Christmas at the cottage

A cottage or chalet makes the holidays simple: everyone under one roof, a fire going, a frozen lake or a ski hill outside, and no one hosting in a crowded city kitchen. Christmas and New Year’s are also the first winter weeks to fill, so the families who get the big place by the lake are usually the ones who wrote to the owner in the fall.

Here are six places where the holidays come with real winter, from an easy drive out of Toronto or Montreal to a mountain week in Alberta or British Columbia. For each, open the region to see the cottages and chalets you can rent there directly from the owner.

1. Haliburton Highlands: a lake home for the whole family

≈ 2½–3 h from Toronto · Ontario

Many Haliburton cottages are built for year-round use, and winter is a real season here: skiing and snowboarding at Sir Sam’s above Eagle Lake, long snowmobile trails between the lakes and dog sledding. On the region’s eastern side, around Bancroft and Lake St. Peter, owners on our site rent lake homes directly, including a six-bedroom house that sleeps 19, enough for several branches of a family. About 2½ to 3 hours from Toronto.

Best for: big family gatherings, snowmobiling, a quiet lake

See cottages for rent in Haliburton Highlands →

2. Blue Mountain & Collingwood: Christmas on the slopes

≈ 2 h from Toronto · Ontario

Ontario’s biggest ski resort sits above Georgian Bay with a pedestrian village at its base, and the ski season usually runs from December to March. Large chalets around Collingwood and Craigleith suit two or three families sharing a holiday week, and the Nordic baths of Scandinave Spa are a few minutes away for the day after Christmas. About 2 hours from Toronto.

Best for: ski families, groups, a spa day

See cottages for rent in Blue Mountains & Collingwood →

3. The Laurentians: Mont-Tremblant and Saint-Sauveur

≈ 1–1½ h from Montreal · Quebec

The classic holiday trip from Montreal. Mont-Tremblant, about an hour and a half away, has a big ski resort with a pedestrian village at its foot, lively over the holidays; Saint-Sauveur, about an hour away, is known for night skiing. Between them, the P’tit Train du Nord becomes a cross-country ski trail and lakes freeze for skating.

Best for: a resort village, downhill skiing, skating

See cottages for rent in Laurentians →

4. Around Quebec City: a Christmas market and the ski hills

≈ 2½–3 h from Montreal · ≈ 20–25 min from Quebec City · Quebec

Chalets in Lac-Beauport, Stoneham or Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges put you about twenty minutes from Old Quebec and close to skiing at Stoneham and Mont-Sainte-Anne. From late November until just before Christmas, the German Christmas Market fills the streets of the old city, mostly from Thursday to Sunday; check this year’s dates on its official site before you plan around it.

Best for: a Christmas market, skiing and the city

See cottages for rent in Québec City area →

5. Canmore & Banff: a white Christmas in the Rockies

≈ 1–2 h from Calgary · Alberta

Canmore is about an hour west of Calgary, just outside Banff National Park, with chalets and condos facing the Three Sisters. Banff’s hot springs and gondola are about 20 minutes away, and Sunshine, Lake Louise and Norquay are usually open for skiing well before Christmas. Families flying in from elsewhere can land in Calgary and drive straight to the mountains.

Best for: mountain views, skiing, families flying in

See cottages for rent in Banff, Canmore & the Rockies →

6. Whistler & the Sea-to-Sky: the mountain holiday

≈ 1–2 h from Vancouver · British Columbia

Whistler, North America’s biggest ski resort, is about two hours from Vancouver by the Sea-to-Sky Highway, and its season usually starts in late November. Squamish cabins, about an hour from the city, are a quieter base for snowshoeing and day trips up the mountain. In British Columbia every short-term rental ad must show the provincial registration number, and every listing on our site does.

Best for: serious skiing, a mountain village, Vancouver families

See cottages for rent in Whistler & Sea-to-Sky →

Tips for booking a cottage for the holidays

• Write to owners early, ideally in October or November. Ask whether they set a minimum stay over Christmas and New Year’s or rent only full weeks, and what check-in and check-out days they use.
• Make sure the cottage is ready for winter: heating in every bedroom, running water all season, and a road and driveway that are ploughed. Ask who clears the snow after a storm.
• Tell the owner exactly how many people are coming, including anyone joining for one evening. Many owners do not allow parties, so ask before planning a New Year’s Eve gathering.
• Ask before bringing a real Christmas tree, candles or extra decorations, and have the owner show you how the fireplace or wood stove works and where the firewood is.
• Shop before you arrive. In Ontario most stores must close on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, and small towns everywhere keep short hours over the holidays.
• Plan the drive for daylight and leave room for a storm day. Winter tires are required in Quebec from December 1 to March 15, and winter tires or chains are required on the Sea-to-Sky Highway from October 1 to March 31.
• Put the deal in writing: dates, number of guests, price, deposit, cancellation and what happens if roads close. Our free rental agreement template covers all of it.

Every cottage on our site is rented directly from its owner, with no booking fees. Open a region above to see what is available, use the “winter” filter in search to find winter-ready places, and write to the owner about your holiday dates.

Show winter-ready chalets

Own a cottage or chalet here? List it free — guests contact you directly, no commission. List your cottage →

Updated 2026-10-22