Spending Christmas on your own doesn’t have to mean spending it alone. Most people who join our trips come solo. They meet the group on day one, and by Christmas Day they’re celebrating with a table of new friends from all over Europe and beyond. Coming as a couple or with friends? You’re just as welcome. Our groups are always a friendly mix.
This year you can choose your kind of Christmas: snow and the Northern Lights in the Arctic, sunshine and sea views in Mallorca, or both. And if you want the whole festive season, you can carry on with us all the way to New Year’s Eve in Barcelona.
Why a small-group trip works so well at Christmas
- No planning, no empty days. Christmas is when restaurants close and buses stop. On a group trip the route, the stays and the celebrations are already sorted.
- Instant company. Groups are small and friendly, usually 8 to 14 travellers plus a guide. Most travellers are between 20 and 49.
- You meet before you go. A few weeks before departure we open a private WhatsApp group for everyone on the trip, so you’ll know a few names before you land.
- A December to remember. The aurora over the Arctic, mountain trails above the Mediterranean, or fireworks over Barcelona. It’s a very different December from the usual one.
Snow: Christmas under the Northern Lights (19–24 December)
Start in Rovaniemi, the official home of Santa Claus, with Christmas lights, the Arctic Circle and Santa Claus Village. Then head north on an Arctic road trip through Finnish Lapland into Norway, all the way to the North Cape, where mainland Europe ends above the Barents Sea. On several evenings your guide takes the group away from city lights to hunt for the aurora: snow underfoot, stars overhead, and that moment when the sky starts to move. If you don’t see the Northern Lights during the included hunts, you can join another of our Northern Lights trips free of charge (excluding flights).
The trip ends on 24 December, so you can fly home for Christmas Day, or fly south and keep going (see “Snow and sun” below). Can’t travel that late? There’s also an earlier departure on 4–9 December.
See the Northern Lights Christmas trip →
Sun: Christmas hiking in Mallorca (23–28 December)
Swap snow for sunshine. This trip follows the GR221, the Dry Stone Route, through the UNESCO-listed Serra de Tramuntana, with mountains on one side and the Mediterranean on the other. Hike from Estellencs to Banyalbufar, walk from Port de Sóller into the citrus-scented Sóller valley (with an optional ride on the historic train), and explore the Drach Caves in the east of the island.
Christmas Eve is celebrated together, and Christmas Day is beach day: a slow morning by the sea, a festive Christmas lunch with the group and a Christmas you’ll actually remember.
See the Mallorca Christmas hiking trip →
Snow and sun: Lapland, then Mallorca (19–28 December)
Why choose? Spend the days before Christmas chasing the aurora in the Arctic, then on 24 December swap your thermal layers for sunglasses. You fly from Lapland to Palma that day and join the Mallorca group in time for the Christmas Eve celebrations. You’ll miss the first hike, but there’s plenty more to come: Christmas Day on the beach with lunch together, and more days of trails and sea views.
We take care of the tricky part. We can give you one complete price including the flight from Lapland to Spain and help you find the best connection to Palma on the 24th. There’s also a discount for combining both trips. Get in touch or message us on WhatsApp and we’ll put it together for you.
The full festive season: from the Arctic to New Year’s Eve in Barcelona (19 December – 2 January)
Two weeks, three countries, one group of friends. After Lapland and Christmas in Mallorca, the group flies together to Alicante on 28 December for a road trip up Spain’s Mediterranean coast: the painted fishermen’s houses of Villajoyosa, Guadalest on its rock spike, the fortress of Xàtiva, paella in Valencia and the Roman amphitheatre in Tarragona. It ends at Barcelona’s open-air New Year’s Eve celebration below Montjuïc, with the twelve chimes, drones and fireworks, and the first days of 2027 at the Sagrada Família and the Bunkers del Carmel at sunset.
It sounds like a lot of time off, but the holidays help. With 25 December and 1 January as public holidays, many people in Germany need only about eight days of leave for the full fifteen days away.
Already have Christmas plans? You can also do just part of it:
- Christmas in Mallorca and New Year’s Eve in Barcelona (23 December – 2 January)
- New Year’s Eve road trip: Alicante, Valencia and Barcelona (28 December – 2 January), if you’re spending Christmas with family
Your festive season at a glance
| Your Christmas | Dates | What to expect | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ❄️ Snow | 19–24 Dec | Arctic road trip, aurora hunts, Santa Claus Village, North Cape | Dates & prices → |
| ☀️ Sun | 23–28 Dec | GR221 hikes, Christmas Day on the beach + Christmas lunch, Sóller valley | Dates & prices → |
| ❄️ + ☀️ Snow and sun | 19–28 Dec | Northern Lights, then Christmas in Mallorca, flight included in one price | Ask us → |
| 🎆 The full festive season | 19 Dec – 2 Jan | Arctic, Mallorca, the Spanish coast and New Year’s Eve in Barcelona | Ask us → |
Solo, as a couple or with friends: how rooms work
Rooms are shared, which keeps the cost down and is how most solo travellers on our trips choose to stay. If you’d prefer more privacy, every one of these trips lets you upgrade to a twin room or a private room. Travelling as a couple or with a friend? Book the twin or private room together and you’ll have your own room while still enjoying the group. You’ll see the options when you book.
Frequently asked questions
Can I really join on my own?
Yes. Most of our travellers are solo adventurers. Friends and couples are very welcome too, so groups are usually a friendly mix.
Are these trips good for couples too?
Absolutely. Couples and friends join us every season. You get the fun of a group, and someone else takes care of the planning, so you can simply enjoy Christmas together.
Are flights included?
Flights to the start and from the end of a trip aren’t included, because travellers join from all over Europe and beyond. If you combine the Northern Lights and Mallorca, we can include the flight from Lapland to Spain in one complete price. For any other flights, request a flight-inclusive quote.
Is there a discount for combining trips?
Yes. Message us with the trips you’d like to combine and we’ll send you a price.
What if I have more questions?
Read our FAQs or get in touch. We reply within 24 hours.
Don’t leave it too late
Christmas and New Year dates fill up first, and flights only get more expensive from here. Pick the Christmas that suits you, or browse all our upcoming trips.
Comment (0)