My husband and I are in the midst of planning a european extravaganza as a celebration of his college graduation. But in order to accommodate his school schedule and my work schedule our trip will be late Dec 2011 - mid January 2012. Our plan is to visit Ireland, France and Italy and we were allowing for 28 days between the three countries (and an extra 2 days for travel across the pond). It doesn't seem like the best time to go but its what we can do and we want to make the most of it. We understand the winter months are better spent in big cities because they are less likely to close down. Anyone have any suggestions for us? We are starting to think about considering cutting our trip back a few days to save up for another European trip (perhaps?) and wanted some input.
Posted by
OP
Missoula, MT
76 posts
For Ireland: we wanted to do Dublin/Newgrange (Christmas day in Dublin), Kilkenny, Cork/Cobh, Killarney Nat'l Park/Muckross House (which sounds like it will be closed while we're there, bummer), Dingle and a night at the Ashford Castle in Cong. For France: we wanted to do a good thorough visit of Paris (NYE there!), Strasborg/Colmar, Lyon and a few days in Chamonix to live it up in the Alps. For Italy: we wanted to do Venice, a day trip to Ravenna, Florence, Siena and Rome. It seems like Ireland was going to be the most difficult to accommodate our timeline. Anyone see any other things that aren't going to be available while we're touring. Also - any one know about Opera season. From what we could gather it appears we will miss the opera in Italy :(
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
The biggest issue with rural areas in the winter isn't that they "close down" (although some attractions do), it's that the daylight hours are so short and quite often blanketed in fog. It just isn't very efficient use of valuable vacation time and money to travel across the pond and to only have a few solid hours of site-seeing each day. That's usually why I recommend sticking mostly to cities in the winter- think urban illumination. The exception? Winter sports areas. You have at least two on your list, Chamonix and Colmar.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
"Also - any one know about Opera season. From what we could gather it appears we will miss the opera in Italy :(" Maybe, maybe not. Opera companies usually take a brief hiatus during the holiday break, but there might be performances just before or after. Check out options in Paris and Dublin as well. Not many people think of the words "opera" and "Ireland" in the same sentence, but I attended a very interesting revival of an old Handel opera there. If you find yourself in a large city for Christmas, you can often find some very impressive music performances at the religious services. I've attended a Christmas Mass in Belgium that was augmented with a full chamber orchestra and operatically-trained cantors.
Posted by
OP
Missoula, MT
76 posts
Well from what I could gather yesterday through internet research it appears that the Rock of Cashel grounds and the Muckross House will be closed that week between Christmas and New Years. Does anyone know if the nat'l park will be open? Will the Dingle peninsula be too quiet?
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
"Does anyone know if the nat'l park will be open? Will the Dingle peninsula be too quiet?" A better question would be "Are they worth visiting at that time of year?" Let me put it this way- you'll have less than 8 hours of sunlight, and even fewer of good visibility. Save for a time of year when you can really enjoy it.
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
Jennie, you might also want to post some of these questions on TripAdvisor where you have locals who answer your questions. They may know about these openings as they live there and might go to the park over the holidays. Pam
Posted by
OP
Missoula, MT
76 posts
Any must see things during the Christmas-New Years season? Most of the guide books talk about not-to-be-missed but they usually aren't for the winter.
Posted by
Honolulu/Seattle, HI/WA, USA
2788 posts
I believe Rick Steves DVD on Christmas in Europe is still available. Check elsewhere on this web site.
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9100 posts
The Christmas special can also be viewed at Hulu
Posted by
naches, wa, usa
182 posts
i think it looks great even in the winter. obviously dublin is fine. i love kilkenny, and it is big enough to be cool. the dingle peninsula will be awesome as it always is. the town will still be vibrant, just a little quieter, which is good in my book. all of france is good to go. in italy, it is always tourist season, so no worries. i am so jealous. pack accordingly, expect wet and cold at times. be flexible, be indoors when it makes the most sense. tons of art where you are going, so the inside of a museum is good refuge from the weather. have fun, be safe.