18 Unreal Holiday Destinations That You Have to See to Believe

The Christmas lights that drape an array of different shapes and buildings are absolutely stunning, and if you want to avoid the cold, then the warm weather in this Colombian town may be just what you're looking for. The carnival of lights lasts for a full month, drawing visitors from all over the world.

A trip to Paris for the holidays is always a good choice if you want to get in the spirit and see the City of Light in all its glory, but other places in France have great holiday attractions, too. In December, Lyon celebrates the Festival of Lights in honor of Mary, and the city is lit up with beautiful lights for days.

If you want a White Christmas in the United States, then you may get your wish if you take a trip to Aspen. The city is known for its mountain resorts and awesome ski options.

The Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in China's Heilongjiang province is a world of ice and snow that looks like Elsa's castle in Frozen was brought to life.

Germany's capital is another must-see city at Christmastime, filled with famous Christmas markets that keep the whole city in the holiday spirit throughout the season.

Germany is known for its abundance of amazing Christmas festivities in various cities, but Cologne tops the list for having no less than eight Christmas markets packed with food, gifts, and holiday treats.

The city of Vienna around the holidays is lit up with fairy lights and full of the sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas. With festive markets, photogenic city scenery, and the ever-present chance of snow, it definitely tops the list for holiday destinations.

Celebrate Christmas in the land that brought the world Sinterklaas, the Dutch version of St. Nicholas. The Dutch enjoy a two-part celebration — Sinterklass comes on the night of Dec. 5, so toys and presents are opened then, but family celebrations with food and drinks happen on the 25th. You'll feel like you fell back in time walking down the chilly canal streets lined with buildings from the 16th and 17th centuries.

It doesn't really feel like Christmas until the towering tree at Rockefeller Center lights up the city. New York is a notorious holiday attraction and boasts some of the best Christmas celebrations in the world.

Each year, the streets of the gorgeous Staré Mesto, or Old Town, are strung with fairy lights, and the shops along the streets are adorned with festive holiday decorations.

Santa Claus Village and Santa Park in Lapland, Finland, are the unofficial homes of the man himself, and Europe's Christmas capital — located at the foot of the Arctic Circle — is the embodiment of the season.

Rio decked out the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon in the city with an 85-meter floating Christmas tree. The tree has 3.1 million lights that are illuminated every night from late November until the end of the year.

Melbourne doesn't let the fact that Christmas comes during Summer deter the city from going all out with lights and decorations for the Town Hall.

Vancouver becomes a Winter wonderland around the holidays, and in addition to fun attractions like ice-skating rinks and reindeer farms, they hold the Carol Ships Parade of Lights Festival and the much-loved Santa Claus parade.

Boston is full of history and Christmas charm. Faneuil Hall Marketplace lights up each year, and the decked-out tree in Boston Common is a must see.

Kobe is home to Japan's first and grandest light show, Kobe Luminarie. The festival has been held every year since 1995 to commemorate the disastrous earthquake that hit the area. After the earthquake, the lights were donated by the Italian government, and each December over 200,000 hand-painted lights can be viewed.

Rome offers a more serene holiday experience, with a Christmas Eve midnight mass at the Vatican that people from all over the world come to attend, as well as historical streets bright with holiday lights.