Thinking about going to Vienna, Salzburg and Venice at Christmas time this year for 8 days. Any ideas on itinerary, order of travel, what to see, where to be on Christmas and best mode between cities.
Posted by
Charleston, SC, USA
922 posts
The order would depend on which specific dates you will be there. I would go Vienna to Salzburg to Venice or vice versa based on where you want to end up. I have heard that Vienna is the place to be around Christmas...
http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/christmas-in-vienna
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area
5697 posts
Vienna for New Year's... walzing in the streets!
Posted by
Edmond, Oklahoma, USA
31 posts
Vienna Christmas Markets are great but most everything shuts down early on Christmas Eve and the city is a ghost town. Nothing much open at all and the markets shut down. New Year's Celebration though is very big.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
Try a search in the box above for the Christmas topic, either with or without naming a city. I think you'll find some relevant discussion. Each city's own Tourist Office web site is another source for winter events info, but more detailed as those dates get closer.
Posted by
Bloomfield, MI
35 posts
My husband and I are going to be in Austria for Christmas this year. We're doing Vienna-Salzburg-Hallstatt for 10 days.
I found an extremely helpful list of events, etc. on the www.wein.info website. You can find the pdf preview by clicking here.
We're planning to visit as many museums as we can, see some concerts and visit the Christmas markets. Let me know if you find any helpful information! Have fun planning!
Posted by
maplewood, new jersey, usa
818 posts
I vote Venice for Christmas! It was magical. Not full of tourists and Venice is for wandering - who cares if places are closed.
Posted by
Palo Alto, CA
45 posts
We are going to Salzburg for Christmas this year too. I think that your plan to visit those three cities is too much for just 8 days which includes I assume both Christmas eve and Christmas day; you should limit your trip to one or two of those cities.
I recommend that you chose one city to spend both Christmas eve and Christmas day and then one or two days before or after those two days. I know from the planning of our Xmas trip that we could easily spend 8 days during the Christmas time just in Salzburg and its surrounding areas, i.e. Berchtesgarden, St. Wolfgang, Bavaria Germany, etc. Remember you will be there in winter during the holidays when it is better to stay longer in or near one place, enjoy the local Christmas markets and attractions, and not spend a lot of your precious time traveling from distant city to city.