Vienna in December

Budapest of course. Its about 10 minutes further away than Salzburg and a bunch more interesting. Good Christmas markets too.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/11/15/article-2507853-196E40C900000578-792_634x403.jpg

https://cdn.theculturetrip.com/images/56-294405-141831366739df8514d6c04423b502ffae858e72e4.jpg

They even decorate the trams http://dertour.co.uk/media/9383217/christmas_tram_budapest_499x330.jpg

https://1drv.ms/i/s!Ai7Zk-szxfTJ7BPutPuoshd8E7tK

We will be in a simiar situation. Our daughter will be studying at the University of Vienna this year. We don't know yet how long we'll have to spend in Europe but would be interested in recommendations. Would Bratislava, Prague, Wroclaw, or other eastern European cities be recommended for their Christmas markets, or would it be better to try to make a trip to Nuremberg or other western European cities?

Last December, I traveled for a couple of weeks and also hit up Christmas markets. It is so fun!

I love Vienna and have been there about 3 times. This was my first time with their Christmas markets and they are pretty fun. It is also very festive in December so a great time to be a tourist. You can see a lot with 2-3 solid days here depending on your touring style :-)

I took a day trip to Bratislava and it wouldn't be on the top of my list (unless it is a burning desire for you).

I would recommend Munich highly. Munich in December is one of my favorite places. The Christmas markets are really fun and diverse (traditional, medieval, hippie) and you can also take a walking tour and see the sights over a couple of days.

Nuremburg has a great market (and the best little sausages on a bun, so delicious) and the Nazi party history is really interesting. You may be able to do it as a long day from Munich, but I think it is better if you spend one night.

I didn't stop in Salzburg this trip, but you could make it part of your travel day to Munich. When I went previously, I was good with just one day.

Budapest is fun (I've been during the summer). Choice between Budapest and Munich depends on your preference.

In addition to the markets in Vienna (Spittelberg, Karlsplatz, Schonbrunn and Altes AKH being the best ones), I'd go to Wolfgangsee which is phenomenal for markets. Spend 3 days there and you could also cover Salzburg on a day trip.

Thanks all for the information! There are so many things we would like to do in Vienna we are leaning towards staying there the entire time and then taking day trips. Any other tips would be great as well...

Any town has Christmas markets in Austria/Bavaria. Salzburg can be extremely crowded with tourists because of its small size. I would recommend doing 3 full days in Vienna and 2-3 full days in another city. You could consider Munich, Prague, Bratislava, Budapest, all are fairly close to Vienna. If you were going in Summer Id say you could spend a few more days in Salzburg, but unless youre going skiing its really only worth one day.

Again, thanks to all for the great advice. We are considering the opera, but have not looked into it yet. A good reminder to do it this week :0.

All the above advice is very good. You will have to decide what is right for you. The Esterhazy Keller, Zwölf Apostel Keller, and Brezel Gwölb are atmospheric places for a drink and a bite in center city Vienna. The standing room tickets at the opera are inexpensive if you just need a taste of opera without the expense. The wine heurigers in Ginzing and Nussdorf will be open in winter and worth a visit. And the museums and the pastries and the coffee and the churches and the palaces....enjoy!