We are temporarily living in Israel, originally from Arizona, and we want to go someplace COLD for the week after Christmas. My kids are 12 and 9, and it needs to be someplace with things they would enjoy. We don't ski, and my husband and I just spent time last year in London, Paris, Switzerland, Amsterdam and Germany. And we're going to Italy for spring break.
Is Vienna interesting for kids? We are open to day trips, too. I believe the Christmas markets are closed at that time. Is another city better, like Prague or Budapest? TIA!
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Hickory, NC USA
476 posts
We were in Budapest and Vienna last year from Christmas Eve through New Years day. There are markets open in Vienna through New Years, including the Silvester Market in front of Schonbrunn and in Budapest, they were open on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the day after, at least, before we left for Vienna. My kids are late teens and early 20s now, but they were with us and really enjoyed the trip. As James noted, the Baths were a big hit in Budapest, also a river cruise on the Danube and a performance of the Nutcracker. We also booked ahead for a nice dinner on Christmas Eve. In Vienna, we toured the Hofburg (too crowded, really) and Schonbrunn (also very crowded), but the museums were great. I think you could spend a whole day in the Natural History Museum if you like that sort of thing. It was amazing. I think the zoo was open, but you could check that online. You could also see a performance or practice session for the Lipizzaners. We skipped that this time, and note that tickets sell out early. The art museums are also spectacular and relatively uncrowded. Note that New Year's Eve - Silvester - is a BIG DEAL. Yes there are balls, but also fancy dinners, concerts etc... We went to museums during the day then went back and dressed up for a dinner out and fireworks viewing.
We booked everything in early October after which I noticed prices skyrocketing. They were lowest when I was watching in August, but I couldn't commit that early, so if you want to do this, I advise booking soon. The Nutcracker can sell out, so that would also be something to book soon.