Villa Zorayda Holiday and Candlelight Tours

Each year during the holidays, every room in the ornate Villa Zorayda Museum is adorned with more than 100 candles as well as traditional and Victorian Christmas decorations. A tall, beautifully decorated Christmas tree stands in the "Court of Lions," festooned in Zorayda's red and gold signature colors, providing a spectacular centerpiece for this two-floor display.

Christmas Season Tours

The museum offers two different tours: candlelight tours featuring a tree lighting, and holiday self-guided evening tours. 

Candlelight Tours

• The Candlelight Tours are on select days from Friday, December 4, 2026, through Wednesday, December 30, 2026. These one-hour tours begin at 5:30 and 7:00 p.m., and you must book for a particular time.
• The Candlelight Tours include an audio-guided tour that discusses aspects of the home's fascinating history. At one point during the tour, you are asked to gather around the balconies before the evening's grand event. The museum darkens, and you experience the dramatic lighting of the Christmas tree, floor by floor, until the building is fully and spectacularly lit. Afterward, you are invited to continue with the audio tour to complete the 60-minute experience and enjoy a complimentary cookie and beverage.

Event Details for the Candlelight Tour

• Admission: Candlelight Tours are $26.99 for adults and $14.99 for children ages six to 12. The tour is not recommended for children five and younger. (A 6.5% sales tax will be added to the ticket price.)
• When: Tours start at 5:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., on select days, from Tuesday, December 2, 2025, through Friday, January 2, 2026. You must book for a particular tour and can make reservations online. Dates for the 2026/27 season: December 4, December 8, December 11, December 14, December 18, December 21, December 28, and December 30.

Holiday Evening Tours

• Holiday Evening Tours are held every Saturday, from November 28, 2026, through January 2, 2027.
• These self-guided audio tours run continuously from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. each Saturday. You may start your tour anytime between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m., and tour at your leisure until 8:00 p.m. No guests will be admitted after 7:00 p.m. The Holiday Evening Tours begin after the normal daytime tour schedule and are audio-guided tours within the beautifully lit and decorated museum. 

Event Details for the Evening Evening Tours

• Admission: Holiday Evening Tours are $18.00 for adults and $11.00 for children ages five to 12. Children four and younger are free. (A 6.5% sales tax will be added to the ticket price.)
• When: Visit between 5:00 and 8:00 p.m., every Saturday evening from November 28, 2026, through January 2, 2027. You can make reservations online. While the museum remains open until 8:00 p.m., you cannot start your tour later than 7:00 p.m.

What to Expect

Touring the museum requires standing and walking for its duration, and there is no elevator available in this historic building. These tours are approximately 60 minutes and include an overview of Villa Zorayda's history, its previous owners, and the art and antique collection found in the museum.

Reservations are strongly suggested. This tour often sells out. The audio guide, included in the ticket, is available in English, Spanish, and French. You may purchase tickets in advance. If you have questions, call the museum at (904)-829-9887.

Where: The Villa Zorayda, 83 King St., St. Augustine, 32084

About the Villa Zorayda Museum

The Villa Zorayda had its heyday as a popular casino in the 1920s. It was built in 1883 by Franklin Smith, utilizing his construction method of poured concrete and crushed coquina shell, as his winter home. The Zorayda sparked the Moorish Spanish revival style of architecture that is seen throughout the city of St. Augustine today. Visiting the Villa Zorayda Museum is like a quick trip to Europe without leaving St. Augustine, as the Villa Zorayda was built as a scaled-down replica of the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain.

Parking and Shuttles During Nights of Lights

Nights of Lights is a event best enjoyed by walking or by taking a walking, riding, or boat tour.

There are two types of bus routes:

1. Free Park and Ride Shuttles on select days. (See Below)
2. Free STAR Circulator Bus on a loop between the Visitor Information Center and St. Augustine Beach.

Free Park and Ride Shuttles

• Park for free in one of the lots outside of town.
• Take a free shuttle bus to the Visitor Information Center, and enjoy Nights of Lights.
• Then, meet the free shuttle bus at the Visitor Center and ride back to your car. 

When Do the Free Shuttles Operate in 2026/27?

• 4:00 to 11:00 pm. on Light-Up! Night, November 21.
• 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on December 5 (the day of the Christmas Parade).
• 1:00 to 11:00 p.m. on the remaining 21 high-attendance days during Nights of Lights.
  • November: 27 and 28
  • December: 4, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31
  • January: 1 and 2

Where Will You Park? 

Three lots will be open on the days the shuttles operate:

• St. Johns County Health Department, 200 San Sebastian View, St. Augustine, off U.S. 1
• Broudy's Lot, 198 West King Street, St. Augustine, off U.S. 1
• San Marco Lot, 301 San Marco Avenue, St. Augustine

Special Light-Up! Night Shuttle on Anastasia Island

On Saturday, November 21, 2026, from 4:00 to 11:00 p.m., park for free in one of two lots on Anastasia Island and use the Free Park-and-Ride Shuttle, provided by Historic Tours of America. 

• Anastasia Baptist Church, 1650 A1A South
• R.B. Hunt Elementary School, 125 Magnolia Drive (off A1A South)
• You will have to walk across the Bridge of Lions to get to town and walk back across the bridge to take the shuttle.

Why Use the Lots and Shuttle Service?

• It's free.
• You avoid driving around (and around) the city looking for a parking spot.
• When the shuttles are operating, the parking garage charges $40.00 after 1:00 p.m.
  • If you arrive before 1:00 p.m or on any day the shuttles don't operate the garage charges $20.00 for the day. 
  • St Johns County residents with ParkStAug pay normal resident price.
• Neighborhoods bordering downtown enact Resident Only Parking on the streets during Nights of Lights. There will be private paid lots in the area, but no on-street parking.

Busiest Days with Heavy Traffic

You can absolutely enjoy these days. Just plan to arrive early.

Here are the special events that will impact the traffic and the shuttles:

• Light-UP! Night, Saturday, November 21—Added shuttles from Anastasia start at 4:00 p.m.
• Christmas Parade, Saturday, December 5—The shuttles start operating at 8:00 a.m.
• Regatta of Lights, Saturday, December 12, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. Coming from Ponte Vedra? View the boats from the Vilano Fishing Pier. Coming from Anastasia? View the boats from the bridge. The viewing space on the bayfront is limited due to construction.