Cold enough to mean it

A proper winter

Average daily high of 3°C or less across December, January and February — cold enough for snow underfoot and a market with mulled wine.

17 destinations

Riddarholmen island and its dark church spire under a pink and purple sunset, seen across calm water in Stockholm

Sweden2°C in January

Aerial view of downtown Toronto at sunset, with the CN Tower rising above the skyline and the Lake Ontario harbourfront below

Canada1°C in January

Montreal's downtown skyline at night seen from Mount Royal, with the rotating beacon of Place Ville Marie sweeping the sky above the lit towers

Canada-3°C in January

Cloud Gate, the mirrored bean-shaped sculpture in Millennium Park, reflecting Chicago's skyscrapers with visitors gathered beneath it

United States2°C in January

Seljalandsfoss waterfall in south Iceland plunging off a green cliff into a wide valley at sunset

2°C in January

A white plate of golden pan-finished pierogi topped with crispy bacon bits and chives, arranged around a small bowl of herbed sour cream dip

Poland3°C in January

The illuminated Palace of Culture and Science towering over downtown Warsaw's modern skyscrapers at night

Poland2°C in January

Freshly baked cinnamon buns generously topped with pearl sugar, in the Nordic korvapuusti style.

Finland0°C in January

The white marble slopes of the Oslo Opera House on the waterfront, with sailboats on the fjord and the city skyline behind.

Norway1°C in January

The Matterhorn mirrored in a still alpine lake surrounded by golden autumn larches

Switzerland1°C in January

A cobbled lane on Tallinn's Toompea hill running between whitewashed old walls toward the black onion domes of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

Estonia0°C in January

Riga Cathedral rising above the old town rooftops with the Daugava river beyond

Latvia1°C in January

Church bell towers and red rooftops of Vilnius Old Town in warm evening light

Lithuania-1°C in January

A bowl of Sapporo miso ramen with chashu pork, soft egg, nori and greens

Japan1°C in January

A takeout tray of poutine — fries topped with cheese curds and gravy — being eaten with a fork outdoors on a cobbled street

Canada-5°C in January

The Neptune Fountain against the ornate gabled facades of Long Market in Gdansk's old town

Poland3°C in January

A timber chalet perched among firs on a deep-snow slope at Shymbulak above Almaty, with the jagged, snow-loaded peaks of the Trans-Ili Alatau rising behind it under a hard blue winter sky.

Kazakhstan2°C in January

Every destination here qualifies on the basis stated above, and each one is somewhere we have published guides for. Back to the full atlas.