Treat yourself to one of our best places for solo travel at Christmas

The world is full of people who want to travel solo at Christmas, and escape the pressures of family gatherings and over-commercialism. If the idea of finding peace and joy on a journey rather than with jingling bells appeals, then take a look at our best places for solo travel at Christmas. Easier said than done, because a lot of tourism destinations close their doors at Christmas, but others welcome those who are happy to be at one with nature, finding their mojo travelling solo.

Canary Islands, Spain

Swap Christmas for the Canary Islands, where hiking trails take you into the sweet secret spots of these islands that are often underrated for sustainable adventures. Such as the GR131, a waymarked trail that features on all seven of the Canary Islands, coast to coast, connecting them like a string of natural pearls. The Canary Islands are also bursting with natural gifts in the form of national parks, so you can enjoy a seasonal slow down at the likes of Mount Teide in Tenerife, Garajonay on La Gomera, or Caldera de Taburiente on La Palma, just some of the Canary Islands’ national parks. If you want to explore one of the quietest Canary Islands, then walking in El Hierro ticks a lot of beautiful boxes. This is a mountainous volcanic island, steeped in ancient and religious heritage, with sacred trees and remote chapels, laurisilva forests and clifftop caminos.

Find you time. In your own time, on the Canary Islands, such as on the GR131 in Fuerteventura.

Malta and Gozo

We’re over the moon to welcome Malta to our adventure holidays family, and if you’d like to swap that Christmas ‘meh’ feeling for the Med, go walking in this walking winterland. An archipelago, just south of Sicily, Malta has both quirky cultural heritage and quality natural heritage to keep you enthralled at Christmas. Given that it has swapped hands between the Phoenicians, Romans and Byzantines, the catholic Order of Malta, the French and British, there’s a lot going on here historically and architecturally. It’s now a republic, a member state of the EU and a small rambling haven. As well as the main island of Malta, it also has an extra natural jewel in its crown – the island of Gozo, with a Maltese maze of ancient trails, sea caves and the red sands of Ramla beach. For such a small archipelago, Malta is mega.

Atlas Mountains, Morocco

The Atlas Mountains are like the icing on Morocco’s colossal Christmas cake, spread for 2,000km across the top of the country and into Tunisia. Our Morocco hiking holidays in the High Atlas are all privately-guided and take you up winding, steep and sometimes icy slopes, past ochre Berber villages that merge with rock faces of the same hue, following in the steps of shepherds or goat herders and their trusty pack mules. You can aim high and take on Mount Toubkal, the highest mountain in North Africa, or seek out an alternative summit on our new trekking tour to Mount M’Goun (4,068m) is the third highest peak of the Atlas. The Atlas Mountains are also just 70km from Marrakech, and many of our holidays include a night there so you can do some belated Christmas shopping on the same trip. Book a check-in bag. You won’t regret it.

You aren’t always alone while walking in the Atlas Mountains, as all our tours are privately-guided.

Málaga, Spain

Mellow out in Málaga over the silly season, where you are based in a gorgeous mountain hotel throughout the trip, so there’s no need for Santa to transport your bags every day by sleigh. Not that a sleigh will be needed, with average December temperatures of 13C. Your base is Canillas de Albaida, a typical Andalucían whitewashed town on the slopes of the Sierra de Tejeda and Almijara Mountains. Which is the perfect Christmas gift for hiking trails, with highlights including the El Saltillo Hike on the GR249 trail, the Silk Route through the rugged terrain and cliffs of the Axarquía region, and a trek to the summit of Cerro Verde (1,346m). In addition, you can avoid stressy Christmas travel too by travelling there by train.

Ruta dels Indiketes, Spain

This is the name given to a coastal region at the northernmost point of Catalonia, where ancient villages, pine-covered slopes and castles, as well as the obligatory turquoise coves, make the most colossal of Catalan Christmases. On our walking holiday along the Ruta dels Indiketes, you stay in its main town of La Bisbal, which is also famous for fine pottery and ceramics. It’s an area that’s packed with Catalan culture as you’ll see on a walk between La Bisbal and Verges, taking you through some of the region’s medieval marvels, such as the villages of Casavells, Parlabà, Rupià and Castell de Foixà. This is also a mega 24 day holiday, so you can escape the party season altogether and envelop yourself in Catalonia’s charisma.

Begur is one of the coastal idylls along the Ruta dels Indiketes.

Puglia, Italy

This eight day walking holiday between Matera and Lecce in Puglia pulls off a perfect duet of both cultural and natural heritage. And it’s an extra special treat visiting at a time when the normal tourist crowds are elsewhere being Christmassy. Walk between the two UNESCO towns of Matera and Alberobello, with their respective ancient rock churches and trulli stone houses, and then leave buildings and bustle behind to saunter through the coastal idyll of Dune Costiere Regional Natural Park. You will certainly blow away the Christmas cobwebs at the end of this tour, arriving at Cape of Otranto, Italy’s easternmost point, where the currents of the Adriatic and Ionian seas come together.

The trulli houses in Alberobello at Christmas.

Provence, France

If you’d like to cycle your way through the season, our six day journey and five day break in Provence are pure bliss. They both start in Avignon, and take you alongside vineyards and traditional villages, to châteaux and chapels. One of the highlights of both trips is the ancient town and Roman ruins at Arles, and each has its own unique natural heritage treat too. The six day trip takes you through the winter wetland wonders of Camargue Regional Natural Park and the five day trip includes a visit to L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, which is built on a series of canals with Venice-like houses on the waterfront, and ancient cobblestone streets. Being the season of tucking into fine food and wine, there is no shortage of those in Provence either of course.

We hope we’ve inspired you to go solo this Christmas and if you have, please don’t hesitate to contact our team of adventurous elves to see how we can make a trip work best for you. You may also enjoy our blogs, Top holidays for solo travel, Solo walking in the Lake District and Overcoming the fear of solo travel.