10 Christmas Movie–Inspired Holiday Ideas to Try This Year
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Festive films are always a popular way to get into the Christmas spirit – and as DiscoverCars.com’s new research shows, they can also be a fantastic source of inspiration for a holiday. The global car rental comparison site rounded up ten famous Christmas movies from the UK, Europe and the US.
Then, DiscoverCars.com worked out how much it would cost to spend the night in a hotel and hire a car for two days in each location, in addition to recommending some local festive attractions.
UK
London has been home to many Christmas movies over the years, including 2003’s Love Actually, with parts filmed in Notting Hill, Mayfair and Selfridges on Oxford Street. The UK’s capital has beautiful lights displays and markets, including one in Leicester Square from 1 November to 4 January which has its own ice skating rink. Hiring a car in London for two days would cost £27 and visitors could stay in the Courtyard by Marriott London City Airport for £114 a night.
Coventry is where the popular Christmas family movie Nativity! was set, which was followed by three sequels. The community really came together to create the film, which is cast with local children. The Christmas market in Broadgate near the cathedral has a ferris wheel this year, which visitors can ride between 10am and 11pm every day except Christmas Day from now until 4 January. Stay at Ramada Hotel & Suites by Wyndham Coventry for a night for £87, and pick up a car half an hour’s drive away in Birmingham for £26.
If you’ve seen The Holiday, you’ll be familiar with Shere in Surrey, as this village is where part of the film is set, including scenes at the pub The White Horse. This pretty village has been a popular location for movies over the years. Hire a car in nearby Guildford, 20 minutes drive away, for £88 for two days. Guildford Manor Hotel & Spa is two and half miles from the center of the village, and it costs £89 to stay the night.
Europe
1973’s Three Wishes for Cinderella was partly filmed close to Dresden, Germany. This fairytale, released in Czech as Tři oříšky pro Popelku and in German as Drei Haselnüsse für Aschenbrödel, features scenes shot at the beautiful Moritzburg Castle, half an hour’s drive away from Dresden. The city has many Christmas markets for visitors to enjoy. Hiring a car for two days costs £85, and you could stay in Motel One Dresden – Palaisplatz for £207 a night.
Warsaw, Poland was where 2011’s touching rom-com Letters to Santa or Listy do M. in Polish was filmed. Locations included the Arkadia mall which had to be opened especially at night with hundreds of extras pretending to do their Christmas shopping. Festive activities in the city include Christmas markets (with one in Warsaw’s beautiful Old Town) or visiting Wilanów Palace in the evening to see the light installations in the gardens, an exhibition open until 28 February. Hiring a car for two days costs £23 and visitors can stay the night at Motel One Warsaw-Chopin for €107.
Italy’s popular series of ‘Cinepanetonne’ comedy Christmas movies kicked off in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy with 1983’s Christmas Vacation or Vacanze di Natale, in which two families from Rome and Milan cross paths at the ski resort. The best place to pick up a car to reach the resort is Venice, two hours drive away, where you can hire a car for £11. Visit the Christmas market in Campo Santo Stefano before heading to Cortina, where you can stay at Hotel Columbia & Spa for £238 a night.
In 2017, Santa & Cie was filmed in Paris, France, a charming family comedy in which Santa comes to the capital, with scenes filmed at the Avenue des Champs-Élysées among other iconic locations. Visit Galeries Lafayette to see the Christmas window display or even ice skate on the department store’s roof top rink, open until 4 January. Visitors can hire a car in Paris for two days for £54, and stay at Hôtel du Pont Neuf in the city center for £121.
US
New York City is where the classic Miracle on 34th Street was filmed as well, as modern favourites like Elf. Just like in Miracle on 34th Street, you can still meet Santa at Macy’s from 28 November up until Christmas Eve. Hiring a car in New York City for two days would cost £92 and The Marquee House in Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan offers a Queen room with shared bathroom for £266.
1983 hit A Christmas Story was filmed in Cleveland, and the house in the Tremont neighbourhood where the Parker family live has been transformed into a museum that looks just like it did in the movie. The city’s botanical garden has a beautiful Christmas lights display that’s worth a visit this Christmas too, open until 4 January. It would cost £76 to hire a car for two days and £92 to stay the night at the Hampton Inn Cleveland-Downtown.
Finally, two festive favourites Home Alone and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation were both partly filmed in Chicago, with Home Alone set in the upmarket village of Winnetka on the city’s outskirts. One of the city’s most popular Christmas attractions is the Christmas tree at Millenium Park, where there is also an ice rink open until 1 February. Hiring a car in Chicago for two days would cost £76, and visitors can stay at Club Quarters Hotel Central Loop, Chicago for £100 a night.
The locations selected, based on some of the most beloved Christmas films, offer a range of destinations from city breaks to quiet holidays surrounded by natural scenery.
Aleksandrs Buraks, Head of Growth at DiscoverCars.com, comments:
“We hope our guide to Christmas holiday destinations from the movies provides some inspiration! There’s lots to do in these cities and towns over the festive season, with Christmas markets, ice rinks and lovely twinkling lights displays. A festive trip doesn’t have to break the bank – if you hire a car, you could stay slightly outside the city and save on hotel accommodation, although we have tried in our research to suggest more affordable hotels where we can.
“Tracking down some of the locations where famous scenes were shot could be a fun afternoon – and provides the perfect opportunity for a photo to remember your trip by.”
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