Hoping For Late November/December Trip - Help Me Brainstorm

This is earlier December than maybe you’d be going, if you added Lyon back into your plans, but the unique Festival of Lights, with major buildings all lit up, is spectacular!
https://www.fetedeslumieres.lyon.fr/en

I was in Nice 2 years ago n December, and a friend and I made a special trip for the weekend up to Lyon to experience it!

While in Alsace, don’t miss Strasbourg, either.

We’re headed to Italy in late September/all of October, and planned on a few days in London at the end. I hope you, and we all, get to do those trips, without needing to modify the destinations!

No one knows if travel will be possible in any country in December. The current entry rules for the U.K. will no doubt have changed several times by December. You currently need a negative Covid test to enter the U.K. and flying into parts of Spain. France currently has an evening curfew. All this is likely to be irrelevant in December, so it’s difficult planning now.

It’s too early to say if Christmas markets will be held this year or banned or if mask wearing will remain compulsory in some countries. To err on the cautious side, you may want to limit your trip to just one country, which would be easier to plan if things become more complicated again.

Cyn, that looks fantastic. I could easily change up the itinerary, with the exception of starting the trip in Germany.

I know that flexibility will be the key, and I won’t book anything that’s not refundable. I hope once more people have received the vaccine we will all have a better idea of whether travel will be possible. The goal of the trip wouldn’t be Christmas Markets, but we would enjoy seeing some if it works out. We wouldn’t cancel just because markets are cancelled.

Thoughts: If the world is Covid ready late this year; everyone, or places may not be ready to be charming.
Skipping London in the Winter is OK. Enjoying what is available in Germany and France smart plan; especially if you can express train. Strasbourg is only 200km from Frankfurt and takes 2 1/2 hrs with several trains a day. There is a direct train line from Strasbourg to Paris thru Nancy, worth a stop if you like Arts Nouveau. Old Nice is interesting and Matisse is there; you could stop in Lyon on your way there. But Really, why not spend more time in Alsace- Lorraine and the Rivers of Germany. Southern France is more urban and expensive, but worthwhile if you are making an Impressionist Pilgrimage. Also, if you are planning to buy things, you can have them shipped and held until you return; personal baggage weight will be limited on most airlines. I did have a trunk shipped ahead of me and they will deliver it to the address given.

Since it is the Strasbourg-Frankfurt Airport; I imagine that they are close.

They are over 200 km apart. I've never heard of that name for the airport.

Thanks everyone. While I would love to go to New Zealand and Australia, that will wait for a future time. As I mentioned before, we would be flying into Frankfurt because I have some items I need to deliver there. From there we would visit my family in either Cologne, or possibly in Hannover. This visit is the primary motivator of this trip. My cousins are in Cologne and their mother lives in Hannover. My aunt has not been well and if she can’t travel, we will travel to her. I want to go to them from Frankfurt because we will be bringing gifts for the twins, who will turn 4 years old just before we would be there. From there nothing is written in stone, but we would like to go to the Alsace. We were supposed to spend a week there this last September, but our 8+ week trip was cancelled, just as everyone else had to cancel their trips. Even if there aren’t any Christmas markets we would like to enjoy the holiday decor and any festivities. That time of year I think it’s a good idea to go places that have plenty of indoor options in case the weather is less than ideal. That’s where Paris and London fit in. I allotted more time to London because we’ve never been there during the holidays. I’ve been to Paris 6 times and on one visit we spent 10 days over New Years. We will be using airline miles and because of those limitations I want to book them ASAP. Because there are no longer any change feels I think I will get tickets into Frankfurt and out of London, knowing we can change the return flight if necessary. We can stay flexible on the ground.

If uou have any interest in Art Nouveau architecture, have you considered seeing where Nancy fits in the logistical routes?
However, there is some prudency to considering limiting travel to one country.
The other thing crossing my mind for 2021 is the impact of weather and viral 'seasons'. A look at the rise in Covid numbers for 2021 in Europe saw a rise starting in September as weather cooled. Add in flu season. 2021 could be considered a 'transition' year. But I know you are only planning to green light it after you are comfortable with the state of things.

Thanks MariaF. I am so anxious to get to Germany to see my family and make a trip out it. I thought that by the end of the year things would return to semi-normal. I don’t care how long I have to wear a mask of it gives me some freedom. I suspect the trip will have to wait until 2022. We already have a plan for the U.K. & Ireland with friends in late summer/fall of 2022. I wanted to add on Poland & Budapest afterwards. I’ll have to plan the timing so I don’t come up against any Schengen issues.

Ashley: "There's a Deutsche Post office inside Frankfurt Airport where I often mail out all the stuff I brought over from America for friends in different parts of Germany. There are shipping carton boxes in 4 sizes on offer, which come with sealing tapes and address label. The cost for shipping within Germany is really cheap and typically takes only 1-2 days."

What a brilliant tip!

Great tip about the post office. When my cousin had twins a few years ago I made quilts for them. Ms. Jo was here visiting and she kindly took them back to Frankfurt with her and mailed them to Cologne for me.

We would return home before Christmas, but it’s good to know about the Riviera not being a good choice that time of year.

Nice is on of my favorite cities for wintertime travel. The crowds are gone, prices soft, the weather mild and the long rays of winter sun look spectacular against the ochre, sienna and yellow buildings. I was there in January for both 2020 and 2019 enjoying pleasant 60 to 65 degree. Perfect hiking weather in my opinion. They do have a lively Christmas market on Place Massena which was just finishing up when I arrived January 10th.
What I enjoy most about Nice in the off season are the lack of tourist crowds. I can wander the streets of St. Paul de Vence with no one else in my viewfinder, shop the market of Antibes with only locals, dine out at a popular restaurant with no reservations. People are still strolling the Promenade d’Anglais, dining outside and enjoying life but without lines or jousting for position. Being able to explore the smaller towns in the area without the crowds is priceless. I’d also highly recommend a day trip across the border to Ventimilglia to visit the market and old part of town on the hill across the river from the train station for a taste of Italy. I was surprised that those 20 miles or so would change the cultural landscape as much as it did.

I’ve experienced mild, sunny weather while visiting in January and February. Though shortly after I left this past January, there was a major storm that swept in causing much damage and flooding. It’s a risk you run traveling in winter. There are plenty of art museums to keep you busy as a back up. Hotels run steep discounts in the off season too. It afforded me the luxury of staying in a beautiful, bijou hotel with my own balcony overlooking the Côte d’Azur for around 70euro that normally would have been triple that or more in season.

I love Nice for its ease of airport access and connections too. The airport is a 20 minute tram ride that costs a couple euro door to door to downtown. Nice offers a plethora of connections to other European cities too, making it a great hub or open jaw choice for flights.

If you’re looking for a mild winter weather destination with a French twist on Italian, Nice fits the bill.