Just Under Two Hours From San Francisco: This California Town Is The Closest You’ll Get To A European-Style Winter Village This Christmas

Carmel-by-the-Sea is one of California’s best-kept secrets. Voted one of the West Coast’s most quaint coastal towns, the city is picture-perfect in more ways than one. WithEuropean-style architecture , and Tudor-style cottages , Carmel has a cozy, quiet atmosphere that makes you feel as though you’ve stumbled across something rather perfect. And what better time to experience a town that already looks like it’s straight out of a fairytale than the Christmas season? With streets adorned with twinkling lights, and with the sparkle of the sea instead of snow, it’s the perfect festive escape for a true taste of California holiday magic. What’s going on in Carmel-By-The-Sea this Christmas? ---------------------------------------------------- Aside from simply admiring the beautiful lights and fairy-tale cottages, Carmel-by-the-Sea hosts a series of community-focused events that perfectly capture the West Coast at Christmas time. Running from early December through Christmas Eve, Carmel Plaza’s Christmas Market brings a traditional European feel with stalls of handcrafted gifts and ornaments, ideal for festive souvenirs. Ice Skating by the Bay runs until January 5th, letting skaters glide beneath twinkling lights with Pacific Ocean views, while on Tuesday, December 16th, the Sunset Center’s Annual Community Christmas Party offers live music and complimentary hot, cold, and alcoholic drinks. Ticketed events in Carmel and nearby ------------------------------------ * Winter Light Exhibition: Running until Jan 6th, this beautiful art exhibition is a curation by 14 14 prominent Central Coast and Bay Area California contemporary painters with each artist asked to provide three very personal interpretations of Winter in an abstract or Modernist style. * The Nutcracker at Sunset Center: Monterey Penninsula Ballet Theatre presents their 120 piece ballet performance from December 12-14th. This beautiful interpretation of The Nutcracker has been in the works since August, and is not one to be missed. * Ballet of Lights: Another option, if your Carmel trip doesn’t align with those dates, is the Sleeping Beauty ballet at Brava Arts Center in central San Francisco this December. * Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer: Returning due to popular demand and running until December 21st, this live musical adaption of the tv special is perfect for the whole family. * Candlelight Christmas concerts: Not in Carmel itself, but in nearby coastal towns just a short drive away, you’ll find Candlelight’s magical concerts featuring Christmas carols, along with evenings dedicated to classical favorites like Vivaldi’s Winter and The Nutcracker. Candlelight: Christmas Special Featuring “The Nutcracker” & More December 20, 2025 6:30 PM Scott's Seafood Ballroom From $35.70 Buy tickets Candlelight: Christmas Carols on Strings December 21, 2025 6:30 PM Boardwalk's Cocoanut Grove From $37.80 Buy tickets Candlelight: Christmas Special Featuring “The Nutcracker” & More December 21, 2025 8:45 PM Croatian-American Cultural Center From $38.85 Buy tickets Source: https://secretsanfrancisco.com/fairytale-christmas-village-near-san-francisco/