If you want this Christmas to be truly unforgettable, you should go beyond the usual routes and try something new. Imagine traveling that does not require long flights, visas and suitcases — all this is possible thanks to, for example, Google Earth VR or Holiverse. Before we tell you more about it, we have selected for you the best places in reality to spend Christmas.
We have added to our list cultural events that amaze with their originality. If you love art in all its manifestations, we will tell you where you can dedicate time to your favorite hobby during the Christmas holidays: visit art galleries, see famous operas and ballets in different interpretations.
At the end, we will talk about virtual reality and metaverses — and what cool opportunities they open up. It will be interesting!
Indian art travel for Christmas: Kochi-Muziris Biennale
The Kochi Biennale is one of the largest international contemporary art events in India, which is held every two years in the state of Kerala. The event combines lectures, seminars, master classes and amazing transformations.
Forget about ordinary exhibitions, here you will come across something absolutely incredible! This is not just an art program, but a real show of creativity and inspiration. Contemporary artists perform on the streets, transforming forts and palaces into galleries of the future. Yes, even churches are becoming art spaces!
The Biennale exhibition was first held in 2012, and since then it has become one of the most significant events in the world of contemporary art. The city of Kochi is famous for its rich history and rich cultural heritage, which makes it an ideal venue for such a large-scale event. Artists and viewers come up with and implement the most extraordinary artistic ideas together.
The festival covers many interesting places in and around the city. Visitors can admire the exhibitions in the Kochi-Muziris Biennale pavilions, which are housed in historical buildings, such as Fort Kochi and Mattancherry Palace.
- Kochi-Muziris Biennale Dates: December 12th, 2024 — April 29th, 2025
- How to get there: You can reach the venue by taxi from Cochin International Airport or by bus, and then take local transport to Fort Kochi
- Weather: Kerala has a warm and humid climate from December to April, light clothing and sunglasses are recommended.
Where to go for the Christmas holiday season in the USA?
Out of all options for where to go for the Christmas season in the USA, we have selected two that show how different Christmas can be.
New York
New York is оne of the most popular cities to celebrate Christmas and New Year.
Times Square becomes the center of attention when millions of people gather to see the famous ball drop.
New York City has plenty to do during the holidays, from ice skating in Central Park to seeing Broadway musicals and shopping at the world-famous Fifth Avenue Christmas sales.
For ballet lovers, the New York City Ballet Company presents something special — the ever-popular New Year’s fairy tale “The Nutcracker”. This performance takes place annually in December and January and has become a Christmas tradition for many families in the United States.
- Time: Christmas events in New York City usually begin as early as late November with the lighting of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center and continue until early January.
- How to get there: The best way to get to New York City’s festive spots is by subway. The B, D, F, and M lines go to Rockefeller Center. The L, N, R, and W lines go to Union Square Holiday Market. To get to Bryant Park or Radio City, take the B, D, F, or M. To get to Columbus Circle, take the A, C, B, or D. The easiest way to get to Dyker Heights is to take the D line to “Bay Ridge – 95th Street.” And to get to Times Square on New Year’s Eve, any subway that stops at “Times Square – 42nd Street” will do. During holidays, the subway will save you from traffic jams.
- Weather: From November to January, the weather in New York City fluctuates between -3°C and +4°C. So, you should bring warm clothes and be prepared for changeable weather conditions.
On the beach: Miami, Floridа
Before Christmas, Miami hosts the famous “Winter Festival,” when boats and yachts decorated with festive lights sail along the coast.
It is impossible to imagine who would not like a vacation in Miami during the Christmas holidays: romantic walks along the beach at sunset, sports, fishing, and thousands of entertainments for families with children. And connoisseurs of architecture will be pleasantly surprised by the perfectly preserved examples of art deco in Miami.
Christmas holidays in Miami are a miracle surrounded by the palm trees! Instead of snow — white sand, and instead of sleds — surfboards. Here Santa rides water skis, and Christmas smells of the sea, coconut and eternal summer.
- Time: Christmas celebrations begin with the lighting of the city tree and take place in late November – early December. Venue – Bayfront Park.
- How to get there: To get to Bayfront Park for the Christmas tree lighting, take I-95 (get off at Biscayne Blvd) or Metrobus #119, 120, 207, 208 to Bayside Marketplace. To get to Santa’s Enchanted Forest (Tropical Park), take Palmetto Expressway (SR 826) to Bird Road or bus #37 to SW 40 Ave & SW 79 St. To get to Winterfest Boat Parade in Fort Lauderdale, take I-595 to US-1 North with parking at Riverwalk/Las Olas Boulevard or Broward County Transit bus #11 to SE 17th St & Cordova Rd.
- Weather: The average temperature ranges from +20°C to +25°C, making this period ideal for a beach holiday.
Where to go for the New Year in Europе?
Bruges is a medieval fairy tale
There are quite many options for where to go for the Christmas holidays in Europe. For example, Bruges — an ancient Belgian city and one of the most romantic places in Belgium. This medieval town seems to be created to immerse you in the atmosphere of a Christmas fairy tale.
Here are some ideas on how to spend the Christmas holidays in Bruges.
Visit the Christmas market. This place is almost the main entertainment for locals and tourists. Here you will find a variety of cheeses and pastries, and you can also buy wooden toys and locally produced souvenirs.
Visit the Bruges Museum of Fine Arts, known as the Groeninge Museum,which is considered to be a mecca for lovers of Flemish painting. Its collection includes paintings by Jan Van Eyck and Rubens.
After that, you can visit the chocolate museum and try the famous Belgian delicacy to your heart’s content.
- Time: The main festive celebrations start at the end of November and continue until the beginning of January.
- How to get there: The events are concentrated on the Grote Markt square. You can get here by car or bus from anywhere in the city, but the best way to enjoy the festive atmosphere is to walk.
- Weather: In Bruges, the temperature rarely rises above +10°C in winter, so when planning your Christmas holidays, think about warm clothes and comfortable shoes for exciting walks.
Holidays in Berlin: from street art to classics
Let’s start with the Christmas atmosphere: the huge Christmas tree at the Brandenburg Gate will definitely lift your spirits.
Then you can visit the Museum of Modern Art, which houses works by famous masters — Andy Warhol, Joseph Beuys and Anselm Kiefer. The Neue Nationalgalerie (New National Gallery) is also worth visiting . Here you will find masterpieces of the 20th century, including works by Pablo Picasso, Wassily Kandinsky and many other legendary artists. And if you want something unusual, check out Sammlung Boros (Boros Foundation), a private collection of contemporary art housed in a World War II bunker.
Don’t forget about creative art districts and street art. In Kreuzberg, you will find a world of graffiti and street art, where you can look into small galleries and art studios.
- Time: Art Weekend Berlin is held from the end of October to mid-January.
- Weather: up to +5°C during the day and up to -1°C at night.
- How to get there: There are commuter trains (U-Bahn) running around the city, and buses cover almost all areas. For route planning, it is convenient to use the BVG Fahrinfo app or Google Maps, which will help you find the best route.
Traveling in metaverses
Of course, we can’t cover all the places on the planet at once, but there is technology that does it much better. Imagine: all the landmarks can be placed in the virtual space of metaverses. In addition, we can travel through them without leaving home.
Google Earth VR
This project allows users to explore cities and countries in virtual reality. You can climb the Eiffel Tower, visit the Great Wall of China or admire the views of New York. Google Earth VR provides a high degree of immersion and detail, making the journey as close to reality as possible.
AltspaceVR
The AltspaceVR platform offers a variety of virtual events and spaces, including city tours. Users can join group tours, where a guide tells interesting facts about the sights, or independently explore virtual copies of famous places.
Imagine how convenient it is to plan a vacation for the Christmas holidays in metaverses! You can work out the route of your future trip with extreme precision and think through all the details of your vacation.
Holiverse
Travel through metaverses without leaving your couch. Source: holiverse.ai
Lado Okhotnikov’s company Holiverse creates a reality that unites people in a single digital space. Instead of simply reflecting the real world, it presents a unique place where you can immerse yourself in the Metaverse Virtual Space.
In the metaworld, people meet wherever they are, explore digital worlds and communicate in a new way. Imagine: you are sitting in the front row at a concert of your favorite artist with friends, listening to a training course or trying to immerse yourself in meditation in the Exhibition Complex “Sphere”.
You can study at the Academy, and soon create a digital twin to monitor your health.
Conclusion
Меtaverses offer a convenient and interesting way to complement our real life: travel, communicate, study the traditions and culture of other peoples, regardless of the distance. It seems that very soon travelling in the digital world will be able to compete with travelling in reality.
