Destination suggestions for solo traveler - W. Europe - Jan. 2013

Walking in any of those cities is going to be less pleasant in January...I hate January in Western Europe. The Christmas markets are over, it's the coldest month, there's just not much going on. Munich has the coldest average temperatures during January of those cities - remember, it's next to the alps!

How about Lisbon instead?

You just described Wales.

Maybe consider south for a little warmer climate. Lisbon (as someone else suggested), Rome, Athens (the Plaka is great for walking and local food/drinks), Madrid, Sicily, Dubrovnik, or Istanbul. If you don't mind the cold and if you like to winter hike, ski, snowshoe...try Innsbruck (the surrounding Alps are so pretty in winter), Gimmelwald, Bavaria (Munich, Garmisch, Schwangau, Neuschwanstein), or Turin. But the mountain areas will be colder than 40 degrees.

You lucky dog, you!

I found Rome to be wonderful in January. No lines at museums (even Vatican museums), wonderful historic churches mostly to myself, quiet time in the cafes, and symphony etc in season. And when I was there, the weather was nice (a little nicer than San Francisco when I got home). I was there for 10 days, and Rome was in the 50's, with a couple of days with light sprinkles and no heavy rain or really cold weather. (And I'm a real wimp about even a little cold weather.)

I would second Rome in the winter. The weather was pleasant and the lines were short. We walked all over the city and didn't get cold.

Hey! I resemble that situation. Before the miracle happened and I was offered a job over here, I used to escape to Europe, solo, for one long weekend every winter. I'd find a super-cheap winter airfare from the east coast and come to Europe for usually a 4 day weekend. Destination was usually dictated by the price of the ticket. I think I did that for 4 years. Visited Amsterdam, Paris (twice), & Frankfurt. Always in Jan or Feb. Positive side was there were no crowds. My wife explained it as me "getting my Europe fix". Anyway, I agree that –if price is no object--go someplace southerly. Love Rome! Otherwise, for a 4 day jump, price and directness of flight were my main decision factors. Have fun!

Before I married a Belgian and then moved here, I used to do these quick pop-off trips as well. And yes, I preferred the colder months too, and because they were quick trips, I had to limit my options to destinations with direct flights and minimal transit times. Brussels/Brugge/Ghent would be a good fit for an easy flight from the NYC area, walkable (Brussels a little less so than the other two) and good beer. Although not warm by any definition, temperatures in the 40s would be a safe bet. The beer isn't as impressive, but you could also consider Paris or Amsterdam. Munich is usually significantly colder, I would bet on highs there more likely to be in the 30s or even 20s.

A city with relatively mild temperatures in January, nonstop flights from/to EWR, very walkable with plenty of great towns and villages around for day-trips, all easily accessible by train and with the city itself offering enough first class sights to cover four days alone.... is HAMBURG.

Thanks for all the great advice. I don't think my wife would let me go to Paris, Rome (or London) without her! LOL. Please keep it coming. Best regards,
Jeff

You can look up cities on the weather underground trip planner site http://www.wunderground.com/tripplanner/index.asp It will give you average temps and conditions over the last 15 years or so. The site has been redesigned recently and is a bit clunky, but the info is good. I looked at Brussels from Jan 14-24: average temps from about +8 to -4 (centigrade), rain 64% of the days, sunny 9%.

Consider Buenos Aires, a very European city (I think it resembles Barcelona) with plenty to do, great food and wine, and middle-of-the-summer heat in January.
Non-stop flights from NYC take 10 to 11 hours and are priced about the same as trans-Atlantic, or maybe a little cheaper.