Europe - December - best places?

[esseeeayeenn]

I will be in Europe for December and early January.
Flying in and out of Paris but prepared to fly, drive or catch trains anywhere on the continent (not UK/Ireland).
Please hit me with your best winter holiday suggestions!

 

[dmitri]

that's a pretty open ended question mate, are you looking for snow/small towns/large cities? Paris is good for christmas from my experience, Vienna was also good. Dublin was great for NYE, and Prague is also a lot of fun for NYE. I have rented a small cottage in a country town in France called Turenne, it was pretty amazing in Autumn, winter would be unreal I think.

 

[mooingchicken]

Really depends what you want to do... but my suggestions would be swiss alps, Prague, Budapest, Berlin

 

[mark4217]

Valkrnburg in the Netherlands for the Christmas markets

 

[dmitri]

Budapest xmas markets are awesome

 

[esseeeayeenn]

It's broad because I want to keep an open mind - but please accompany your suggestions with a brief description of why that place is special.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Christmas markets in Köln, Strasburg and many other towns are worth a go, just don't drink too much Glühwine.

in London at Xmas shop assistants are actually nice, polite and helpful, for a change.

Darkness at 3:45pm is also interesting.

 

[vetrade]

Really?????
You're asking strangers who have no idea what age you are or what your interests are etc. etc. to recommend places to go in Europe where there are literally thousands of possibilities??
It's all very well to "keep an open mind" but by keeping the parameters so unhelpfully broad it seems like you just can't be bothered to plan your own holiday.

 

[k_sheep]

I have a trip booked through the Balkans for early December, not realising the ski lifts didn't open that early in the season (I sort of thought they'd open when it was winter! Oops). So now we're doing a bit of Sofia, Warsaw, Krakow, Bratislava and Budapest. Really looking forward to it - Christmas markets might be fun!

Normally we're huge nature people (snorkelling / diving / trekking) everywhere, it'll be interesting to see how we go without all that.

 

[OATEK]

Christmas market in Hyde Park and Oxford St are always fun in the lead up to Christmas. The Ice Skating rink outside the Hotel de Ville in Paris. I have always found the interesting "white Christmas" things that we can only read about in AUS, and not experience, 'make' a December visit.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Seriously if you don't like the question don't reply.

 

[Cynicor]

1. It's cold.
2. Can be quite glum.
3. Lots can be closed.
4. Gets dark quickly/early if far north.

So I reckon if you like the cold, do things that take advantage of that time of year, Aurora Borealis maybe? Santos village/Arctic circle, that sort of thing.

Or, if the cold is less your thing, aim for the more southern areas. Maybe a cruise. Spain, Portugal.

Skiing can happen in the right locations, but so can massive traffic jams/train delays due to blizzards.

 

[Mattg]

I would definitely recommend visiting Germany for the Christmas markets. As much as I love Berlin (even in winter), the best Christmas markets I've come across were in Nuremberg and Munich. Many German cities will also have other outdoor festivities e.g. ice rinks in the lead up to Christmas. But make sure you go before Christmas as many markets start to pack up by around the 27th.

Another suggestion, for something not too "wintery" would be to visit Morocco. I went to Marrakech for 4 days last December and absolutely loved it. Friendly people and very affordable. I did a 2 day tour out to the Sahara Desert which included camel riding, a night in tents under the stars, transport and most meals. The total cost from memory was about $80. No typo! Easyjet and Ryanair fly to Marrakech from a number of places around Europe for very reasonable prices (I went for under 100 Euros return from Berlin with Easyjet) and the flight is only a few hours. And Aussies don't need a visa.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Budapest!

Stay: Hotel Gellert - 1920's faded grandeur but has its own hot springs. Snowing outside and toasty warm ornately tiled thermal baths inside!

You can get to Budapest pretty cheaply these days on the likes of Easyjet, even BA. Worth it for a couple days R&R, or as a tag-on to Vienna.

 

[Dr Ralph]

Greece. Spent a great New years in Athens in 1995/96.

 

[vetrade]

Seriously if you don't like the question don't reply.

I actually loved your question. It reminded me that I was inexperienced and naive once too so I wanted to help. Seriously.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I wasn't aware of Christmas markets, or of the ice skating rink outside La Mairie in Paris.
You've also reminded me that places I've been to before - such as Prague, Budapest, Athens - could be worth revisiting in winter.
My Flight Map can speak for itself in terms of my experience in Europe - although the months backpacking with Eurail passes don't show up.
But sometimes past experience can stop you being open to new experiences.
That is why I deliberately asked such an open-ended question.

 

[dmitri]

There is also an ice skating rink on level 1 of the eiffel tower in winter with a champagne bar on the top level, it's a nice touch to be up there for christmas morning knocking back a nice cold glass of bubbly.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

There is also an ice skating rink on level 1 of the eiffel tower in winter with a champagne bar on the top level, it's a nice touch to be up there for christmas morning knocking back a nice cold glass of bubbly.

That just made it to the top of my list!

 

[dmitri]

me and the wife were up there xmas day 2012, I think the bar opened at 11am and then we had a table at Joel Robuchon for dinner that night, couldn't of been better day.

EIFFEL TOWER RESTAURANTS - CHAMPAGNE BAR - THIRD FLOOR