerland. In this region, moreover, the tradition of nativity scenes is still alive, which are set up in many churches and museums – from the beginning of Advent until Candlemas, February 2. The close distances
between the various locations allow you to visit many different markets and cribs, even during the same day and in different countries, traveling by train or even by water (Info: lagodicostanza.eu).
From the period of Advent and up to the Epiphany, Basilicata offers infinite suggestions. The Living Nativity scene is on stage in Matera, an event that this year presents itself in a new scenic and theatrical guise. In the historic center of Potenza there are the Christmas markets, to choose gift ideas while walking through the alleys and squares. To fully experience the magic of Christmas in the Città dei Sassi and in the Lucanian capital, Imma Travel has created two ad hoc packages (Info: immatravel.it.)
A Christmas full of emotions
In Andalusia, to admire Malaga with its suggestive Cathedral, Seville and its maze of alleys between immaculate houses, Cordoba and the mosque of marble and granite and Granada, the city of flamenco and the Alhambra, from a completely different perspective: that of the warmth of the Christmas lights, of the decorations and above all of the nativity scenes that are set up along the streets, in the shop windows, at the entrance of the houses, making the atmosphere truly unique (info: boscolo.com).
In Jordan, for a journey into the heart of spirituality, where religions mix and a veil of sacredness envelops everything: from Amman to Petra, from the Wadi Rum desert or Valley of the Moon, to the lowest point on earth, 400 meters below the sea level in the Dead Sea (info: boscolo.com). 
“Incantevole Europa” is a box full of suggestions to discover all the charm of Christmas in the Old Continent, including exclusive resorts, fairytale castles and cities rich in art, history and culture. The box is part of the exclusive Smartbox Luxury Christmas collection which includes, among others, “Eccezionali Evasioni”, travel proposals to discover Italy by combining authentic and refined flavors with the comfort of exclusive facilities (Info: smartbox.com).
Extraordinary New Year
For a great start to 2022, nothing better than a journey outside the usual schemes. For example in the Fjords, surrounded by landscapes of incomparable beauty, by a soft blanket of snow that covers the mountain tops and by colorful houses. Viaggi di Boscolo offers 5 days and 4 nights to discover Oslo – with Akershus Castle, the Norwegian Royal Palace and the Parliament – of Myrdal, where you board the Flamsbana train (one of the steepest railway lines in the world) in direction Flam, located in the
innermost part of the Aurlandsfjord, complete with a visit to an ancient Viking village. The journey continues with a cruise on the Nærøyfjord and its truly unique landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005. On the night of 31, dinner at the hotel while admiring the fireworks that will welcome the new year, while on the first day of 2022 we will visit Bergen, the second largest city in Norway, but with the charm and atmosphere of a small village (Info: boscolo.com).
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