Toronto 
The holidays are upon us, and your vacation planning starts now! These holiday getaways in Ontario are surefire ways to create memories, embrace the holiday spirit or magic, and spend time together as friends or family.
Photo by Juan A. Muñoz M on Unsplash
For those who prefer a bit of adventure for any vacation, the wintery outdoors of Ontario’s parks and conservation areas provide all you need.
This could be equipment rentals, designated winter trails, or surfaces for skating and ice fishing. Outdoor adventure is also easy to find in Ontario’s bigger cities and towns, where many other holiday celebrations take place.
For those who would prefer a more peaceful winter break, there are just as many ways to relax as there are to take on adventures.
Cozy Winter Cabins
The holiday cabin out in the snowy forest or hills of Ontario may equate to the quintessential holiday experience for some people. For others, this could be a whole new way to celebrate Christmas or New Year’s. No matter the case, there are several ways and places in which to a book yourself a Christmas cabin.
- The Ogopogo Resort in central Ontario offer a few types of cottage options for winter getaways, as well as many outdoor activities to enjoy during your stay. Take to the ski trails, the skating rink, or rent an ice fishing shack from the resort.
- Cabinscape operates tiny cabin resort areas (open year-round) in Haliburton, Kawarthas, Calabogie, and Lanark County. Check availability for all locations in one calendar here, as many are open for the holidays! Plus, their online merch store includes a number of festive souvenirs and gifts.
- The cottages, condos, and lodge rooms at the Kawartha-region Beachwood Resort are reservable over the Christmas and New Year’s break! While some resort amenities like the restaurant are closed for the winter, these rentals still offer a cozy lakeside retreat.
- Many cabins and resorts around northwestern Ontario provide fly-in experiences based on hunting or ice fishing. But for a more relaxed and less adventurous experience, your holiday getaway can take place at many great private rentals in the Kenora-to-Thunder Bay-area.
- Interested in hot tub access for your cabin vacation? These Muskoka and Highland region private rentals each have Christmas availability and hot tub access!
Holiday Glamping in Ontario
Cabins are, of course, a great way to camp with all the comforts of home. Along with all the great cottages, cabins, and resorts around Ontario, there are just as many glamping opportunities. These could mean dome, yurt, or canvas tent accommodations and are considered a bit more glamorous than a tent or RV thanks to all the homey or cabin-like amenities- like heat!
- For those escaping to the Muskoka region for the holidays, consider a dome stay! The Muskoka Dome “glampground” offers rentals for its clear-topped and heated domes over Christmas and New Year’s, with several add-ons available, such as breakfast, charcuterie, or special occasion packages.
- The Glen Oro Farm (in the Horseshoe Valley) and campground currently have space over the holidays for their glamping options which include The Explorer’s Tent, the Stargazer Dome, or Galaxy Gazer Dome. Guests also have access to a wood-fired sauna and cold plunge pool.
- Take in the memorable dome glamping experience from Back Forty Glamping in Meaford. Along with dome rentals, Back Forty Glamping also offer ways to enhance your stay with food and drink or special occasion packages. Book a dome December 24-27 and receive complimentary breakfast, milk and cookies, and Christmas dinner for two.
- The Woodzzz provide glamping rentals through Hipcamp and Airbnb listings with a dome in the forest, an “Eh Frame” cabin, the cozy cabin, or the Canopy Dome.
- Centre your holiday getaway around New Year’s Eve celebrations with Lungovita in southern Ontario- and, within the heart of wine country. The dome campground currently offers a Winter Special Package, and a NYE Dine & Toast event.
Christmas in Ottawa
Christmas in the capital city of Canada is sure to be a memorable experience. Through Ottawa’s major winter attractions and outdoor recreation, to a special annual Christmas event, there will be tons to do on your holiday getaway. Plus, there are a few hotel events and deals you won’t want to miss.
Family & Kids’ Activities During Christmas Holidays – Winter Break in Ottawa
- The Ottawa Christmas Market is a month-long event that will extend past Christmas until New Year’s Eve. Browse a huge array of vendors while enjoying live entertainment and fresh eats or drinks.
- Whether you view Parliament Hill from up close and on the hill, or from a distance and on the Skateway, you’ll be able to take the Winter Lights Across Canada display, on until January 9, 2026.
- There is no shortage of ways to enjoy live entertainment and theatre in Ottawa, especially between Christmas and New Year’s. Get your tickets Kanata Theatre’s Ken Ludwig’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, or the GCTC’s Hansel and Gretel Go West.
- There are many festive events happening at Ottawa’s premier hotel, the Fairmont Laurier. Whether you stay with the hotel or not, you can enjoy the Elf’s Pub, Christmas Day dining, and New Year’s events within the iconic and beautiful setting.
- As long as the weather is cold enough leading up to Christmas, you’ll have a chance to skate the world’s largest outdoor rink and across a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Rideau Canal Skateway. Ice skate rentals are available from Capital Skates.
- Find deals on hotel stays over the holidays in Ottawa with the Fairmont Laurier, The Lord Elgin, Les Suites Ottawa, or the Brookstreet Hotel.
Christmas in Toronto
Toronto is a place where you can base your holiday or Christmas vacation around almost any interest. This could be outdoor fun, live entertainment, dining, Christmas fun, or any of the city’s mainstay attractions. And aside from these Toronto Christmas vacation ideas, hotel deals, and more, are smaller holiday events all across the GTA.
Things to Do in Toronto During Winter Break
Family & Kids Activities During Christmas – Winter Holidays in Toronto & GTA
- Toronto’s Distillery Winter Village is a unique experience in the heart of the city with many ways to help get you into the festive mood. The Winter Village is open until January 5th, with the exception of Christmas Day and with a special New Year’s Eve event.
- The only castle in Ontario, and all of Canada, is located right in Toronto and is dazzling over the holidays with a festive light display. Casa Loma hosts their Holiday Lights Tour each December, which includes a self-guided tour through the Castle, complete with holiday decorations, light displays, and live entertainment. Santa is also on-site until December 24th, working in his castle workshop and taking gift requests.
- An equally as impressive display is on from now until January at The Well through the Arcadia Earth Toronto immersive experience. While not festive or Christmas-themed, this journey through planet earth is still a memorable way to spend your holiday break in the city.
- Enjoy outdoor skating within several Toronto neighbourhoods this Christmas. Some notable spots include High Park, Ledbury Park, or Nathan Phillips Square.
- Guests and non-guests of the Fairmont Royal York can take part in the hotel’s gourmet holiday dining experiences. These include Festive Turkey To Go, and in-person events on December 25 and 31, 2024, and January 1, 2026.
- Browse more hotels in Toronto for deals and holiday getaway packages from places like the Omni King Edward, Le Germain Hotel Mercer, Delta Marriott Toronto, or the Four Seasons Toronto.
Ontario’s Parks for the Holidays
Choosing an Ontario National Park to visit this holiday season may depend on the outdoor activities you want to enjoy, where in the province you’d like to stay, or on things to do and see around the national park.
- Southern Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula National Park is a year-round destination with winter camping and yurt rentals, snowshoeing, winter hiking, and cross-country ski trails.
- If you’re in Ontario’s far southwest corner for the holidays, you can take advantage of the dark sky preserve over Point Pelee National Park. Plan a winter picnic for an evening and enjoy an unpolluted sky of bright stars!
- Algonquin Provincial Park provides some of the best winter recreational experiences in the province with skating, cross-country skiing, fat biking, snowshoeing, hiking, and camping. Nearby towns like Huntsville also provide rental shops for these activities.
- Depending on the weather, a few of the southern Ontario Provincial Parks operate outdoor skating areas over the winters, including Pinery, MacGregor Point, and Arrowhead.
- Plenty of Ontario Parks offer winter hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing trails offering a getaway near your home.
Hitting Ontario’s Slopes for the Holidays
Across Ontario, families will find ski hills and resorts both large and small. While any day on any of Ontario’s ski hills is great for a holiday activity, the resorts listed below can provide accommodations near or beside their hills and downhill areas. These locations still have reservable rooms and accommodations for the Christmas break and into New Year’s Eve.
- Within Ontario, find Christmas availability at the Horseshoe Valley Resort with Ski & Stay packages, Calabogie Peaks Resort near Ottawa, and the Searchmont Resort near Sault Ste. Marie.
- Around some of Ontario’s metro areas, Toronto, and the rest of southwestern Ontario, are smaller ski hills attached to big resorts! Book your holiday getaway with the Hockley Valley Resort for skiing, spa experiences, and holiday dining events. Additionally, southern Ontario’s popular Blue Mountain Resort offers a variety of ways to stay, and tons of holiday/winter activities around the Village!
- If you don’t ski, there are plenty of places offering downhill tubing too.
Spa Getaways & Holiday Spa Packages in Ontario
Soak, relax, unwind, or escape for your holiday break. You earned it! Ontario is home to a variety of spas and spa experiences with some locations also doubling as a hotel or accommodation, or some with onsite dining.
- The Vetta Nordic Spa in the Horseshoe Valley north of Barrie offer an array of treatment options like hydrotherapy, massage therapy, and a place for dinner or drinks.
- St. Anne’s provides day visit options and overnight stays for their spa resort in Grafton, about halfway between Toronto and Kingston. Plus, St. Anne’s has a few special stay and play deals for Black Friday and the holiday season.
- Take advantage of the Christmas and New Year’s deals currently offered from the Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa! The spa resort offers a true escape with spa services, dining, and a countryside location near Cambridge.
- Enjoy cozy countryside escapes at Millcroft Inn & Spa. Warm Up to Winter offers Main Mill accommodations with a specialty coffee (Nov 16, 2025–Mar 31, 2026). Temptations in the Country includes an overnight stay and a $50 dining credit (Oct 26, 2025–Jan 31, 2026).
Ontario Resorts for a Holiday Getaway
You may already have vacation inspiration from the above-mentioned spa resorts, or cabin and glamping resorts. There are even more to consider around Ontario for the holidays and a memorable family vacation.
- The Cedar Meadows Resort & Spa in northern Ontario (near Timmins) offer one of the most unique resort experiences in the province. Book your room with a romance package, a Nordic spa package, or the Sleeping with Wolves package and the most incredible wildlife viewing experience for the holidays.
- Find the Fern Resort in central Ontario’s Highlands with Holiday Getaway packages, access to spa services, and a wide variety of outdoor winter activities like skating or snowshoeing, to name a few.
- Southern Ontario is where you’ll want to look if you’re interested in historic, bed and breakfast rooms, or boutique and luxury hotels. Check with the Drake Devonshire Inn, the White Oaks Resort & Spa, or the many family resorts around the Niagara Falls area.
The Muskoka Region for the Holidays
You will find several places around the Muskoka region this holiday season for walking in a winter wonderland. There are also several places to skate, snowshoe, or cross-country ski through this holiday winter wonderland. And beyond the notable winter recreational opportunities around the central Ontario cottage country are holiday experiences, or winter fun through the many year-round resorts and hotels.
- Lucky for your holiday planning, there are many year-round resorts around the Muskoka region. Places like Deerhurst Resort, Bayview Wildwood Resort, Cedar Grove Lodge, or The Rosseau Muskoka Resort & Spa, all provide comfy accommodations and rentals or equipment for various winter activities.
- One of the essential Muskoka Christmas experiences, Santa’s Village, will be open on weekends in December . This is a chance to bring kids and kids-at-heart to a memorable North Pole experience with Santa and Mrs. Claus on-site, festive lights, dining, and more.
- Skate your way through the gorgeous forest, lakeside, or riverside parts of the Muskoka region this holiday season. Many of the area rinks are natural surfaces, too, making it a weather-dependent activity. Lace up at the Arrowhead Provincial Park, Bracebridge’s Memorial Park, the Muskoka Lake Cranberry Ice Trail, Huntsville’s Lions Lookout Rink, or the Lake of Bays Dwight Beach Skating Trail.
- Visitors to the Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery and Clear Lake Brewing Co. could enjoy time on each location’s rink before or after trying the local drinks, or shopping for local gifts from each store.
- Enjoy all the scenery and snow from your seat on a horse-drawn sleigh ride. The Back of Beyond Equine Centre provides rides during the holidays and visits with Santa.
- The Muskoka is Ontario’s easily accessible great outdoors and offers plenty more in addition to ice skating. The three area Provincial Parks, Arrowhead, Algonquin, and Oxtongue River-Ragged Falls, each provide great spaces for snowshoeing.
More Outdoor Fun in Ontario for the Holidays
There are seemingly endless ways to plan your holiday break or New Year’s Eve around a bit of (or a lot of) outdoor adventure and fun in the snow. Many of Ontario’s parks operate year-round with trails for snowshoes or skis, hiking, and in some cases, skating. And for those staying in Ontario’s cities or urban areas, you’ll still be able to find many urban parks for all the above activities.
- Over the Christmas break, there are winter cabins and much more available to rent from the Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve. Along with a cozy place to stay, the facility offers snowmobile rentals, snowshoe rentals, and is set within a perfect place for adventures on skis or foot. There are usually holiday events on at the reserve, too, like guided outdoor adventures.
- Snowmobiling is popular enough in this vast province that Ontario has its own trail guide and app for not only maps, but also interactive features like trail status updates, connecting and sharing with other riders. The OFSC Go Snowmobiling Ontario App is available from Google Play and the Apple Store.
- For a wholesome family activity, enjoy a stroll through Ontario gardens or other destinations all aglow with festive lights. If you want to remain cozy, there are quite a few drive-through places with light displays, too.
