Best places to travel in November/December

Where are you landing? That might be a good starting point. When you set your 2 month trip up which places appealed to you? Why?

You are right, there are many options. Nigel's questions are good ones. I'll add that in November/December, days in Europe are short; the further north you go, the shorter they are. Many find this literally puts a damper on their sightseeing, particularly of any place where being outdoors is key to the enjoyment. I don't have much experience with that time of year, but I do have vivid memories of London in December 1985. Coming from Philadelphia, the cold wasn't a problem. But not only were the days short, it simply never got very light out, and this was very depressing. At least in London, there's loads of indoor things to do, but walking around was quite gloomy even at midday. I don't know how Scandinavia would be at that time, but I think it wouldn't be great. You're too early for much holiday festivities (except of course in the second half of December), but too late for decent weather and daylight.

"Best" in November and December is usually cities or large towns. Rural scenery generally isn't at it's most attractive. Although certainly not warm and toasty, much of Europe generally isn't as cold as some seem to fear. But it can be overcast and foggy for weeks at time. Because your trip starts in late October, the physical effect of the short days probably won't hit you. You'll have plenty of time to adjust, and you'll adapt gradually as the days get shorter (like everyone who lives in Europe). This is more of a problem for people who arrive later on in December from a location with significantly more hours of daylight, because without much sunlight, it takes longer for them to adjust their internal clock to the new time zone. Scandinavia is probably fine as long as you concentrate on the cities. The gulf stream current keeps most of the populated areas of Scandinavia surprisingly mild for the latitude. It isn't warm by any defination, but not nearly as cold as areas of North America at similar latitudes. Of course, the gulf stream can't bring more hours of sunlight, but as long as you're already adjusted to the time zone, this shouldn't give you too many problems, especially in cities.

Italy and Spain would both be good options. I really like northern Italy in mid to late October, Rome around the first of November, then further south later.

December is a great time to visit some of the Christmas markets. Southern Spain has the warmest, driest winter climate in Europe. Italy is always terrific. Paris, London, Berlin, etc., have great museums. It depends on your interests, how much you want to move around, your budget, your travel style (e.g., brief visits, lots of places, settle into a flat for a week at a time) and your tolerance for inclement weather. So, Clare, more information, please.