in the Canadian Mountains
Snow on the windows, a fire in the lobby, and someone else doing the cooking. Four mountain hotels, four very different versions of Christmas, all of them within a few hours of each other.
- When it runs: Snow on the ground from late November, celebrations through early January
- Banff Springs — A castle, carollers, and a proper New Year’s Eve gala
- Lake Louise — Santa arrives by sleigh on Christmas Eve. Best for families
- Jasper — Cabins in the trees and almost nobody around. Best for quiet
- Whistler — Ski-in, ski-out, and a village fully lit up
- Getting there: Calgary to Banff about 90 minutes, Vancouver to Whistler about two hours, Edmonton to Jasper about four
- Good to know: Christmas week carries a minimum night stay at most properties
Best Christmas Vacations
Unwrap the Wonder
Have you written your letter to Santa yet? If not, we know what you should ask for! Step into a magical wonderland and let festivities bloom this holiday season.
Choose your Christmas
Fairmont Banff SPrings
A castle, decorated
The Castle in the Rockies does Christmas the way you would hope a castle would. The season opens with the tree lighting in Mt Stephen Hall and runs through to early January, with carollers in the corridors and the smell of something good coming from the kitchen most of the day.
If you have ever wanted to skate with Santa, this is where that happens.
Three things worth booking:
- Festive afternoon tea. A long, slow afternoon while it snows outside.
- The Thirsty Reindeer. The hotel’s Christmas bar, and not a subtle one.
- New Year’s Eve gala. Dress up, dance, then take the lift home.
Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
Christmas on a Frozen Lake
The lake freezes, the lobby fills with trees, and on Christmas Eve Santa arrives at the front doors by sleigh. It is the most storybook of the four, and the one families tend to come back to year after year.
Between the ice bar, the sleigh rides and curling on the lawn, most of the day happens outdoors and ends in front of a fire.
Three things worth booking:
- Santa’s arrival. Christmas Eve, by sleigh, then on to the Victoria Ballroom.
- Gingerbread workshop. Build one, eat most of it.
- Bavarian curling. No experience required, which is the point.
Photo Credit: Josh McCabe
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Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge
A cabin Christmas
Jasper is the quiet one. Cabins scattered through the trees, a frozen Lac Beauvert out front, and far fewer people than anywhere else in the Rockies at this time of year. If your idea of Christmas involves a fireplace and no queues, this is it.
Signature Cabins are the reason to come. They are the most distinctive rooms in the collection, and they look exactly the way you want a mountain Christmas to look.
Three things worth booking:
- A Signature Cabin. Fireplace, trees, and your own front door.
- Candy Cane Lane. A scavenger hunt through the snow for the kids.
- Fireside s’mores. Every evening, outdoors, in the cold, which is the whole appeal.
Fairmont Chateau Whistler
Christmas with a lift pass
Ski-in and ski-out from the base of Blackcomb, so you can be on the hill by nine and back by the fire by three. Whistler village at Christmas is the busiest and liveliest of the four, and the Chateau sits right at the centre of it.
Three things worth booking:
- The Chef’s Parade. Gingerbread houses and yule logs paraded through the hotel.
- Wreath making. Build a cedar wreath for your own door.
- Alpenglow Après. Family après on the terrace as the light goes.
What is on, and when
No Events Available
Beyond the hotels
- Banff Christmas Market, plus the Christmas Eve torchlight parade at Sunshine
- Whistler, with the Fire and Ice show and outdoor skating in the village
- Jasper, with sleigh rides on Pyramid Lake and skating at Lake Mildred
Questions
Decorations and festive menus generally begin in late November (early for Jasper), with each hotel marking the start of the season with a tree lighting. Celebrations run through to early January, so the first week of January is still fully festive and noticeably quieter than the week between Christmas and New Year.
Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is the most family-oriented of the four, with Santa arriving by sleigh on Christmas Eve, gingerbread workshops and outdoor games on the frozen lake. Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is the better choice for families who want cabins, space and fewer crowds.
Yes, at all four. Fairmont Chateau Whistler is ski-in and ski-out from Blackcomb. Lake Louise, Banff Sunshine and Marmot Basin in Jasper are all open and running by late November in a normal season.
Christmas and New Year are the busiest dates of the winter, and festive dining and Santa events often fill before the rooms do. Book by early autumn for the week itself. Early January is easier and usually better value.
Yes. Check out offers.
