Honeymoon
Winter honeymoon destinations: sun, snow or the northern lights
A winter wedding gives you two very different honeymoons to choose from. Fly south to warm beaches and dry season in the tropics, or go north for snow, glass-roofed cabins and the northern lights dancing over your bed.
Picolo Editorial
Picolo's honeymoon guides contain no affiliate links. Our picks are made independently by our editors.
This guide covers the best places for a honeymoon from December to March, the hotels we recommend for both sun and snow, and when to go. It is part of our best honeymoon destinations series and our honeymoon calendar.
In short: winter honeymoon destinations
Winter sun: the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Zanzibar, St Lucia, Costa Rica, Oman and Dubai are all in season.
Snow and northern lights: Finnish Lapland, Lofoten and Tromsø, with glass-roofed cabins and rorbuer by the sea.
Short and close: the Canary Islands and the rest of Europe's winter sun, a few hours from home.
Best months: December to March for both.
Our first choice: a beach honeymoon in the Maldives or St Lucia for warmth, or the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel in Rovaniemi for snow and the northern lights. See our guides to honeymoon destinations in December, January and February.
Winter sun honeymoon
Winter is the dry season in much of the tropics, which makes December to March one of the best times of year for a beach honeymoon. The Maldives and Sri Lanka have calm seas and sunny days, Zanzibar has a short dry spell between the rains, and the Caribbean and Costa Rica are at their best.
The Maldives: calm, clear water from December to April. See our Maldives honeymoon.
Sri Lanka: the south and west coasts are dry from December to March. See our Sri Lanka honeymoon.
St Lucia: the Pitons, rainforest and Caribbean bays in the dry season. See our St Lucia guide.
Costa Rica: rainforest and Pacific beaches in the dry season. See our Costa Rica honeymoon.
Oman and Dubai: warm days and cool desert evenings, a shorter flight away. See our Oman travel guide and our Dubai guide.
Closer to home: see our guide to winter sun destinations in Europe.
Snow and northern lights honeymoon
For couples who love winter, the far north is one of the most romantic places on earth. The northern lights are visible from late September to March, the snow lies deep from December, and the best hotels have glass roofs or walls so you can watch the sky from bed.
Finnish Lapland: glass-roofed cabins in the forest around Rovaniemi and Saariselkä. See our guide to glass igloos and Lapland and Rovaniemi.
Lofoten: rorbuer by the sea, mountains straight out of the water and the northern lights over the harbour. See our guide to the northern lights in Lofoten.
The Dolomites: chalets, spas and skiing in the Italian Alps. See our Dolomites guide.
At Jade Mountain the fourth wall is missing, so the pool looks straight at the Pitons. Photo: Hotels.com (Expedia Group)
Where to stay: five hotels for a winter honeymoon
Jade Mountain, St Lucia
Jade Mountain is famous for rooms where one wall is simply missing, so you look straight out at the Pitons from your bed and your own pool. It is one of the most romantic hotels in the Caribbean. See our St Lucia guide.
Sugar Beach, St Lucia
Sugar Beach sits in the valley between Gros Piton and Petit Piton, with villas on the hillside and a white sand beach below. It suits couples who want the Pitons and the beach in one place.
Arctic TreeHouse Hotel, Rovaniemi
Arctic TreeHouse Hotel stands on a forested hillside above Santa Claus Village, a few minutes from the airport, with a glass wall in every suite facing the forest. Breakfast is included, and Rakas Restaurant, spa treatments and a firepit are on site. Read our Arctic TreeHouse Hotel review.
Apukka Resort, Rovaniemi
Apukka sits in the forest outside Rovaniemi, with aurora cabins that have a glass roof over the bed. On a clear night you watch the northern lights without leaving the warmth. See our guide to glass igloos.
Reine Rorbuer, Lofoten
Reine Rorbuer has classic fishing cabins by the sea in Reine, with the peaks rising behind and the northern lights over the water on clear winter nights. See our guide to hotels and rorbuer in Lofoten.
Reine Rorbuer in Lofoten, where the cabins stand on the shore below the mountains. Photo: Picolo
When to go
December to March: the best months for both winter sun in the tropics and snow in the north.
Christmas and New Year: the busiest and most expensive weeks in the Maldives, the Caribbean and Lapland, so book early.
January and February: quieter after the holidays, with the most snow in the north and calm seas in the Maldives.
March: longer days in the Arctic and still a good chance of the northern lights.
Plan the rest of your honeymoon
Choose the month: our honeymoon calendar shows where to go in every month of the year.
Compare the oceans: the Maldives, Mauritius or the Seychelles sets the three islands side by side.
Go big: our luxury honeymoon destinations pick ten hotels for the trip of a lifetime.
Plan the trip: plan your honeymoon covers budget, length and booking step by step.
Our pick for snow
Arctic TreeHouse Hotel: a glass wall facing the forest above Rovaniemi
Arctic TreeHouse Hotel stands on a forested hillside above Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, a few minutes from the airport. Each suite has a glass wall facing the snowy forest, so the view and, on clear nights, the northern lights are part of the room. Breakfast is included, and Rakas Restaurant serves Lapland food in the evening. It is the winter honeymoon we recommend for snow and the northern lights.
Our verdict
What Picolo chooses: Jade Mountain in St Lucia for winter sun, and Arctic TreeHouse Hotel in Rovaniemi for snow and the northern lights.
Why: both give you a room with a view you will never forget, one over the Pitons and one into a snowy forest under the sky.
The trade-off: Christmas and New Year are the most expensive weeks everywhere, and the northern lights are never guaranteed, so plan at least three nights in the north.
Planning a honeymoon in the Caribbean? Our Caribbean honeymoon guide helps you choose the island, with one hotel we recommend on each.
Thinking of the Caribbean? Our St Lucia honeymoon guide covers which side of the island to choose, seven hotels for couples and how long to stay.
Frequently asked questions
Where is warm for a honeymoon in winter?
The Maldives, Sri Lanka, Zanzibar, St Lucia and Costa Rica are all in their dry season from December to March, so they are warm and sunny when it is winter at home. For a shorter flight, Oman, Dubai and the Canary Islands give you winter sun only a few hours away.
Where can we see the northern lights on honeymoon?
Finnish Lapland, Lofoten and Tromsø are three of the best places to see the northern lights from late September to March. Choose a hotel with a glass roof or a glass wall, so you can watch the sky from bed, and plan at least three nights to give the weather a chance.
Is a snow honeymoon romantic?
Yes, for couples who love winter. Snowy forests, saunas, glass-roofed cabins and the northern lights make one of the most memorable honeymoons there is. Many couples combine a few nights in Lapland with a beach later in the year, so the trip gives them both.
When should we book a winter honeymoon?
Book six to twelve months ahead for Christmas and New Year, when the best villas and glass cabins sell out first. For January and February, three to six months is usually enough. Our guide to planning your honeymoon covers when to book and what to check.
Sources
This guide builds on Picolo's honeymoon calendar, our guides to the northern lights, Lapland, Lofoten and St Lucia, and the hotels' own information. The hotels are checked against their information on Hotels.com. Last checked: 4 November 2026.
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Picolo Editorial