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Having the hardest time nailing down an itinerary...help!

Posted by on

So I'll be traveling to Europe from December 23-January 1 (9 nights) and having the hardest time figuring out a great itinerary! My wife and I are both 30 and enjoy outdoors, quiet, nature, hiking, snowshoeing, ice skating, cross country skiing, and alpine vistas. A few cities I've had in mind:

Chamonix, France

Salzburg, Austria

Innsbruck, Austria

Munich, Germany

Mittenwald, Germany

Ticino/Lugano/Locarno Switzerland area

Zermatt, Switzerland (was there in summer, but haven't been in winter)

Now, I know I can't hit all these places in 9 days, and I realize most things are closed down from Dec 24-26, and that's fine. I had planned on renting a cottage and being stocked up on food drink during that time, and just enjoying nature while the cities are closed down. For New Years Eve, would love to be somewhere with a good fireworks show, but not an insanely crowded party city. If you had 9 days around Christmas and loved the mountains, what would your perfect itinerary be?

Posted by
527 posts

9 nights including travel from the USA? Get a flight if you can into Salzburg or Innsbruck, break up the time between both places and forget the others on the list. That is unless you want a blur of a trip. Between those two cities you will have alpine vistas and the opportunity for the outdoor sports you are looking for. I suppose you could fly into Munich as well, but with only 9 nights I wouldn't push it too much further than that.

Posted by
5293 posts

Justin,

Have you considered the Dolomites in (northeastern) Italy?

You may want to read this RS article: http://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/italys-undiscovered-alpine-retreat

I've visited northern Italy but have not made it to the Dolomites (yet), but have seen amazing photos & have added this place to my bucket list!

You can search this website or post a question on the Italy forum & I'm sure you will get many helpful responses.

Posted by
11613 posts

A couple of years ago I was in Kitzbuhel for Christmas, near enough to Innsbruck for a daytrip. Salzburg/Innsbruck sounds great for a week. By the way, lots of restaurants are open on Christmas day, but you may need a reservation.

Posted by
1717 posts

Hello justingreak. I like Zoe's suggestion of going to Salzburg and Kitzbuhel at Christmas time. You could see the mountains at Kitzbuhel, and at Salzburg you would not have to be outside in the cold all the time. And, I think the air is not extremely cold in December at Salzburg. They celebrate Christmas at Salzburg !

Posted by
17 posts

Thanks for all the replies - I did finally decide on Salzburg from Dec 23-27, Innsbruck from 27-30 (Use that as a base to do day trips to Seefeld, Fussen, and Mittenwald); then Zurich for NYE.

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