December Paris to Central Europe, female solo traveller. Cities I'm considering...

If you do Tallinn, Estonia, then you should also do Latvia and Lithuania.

Poland is great, Krakow, Warsaw and Gdansk.

Prague is special, also consider Regensburg near the Czech border.

Suggest you try to focus on geography, limiting excessive travel.. Eliminate Zagreb.

Budapest is special and if you do it do Vienna.

You don't have time to do both the Baltic states, Poland and then Prague Vienna and Budapest. Pick either the Baltic States and Poland or Prague, Regensburg, Vienna and Budapest.

That's really helpful. I've considered doing all three Baltics and Prague. I'd hate to skip Budapest (and the thermal baths as a warm haven sound like a break from the chill).

Thank you so much for the ideas!

Are the Xmas markets of interest? The ones in Vienna are supposed to be magical, and are on my bucket list. Safe travels!

Oh, such a lovely group of options! But maybe not so close together. 🤣

I would vote to fly in Budapest (rapidly becoming one of my “return to” locations), perhaps then Krakow, then Prague. (I haven’t studied transportation processes yet.) And that might be all you can do justice to.

Edit: missed you are traveling solo (🤦🏻‍♀️) so am deleting the reference to teens. I still love Budapest and usually travel solo. Prague and Krakow are also wonderful. :)

In addition to the lower temperatures, the farther north you go, the shorter the days are going to be. I'm typing this at the Riga bus station after spending 2 weeks in the city. I spent almost as much time in Tallinn. I'm a big fan of both cities but wouldn't want to visit them in the winter. Cobblestones in the snow are a big "No" for me.

As already noted, Zagreb is isolated from your other top prospects. In addition, it seems many of its larger museums are still closed due to earthquake damage. This is probably not the best time to detour to Zagreb.

I wouldn't go anywhere in Northern or Central Europe in November, but you're clearly prepared to, so I'll recommend Budapest and Prague. I don't know that you'll really have time for a third city; your sightseeing days will be rather short.

I went to Budapest and Vienna at the beginning of December last year and the Christmas markets were in full swing. There's plenty of time to sightsee as well. For sightseeing and generally "hanging out" I prefer Budapest, but the Viennese markets were more extensive. It would be easy to start in Prague, then train to Vienna, then Budapest.

If the weather poses no obstacle to you in Nov, then I suggest seeing all three Baltic countries. I myself would much prefer traveling there in the summer.

I would suggest you consider the option of traveling by ferry in reaching Lithuania, ie the city of Klaipeda.

Your itinerary is doable, just plan it very carefully.

Is November 29th your departure day from the States, or the day you arrive in Europe?

I am inclined to say that Tallinn is the outlier - with just 10 or 11 (or 9 days by the time you eliminate Dec 10, departure day) days, I would visit Budapest and Prague. Mayyyybe Krakow if you really want to just blitz places.

You don't have time to get to that many places (unless indeed you do only Baltic capitals). Central Europe is bigger than people think it is.

Krakow is wonderful. The people are friendly and the food is pure comfort. From there you can do side trips to the Wieliczka salt mines and Auschwitz-BIrkenau to remember those lost in WWII.
We also liked the city of Bratislava. It's a capital city, but feels like a town. Very walkable, beautiful castle up on a hill.
Budapest, well, I can't say enough about how much we loved it. Two sides of the river, different vibes in each. Definitely do a night cruise on the Danube. Divine!

So, you have 11 days and your list is: Prague, Tallinn, Krakow, Budapest, Zagreb

Krakow, Prague, Budapest is an option. This relies on discount airlines that don’t fly the same route every day, so some of the stays are locked in by flight days. If it “almost” works for you then try running it in the opposite direction too and see which suits you better.

28 November: Paris to Krakow EasyJet for about $100 (I started you a day early because it’s a 5pm flight).
29 November in Krakow
30 November in Krakow
1 December Ryan Air non-stop to Prague arrive at 2:30pm
2 December in Prague
3 December in Prague
4 December Ryan Air to Budapest
5 December Budapest
6 December Budapest
7 December Budapest
8 December Morning Train to Vienna (I would stay in Budapest, but ..... )
9 December Vienna
10 December depart

As for the cold weather, half the world deals with it just fine. Actually, when you step outside and see life going on without interruption or complaint, it seems to get a lot warmer.

Short days? Soooooo? Do you turn into a pumpkin at sunset? The lights of many cities are so stunning that it is a blessing to get to see them longer each day. I also noticed that museums, restaurants, bars, pedestrian streets, tourist attractions .... etc..... stay open until the appointed time, even if that is after sunset. I will say the shorter days are a totally new environment and do change the experience, and if its an experience you have not yet enjoyed, you should.

If you want the best winter experiece go where the winter's are the hardest and longest. Because those will be the people who have adapted and embraced them winter. Go to a location where the winters are relatively short and mild and you find a lot of people hunkered down waiting for it to end. Okay, gross over generalizations, but you get the point ..... maybe.

I happen to love Budapest and similar places in the winter precisely because I love what James is talking about -- the lights, cozying up inside from the cold, etc ....

I am just never sure if travelers have considered that when making their plans, so I like to just remind that it will be dark earlier. You're right though, of course life doesn't end at sundown !