Innsbruck? Or smaller villages?

When in December are you going to be free? You are getting in to ski season, but it should not get busy until the week before Christmas, and the snow could be iffy. But I would suggest Mittenwald. You can visit Innsbruck from there on the train, as well as the bigger Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It is in Germany right on the Austrian border. And it is a village the mountains rather than a city in a deep valley.
http://www.alpenwelt-karwendel.de/en/winter

With more time, I'd go to the Suedtirol in Italy, south of Innsbruck. A bit hard to get to by rail and bus, but a car would be easy. I'd say Ortisei in the Val Gardena.
http://www.valgardena.it/en/ski-snowboard/outdoor-indoor-adventures/

AS Sam notes, December may be problematical with respect to natural snow. (Alpine/Downhill Lift Assisted ski resorts have snowmaking). You did not specify your interest but small villages are more attractive for their active outdoor recreation activities than passive sightseeing.

If sightseeing is more your interest, smallish cities such as Salzburg and Prague could be options.

For active holidays, we enjoyed the small villages of the Kitzbuehere resion of the Tyrol. My only experience is with the five village valleys of the PillerseeTal. The five villages are connected by free bus service and Fieberbrunn and Hochfilzen are train stops. We were there the second half of January 2014, arriving to essentially bear ground. Several days of almost continuous snow started the day after our arrival transforming the valley into a winter wonderland for cross country skiing. (If you don't ski the area packs trail for winter walking without the need for snowshoes).

https://www.kitzbueheler-alpen.com/en/pillerseetal/winter/holiday.html

Winter in the PillerseeTal really is great fun. Lots of snow, a dreamy
winter landscape and a wide range of activities for families and fun
are on offer - it is holiday-makers that make the towns of
Fieberbrunn, Hochfilzen, St. Jakob in Haus, St. Ulrich am Pillersee
and Waidring. Discover the versatile range on offer in the
PillerseeTal for your perfect winter holiday in Tirol. Information
about the offer for skiers, cross-country skiers and activities away
from the pistes is available right here.
https://www.kitzbueheler-alpen.com/en/pillerseetal/holiday-skiing-crosscountry.html

https://www.kitzbueheler-alpen.com/en/pillerseetal/service/bus-time-tables-regiobus.html

The Regiobus runs all year round between Hochfilzen and Waidring and
back. So your car gets a holiday too! Your guest card for the region,
a valid ski pass or the PillerseeTal-Card is your ticket for free bus
journeys.

Innsbruck is surrounded by small villages lying much higher than the city center - Igls, Lans, Patsch, Aldrans, Natters, Mutters. Being there gives you the experience of being in a mountain village while at the same time being close to city center. IMHO in winter you need being in a city or at least being close to a city; mountain villages in winter are fine if you are skying, but snow and cold weather make them unsuited to walking around for long. A city center is more enjoyable during the day. Staying in villages around Innsbruck you would have the best of the two worlds at the same time.

Some of those (Igls and Vill) are part of the Innsbruck territory and have very frequent bus service to city center. Lans is also connected to the urban bus network, Natters and Mutters have a tram/train going down, Patsch, Aldrans and other villages are better visited with a car. But consider that driving in snow on inclines may be not very pleasant. Also, the villages being higher than the main city, I have discovered that the temperature in summer and winter is on average 3 Celsius degrees lower than the city.

(Writing these very lines from Igls. Today we'll spend the morning in Vill where the old church has been restored and there is the opening ceremony. People will attend in the traditional dirndl dress. This afternoon we take the tram in the woods to Ambras castle where there will be a baroque festival for children and adults. And tomorrow we will have a walk in the woods in the morning and the opera in the main city in the evening. We are doing a mountain and a city holiday at the same time. I cannot see how places like Seefeld or Kitzbuhel, that are mainly skying and sport places, could compare.)

For smaller villages or towns try Halstatt, Zell am See, Kaprun, Cesky Krumlov. If snowy Prague is very beautiful, less so if rainy. And it is not a smallish city as it was suggested. Salzburg is worth visit especially when snowy.

Please look at Seefeld. It is a short and beautiful train ride from Innsbruck in the middle of the mountains. In addition to excellent restaurants and excellent lodging (Hotel Princess Bergfrieden is our favorite) there is a large indoor/outdoor swimming complex with heated water which your son will love. Nothing like soaking in warm water while looking at the snow capped mountains.

Prague is not the same scenario. While the small town of Interlaken has ZERO starred tourist sights in Rick's guidebook, Prague is a city with a lot of interesting history, culture, and architecture. Interesting small towns are day-trippable. Cesky Krumlov is a bit far for a same-day roundtrip (3.5 hours by Student Agency bus or 2.5 hours by private shuttle van), therefore most people stay overnight, but I would not consider it a substitute for Prague.

I don't generally like big cities either. When I went to the Innsbruck area, I didn't really find anything I wanted to see in Innsbruck more than I wanted to see Brenner Pass, so I stayed in Hall and only went into downtown Innsbruck for a short look around between trains. In retrospect, I think I would have preferred to stay in even smaller Wattens.

On the other hand, when I went to Prague, there were things in the city I wanted to see (Palace hill, Charles' Bridge, the town square, Wenceslas square, etc), so I stayed near the downtown area.

So, do some research. Take a good look at both Innsbruck and Prague to see what there is in the town you want to see. Don't stay in town, if the things you want to see are outside, but don't commute in from outside if everything you want to see is in town.

Definitely stay in Prague - it is nothing like the Interlaken vs. other Swiss cities scenario, and the city is so magical in the winter! You will not be sorry. I recommend staying in Mala Strana because it is a bit of a smaller, slow-paced feel compared to Old Town on the right bank of the river.
As for Austria - I am in the same boat as you, although Rick recommends Hall (only a few miles from Innsbruck), so I'm thinking that might be a great alternative.

A major RS mystery is why Rick recommends Hall in place of Innsbruck. Hall has a small and old city centre, that's all.

On the contrary, the recently restored Innsbruck Hofburg (Imperial Palace) and Ambras castle are IMHO better than any Ludwig castle. The Hofburg is a small version of Habsburg's Imperial palaces in Vienna, with an impressive Grand Hall, and original Chinese rooms and a black chapel. The Ambras castle is not recommended to mobility challenged people as it involves walking uphill and upstairs, and not a good idea in bad weather as the it is composed of different buildings in a large park. But it makes a great afternoon and great entertainment for kids. Also the Hofkirche (Court church) is worth a visit.

Hi,

We love both Innsbruck and Hall in Tirol. During the Christmas Markets, Innsbruck is hard to beat. It's magical in my opinion. We've stayed in Hall in Tirol 5 times for a total of 18 nights, including 2 stays for 8 nights in early December.

www.flickr.com/photos/pjbassplyr/albums/72157645513366824
www.flickr.com/photos/pjbassplyr/albums/72157646776460291

If you prefer a quieter village, look into Igls above Innsbruck. A visit to the Homburg, Hofkirche, Schloss Ambras and a trip on the Nordkettenbahn are all worth while in Innsbruck.

Paul

Like you, I don't particularly like large cities. When I visited the Innsbruck area, I stayed in Hall and trained in to Innsbruck for the day. I've also visited Seefeld. Although Seefeld was socked in when I was there, and I could not see the surrounding mountains, the town itself was charming. It's only a half hour by train to Innsbruck. I would stay in Seefeld.

Hi All. Thanks so much for your information! In the my work itinerary changed from our Nuremberg office, to our Cologne office. I started a new thread with our tentative itinerary. But as far as the Austria area goes, we needed to shorten our time here, then slowly work our way up toward Cologne. We plan to fly into Munich, stay there one night, then take the train to Salzburg for two nights, doing day trips to Miitenwald and Berchtesgaden if we have time.

Mittenwald is hardly a day trip from Salzburg. From Munich, yes.

Paul

Yes, this was a mistake on my part. I was stuck on Mittenwald from when we were planning to go to Innsbruck. I realize it's not close to Salzburg. :)

I’ve been to Salzburg and it’s a magical place! Especially during winter time you get the special Christmas market with beautiful shops and Austrian Christmas delicacies. Also, the Salzburg Castle (Hohensalzburg Castle) is worth visiting. Prague is one of my personal favorites during Christmas time in Europe as well. It’s a must see so I’m sure you’ll enjoy your vacation in Europe!