AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
Embrace the romance of the winter period with an escape to the Dutch capital. Each year, artists bring a special twinkle to the evenings here with light sculptures and projections installed as part of the Amsterdam Light Festival. See their work with a wander (or cycle) alongside the canals or on a boat cruise. You can then warm up by snuggling into a brown cafe – pub-style bars with dark wood and low lighting – for a glass of local mulled wine, known as glühwein.
Alternatively, pop into a bakery to try speculaas (spiced cookies, often windmill-shaped) and stroopwafels (two thin sandwiched waffles with a caramel middle).
✣ What to buy: Take your cheeseboard to a new level this year with the Netherlands’ finest. First visit the quirky Cheese Museum for a deep dive into the national cheeses (tastings included!). Then head over to the Henri Willig Cheese Farm Store, which sells a bounty of different creations.