There's something wondrous about the way Pennsylvania does Christmas.

Beyond the cities and malls, small towns across the state lean into the season with an authentic sincerity you won't find elsewhere. Many of these centuries-old destinations welcome visitors with lit-up historic buildings, local shops offering handmade goods, warm drinks, robust dining options, and lots of memorable traditions.

While major cities like Philadelphia put on their own impressive holiday events, it's the best Christmas towns in PA that offer up the special Yuletide magic. Some come alive with carriage rides, theater performances, and European-style markets. Others keep it simple with local lore, gas-lamped main streets, fresh cider, and if the weather's right, a quiet snowy ambiance.

Here are our favorite Pennsylvania Christmas towns, along with details on their special events in 2026. Many of these destinations sit within easy driving distance of one another, making it possible to see several in a single weekend.

Bethlehem, PA: The Most Christmassy Town in Pennsylvania

bethlehem

Also known as "Christmas City," Bethlehem, PA, is the state's definitive holiday destination. Founded on Christmas Eve in 1741 by Moravian settlers, the town leans into its heritage with candle-lit windows, handcrafted stars on historic buildings, and celebrations that run from mid-November through the new year.

Bethlehem, PA, Christmas visits revolve around two markets. Christmas City Village brings German-style wooden huts to Main Street, while Christkindlmarkt at SteelStacks runs six weekends: November 13 to 15, 20 to 22 and 27 to 29, then December 3 to 6, 10 to 13 and 17 to 20, 2026. It ranks among the top Christmas markets in the US.

Beyond the shopping, you can book a horse-drawn carriage ride, catch a performance of the Live Advent Calendar, or take a lantern-lit walking tour. The north side glows with white lights to honor Moravian tradition, while the south side goes colorful to reflect the community's diversity.

Between the trombone choirs and the hot toddies in local pubs, this is one of the few towns where timeless holiday cheer is genuinely alive and well.

Koziar's Christmas Village in Bernville, PA

Bernville

About 90 minutes outside Philadelphia sits Bernville, a quiet rural township known the rest of the year for Blue Marsh Lake and sweeping countryside. Every winter it becomes the home of one of the oldest light displays in the country.

Koziar's Christmas Village started in the late 1940s as a family tradition and now draws visitors from across the region. Roughly half a million lights cover the grounds, with themed scenes like "Santa's Post Office" and "Christmas Under the Sea," indoor and outdoor displays, massive model train setups, and shopping throughout.

The 2026 season opens Saturday, November 7 and runs through Saturday, January 2, 2027. Before Thanksgiving it's only open on the weekend. Afterward, it's open every night through the end of the run. Admission is $14 for ages 11 to 64, $13 for seniors, $12 for ages 4 to 10, and free for 3 and under, with a $5 surcharge on designated Prime Nights.

Looking for Christmas Villages Near Me?

If you're searching Christmas villages near me from eastern Pennsylvania, Koziar's is the closest thing to a true village-scale display. From Philadelphia it's a 90-minute drive, from Reading about 25 minutes, and from Allentown roughly an hour. Pair it with Bethlehem the same weekend and you've covered the two biggest holiday draws in the region.

Hallmark Christmas Towns in PA

"Hallmark town" isn't necessarily an official designation, it's a feeling. A walkable main street, a tree in the square, lights strung over the road, and shops that have stayed in the same families for decades. Several Pennsylvania towns have it, and one of them has actually been on camera.

  • Wellsboro: Hallmark filmed Christmas Comes Twice and Christmas Wreaths and Ribbons here, using the gas-lamp main street as the set.
  • Jim Thorpe: Victorian rowhouses built into a mountainside, which does most of the work on its own.
  • Lititz: A compact Lancaster County square that lands on nearly every "prettiest small town" list in the state.
  • Ligonier: A Laurel Highlands town built around a diamond with a Victorian bandstand at the center.

If you want the New England version of this holiday atmosphere, see our guide to the best Christmas towns in Vermont.

More of the Best Christmas Towns in PA

Christmas in Jim Thorpe, PA

Jim Thorpe

Tucked into the Pocono Mountains, Jim Thorpe delivers every signature of a wintry holiday scene: Victorian architecture, a mountain setting, and a town that commits. Its Olde Time Christmas celebration spans three December weekends with twinkling lights, garland-lined streets, carolers, and horse-drawn carriages.

Things kick off with a tree lighting in Josiah White Park on December 4, 2026, and continue with Santa train rides on the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway and a live Nativity. There's plenty aimed at adults too, including ghost walks, an arts bazaar worth gift-shopping, and restaurants running seasonal menus.

Christmas in Hershey, PA

Hershey

Of all the Christmas towns PA has to offer, Hershey might be the sweetest. Hersheypark Christmas Candylane turns the park into a sugar-coated wonderland with twinkling lights, festive rides, and the only place in the Northeast where you can meet Santa's full reindeer team. It runs select dates from November 2026 through January 3, 2027.

At Chocolate World, the whole family can shop stocking stuffers, visit Santa, and see a life-sized Holiday Chocolate House. Beyond the chocolate, ZooAmerica keeps its gray wolves and Canada lynx on view, The Hershey Story Museum runs seasonal exhibits, and grown-ups can retreat to the Chocolate Spa at The Hershey Hotel.

Christmas in Lititz, PA

In the heart of Lancaster County, Lititz packs a lot into a few walkable blocks. The town was founded by Moravians in 1756, the same community behind Bethlehem's traditions, and it shows in the restrained, candle-lit version of Christmas it still does today.

The Christmas Candlelight Tours run December 11 and 12, 2026, opening historic homes and the 1792 Moravian church to visitors after dark. Lititz Springs Park carries the rest of the season with the town tree and a run of December evening events.

Main Street's independent shops, including the oldest pretzel bakery in the country, stay open late through the season. Strasburg Rail Road runs its Christmas trains about twenty minutes south if you're building a full Lancaster weekend.

Christmas in New Hope, PA

On the Delaware River in Bucks County, New Hope trades small-town quiet for a walkable mix of galleries, restaurants, and riverfront inns, all dressed for the season. It's the most adult-friendly stop on this list, which makes it a natural for one of our weekend getaways in Pennsylvania for couples.

Ten minutes west, Peddler's Village in Lahaska runs the area's biggest holiday draw. Its Grand Illumination Celebration is Friday, November 20, 2026, with Santa and Mrs. Claus flipping the switch at 6:15 p.m. The lights stay on nightly through January 18, 2027, and the 42nd Gingerbread House Competition display runs November 20 through January 10, with free admission.

Christmas in Kennett Square, PA

Kennett Square is a tidy Chester County borough better known for mushrooms than for Christmas, but it sits at the door of one of the largest holiday displays in the country.

A Longwood Christmas runs November 20, 2026, through January 10, 2027. This year's theme is "Cosmic Christmas": rotating trees covered in stars, the Music Room rebuilt as a gilded observatory, the Exhibition Hall turned into a spherical galaxy banked with poinsettias, and a tunnel of nearly 20,000 bulbs.

The Main Fountain Garden runs lights and music, and model trains thread the landscape during regular hours. Book ahead, because timed tickets sell out most December weekends.

Christmas in Wellsboro, PA

Wellsboro

Looking for a gaslamp glow that harkens back to a Victorian-era Christmas? Wellsboro, PA, delivers it every December against period architecture and flickering gas streetlamps. On December 5, 2026, its long-running Dickens of a Christmas celebration turns Main Street into a 19th-century market with costumed performers, old-fashioned carolers, and more than 100 vendors.

You'll also find vintage glass ornaments on display during Christmas on Main Street, honoring a local ornament-making legacy dating to the 1940s. And if Main Street looks familiar, that's because Hallmark has filmed here twice.

Christmas in Skippack Village, PA

Skippack Village

Skippack Village, PA, traces its roots to William Penn and the early German Mennonite settlers who built the area around linen-making and farming. That history still shows during the holidays, when Skippack becomes one of the best Christmas towns in Pennsylvania.

The season belongs to Illuminaire Nights, when candle-lit illuminaires line the village paths every Friday through November and December. Shops and galleries stay open late, the restaurants fill up, and the whole village is walkable in a single evening. Unlike the bigger commercial destinations, Skippack stays small and unhurried.

Christmas in Indiana, PA

Indiana

Indiana, PA, is the hometown of Jimmy Stewart, and every winter it redresses downtown as Bedford Falls, complete with a 30-foot live Christmas tree in IRMC Park.

The It's a Wonderful Life Christmas Tree Lighting and Holiday Parade opens the season on November 20, 2026, and themed Saturdays run downtown through December 19.

The Jimmy Stewart Museum runs its It's a Wonderful Life exhibit from November 20 into early January, with a 1 p.m. matinee of the film every day. Indiana County also calls itself the "Christmas Tree Capital of the World," and the cut-your-own farms outside town back up the claim.

Christmas in Ligonier, PA

Out in the Laurel Highlands, Ligonier is built around a town diamond with a Victorian bandstand at its center, ringed by independent shops and a 1758 fort. It's the western counterweight to a list that otherwise leans heavily east.

Light Up Ligonier opens the season on Friday, November 27, 2026, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., with a countdown to light the Diamond, horse-drawn sleigh rides, and a visit from Santa. A town-wide open house weekend follows, with shops serving cider and staying open late. The compact layout means you can do the whole thing on foot in an evening.

Christmas Towns in PA: FAQs

What Is the Most Christmassy Town in PA?

Bethlehem is the best Christmas town in PA, and it isn't particularly close. It's nicknamed "Christmas City," it was literally founded on Christmas Eve in 1741, and it runs two separate Christmas markets plus a Live Advent Calendar, lantern tours, and a town-wide lighting tradition that splits white lights on one side of the river and colored lights on the other. No other PA town has the history and the programming in one place.

When Is Koziar's Christmas Village Open in 2026?

Koziar's opens Saturday, November 7, 2026, and runs through Saturday, January 2, 2027. It's weekends only until Thanksgiving, then open nightly, including holidays. Hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 5 to 10 p.m. Saturdays, and 5 to 9 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $14 for ages 11 to 64, $13 for seniors 65 and up, $12 for ages 4 to 10, and free under 4, with $5 added on Prime Nights.

Is Bethlehem PA Worth Visiting at Christmas?

Yes, and it's the one town here worth planning a trip around rather than fitting in. Christkindlmarkt alone draws national rankings, and it runs six weekends from November 13 through December 20, 2026. Add the Main Street market, the historic district, and the Moravian star tradition and you have two full days without repeating yourself. Book lodging early, since December weekends fill months out.

When Is Longwood Gardens Decorated for Christmas?

A Longwood Christmas runs November 20, 2026, through January 10, 2027, in Kennett Square. The 2026 display is cosmic-themed, with star-covered rotating trees, a gilded observatory in the Music Room, a galaxy-styled Exhibition Hall, and a tunnel of nearly 20,000 lights. Tickets are timed and December weekends sell out, so book well ahead.

What Are the Hallmark Christmas Towns in PA?

Wellsboro is the only one with an actual filming credit, having hosted Christmas Comes Twice and Christmas Wreaths and Ribbons. Beyond that, Jim Thorpe, Lititz and Ligonier all have the look: a walkable main street, a central square, and independent shops that decorate hard. If you want the same feel in the mountains out west, see our guide to Christmas in Colorado.

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