The Best Holiday Travel Films

While many people are preparing to go “home” for Christmas, I love the idea of visiting somewhere new during the holidays. It’s so much fun to check out how other countries and cultures decorate and celebrate during this most wonderful time of the year, don’t you think? I found this great list from Travel & Leisure featuring some of the best holiday travel films but I feel like there are so many more worth mentioning. So here is my list of the best holiday travel films and where you can stream them – organized by destination!

The UK

A Castle for Christmas (2021)

Netflix

Released over Thanksgiving weekend, this Scotland-based film has quickly become a favorite in our house. Brooke Shields is fantastic as an American-born best-selling romance author who has lost any belief in romance after going through a brutal divorce. Cary Elwes is as swoon-worthy as he was in The Princess Bride. This time he’s playing Myles, a Duke who is forced to sell his family’s castle because of his father’s bad choices. With gorgeous scenes of the Scottish countryside, this Netflix film has me itching to plan a trip to the Highlands!

Love Actually (2003)

Amazon (rent for $3.99)

I guess I included Love Actually on this list because of all the scenes of London and how it really gives the audience a taste for a British Christmas. If you don’t love this movie with its star-studded cast and the incredible range of emotions it produces, there is something wrong with you.

The UK & LA

The Holiday (2006)

Hulu

While the lights of London at Christmas time are spectacular, the English countryside is just as charming as witnessed in this romantic comedy. While the decorations are much more understated in L.A., it’s still fascinating to see how the holidays are feted in a warm climate. In this 2006 film the English Iris (Kate Winslet) and American Amanda (Cameron Diaz) swap homes for two weeks to recover from broken hearts only to find the real loves of their lives. My favorite relationship is actually between Iris and Amanda’s neighbor, Arthur (played by the late, great Eli Wallach). They have such amazing chemistry and you just know you’re watching an old-time Hollywood legend ushering in a new one. 

The Czech Republic

Last Holiday (2006)

Showtime

Is this an Oscar winner? No. But the message behind this film is inspiring as is the beautiful location where it was filmed. After finding out that she has only weeks to live due to a rare disease, Queen Latifah’s hardworking Georgia decides she’s going to blow her entire savings by living the rest of her days In the mountains of the Czech Republic at an exclusive resort for the rich and famous. Not only does she end up inspiring all of the staff and many of the guests at the Grandhotel Pupp with her zest for life, she also finds love and a new purpose. I don’t think I’m ruining anything when I tell you that she turns out to have been misdiagnosed. But don’t let that put you off from watching this heartwarming film. 

Austria

Christmas in Vienna (2020)

Amazon (buy for $12.99)

Yes, this is a Hallmark film and I know people either love them or hate them. I love them. While they aren’t the most stimulating films and they certainly aren’t artistic think pieces, they provide an escape. While the storyline for Christmas in Vienna isn’t the most creative (a dispirited concert violinist ends up taking care of a rich American’s children which inspires her to rediscover her love of the instrument), the setting is stunning. I haven’t been to Vienna (yet) but I have been to Salzburg which looks somewhat similar and the classic holiday decor is just breathtaking.

Italy

Christmas in Rome (2019)

Amazon (buy for $4.99)

Another Hallmark film, Christmas in Rome centers on an American woman (Lacey Chabert) who moved to Rome to become a tour guide. After being fired from her job for taking her groups off the beaten path one too many times, she is hired by an American who is trying to impress the owner of the business his company is trying to procure. Not only do I adore the Roman scenery, I also love how much you learn about Italy’s favorite Christmas traditions.

Vermont

White Christmas (1954)

Netflix

I knew I couldn’t include one of my other all-time favorite Christmas films in here because it has absolutely nothing to do with travel with the exception that the main character, George Bailey, never gets the world trip he always wanted (email me if you know what film I’m talking about and I’ll send you a little holiday cheer!), so I had to at least include this one. White Christmas starts out in Florida, features scenes in New York City, but ultimately is set in rural Vermont. This classic film brings on all the feels with its post-war nostalgia as well as beautiful performances by Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney, laugh-out-loud antics thanks to Danny Kaye, and awe-inspiring dance numbers from the gone-too-soon Vera-Ellen. 

New York City

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

Disney+

In this sequel, Kevin doesn’t get forgotten but rather lost and ends up in New York City instead of Paris with the rest of his family. Growing up, I loved this film, not for the laughs and Kevin’s clever hijinks, but rather because I loved seeing one of my favorite cities all lit up for the holidays. When I laid eyes on the Rockefeller Tree in this film, I promised myself that I would someday see it in real life. And not only did I end up living in NYC, visiting the tree several times, I got engaged right in front of it!

Dash & Lily (2020)

Netflix

I included this even though it’s not a film (it’s a limited series), because of how many hidden corners of the city you get to see all decked out for Christmas. Plus the young actors that play the title characters are simply magnetic. I wish they had done a season 2!

Elf (2003)

HBOMax

Another great example of how New York City is one of the epicenters of the world at Christmas time. This Will Ferrell classic is full of fun and laughs but there is also something so uniquely NYC at Christmas about it.

Guam

Operation Christmas Drop (2020)

Netflix

Not too many Christmas films are set in warm, tropical climates and while this one follows a very Hallmark movie template (two good-looking people thrown together at the holidays), you’ll find this Guam-based movie only on Netflix. A congressional aide is forced to travel to a beachside Air Force base to figure out how they can defund the facility while falling in love with a Captain at the base. As someone who grew up in a cold-weather area where decorations usually go with snow, I always find it funny to see sand and palm trees decked out in ornaments.

Africa

Holiday in the Wild (2019)

Netflix

This was like my Castle for Christmas two years ago. Kristen Davis is a former veterinarian who suddenly finds herself divorced and facing a Christmas alone. So she does what every woman would do in this situation: she decides to take the second honeymoon she had planned by herself. On her African safari she meets Rob Lowe, who runs an Elephant sanctuary. Intrigued by his work, she decides to stay on and lend her services. Of course, the two characters fall in love. But will she return to NYC or stay in Africa? That is what you’ll have to find out!

Roadtrip

I’ll be Home for Christmas (1998)

Disney+

Whatever happened to JTT? This is more of a guilty pleasure as this film is about a guy trying to get home to his girlfriend after being stranded in the desert, thousands of miles away, with no money and only a few days left until Christmas. Remember, this was before cell phones were the norm. I have to remind myself of that often!

The Christmas Train (2017)

FuboTV and Amazon (buy for $4.99)

I’ve always wanted to take a cross-country train trip, it is on my bucket list and after seeing this movie I cannot wait to make it happen. Dermot Mulroney and Kimberley Williams-Paisley star in this somewhat mysterious romantic holiday film as two former lovers that end up stuck on the same train going across the country at Christmas time. Danny Glover and Joan Cusack as well as a cast of real characters provide some great side stories though all is not what it seems. While this is a Hallmark movie, the plot is much more sophisticated than your typical holiday rom-com. 

So, what did I miss? Send me your holiday film suggestions! And then check out some more of my favorite holiday movies that will get you in the mood.