Solo winter holidays: Christmas, New Year and winter sun with a hosted group

The best solo winter holidays are the ones where the dark evenings are already spoken for: a host, a small group and a table to sit at, so the long nights become the best part of the trip. Spice Escapes runs hosted group holidays through the winter for people who travel on their own, from a Christmas market weekend in Prague and New Year in southern Italy to a week of winter sun in Fuerteventura, with a host who travels with you and a group of around fifteen people, and some reach twenty.

Winter is the season people most often find themselves at a loose end. Friends are busy with family, the light goes by four o'clock, and the idea of a hotel bar on your own in a strange city at Christmas is enough to keep many people at home. You arrive with people to have dinner with, someone has already worked out where the market is, and the festive bits that feel awkward alone are simply more fun with company. If this is your first trip of any kind without a partner, our page for first-time solo travellers walks through how it works from booking to the first evening.

Christmas lights with company: Prague

Prague Christmas Magic is the gentlest way to try a winter trip on your own. It runs for 3 nights, departing 4 Dec 2026 – 7 Dec 2026, from £675, and Sally Wiltshire is with the group for the whole stay. Places: 5 places left.

The group stays at Hotel Rott on the Little Square, steps from the Old Town Square Christmas market, so slipping out on your own for half an hour and finding everyone again is easy. The plan is unhurried: the markets and the Astronomical Clock one day, Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral the next, then the lanes of Malá Strana and the quieter markets at Wenceslas Square and Peace Square as it gets dark. For more on picking a city when you travel alone, see our guide to European city breaks for solo travellers, or browse every city break and the rest of the Czech Republic.

Seeing the year in when you are on your own: Puglia

New Year's Eve is the night people on their own dread most, which is exactly why New Year in Puglia with WingsItaly is worth a look. It is 5 nights, departing 28 Dec 2026 – 2 Jan 2027, from £1,139, hosted by Claire Dymond. Places: 15 places left.

Claire and Andrea Dal Moro of WingsItaly meet you at the airport, and the first evening opens with a welcome aperitivo and a Puglian dinner at Hotel Tesoretto, where the group has the hotel rooms to itself. Over the days that follow there is Lecce, the Baroque city lit up for the festive season, and visits to Specchia and Galatina. On the night itself there is a private aperitivo, a five-course gala dinner with a bottle of wine each, music and dancing, and a local celebration next door that guests drift in and out of. More on the region sits under Italy.

Swapping grey skies for a week of sun: Fuerteventura

For anyone whose idea of winter away is warmth rather than tinsel, All Inclusive Fuerteventura Winter Sun & Fun runs for 7 nights, departing 30 Jan 2027 – 6 Feb 2027, from £1,199, with Steve Dell hosting. Places: 3 places left.

The group stays at the Occidental Jandía Royal Level, an adults-only hotel above Jandía Beach, with all meals and drinks included. Days are yours: a walk along the sand, the Sanagua Spa and jacuzzi, a book by the pool, or an optional trip to nearby villages and markets. The group gathers at meals and in the evenings, and you join in as much or as little as you like. Our article on where to go for winter sun compares the options, and the Canary Islands page has more.

A short winter city break that looks after the evenings: Paris

If you only have a few days, All Inclusive Perfect Paris is 3 nights, departing 3 Feb 2027 – 6 Feb 2027, from £679, hosted by Samantha Pike. Places: 13 places left.

Your hotel is the MS Botticelli, a river boat moored a short walk from the Eiffel Tower, with full board and drinks on board. There is a guided coach tour of the city, a walking tour of Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur, a gala dinner, and a night cruise along the Seine when the river allows. People arriving by Eurostar and by air link up on the first day, so you are with the group from the start. Our piece on seeing Paris from the Seine tells you more, and every short break is listed together.

And if winter means snow: the Dolomites

Some people want their winter on skis. Ski Madonna - The Dolomites is 7 nights, departing 23 Jan 2027 – 30 Jan 2027, from £1,339, hosted by Jamie Morris. Places: Waitlist only. The group stays at the family-run Hotel Pinzolo Dolomiti with breakfast and dinner every day and a shuttle to the lifts each morning, and the tree-lined pistes suit intermediates well. Beginners can book ski school locally in Pinzolo. Our guide to solo ski holidays explains how a hosted week on the snow works, and the full list is under ski and winter.

What going alone in winter actually feels like

The worries are the same ones people have in summer, only louder. Who will I eat with? What if everyone already knows each other? What do I do on the big night? On a Spice Escapes holiday the host makes the introductions, the group eats together when the plan says so, and most people have booked on their own, so nobody is the odd one out. The evenings, which are long at this time of year, are when friendships form: a drink after dinner, a walk back through the lights, plans for the next morning. Many people come home with friends they travel with again.

Every holiday carries a cost for a room to yourself, and we set it out plainly on our single supplement page so there are no surprises. If you are over fifty and weighing up hosted travel more broadly, our page on over 50s solo holidays is a good place to start.

Questions people ask

Is it sad to spend Christmas or New Year away on your own?

It is far less lonely than staying at home and watching everyone else's plans. On a hosted trip you have a group to share the meals, the markets and the midnight toast with. Most people tell us it turned a season they were dreading into one they enjoyed.

Which winter holiday suits someone who has never travelled alone?

A short city trip such as Prague or Paris is a gentle start, because it is only a few nights and the host is with you throughout. If you would rather have a full week, the Fuerteventura stay keeps things simple with everything included at the hotel.

Are these escorted winter holidays?

Yes, every one has a Spice Escapes host who travels with the group and looks after the plan. Excursions and free time are mixed, so you are never pushed into anything.

Do I have to share a room?

No, you can have a room to yourself, and there is a cost for that on every holiday. Our single supplement page explains how it works.

Are flights included?

It depends on the holiday, and each holiday page sets out what is included. Our flight-inclusive holidays are protected under ATOL licence 9046.

Book your winter before the places go

Winter departures are small and the festive ones fill first, so the sensible next step is a quick conversation. Tell us whether you fancy lights and markets, a proper New Year's Eve, sunshine or snow, and how many nights you can spare. Sally Wiltshire, who hosts the Prague weekend, Rob Thompson, who owns Spice Escapes, and the rest of the team will tell you honestly how each trip runs and what places are left. Send us an enquiry and we will come back to you with dates and prices for the winter you have in mind.