Advice needed; 1st time travel to Europe during Christmas and New Year's.

Are you aware that much of Europe shuts down about midday Dec 24 and doesn't open until Dec 27? It's a plus that you're in an American chain hotel, as those restaurants should be open- however, secure reservations.
Also check for New Year's closures.
Have a great trip!

Was not aware of that. Thank you for that information.

Xmas and New Year's day are the only days where everything is closed just like in the. USA.
All of the museums are open on December 24 and December 26. So make Xmas day a travel day. :
Here is a rough itinerary:

Fly into Amsterdam December 21
Amsterdam December 21, 22, 23, 24,
Train to Paris December 25
Paris December 25, 26, 27, 28,
Train to London
London December 29, 30, 31, January 1
Fly home from London January 2

I usually leave a day after Xmas when I go to Europe during my break from work and except for some small mom and pop shops all of the tourist oriented stuff is open.

I second Jazz Travels on Amsterdam, London, Paris. We were in Edinburgh, London and Paris in 2022 for Christmas. In London the Carols at Royal Albert Hall was so much fun https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/events/2024/carols-at-the-royal-albert-hall/. Really helped the Christmas spirit. Perhaps look at events happening at Christmas time and see if that helps you in the order of your cities. I really don't think you can go wrong with those cities because if the weather is rough there is much to do inside. I can't comment on Brussels in winter as we were only there in the summer. We loved Edinburgh at Christmas too.

I like Jazz's suggestion also, but would cut a few days in Amsterdam and Paris, add Bruges and add a day to London. In full disclosure I'm not a big fan of Paris and I LOVE London:). But for me 4 days in Amsterdam would be too much.

Much of Europe, not all of Europe, shuts down at noon on Christmas Eve. Pleanty of restaurants open, some theater and music events, etc. and if you go some place with spectacular views, or with venues that run all year (like some of the bath houses in Budapest) then you wont miss a thing.

Much of Europe, not all of Europe, is up and running again mid-day on the 25th or even the 26th. Especially locations that rely heavily on tourism.

You just have to do a iittle more planning. The holidays are my favorite time for my adopted European home town.

In the Netherlands, and especially in Amsterdam, everything you might need as a tourist will be up and running or open for business during the Christmas holidays and New Year’s. Major museums like the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum are open every single day of the year, literally. The Anne Frank house is closed on 1 holiday; Yom Kippur, but is open on all other days of the year.
Public transport runs every single day of the year. The only exception to that is that most public transport will cease to operate on December 31 at 8 pm until January 1. It will resume running in the morning.
Restaurants, cafes, shops etc will all be open as well. So The Netherlands is an ideal place to stay in during the holidays.

And what Dutch_traveler wrote rings true in many, many, many, many cities.

All public transport and attractions/museums in London and the majority of restaurants will be closed on Christmas Day. Boxing Day (26th) also has a lot of closures. For true Christmas spirit in London, be there before Christmas. I can’t speak for your other locations, but I’d do London first and then move on.

I agree with Golden Girl that London is great in the run up to Christmas but ideally I would spend the 25/26 Dec elsewhere because London really does shut down, far more than is the case in other countries. Everything is open on usual on the 24th in London. It’s a big day for shopping and activities like going to the theatre.

I lived in Augsburg, Germany for four years and went thru the winters there. It is cold that time of the year and you need a very warm overcoat, gloves, hat and warm shoes or boots. I hope you like it cold.

Also, lots of things slow down or are closed that time of the year.

You plan for about a week and a half, so I suggest only two cities. Both London and Paris have tons of things to see.

Marriott should have hotels to book in both cities, look for something were you don't have to spend a lot of time on public transportation.

Thank you for all of these suggestions.

Others are more qualified to offer suggestions. I have not been in Europe for Christmas or New Year's, but I have been to London and Amsterdam in December. Some quick thoughts:

1. Amsterdam will be cold.

2. Regardless of when you fly back, you do not have enough time in the winter to visit three major cities. Even if you leave on January 2, that gives you only 11 full days. And then there is the transportation time between cities.

3. If you were leaving earlier, I would suggest London first and leaving before Christmas. My understanding is that of the three cities you mentioned, London is the one that shuts downs the most for Christmas. For that reason, of the three cities, London is the one I would least want to spend Christmas Day in; plus, London certainly begins slowing down in the afternoon on Christmas Eve, and much is still shut down on December 26.

4. If you fly out on December 20, that means your first full day in Europe will be December 22. I would opt for Paris and London in that order. And even if you choose only two cities, you will lose a half day with travel between the two cities, and of course, it will be dark by 4:30 or 5.

5. Have you checked whether you can use your hotel free points in the different cities during the days you will be in Europe? New Year's Eve should be a tough room to reserve in all three cities you mentioned.

So here in Europe we work to live not the other way around. That means companies will maximize the number of employees on leave over holiday period by simply closing down or limiting the services offered. On top of which there are laws requiring commercial operations observe the holiday period.

So for planning don't assume that it's business as normal, look out for holiday opening details for the places you want to visit and if they are not on display on their website, ask to be sure.

You've got 12 days. A perfect possibility for 2 or 3 cities. I have no idea your interests, but if it were me I would pick 3 cold as hell destinations, cause they do winter the best, and I would do a different theater, Opera, concert every night other than travel days; and do them first class. For Christmas Eve and Day evenings, I would do a darn nice restaurant. I can afford all of this cause I would head EAST.