Hanukkah 2026 Abroad: Where to Go, Public Menorahs, Kosher Food

Hanukkah abroad can be something special: a giant menorah at the Eiffel Tower or the Brandenburg Gate, doughnuts in Trafalgar Square, and Shabbat Hanukkah at a Chabad house full of guests. Here are the destinations that suit the festival best, checked against reliable sources - and what to book ahead.

Hanukkah 2026: the dates, and why to plan now

This year the first candle is lit on Friday evening, December 4, 2026, and the festival runs until Saturday, December 12. So it contains two Shabbatot - December 4 and 11 - and on both the Hanukkah candles are lit before the Shabbat candles. Hanukkah is one of the busiest travel weeks of the year, so book flights, hotels and Shabbat meals early. The good news: Europe's big cities and New York have impressive public menorah lightings, open kosher restaurants and Chabad houses that host - a festival that feels like home abroad.

New York: the world's largest menorah, and 131 kosher restaurants

New York is probably the easiest place for a kosher Hanukkah: our site lists 131 kosher restaurants there. Since 1977 the 'World's Largest Menorah' - about 11 metres tall - has stood at Grand Army Plaza, Fifth Avenue and 59th Street by Central Park, lit every night of the festival in a ceremony by the Lubavitch Youth Organization, with music and doughnuts. On the first Shabbat of Hanukkah (December 4) candle lighting in New York is at 16:10. The Chabad center for Israeli tourists is a good address for questions about Shabbat and other lightings.

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Stays within walking distance of Chabad in New York

For a relaxed Shabbat, what matters is what's within walking distance. The map shows hotels and apartments around this exact spot.

Stays within walking distance

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Paris: a menorah at the Eiffel Tower

Every year Chabad puts up a giant menorah on the Champ-de-Mars, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower - a Parisian tradition decades old that draws thousands. Paris is also one of Europe's richest kosher destinations: our site lists 97 kosher restaurants there, many in the 9th, 17th and 19th arrondissements and the Marais. On the first Shabbat of Hanukkah, candle lighting in Paris is at 16:37. Chabad of Paris publishes this year's exact time of the public lighting closer to the festival.

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Stays within walking distance of Chabad in Paris

For a relaxed Shabbat, what matters is what's within walking distance. The map shows hotels and apartments around this exact spot.

Stays within walking distance

Compares prices across the major booking sites. The booking is made on the external site, not on BooKasher.

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London: a lighting in Trafalgar Square

For more than a decade Trafalgar Square has hosted a large community Hanukkah event with a giant menorah, music and doughnuts, organised by the Jewish Leadership Council with Chabad UK and supported by the Mayor. Our site lists 56 kosher restaurants in London, many of them in Golders Green, Hendon and Edgware. Note that London has the earliest Shabbat of the destinations here: on the first Shabbat of Hanukkah candle lighting is at 15:35.

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Stays within walking distance of Chabad in London

For a relaxed Shabbat, what matters is what's within walking distance. The map shows hotels and apartments around this exact spot.

Stays within walking distance

Compares prices across the major booking sites. The booking is made on the external site, not on BooKasher.

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Rome: a menorah in Piazza Barberini every night

Since 1988 Chabad has lit a large menorah in Piazza Barberini, in central Rome, on each night of the festival. Rome pairs Hanukkah with a visit to the historic Jewish Ghetto, where many of the 16 kosher restaurants we list are found, and a Chabad house operates right in the Ghetto. On the first Shabbat of Hanukkah, candle lighting in Rome is at 16:21.

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Stays within walking distance of Chabad in Rome

For a relaxed Shabbat, what matters is what's within walking distance. The map shows hotels and apartments around this exact spot.

Stays within walking distance

Compares prices across the major booking sites. The booking is made on the external site, not on BooKasher.

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Berlin and Vienna: menorahs at the Brandenburg Gate and Stephansplatz

In Berlin, Chabad has put up a menorah about 10 metres tall at the Brandenburg Gate since 2003 - a lighting with deep historical meaning, in a place where the Nazis once marched. In Vienna, Chabad of Austria's menorah stands in Stephansplatz, in the heart of the city, since 1982. We list 9 kosher restaurants in Berlin and 14 in Vienna, and both cities have a Chabad house. In central Europe Shabbat comes early: on the first Shabbat of Hanukkah candle lighting is at 15:36 in Berlin and 15:43 in Vienna.

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Stays within walking distance of Chabad in Berlin

For a relaxed Shabbat, what matters is what's within walking distance. The map shows hotels and apartments around this exact spot.

Stays within walking distance

Compares prices across the major booking sites. The booking is made on the external site, not on BooKasher.

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Miami: Hanukkah in the sun

If you'd rather have Hanukkah without a coat - Miami. December temperatures there are usually pleasant, and Miami Beach and Sunny Isles are among the easiest kosher areas in the US: we list 50 kosher restaurants, with active Chabad houses along the coast. On the first Shabbat of Hanukkah candle lighting in Miami is at 17:11 - the latest of the destinations here, which leaves almost a full beach day.

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Stays within walking distance of Chabad in Miami

For a relaxed Shabbat, what matters is what's within walking distance. The map shows hotels and apartments around this exact spot.

Stays within walking distance

Compares prices across the major booking sites. The booking is made on the external site, not on BooKasher.

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This is an affiliate link. If you book through it we may earn a small commission - at no extra cost to you - that helps keep the site running.

And if you'd rather have snow: skiing over Hanukkah

Hanukkah is also the start of ski season. My Kosher Hotel in Canazei, in the Dolomites, is open all year with a synagogue and mikveh in the hotel, which makes it the safe choice for Hanukkah. Other seasonal kosher hotels and restaurants sometimes open only after the festival - we gathered all the details, including Shabbat times at the resorts, in our kosher ski vacation guide for winter 2026–27 on the blog.

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Stay in the kosher area of Canazei

Canazei does not have one obvious Jewish quarter. My Kosher Hotel Synagogue (synagogue listed on the site) is the anchor - book a hotel within walking distance of it rather than picking a random part of Canazei.

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Lighting Hanukkah abroad: the hotel, Shabbat and meals

At the hotel: smoke detectors and fire rules are a real issue. Ask in advance where you may light - by the window in your room, in the lobby or in a designated corner. Kosher hotels have this arranged; in an ordinary hotel, ask before you book. Hanukkah candles are easier to pack than oil and wicks. On Friday: light the Hanukkah candles and only then the Shabbat candles, all before sunset - in some destinations before four. Plan the Friday accordingly. Shabbat meals: many Chabad houses host over Shabbat Hanukkah and hold public lightings. Register ahead - places fill up in the festival week.

For each of these destinations our site has the kosher restaurants, synagogues and Chabad houses, plus weekly Shabbat times - including both Hanukkah Shabbatot. This year's public lighting times are usually published close to the festival by the local Chabad, so check with them before you go. Happy Hanukkah!