Research Reveals Europe's Most Dazzling Christmas Light Displays

Image: Regent Street Christmas lights in London, U.K. (Photo Credit: iStock Editorial/Getty Images Plus/VV Shots)

by Laurie Baratti
Last updated: 10:25 PM ET, Thu November 23, 2023

During the days when daylight has dwindled by late afternoon and the opening creak of a pub door unleashes harvest-spiced notes of mulled wine, such unmistakable signs herald the imminent arrival of the festive season.

But, the true magic of Christmas only descends over Europe once its buildings, trees, and town squares are adorned with twinkling lights and transformed into enchanting winter wonderlands. While simple strings of fairy lights might suffice for some, certain European cities take the festive fervor to truly extraordinary heights.

To single out the most dazzling destinations during the holiday season, ferry and cruise operator DFDS did a deep-dive into TikTok data to identify which European cities outshine the rest when it comes to Christmas lighting displays. By analyzing the number of posts and user views devoted to each one, the company has curated a list of Europe’s most spectacular holiday light displays, and one city was discovered to be the most brilliant by far.

London emerged as the undisputed star of the show, securing five out of the top ten spots, with Regent Street's Christmas light display proving itself the clear winner. Its iconic flying angels have soared to unprecedented heights on social media, amassing an incredible 2.3 million TikTok video views, according to Timeout. With England's capital home to four more of the Continent’s most alluring holiday lighting displays, it’s clear that Brits take their illuminated décor efforts quite seriously.

Europe’s top ten spots for soaking in such stirring illuminated displays are as follows:

The Spirit of Christmas by Regent Street, London, U.K.: 2,300,000 views
Christmas in Covent Garden, London, U.K.: 1,400,000 views
Brussels by Lights, Brussels, Belgium: 510,200 views
Christmas at the Botanics, Edinburgh, Scotland:195,600 views
Oxford Street Christmas lights, London, U.K.: 60,800 views
George Square Christmas lights, Glasgow, Scotland: 39,000 views
Bahnhofstrasse Street/Lucy Christmas lights, Zurich, Switzerland: 27,000 views
Carnaby Street Christmas lights, London, U.K.: 26,900 views
Colmar Christmas lights, Colmar, France: 26,200 views
Christmas at Kew, London, U.K.: 21,500 views

For those who long to bask in the splendor of enchanting displays without navigating the bustling London shopping crowds, DFDS also used its TikTok research to curate a list of the overall best European cities for Christmas lights.