5 of the best Christmas breaks for singles over 50

From Yuletide celebrations in Europe to a home-from-home Christmas in Chester, here are the best stays for mature solos with all the trimmings

Switch things up with singles city breaks, cruises and ski holidays this winter (Getty Images)

If the kids have flown the nest or you’re just in search of a hands-off festive feast where you don’t have to stress over the roasties, singles aged over-50 seeking a home from home this Christmas can discover inviting destinations this December.

As everyone knows, filling those middleman days between Christmas and the New Year with purpose is already a challenge once the obligatory Christmas Day walk has been trodden and everyone exists solely in a daze of leftovers.

Whether a seasonal skier, Christmas market city breaker or a quintessentially British (and brave) Boxing Day dipper, there’s a solo holiday for everyone to switch things up for the festive period in 2023, with the added bonus of socialising with likeminded lone travellers the cherry on top of the fruit cake.

To get away this Christmas Day, here are the best stays to consider, from the winter wonderlands of the Austrian Alps to Prague’s enchanting Christmas markets complete with all the traditional cheer.

Read more on solo travel:

• The best ski holidays for solo travellers: Independent and social stays on the slopes
• The 10 best countries for solo travel – and top tips for travelling alone
• The best solo holiday destinations in the UK for a singles getaway

Christmas in Austria

Solos Holidays

Wander Austria’s snowscapes on a solo trip from Salzburg (Getty Images)

Solos Holidays’ Christmas in Austria package includes seven nights half board accommodation at the Johannesbad Palace Hotel in the centre of Bad Hofgastein, return flights, airport transfers and festive excursions for a magical Christmas spent in the Austrian Alps.

Think idyllic tours of the Salzbuger lake district, a Christmas Eve gala dinner and a Christmas morning sleigh ride complete with celebratory glasses of Glühwein, all while spending some relaxing alone time in Austria’s traditional winter wonderlands and steamy saunas.

Christmas in Austria from £2,615pp, departing 23 December 2023.

Chester Christmas cheer

Just You Solo Adventures

A staycation to historic Chester is full of festive feasts and old-world charm (Getty Images)

If any seasonal staycation can measure up to traditional family recipes cooked in your kitchen, at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel & Spa in Chester, a five-day Christmas in Chester break is sure to feel like a home from home.

Festive feasting spans classic afternoon teas, a Christmas Day lunch with all the trimmings and hearty English breakfasts as part of your half-board stay, while the historic sights of charming Chester – as discovered on walking tours of its cathedral – meet invigorating Boxing Day dips in Llandudno, North Wales, just across the border.

Christmas in Chester from £1,399pp, departing 23 December 2023.

Prague for Christmas

One Traveller

Celebrate Christmas with traditional folklore shows, concerts and cruises in the Czech capital (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

One Traveller’s Prague for Christmas city break promises an enchanting five-day break to the alluring markets of the Czech capital. A stay in an elegant Radisson Blu hotel room, return flights, private coach transfers and all breakfast and traditional evening meals are provided in the package, alongside guided city tours, a Christmas Day lunch cruise on the Vltava River and an evening folklore show on Boxing Day, between indulgent on-the-go lunches from the endearing Yuletide markets.

Prague for Christmas from £2,480, departing 23 December 2023.

Christmas at sea

Iglu Cruise

A cruise to Europe’s seasonal stars is a dream for some cosy “me time” (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Christmas cruises from Southampton to the romantic shores of Hamburg, Rotterdam, Bruges and Normandy’s Le Havre sail singles to the delights of medieval castles, gentle canals and, of course, artisan Christmas markets laden with all things mulled and fried on MSC Cruises’s MSC Euribia. Full-board festive dining, West End-style entertainment – or karaoke fuelled by bucks fizz – and Santa-centric activities on deck complement spacious cabins to unwind in after excursions on shore.

Christmas Northern Pearls Cruise from £1,489pp, departing 22 December 2023.

Yuletide slopes

Solos Holidays

Seasoned skiers can cruise the Swiss mountain slopes solo and socialise at lively après haunts (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Solos Holidays is offering seasoned skiers a chance to cruise the Swiss mountain slopes of “chocolate-box” Les Diablerets, with a seven-night half-board (including one traditional raclette evening) stay at the Hotel Les Sources.

Return flights, transfers, welcome drinks and a Christmas Eve evening meal are included, the Glacier 3000 ski scene is a short shuttle bus away and the sprawling Meilleret ski area is accessible via a gondola just 400 metres from the hotel. A lively après scene, an ice rink and a long toboggan run make Les Diablerets slopes the ideal spot to raise a glass with new friends this Christmas.

Les Diablerets Skiing from £1,615pp, departing 20 December 2023.

Read more of our best mini-getaways