Christmas at Biltmore: A Visitor’s Guide

Nowhere does Christmas quite like Biltmore. This 1890s chateau-inspired mansion goes all out for the holidays, bedecking every inch of its 175,000 square feet in garlands, lights, and Christmas trees. If you’re looking for the best time to visit this historic estate, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better time of year than at Christmas. Here is my visitor’s guide to Christmas at Biltmore!

About The Estate

The Biltmore Estate is located right outside of Asheville, North Carolina in the Appalachian Mountains. Built in the 1890s by George Vanderbilt, this sprawling home overlooks 8,000 acres of forest and farmland. Architect Richard Morris Hunt designed the home in the French Renaissance style and includes 250 rooms. Adjacent to the house are 75 acres of gardens and manicured woods designed by renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Olmsted is probably most famous for designing New York City’s Central Park, but considered Biltmore to be the crowning jewel of his career.

An oil portrait of Frederick Law Olmsted — A portrait of Olmsted

It’s easy to see why. Guests enter the estate through a grand gatehouse in Biltmore Village before beginning a 3 mile drive to the house. The driveway meanders alongside a creek through beautifully maintained woods, designed to evoke “the sensation of passing through the remote depths of a natural forest.” Then, the gates of the house appear in the trees, and the expansive lawn and sprawling mansion become visible.

One of the stone lions that guards the front doors decorated with a Christmas wreath

In December, a towering evergreen adorns the front lawn and wreaths grace the lion statues guarding the front door. Guests can park in one of the lots outside the house gates and take a short walk or trolly ride to the front steps of the house. If you are touring the home, you are encouraged to be at the door 15 minutes prior to your entrance time.

Biltmore House and front lawn at Christmas

Tour Options

Regular Daytime Experience: includes self-guided tour of the house, access to gardens, access to Antler Hill Village and lights, complimentary Winery tasting (reservations required), and free parking. Starts at $94.
Enhanced Daytime Experience: includes audio guided tour of the house,  access to gardens, access to Antler Hill Village and lights, complimentary Winery tasting (reservations required), and free parking. Starts at $106. If it's your first time visiting and/or you're a history buff, definitely go for this one. You'll learn a lot more about each room and the history of the Vanderbilts.
Exclusive Daytime Experience: includes 2-hour custom guided tour of the house with visits to areas outside the main tour based on your interests, access to Antler Hill Village and lights, complimentary Winery tasting (reservations required), and free parking. Starts at $314.
Candlelight Christmas Experiences: all of the above are included with an evening visit to the house, complete with thousands of candles, lit fireplaces, Christmas lights, and luminaries.

More information about ticketing and experiences can be found on Biltmore’s website.

Luminaries line the path leading to the front door of Biltmore House at night; the illuminated house and Christmas tree on the lawn are seen in the background

Touring the House

Once you step through the vast front doors, you’ll find yourself in the grand entry hall. Here is the lovely Winter Garden, a glass-ceilinged room filled with green plants and poinsettias.

The Winter Garden in the Biltmore House decorated with poinsettias for Christmas

Beyond, the tour will wind you through various rooms on the ground floor, including the Billiards Room, the breakfast room, and the stunning Dining Room with its soaring 7 story ceiling. At Christmas, a towering spruce and lavish greenery adorn this hall fit for royalty.

The Dining Room

The grand Christmas tree in the towering dining room

A Christmas tree and decorations in the dining room of Biltmore House

As you wander through the house, make sure to take in the details. The Vanderbilt spared no expense in the craftsmanship and adornment in each room. Hand-painted beams, carved wood molding, oil paintings by Sargent and Whistler, medieval Flemish tapestries… every bit of the mansion is a work of art.

The Library

My very favorite room is the library. This room houses only half of George Vanderbilt’s collection of volumes, with the rest in storage or scattered throughout the rest of the house. Looking up, you can take in the expansive painting The Chariots of Aurora. George Vanderbilt purchased this work by Giovanni Pellegrini from a Venetian family and it originally hung in the Palazzo Pisani in Venice.

The Biltmore library decorated for Christmas

A vintage rocking horse and other Christmas toys

Armchairs, hearth, and Flemish tapestries in the Biltmore House

Despite its size and lavishness, this room somehow still feels cozy. I would love to curl up in one of the armchairs by the large fireplace with a book (perhaps one George Vanderbilt hand-bound himself), get lost browsing the shelves, or try a game of chess on the board that once belonged to Napoleon.

Biltmore also has some interesting surprises hidden away in the basement. The tour will wind you down a stone tunnel and into the Halloween room- perhaps the most bizarre and unexpected room in the mansion. Guests decorated this garishly painted room during a New Year’s Eve party.

A mural in the Halloween Room of Biltmore House — A mural in the Halloween Room

The swimming pool inside of Biltmore House — The swimming pool

Another is the swimming pool, which has admittedly always creeped me out! But for its time, was incredibly impressive. Other rooms include the gymnasium (complete with old-time exercise equipment), the bowling alley, and the gunroom.

Lastly, one of the most interesting parts of the tour is the servants’ quarters and seeing how each of the dozens of people in the Vanderbilts’ employ lived and worked.

Touring the Grounds

Overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains from Biltmore Estate — The Estate looks out over the Blue Ridge Mountains

There’s an abundance of things to see and do outside of the mansion as well. The estate includes hundreds of miles of hiking and riding trails, gardens, and Antler Hill Village and Winery. The estate also offers special activities like carriage rides, fly-fishing, clay shooting, and falconry (which I would love to try!).

The Gardens

Make sure to walk through the Walled Garden and the Conservatory at the very least. If you visit at Christmas, the gardens won’t be at their most beautiful, but there’s still plenty to see including the impressive works of espalier lining the walls.

Wisteria vines on the porch of Biltmore House, overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains

The Conservatory

The Conservatory is a beautiful and impressive collection of tropical plants, and honestly probably my favorite part outside the house. Its lush greenery, bright blooms, and winding paths make it feel like you’re exploring an exotic jungle.

Orange tree in the Biltmore Conservatory

Tropical plants in the Biltmore Conservatory

Antler Hill Village

Make sure to stop by Antler Hill Village for shopping and dining. This modern day addition to the estate includes several restaurants, shops, live music (depending on when you come), and the farmyard.

At Christmas, the Village is lit up with thousands of Christmas lights strung through the trees and shops. One of the most charming parts was the elaborate train set modeled after famous landmarks and train stations throughout the US. Kids are sure to love it and even us adults were awestruck.

Your admission should include a free wine tasting at the Winery, so make sure you make a reservation for the tasting room. Other options are available for extra cost, like a wine and chocolate pairing and a Winery tour.

Biltmore House at sunset with large Christmas tree lit on front lawn

Tips and Other Info

Christmas reservations book up quickly, so don’t wait until the last minute or you may miss out. Try to book your tickets at least a week in advance, but the earlier the better. The Candlelight visits fill up first.
Wear comfortable shoes that you can walk a lot in. The estate is huge, and even the house requires quite a few steps. It is 175,000 square feet after all! Temperatures can also get pretty chilly in Asheville during December. When I visited, it was in the mid-30s and windy, so bundle up!
A clear bag is required to go in the house, so leave your regular tote or purse at home and only bring the necessities or make sure you’ve got a security-approved bag.
Currently COVID19 measures require a suitable face covering to enter the house. Only masks with ear loops are allowed, no bandanas or similar coverings.
Plan on at least a full day to see everything. It takes 1-2 hours to see the house, and you want to have enough time to explore the gardens, get your wine tasting in, do some shopping, and maybe get something to eat.
Photography is allowed inside the mansion, but only for personal use and without a flash. Be respectful of others around you when taking photos.
If you visit Biltmore at Christmas, make sure to come back by the house at night to see all the lights. I toured the house and gardens during the day, visited Antler Hill in the evening, and then stopped by the house again before leaving. We got there right at sunset, which was a beautiful time to see the Blue Ridge Mountains behind the house and lights.