Help with decision stay and change location or head home

The Christmas markets in Germany and France are supposed to be fantastic. A friend visited the German markets this year and had an amazing time...the photos she shared were gorgeous, and she loved the food and cultural traditions too.

Christmas markets close December 24 so if you want to see them, pick a location in which you can enjoy several markets but leave earlier than December 22.

Joann - I agreed with poster BrittaLou regarding Christmas markets in Germany. These are not to be missed. Christmas markets in Nuremberg, Rothenburg, and Munich are exquisite. Fly from London to Munich then either stay in Munich or visit the other two towns I mentioned from Munich. You will have a wonderful German Christmas experience.

Warm is relative! You might want to consider Siracusa, Sicily, Marseilles or Nice, France, Barcelona, Spain. Not beach weather at all but fairly temperate compared to BC.☃️

Christmas time in northern Europe you have cold days and short ones (dark at 4:30pm).

Have gloves, warm hat and coat. Museums are indoors and warm.

Winter in Europe is great for skiing, but not touring. Better in a warmer place.

For winter sun and warmth, the Canary Islands (Spanish) is a favourite destination for Britons, Dutch and Germans, not unlike Canadians heading to Florida, popular locations are Gran Canaria, Tenerife, it won't be busy-busy like Barcelona, but will be a pleasant climate, a change to grey, overcast and cooler Northern Europe.

The year round sub tropical climate is just right, in winter still around 20C. especially at sea level, gets cooler if you take a trip into the higher hills.

It's part of the EU, euro is used, has good roads and holiday infrastructure.

About 3.5 hour flight from London, it's the same latitude as Florida but still the same time zone as the UK.

I suggest France, specifically the Alsace region. We spent a week in Beaune that included easy day trips to Freiburg, Germany, Basel and Strasbourg and enjoyed each area. Take the Eurostar to Paris and head to Alsace from there. Also, Paris was as wonderful as you would expect.

I don't know where you are in Canada but you can get a cheap Ryanair flight to the Azores, and then I think there is a flight back to somewhere in a Canada. It won't be warm but could be mild at least and you can bathe in hot springs.

Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions and information. It sounds like heading for a warm European beach week isn’t very realistic or practical. Will need to determine whether we want to change our itinerary to take in the German Christmas market or perhaps head to France. Warm is definitely a relative term given I’m sitting in British Columbia in the middle of a snowstorm. It would be great to combine our time in London with at least one other European destination. We’ve travelled to several European countries including Italy 5 times but never in December.
Thanks again
JoAnn

Not warm, but we have enjoyed December in Venice, Assisi, Rome, and Sorrento.

Venice is magical and there are no cruise ships in the winter. Assisi is where St. Francis introduced the nativity scene as a teaching tool and the town is simply lovely in winter.

We encountered clear, cool (45-50 Fah.) weather in Sorrento where we spent a pre-Christmas week one year. Pompeii was deserted and the Amalfi Coast stunning. Be aware that Italians flock to the area the week after Christmas.

That said, Rome, might be a better choice as there are many indoor activities if weather does not cooperate.