The winter collection
Winter Exclusives
Two kinds of winter, both worth the flight: the deep one — aurora, snow-lit temples, ice caves — and the escape from it, in cities having the best weather of their year.
A luxury winter holiday divides neatly. Deep winter means snow you travel for: the Alps from late December to early April, Lapland's aurora season at its darkest, Japan's temples under snow in February, Iceland's ice caves from November. Winter sun means the places where our winter is simply their finest weather — Cape Town, Dubai, Marrakech, Queenstown, Rio.
Timing matters more than budget. Christmas and New Year in the Alps and Lapland sells out six to nine months ahead and prices roughly double; mid-January and March hold the same snow at far calmer rates. For winter sun, December to February is peak in the Gulf and the Caribbean, while Cape Town and Queenstown are in high summer.
Planning a full year rather than one trip? See the best destinations month by month.
Deep winter · December to March
Finnish Lapland
Aurora, glass roofs and complete silence
Deep winter · December to early April
St. Moritz & Zermatt
The grand hotel winter, unchanged
Deep winter · January and February
Kyoto in snow
Temples under snow, and no queues
Deep winter · November to March
Iceland
Ice caves, hot water and four hours of gold light
Deep winter · December to March
Aspen & the Rockies
Powder mornings, serious tables at night
Winter sun · December to February
Cape Town & the Winelands
Northern winter, southern summer
Winter sun · December to February
Marrakech & the Atlas
Warm days, snow on the mountains behind
Winter sun · November to March
Dubai
The only months the city belongs outdoors
Winter sun · December to February
Queenstown & Fiordland
Sixteen hours of daylight at the end of the world
Winter sun · December to February
Rio de Janeiro
The loudest, warmest winter escape there is
Planning a luxury winter holiday
Where is the best snow in January and February?
The Swiss and French Alps above 1,800m are the most reliable — St. Moritz, Zermatt, Verbier, Courchevel — with Japan's Hokkaido the best powder of all in those two months.
Where is warm in December and January?
Dubai and Oman for desert and beach, the Maldives and Seychelles for the Indian Ocean, Cape Town and Queenstown for southern-hemisphere summer, Marrakech for mild days and cold clear nights.
When should I book?
Six to nine months ahead for Christmas and New Year. For mid-January or March the same rooms are often available three months out, at materially lower rates.
Best chance of seeing the northern lights?
Late September to late March, with the darkest weeks from December to February. Give yourself at least three nights in Lapland, Iceland or northern Norway.