Daddy Daughter Christmas week trip. First timers to Europe

With the limited time you have, where in Europe do you want to visit? If it is the UK then maybe landing in Dublin makes sense if it is a great fare. If you want Germany, Italy, or?? in Europe, maybe not.

Since you don't have a location on your profile, we don't know where you are coming from. You won't be able to see a little of everything in Europe in only 9 days. What do you really want to see? The UK or the continent? Maybe pick out a central location like the Benelux and see Belgium, the Netherlands, and perhaps France or Germany. Other direction, would be Germany, Austria or Switzerland, but still with just 9 days, allowing 3 days per country isn't really enough.

Do you leave the US on the 18th or arrive here on that date? Do you return on the 27th or the 28th? If it is the former, than you only have 7 days to travel around, not 9.

Do be aware that in many countries, the 24th is the major holiday, with the 25th and 26th being official holidays. This means many museums won't be open, the Christmas markets will mostly have ended on the 22nd or maybe 23rd, with only a very, very few open on the 24th, or after Christmas. Christmas Eve in Germany means all businesses close at 14:00, and about 99.8% of the restaurants will close so you will want to plan a dinner in a hotel for that evening.

Remember the cheapest fare is not always the best fare. First, you need to look at a map. Dublin is not centrally located to "Europe." And what is a "little of everything in Europe."? That needs a big explanation. Secondly, at that time of year, weather can be a major factor especially in northern Europe. With your very limited time allowance, I would consider Rome and showing her a little bit of everything in Italy. Or another country in the south such as Spain. Anything else probably is unrealistic.

First, great idea and great gift for both you.
Second, focus upon creating great memories. Great memories often come from taking the time to enjoy culture, people, places; but this does not always equate to "seeing" a lot of places.
Third, how old is your daughter? This info may help folks contribute age appropriate opportunities. Regardless of age, make sure your daughter actively participates in planning the trip. You each should have ownership of planning this trip. For a trip of this length be sure and allow some private time so you can take a break from each other. BTW: make sure and allow shopping for clothing. Clothing makes for way better memories to share with friends back home the photos.
Fourth, Christmas is a great opportunity to experience Europe as most tourist will miss. Take the time to research holiday festivals and give consideration to attending some of these events. RS does a great job of identifying ways/places to enjoy these events. Hmm, is there a RS holiday tour during this time?
Fifth, December equals cold, early sunsets, more potential for rain/snow; all of which will reduce the amount of good quality tourist time. So plan accordingly and seek to fill your evenings with concerts, shows, markets ect.
Sixth, first time Europe travelers are more likely to encounter travel stress/glitches which can adversely impact enjoyment. So if it were me I would focus on two, no more than three destinations as each time you move increases the odds of glitches. First time around and try to keep things simple. England offers excellent travel options and ability to do day trips. Have a conversation with your daughter and create a list of potential cities then toss out the locations for comment from folks on this forum. When staying three nights in one location we prefer to rent an apt. Advantages are better economics, more space, a kitchen and opportunity to be in residential areas adjacent to tourist spots. Getting away from tourist areas to eat will save a lot of money. Check out Airbnb to investigate rental opportunities.
Finally, avoid the worst rookie mistake and pack uber light. No, lighter. Remember, anything you need can be purchased in europe. And....... Everything you bring you get to haul. Practice packing. Want to travel like a pro? Pack two carryon's and share one checked bag.

Great advice from everyone...but packing two carry ons and sharing a checked bag isn't packing light imo... One carry on each is more than enough for 7 days. We take one carry on each for 1-3 month trips.

I'd pick two places at most for 7 full days in Europe... One place with day trips is better imo. I'm partial to Paris. So fun and lots to do there in addition to many wonderful day trip options.

Where do you fly back from? Dublin? You have enough time to see a little bit of Ireland and then I would see some of England. A friend of mine really liked Christmas Eve service at St. Paul's in London.

With one week to visit over Christmas, I'd be inclined to spend the whole time in a major city like London, Paris, or Vienna, and then be flexible about daytrips from there. But you won't do any daytrips in Britain on Dec. 25 or 26. Of course, you could split that time over 2 - 3 cities, especially if you have 9 days. It is usually the best value for both time and money to fly to the place you want to see. If you fly to Dublin, then do see it for a couple of days before flying Ryanair (or similar, see www.skyscanner.com) to your next city/country. Holiday time is busy for Europeans traveling, so reserving ahead for flights or for long-distance trains (many available starting 2 - 3 months ahead) is a good idea. To get an idea of train travel time between major cities, see Rick's Train Cost & Time Map. Driving gives you more flexibility within a small area of interest, and in smaller towns, but doesn't help in the big cities. See also tips at http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/trip-planning.

I agree with everyone's points, but I want to emphasize one thing. A cheap flight to Dublin is only a bargain if you want to see Ireland. Particularly on a short trip like yours, it wastes time and money not to fly to where you want to be.

The Christmas season, with its short daylight, bad weather, and limited opening hours and transportation on some days and in some countries (some details are in the above posts), is a bad time to "wing it." In particular, you'll want a place to stay for each night, and meal ideas for the 24th through the 26th (and in some places, other days as well). You'll need to research what's open and closed, and what's running and what isn't, in each place; you can't make assumptions. For instance, with no prior knowledge, would you guess that London, one of the world's largest and most cosmopolitan cities, has NO public transportation on December 25th?

One thing that no one has mentioned. Rick's books and videos, while great for first timers, are focused on high season travel. You need to be very careful to modify them to work in December. Some areas shut down, others that are pretty in good weather become brown or grey, and some have much higher prices over the holiday season.

I have to agree that flying to Dublin only if you want to see Ireland. Think of the money (and precious time) that will not be saved by flying to Dublin and then needing to travel a lot either by train or by plane. I can only suggest places we've been to around this time of year. These would be Bavaria and Austria. Salzburg, Innsbruck, Berchtesgaden, etc. are beautiful places, but are even more so during their Christmas/Advent Markets.

Paul

Agree with others. First, figure out the specifics of what you want to see in one or two locations, and then figure out the flight to make the most of time (rather than the cheapness of the flight). Dublin is great if you want to see Ireland (and in your time frame that's all that should be explored), or do you want to see the Continent? What are her interests (and yours)? Would she love to see the Eiffel Tower near where Madeline lives, or would she love to see some Lipizzan horses and the real Sleeping Beauty castle? Is she old enough to know who Anne Frank is? You are going over Xmas, so expect that for a couple of days things will be closed up on you!

Stephen asked above whether you were flying back home from Dublin. One strategy that helps if you're trying to cover maximum ground in minimum time is to fly "open jaw," into one city and out of another, so you avoid backtracking in order to return to where you started. If your visit is going to be to just one relatively compact location (e.g., Ireland), then coming and going from the same airport wouldn't be as much of a factor. If you're thinking of covering more countries and/or a bigger area on this trip in order to see a little bit of everything in Europe, maybe you were already planning on departing from somewhere other than Dublin, but if not, starting in Dublin and ending somewhere else would at least let you cover more ground in just 9 days. Maybe your 1st DD trip involved random stops without a pre-planned itinerary and maybe it worked great, but we've found that minimizing 1-night stopovers, staying at most places for at least 2 nights (even if taking a day trip somewhere else but returning to the same bed) is easier than constantly packing and unpacking.

If you stay in Ireland, are you thinking of driving around the country, renting a car with the steering wheel on the right side, and driving on the left? Are you thinking of getting around by public transportation, bus/train/subway/more planes after you land in Europe? Some methods are faster, some are cheaper, and some can require more advance planning.

We were in Italy (Rome & Sicily) in 2012 for 2 weeks leading up to Christmas. It got dark early, a few sights had shorter hours than they do in the summer, and it rained some days, but it was just cool, not cold (highs in the upper 40's to mid 50's Farenheit each day). In summer, the farther south you go in Europe, the hotter it tends to get. In December, the farther north you are, the colder it could be.