December Travel Itinerary Questions

I have done both winter and summer travel and there is definitely a difference as far as numbers of tourists. Lines for most major sites are almost non existent. I spent a New Years Eve in England, however I was in the Cotswolds, so it was very quiet. I am sure cities are busier. Spent time in Paris last Dec. and prices for rooms and my flight was less than summer, but the rest of the costs are pretty much the same (food, metro, admission fees, etc.) so the savings is not always huge unless you get a good flight and cheaper room. Where in Belgium are you thinking? I went to Brugges for the Christmas Market and it was fun. Don't know closing dates of the market, but if you are there during that time it is worth a visit to a market or two. Just be prepared for the colder weather, dress in layers. I have actually had beautiful weather a number of days on my winter vacations. Last Dec. was the only trip that I was up late enough in Paris to see the lights on the Eiffel Tower, so I don't mind when it gets dark early... I rather like experiencing the shorter days.

We were in Germany during that time frame a couple of years ago. It is kind of min peak travel time because a lot of Europeans travel over the holidays so it is still pretty crowded and, of course, you have Christmas markets which are big draws during this time period. Flights for us were not cheaper at that time. The 25th and 1st are pretty dead times so I would suggest staying put on those days. The 26th will be a huge travel day. The weather will be a dice roll. One day of our travel was severely disrupted by an ice storm that grounded a lot our train travel that day. A half day of train travel became a full day with many (not one) re-routings. It snowed lightly about half the time. This is one of the few times I would recommend first class tickets because of the additional perks when schedules are disrupted and second class will be packed. We are from Colorado so the cold weather did not bothers use and we had the proper clothing - lots of light layers. Don't know about someone from San Diego. Now we greatly enjoyed it and would repeat if given the chance but it is totally different than summer travel. Remember, most of where you are going will be as far north as the Canadian border and then some.

Thanks for the responses, Terry and Frank. So I'm reading fewer tourists but still crowded for winter holiday with primarily residents and some euro travelers, the opportunity for cheaper flights and accommodations but the rest of the costs remain relatively the same, the chance of unpredictable/unfavorable weather and the need to dress warm and layer, avoid travel on the 25th and 1st, and try to coordinate time in a city with one of the good Christmas markets. The Bruges Christmas market is a good one? I like the idea of centering most of the trip in London, somewhere in Belgium (a few places?), and Paris, just to keep the in-transit time down. And then I'm not sure about adding some farther off place, too, as I put in the orig. post. Yea, I've been looking at weather averages by month, Frank, and those averages look fair to me. But as you noted, more extreme weather would probably really knock us out, since we're just not used to real cold in SD.

Chuck.. I did enjoy the market in Brugges, as well as the town itself. Also, there was a cool market in Paris... very different from your typical German Christmas Market, but still lots of fun. The only place I ran into a lot of people (winter trips 2 years in a row) was in Rothenberg and Salzburg during peak market times, but it was still a lot less crowded than my trips in the summer. No line at Louvre, Versailles, Eiffel Tower... probably no more than 5 or 6 people at the American cemetery in Normandy. Car rental may have been a bit cheaper than during the summer. No problem getting rooms at the last minute in many locations.

My only experience with winter travel to Europe was a 2 week trip primarily in Paris. We spent 10 nights there. We also spent a night in Amsterdam (daughter HAD to go to the Anne Frank house) and a few nights in Bruges. We flew Christmas Day, arriving in Amsterdam on the 26th. The next day we trained to Bruges and enjoyed the Christmas market there very much. We arrived in Paris on the 30th. We found a couple of markets there too. It was VERY COLD! The warmest it got in that 2 weeks was 33 degrees F. We only had one day with some rain and had a couple of days with snow. It was the cold that really got to us. We layered, as many on this board recommend. My problem with that was that as soon as we would go indoors we were overheated. How many layers can you strip off? And then what do you do with all your layers? It was really bad on the metro when stripping wasn't really an option. Maybe I'm just not used to the cold and feel it more. If I were to make a future winter trip I would take a down coat to stay warm. That way only one layer needs to be removed. Also gloves, a scarf, warm socks and a hat help. We also took hand warmers. They can be purchased at sports stores like REI. That was the negative. The positives are that it is beautiful that time of year. Less tourists, although there are some. And it's Europe, so that's awesome! If you do choose winter travel I would limit it to 3 locations. London, Bruges (or similar) and Paris would be a good mix. Spend most of your time in London and Paris. You may find hotels increase their prices during the holidays. We like to rent apartments. You may find that with the cold and shorter days you will spend more time in your lodgings. You can do some of your own food preparation, which is helpful when places are closed for the holidays.

As others have mentioned, the Christmas holiday sees a short spike in the number of travelers to popular destinations. Not just Europeans, but people from all over the world. In Paris, I've seen long lines out the doors of the more popular museums. Immediately before and after the holiday, however, things return to the usual winter lull. This is also usually the most expensive time of year in the Swiss Alps because of the ski season. Outside of the Alps, most of western Europe is usually warmer than you might think. Colder than San Diego, of course, but don't be surprised if the temperatures climb well above 10°C. Very cold spells at this time of year aren't very common, but they do occur. Your wish list seems pretty city-heavy, which is good. Keep in mind that this is the darkest time of the year in Europe. The sun rises late falls early, and generally stays low in the sky behind a shroud of clouds and mist. What this means is that those lovely techicolor landscape vistas you see in the Rick Steves TV shows are hidden behind a gray veil. So, rural sight-seeing is generally a lower reward endevour in the winter. The lower visibility affects city touring far less, however. If you find yourself in Belgium before December 25th, consider a daytrip to Hasselt. Their annual "Winterland" carnivcal/Christmas market is one of the most elaborate you will see anywhere.

I'm assuming southern European cities aren't of interest? I've been to Paris in January and froze (but I'm a wimp about weather... despite living in Wisconsin for 3 years). I used more taxis than normal to minimize my time outside. If anything farther south appeals to you, Rome in winter was wonderful the two times I've done it, with weather like San Francisco (actually, both times I did it, it was a little warmer in Rome than when I got home to SF). Virtually no lines, although I can't comment on the actual Christmas season; I'd guess that would be busy with pilgrims to Rome.

The usual warning - there is no public transport at all in London on Christmas Day, so you'll be limited to places in walking distance from your hotel.

I love winter travel. Its the only travel I can do as My husband cant get time off til winter. Its nice to be cozy in jeans, boots, sweater, scarf.....I live in Florida and its not oftan that I can wear these things. \ I think you can make it a perfect trip by ending in Amsterdam.
4 nights london, 4 nights paris, 2 nights Bruges, 2 nights Ghent, 3nights Amsterdam. This is a trip I would take. Fly into London and out of Amsterdam.

Winter is low season, but in many places the Christmas/New Year period is high season for hotels. There may also be a spike in air fares, though you may miss that by having a day or two more before and after. You can check this easily enough by using the airline and hotel websites and comparing prices - also with June travel. Most tourist sights and many entertainment venues will not be open on the 25th or the 1st, possibly not on the 26th in London, and may have limited hours on the 24th and the 31st. Again, you can check the websites of attractions you are most likely to visit. These are the shortest days of the year and you're headed for northerly destinations. Daylight hours on Jan 3, your longest day are: Paris - 8.44 to 5.07
London - 8.06 to 4.05 Bruges - 8.51 to 4.52 Paris and London have a number of attractions that are open until 8 or 9 p.m. at least once or twice a week and London theatre performances don't begin before 7 or so. I wondr if Bruges/Ghent have any. There may be little or nothing to do after 5 p.m. Amsterdam may possible offer more than Belgium. Also, with bare tree limbs and grey skies, there won't be much that's picturesque outside. On the other hand, I've been to Paris a couple of times in early June and it's been wonderful. The parks and gardens will be beautiful and you won't have to contend with holiday closures. I would check airfares for your June dates and hotel rates too - if they aren't published yet, look at current rates and compare with December.

Another thought: If you can, try to fly either nonstop or via a southern US hub, like Dallas or Houston or Atlanta, where the weather is likely to be better. Stopovers in Chicago, Minneapolis, or New York increase the chance of delays or cancellations when storms hit. We avoid ORD like the plague in winter! I think you have a sensible plan for a winter trip if those northern cities interest you more than the south. Cold and dark and sometimes wet, but they're great cities with lots to do inside. June would be better, of course, but carpe diem!

There's a thread on the "North" section "England between Christmas and New Year" that has more information on experiences and closures in London.

The end of Nov into Dec is a down time but the OP is asking the holiday period which is very different. Notice who is complaining about cold. What a bunch of wimps. When it is 33 in January we think it is a heat wave. Layering is important but it more than just adding two sweaters. The layers themselves are very important. You don't just put on a cotton t-shirt, a cotton turtleneck, with a sweater, and call it layering. In many ways a turtleneck is your worst choice because it is important to be able to vent your layers for cooling. The big issue is that people from mild to warm winter climates simply do not have the proper clothing for layering and are not willing to purchase the proper clothing to deal with more severe weather. For the ten days we were in Germany over the holidays it never got out of the 20s and in the teens most of the time. It we had to stay outside for eight hours or more, we would have had problems but for a couple of hours outside when moving site to site, it was fine. Let us know what you decide.

@Frank, yes 33 degrees is cold to me, so I guess by your standards I am a wimp. But look where the OP lives. San Diego never gets nearly as cold as Sacramento, so likely Chuck may be a bit of a wimp too. We don't all live in cold weather climates so we aren't necessarily acclimated to it. Also, when it is cold at home most people go from their heated homes to their heated cars to their heated offices. When traveling people tend to spend a lot more time outside. I wasn't trying to discourage him, I was just trying to explain what it could be like. As for layering, I never mentioned what I was using for layers. It's awfully presumptuous to assume I wouldn't know how to do it. I do live very close to the Sierra Nevada mountains and have done plenty of skiing and snowshoeing. My husband grew up in Buffalo, New York and he was cold too.

If you're planning to go to Paris, you could do an overnight in Strasbourg to see the Christmas markets. The town takes Christmas very seriously, It's considered the capital of Christmas.
Also don't forget to visit LaFayette Galleries when in Paris.

Wow, thanks for all the replies, folks. I appreciate the input. I'm mostly on here asking these questions so that my expectations somewhat align with the reality of the trip and hey, if my expectations are greatly exceeded, then great! Now, to get back to my original questions and your responses: 1. It sounds like my prelim. travel itinerary is reasonable/doable. I didn't see any MAJOR reservations there other than the cold (and possibly very cold) weather, a few suggestions to go somewhere further south, and warnings about the short days. If the weather is between 30-50 Fahrenheit, then we are in awesome shape. If it's colder, then that might be a downer. I like the idea of pairing the bigger cities of London/Paris with a few smaller and sleepier cities so that I'm less inclined to rush around with some overwrought euro-sights checklist the whole trip. Thank you for the recommendations of Hallstatt and Strasbourg for Christmas markets. I'll certainly look into those options. Also, I'll look into the possibility of rounding out the trip with Amsterdam, as someone suggested. Keep these kind of suggestions coming, if you will. I've read some of the posts on here about the subtleties between Bruges and Ghent. Is it worth doing both?

2. Issues with traveling on the holidays are noted; will be sure to look at the posts regarding holidays in London, as well. 3/4. Sounds like it will still be fairly crowded with holiday travelers and about the same price-wise. Noted. 5. Any suggestions or words of advice about traveling somewhere a little south of my main trip destination grouping of London-Paris-Belgium? I see the post about the Swiss Alps high season, though this probably doesn't mean all of Switzerland, for instance. For no good reason, I'm more inclined to see some of Switzerland or Provence region than the Netherlands. Any advice about tacking on some of this travel is welcome. As you see in the orig. post, I could have about 3-4 days here.

The probability of the temperature being between 20 and 30 is far greater than between 30 and 50. Fifty is almost out of the question. It is much above 30s at that time of year you will run into rain, ice, and fog which are greater problems than snow. You really like it to remain less than 30. Snow is much easier to deal with than rain and ice. You cannot dance around it. You need to prepare for weather in the 20s.

That we'll need to be prepared for cold weather is duly noted. That the probability of it being in the 20s is greater than the probability of it being between 35-45 -- as listed by tripadvisor and other weather average lists -- is simply inaccurate. Or am I not understanding the basic idea of average high/low temp. per month by city as listed all over the web?

I believe Frank may have been referencing expected temperatures in the mountainous areas of Switzerland, based on your last comment. Average highs in the 30s and 40s are much more likely for all of your other preposed destinations (minus Provençe, I don't know how the weather goes there in winter). My experience in Swiss cities like Zürich, Basel and Bern in winter is that the weather follows a similar pattern to most of NW Europe- damp, with daytimes highs usually rising above freezing. Bottom line- although NW Europe can get hit by spells of sub-freezing weather, in most regions that travelers from North America are likely to visit, it probably won't get as cold as you might fear.

Layering is a good idea if you are travelling from Northern Europe in winter and then to--let's say--tropical Singapore and then on to a southern hemisphere summer or shoulder season. Layering is ideal for moving among a range of climates. If you are planning a holiday in a cold climate in winter, then bring a serious warm coat that you can slip off in a warm cafe or museum or shop. Layers are a nuisance. You will still be packing warm jumpers and cardigans and warm pants or jeans. One pair of reasonable boots (waterproof) will get you through December-January in Europe.

Winter is my favorite season to travel if large cities are on the itinerary - cooler temperatures and generally smaller crowds. Your itinerary looks fine but bear in mind that each change of location takes about 1/2 to 3/4 day -so with 15 total days on the ground, if you making 5 changes, that's a large percentage of your time spent in transit and assumes that weather doesn't hamper those plans. Obviously, no one here can evaluate whether that's a good or bad thing, but definitely something to bear in mind and consider! Definite issues traveling on the 25th, 26th of December and on Jan 1 - I'd NOT plan on doing any traveling on those days since public transportation is pretty much non existent on the 25th, limited on the 26th and non existent on the 1st. As for the number of tourists - my experience is that there are fewer. One of the main reasons I enjoy traveling in the winter is that I don't like traveling in the heat so I'd definitely prefer winter.
Have a great trip!!!

My single 11-day experience with about a dozen Christmas markets in almost as many towns is if you want to avoid crowds, avoid Christmas markets. Tourist sights weren't crowded but all the streets and squares around them certainly were. At lunchtime, it was hard to get through them, by 7 p.m. and almost all the time on weekends, you could barely elbow your way through.

From Paris you can take the fast train only a few hours to Strasbourg for your remaining days, then fly home from there. That's my recommendation. Strasbourg and Colmar (just south-you can rent a car or take the train) are great winter towns. Rest of itinerary looks great. If you are willing to fly from Paris to another location for the final 3/4 days, it opens more doors (Venice, Geneva, Barcelona, etc.)-just decide if you want a short travel or longer travel day for your last leg. I urge you to make reservations soon, once the Europeans get back from their summer holiday (which is the next two weeks), they'll make reservations for winter break. Hotels and train tickets will go VERY quickly.

Bruges and Ghent are quite different. I imagine that Ghent in winter is much like Ghent in summer: canals, Gothic buildings. I've only seen Bruges in summer when it is very picturesque (and more touristy than Ghent), I'm not sure if it would be that lovely on grey winter days. You can stay in one (Ghent is closer to Brussels and hotels are cheaper) and day-trip to the other. You could also day-trip to Antwerp. I was in Colmar for the Xmas markets, loved the markets, loved Colmar. It's about 2.5 hours by fast train from Paris to Strasbourg, another 45-60 minutes by local train to Colmar. Tempting as it is to see more places, I'd stick with 3 destinations and add days to London and/or Paris. There is more than enough to see and do in both and there are excellent day trips. You will use almost 1/2 day twice going from city to city. You'll lose even more if you tack on another destination, especially if you have to fly there. Train stations are in the heart of the city, airports are in remote locations. You only need to be at the train station 45 minutes in advance to go from London to Belgium, much less from Belgium to Paris, and there are no luggage restrictions. If you choose to fly, there's airport security, luggage check-in, then luggage collection at the other end, and generally lower luggage limits (carry-on and checked) than your trans-Atlantic flights.