QINGDAO, CHINA

Why it’s still available: Chinese New Year is the big event in this part of the world, so prices and availability are not much affected by the Western festive season.

What’s good about it: It’s a Chinese town with Bavarian architecture, sometimes referred to as “the Switzerland of the Orient”. For more than 30 years, the city was a colony of both Germany and Japan, before gaining independence in 1949. Its Germanic colonial past may also have something to do with the fact that it’s the home of Qingdao (Tsingtao) Beer, and you can even visit China’s first beer factory, which was built in the early 1900s. Inside there is also a museum. Badaguan, meanwhile, is the perfect place to take in the colonial architecture.

Xmas X-factor: There’s usually some sort of outdoor Christmas market, and this, coupled with the authentic European architecture and bracing temperatures of around 2 degrees is about as close to a European Christmas as you can get.

How to get there: KA has recently started flying there twice daily from Hong Kong. Direct international flights operate from Qingdao to Incheon and Tokyo, and there are frequent daily flights between the city and Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Hotels: Holiday Inn Qingdao City Centre, Hyatt Regency Qingdao, Shangri-La Qingdao, Intercontinental Qingdao, Copthorne Hotel Qingdao and The Westin Qingdao are available, and prices are quite competitive.

Visa: Required for many nationalities, visas take around four working days to process. Japanese and Singaporean citizens don’t need a visa if their trip lasts less than 15 days.