I love making lists and I love the unique experiences each season brings, so naturally I need to have a bucket list for each season including a winter bucket list! Having grown up in the northeastern part of the United States, to me winter is cold and snowy weather, celebrating the festive holiday season, ringing in the new year, and trying to stay warm until spring arrives.
See the Northern Lights
Seeing the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, dancing across the sky is a magical experience that should be on everyone’s winter bucket list. There are many places around the Northern Hemisphere you can visit to have a chance of seeing this phenomenon, such as Alaska, Canada, Iceland, and Sápmi (region stretching across the northern parts of Finland, Sweden, and Norway).
However, since conditions have to be just right, there’s no guarantees. I visited Iceland in January 2019 at the end of a trip to Europe hoping to see the northern lights with no luck since rainy weather and cloudy skies obstructed the view of the night sky. I visited Iceland again in September 2021 with no thoughts of seeing them and got lucky enough to spy the aurora in Reykjavik!
Visit Antarctica
While winter holds the Northern Hemisphere in its icy grip, the Southern Hemisphere is experiencing its summer which makes it the perfect time to visit this polar continent. Many species of seals, whales, penguins, and seabirds make their home on and around the inhospitable Antarctic continent, making it a wildlife lover’s dream come true. The short summer season from late October until March is the only chance you’ll get to see them outside a zoo or in photos/movies. The spectacular landscapes and abundance of wildlife make this a once in a lifetime trip worth taking!
Go to the Harbin Ice & Snow Sculpture Festival
Considered the largest ice and snow festival in the world, Harbin’s festival begins in early January and stays open until February or March when the ice begins to melt. Due to the average temperatures in the winter only being about 2°F (-16°C), visitors will need to bundle up during their time there. Throughout the festival there’s a wide variety of activities such as admiring the huge ice and snow sculptures, taking in performances, skiing, ice swimming, navigating frozen mazes, and much more. Despite the frigid weather, this festival draws in millions of visitors every year.
Stay in an Ice Hotel
Despite the fact that a hotel made of ice doesn’t sound very cozy, it would definitely be a cool experience and one you should add to your winter bucket list. Since the first one opened in 1990 in Sweden, many others have been created in other snowy places such as Canada, Norway, Romania, Japan, Finland, Austria, and Alaska. I think one of the most impressive things about ice hotels is that they need to be constructed anew each year since they melt during the summer months. It’s one of those fleeting experiences you have to time just right to capture.
Ring in the New Year in a Fun City
New Year’s Eve has a special feeling of new beginnings and a fresh start of a new year, and what better way to celebrate than in a city that goes all out for it? Whether you watch the famous ball drop at Times Square in New York City, party on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, or are among the first to greet the new year in Sydney, Australia with fabulous fireworks over the harbor, traveling for New Years celebrations can be an amazing winter bucket list experience.
Ice Skate on Rideau Canal in Ottawa, Canada
Rideau Canal Skateway has been designated as the largest naturally frozen skating rink by Guinness World Records. The 7.8 kilometers of ice are free and open to the public from December through February, 24 hours a day. Bring your own ice skates or rent some to enjoy gliding along the canal before stopping to warm up with a cup of hot chocolate and a BeaverTail pastry. Even better if you can time your visit during Winterlude, the annual winter festival held the first three weekends of February each year in Canada’s capital city.
Take a Polar Plunge
A polar plunge is a fun way of saying you went for an icy dip during the winter months. In the US I’ve often seen events like these held as fundraisers where participants get their friends and family to donate money to charity as a way to sponsor their swim, but in some cultures it’s a tradition to wash off the old year and start the new one fresh. I took part in the Nieuwjaarsduik (Dutch for New Year’s dip) in the frigid North Sea at Zandvoort beach after ringing in the New Year with plenty of fireworks the night before in Amsterdam.
Witness the Winter Solstice at Newgrange, Ireland
This ancient site was already on my Ireland bucket list, but getting the chance to visit it during the Winter Solstice would be amazing. The Neolithic passage tomb is a spectacular example of ancient architecture and engineering with the 5000 year old roof still being waterproof! At dawn on the Winter Solstice (and a few days around it) a small opening above the passage entrance allows the morning light to illuminate the passage into the tomb’s chamber. While access to the tomb during this time is limited to the lucky winners of a lottery each year, anyone can stand outside to see the light shine down the passage.
Get Festive at European Christmas Markets
I’m not certain that there’s anywhere in the world with more holiday spirit than European Christmas Markets. Many of the traditions I grew up with in the United States came over with immigrants from Europe so visiting the places those traditions originated in is a wonderful experience. There’s plenty to do at the markets from shopping for handmade gifts from local artisans, to watching live performances, and enjoying tasty snacks and steamy mugs of spiced wine. This is such an important experience on my winter bucket list that a trip to Europe to visit them was how I celebrated my 30th birthday! You can read more about all the delicious things I ate at German Christmas Markets here.
Experience Polar Night
The Arctic Circle takes short winter days to the extreme as the area experiences 24 hours of night due to the sun not rising above the horizon. The level of darkness and the period of time this phenomenon lasts depends on how close to the Arctic Circle versus the pole one is. Areas closer to the North Pole will experience a longer and darker Polar Night while those nearer to the Arctic Circle may experience long periods of twilight when the sunlight is refracting across the sky despite the sun remaining below the horizon. The timing is centered around the winter solstice, usually December 21, since that’s when the Northern Hemisphere at its furthest from the sun during orbit.
I don’t think I could live in a place that doesn’t see daylight for days or weeks on end, but I would definitely love to visit to experience it.
Celebrate Carnival
I would absolutely love to celebrate Carnival by dancing samba in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, attending a masquerade party in Venice, Italy, or listening to jazz strolling down Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana in the US for Mardi Gras. Each place has their own celebrations and traditions creating a unique experience despite all of the celebrations being centered around the same concept.
You don’t need to be a Catholic (or even Christian) preparing for the upcoming Lenten season to enjoy the indulgent celebrations preceding it all over the world every year. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent when many Catholics limit their diets or sacrifice indulgences. Traditionally during the days leading up to Lent households would eat up all the foods that are considered indulgences and over time this practice evolved into huge feasts and the celebrations we see today.
Frolic with Reindeer in Sápmi
Encompassing the northern regions of Finland, Sweden, Norway and even stretching into the Kola Peninsula of Russia, most of Sápmi (formerly known as Lapland) is within the Arctic Circle. The region is the homeland of the indigenous Sámi people who were traditionally nomadic reindeer herders, and even today in Norway and Sweden only the Sámi people can own reindeer. Tourists can visit reindeer farms where they may have the chance to learn more about the Sámi people and their reindeer, feed the reindeer in paddocks, or even go for a reindeer sleigh ride.
Hit the Slopes Somewhere Epic
Winter weather brings with it popular snow sports like skiing and snowboarding. There are a multitude of areas around the world where you’ll find amazing resorts and experiences built specifically for these activities that make great winter bucket list destinations. From the Rocky Mountains of North America to the European Alps or Hokkaido Japan there’s no shortage of destinations where you can enjoy some time on the slopes as well as exploring a new city, country, or culture.
See the Snow Monkeys in Japan
What’s better than soaking in a steamy onsen in Japan while snowflakes drift from the sky? Watching Japanese Macaques do the same at Jigokudani Monkey Park in Nagano. Over the years I’ve seen countless photos of these monkeys enjoying a warming soak in in the natural hot springs and would love to actually see it in person (followed by going to an onsen for a dip myself).
Attend the Winter Olympics
Attending the Olympic Games has always been a bucket list must for me. Not being a particularly athletic person myself, I’ve always admired athletes who compete at the olympic level. I love many of the Winter Olympic events (ice skating, skiing, snowboarding, curling, etc) and would love to get to watch them firsthand. Depending on where and when the games are being held, you might even be able to cross extra experiences off your winter bucket list.
Let’s Cross Off That Winter Bucket List!
Winter brings with it so many unique experiences that it makes it so easy to fill up a winter bucket list quickly. I may complain when the air is so cold that it hurts my face, but sometimes cold weather is worth celebrating. I hope you’ve found some inspiration for wonderful winter travels!
Do you have any of these experiences on your winter bucket list?
All wonderful ideas. But it’s the northern lights that’s on my absolute no.1. I don’t know when, but surely. Thanks for sharing this one.
Thank you! I’ve was lucky enough to see the northern lights once, and I certainly hope to again someday. I hope you get to see them on your travels someday soon too!