European Winter Destination (December)

Well, my daughter and I may be crazy, but we are going to Europe in January. We are going to London, Amsterdam, Rhineland, Lucerne, and Paris. We are just going to bundle up and have a great time!

Depends on what kind of travel. To a ski resort? To a city for museums & sight-seeing? To warmer climes like south of France or Mallorca?

No skiing. Coastal towns yes. Culture/museums yes. Cold okay...but not too dreary!

A number of years ago, we spent 10 days in Sicily, starting on the 26th of December. Most days we had sunshine and mild temperatures. Palermo was a blast on New Year's Eve. January 6 is also a major holiday, and we happened upon a delightful event in the cathedral of Taormina. The food was great everywhere. Sicily has outstanding historical/cultural sights from the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, and the Baroque era. I recommend Sicily.

For the past 4 years, this has been my cold weather (Not summer, not fall) experience:

1. Spain: Feb, cold as can be but did not rain once.

2. London: April/May, not necessarily winter but it was cold and it rained everyday, all day. Pants wet up to my knees.

3. Germany: Nov/Dec, rained, was cold, maybe a few hours of sunshine. Mostly overcast.

4. Amsterdam/Bruges/Paris: Nov/Dec, rained everyday, overcast everyday, only a few hours of sunshine. Oh, it was cold.

This year I am going to Vienna, Budapest, Prague, & Rothenberg in Nov/Dec. I will bring my winter gear & I will expect rain.

We love both the UK (Scotland and England) and Austria in December. While they range from cool (mid 50s for highs) to slightly cold (low in the 20s, highs in the 20s-30s) we have enjoyed them both. Salzburg and Vienna have Christmas markets that make the cold very tolerable. We have had light snow and some rain, neither was heavy and never interferred with our travel or our plans for sightseeing. Dress in layers, realize that it gets dark around 4:00pm so don't plan outdoor photgraphy then, and ENJOY!

German Christmas markets!

Pick someplace that is normally very crowded with tourists and has tons of indoor attractions--like Paris or London. Our first trip to Paris was in winter and it was great to visit the museums, cathedrals, etc, without the long lines that are present the rest of the year. And it's not like you need good weather to enjoy cities like Paris or London--you can get around underground and spend weeks visiting museums, churches, shops, restaurants, etc without getting bored.

I think staying South of the Alps during the winter is the way to go. It may not be beach weathter but it's generally comfortable.

We did Florence last year Dec. 25- Jan 1. It was great, everyone was friendly, and it only rained one day.

I agree with Maureen--the Christmas markets in Germany and Austria. They are great fun plus you can do your Christmas shopping! Hint: These days it might be worth it to mail some of your purchases home.

And another fan of the Christmas markets....