Montreal is the most beautiful when it is blanketed in snow. Bundle up, go outside, and celebrate winter at the 17th Montreal en Lumiere (February 18-March 5), the city's biggest winter arts, music, and food festival. The eclectic lineup includes live music, theater, and dance performances; dazzling pyrotechnics and light shows; a circus acts, children's activities, and dance parties, plus ice sliding and ice-skating. Mixed in with this are fine-dining events pairing top Montreal chefs and over 50 city restaurants with culinary masters from the United States and Switzerland, the festival's featured country for 2015. Save some energy for the final night's Nuit Blance a Montreal, a dusk-to-dawn party packed with more than 200 indoor and outdoor activities. Most events are free, and some are held under the stars or, if you're lucky, the lightly falling snow.

Source: National Geographic's Best Winter Trips 2015.