Sweden : Christmas Markets and the Icehotel

This two-centre holiday begins in Stockholm. With the coming of winter this city simply glows, festooned with thousands of twinkling lights. Christmas trees adorned with trinkets and decorations sparkle and flickering candles bring a warm glow to windows everywhere. Spend time strolling through the Christmas markets, browsing the little red stalls set out in Gamla Stan (old town), sampling homemade sweets and admiring handicrafts as you follow an irresistible scent of gingerbread and warm mulled glogg from place to place. Cosy cafes and inviting restaurants provide plenty of rest stops and you’ll find special Christmas themed buffets to tempt you even more!

Fly up to Kiruna for the second part of the trip then transfer to the little village of Jukkasjarvi and the world-famous Icehotel. Take a guided tour around this wonderous place and get prepared for your two nights here, one night generally 'sleeping on ice' and the other night in warm accommodation. You'll be here as the Icehotel continues to grow, quite possibly privileged to see international ice sculptors at work, putting the finishing touches to their stunning creations. By night, after dining in a choice of restaurant, spend time in the Absolut Icebar occasionally nipping outside to check for an appearance of the famed aurora. And by day, choose from a range of exhilarating winter activities such as husky sledging, snowmobiling, skiing and snow-shoeing or try out your artistic skills with the ice sculpting! And afterwards, perhaps have another glass of warming glogg - it's delicious! 

This is a winter break that will leave you with a wealth of memories and most certainly, full of Christmas spirit.