Picking a destination for American Thanksgiving (in Europe)?

I would consider a decent sized city in Germany, as the Christmas Markets will have begun. Pick Berlin, Munich, or Frankfurt as they all offer a wide variety of museums so you can indoors in case it rains, as well as plenty of historical sites. I tend towards Frankfurt of course, because then you could visit the markets in Mainz, Wiesbaden, and Heidelberg too.

That's quite interesting. About ten years ago (still living in the US at the time), Dublin was my choice for a quick jaunt over the pond during the Thanksgiving break. For what you listed as your priority (nights out), Dublin's a pretty good choice. Particularly because there's no language barrier. For costs... Dublin isn't the cheapest choice, but far from the most expensive.

If you've never visited, London, Munich, Gent or Berlin might be good options for a little bit of after dark enjoyment.

Weather- except for places you probably aren't considering (Russia, far northern Scandinavia), temperatures will probably be warmer than Chicago.

EDIT: Jo brings up a good point. Christmas markets are an excellent opportunity for a little night time social action- the main attraction for most Germans isn't usually the merchanise (which is usually the same stuff everywhere), but the outdoor drinking and socializing. Obviously in Germany, though, unless you speak German, there's going to be a language barrier that makes it a little more difficult to just jump into a conversation. Also, if you're interested in Christmas markets, try googling the city of interest to make sure there's a market open during your visit. In most large cities, they open in late November, but not always.

Belgium is a very easy country for traveling and has a wide range of accommodations and restaurants. If the Christmas markets are open (check in advance), it's easy to have inexpensive meals. I found more tea houses in Brugge than in other cities, great for light meals. Airfare R/T to Brussels was cheaper than to other cities by several hundred dollars last December as well. I would say stay in Brugge or Gent and take a daytrip to the other city and perhaps Brussels. Distances are short, trains are frequent, people are friendly and helpful and almost everyone speaks some English. I went to Belgium last Christmas and plan to go back again this year.

Barcelona - we found it relatively inexpensive there for hotels & dining. It has a great nightlife and plenty of folks who speak English. There is a lot to explore plus plenty of opportunities to just chill over a pitcher of sangria!

Paris. 4 nonstops a day.

We visited London several times around Thanksgiving. And REALLY loved it. easy to get around- very walkable and the Tube is easy to use, as are buses. It's 'low' season, so crowds are smaller. There are good markets, great theatre (and I assume clubs, etc- though we never visited them). With 5 days or so, you would have time to take the train out to Windsor. We even enjoyed Kew Gardens at that time of year. The British Museum is wonderful and FULL of history! And so is the Tower of London.

It has to be about more than cheap, but here are some cheap lists:
http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/sep/26/cheapest-holiday-cities-in-europe
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This list includes European destinations, but has one obvious flaw thanks to current events
http://www.roughguides.com/best-places/2014/best-value-destinations/
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I’ve been to most of the European destination on this list of cheap, and wouldn’t mind returning to any of them.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/smartertravel/10-places-to-go-while-the_b_4810515.html
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Lonely Planet’s take on value. You will notice a reoccurring theme from list to list.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/travel-tips-and-articles/lonely-planets-best-value-travel-destinations-for-2014
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Yet another
http://www.budgettravel.com/feature/10-best-budget-destinations-for-2014,19628/?page=4
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Ticket Prices: 10 Cheapest European airports from Chicago
1. Warsaw: $914 (index average)
2. Copenhagen: $957
3. Oslo: $959
4. Moscow: $969
5. Dublin: $970
6. Stockholm: $980
7. Berlin: $1,030
8. Istanbul: $1,031
9. Amsterdam: $1,060
10. Munich: $1,093

Then cheap comes in two varieties. Cheap-Cheap and Cheap-so-you-can-do-it-better. For the latter central and eastern Europe are good bets as you can have a "Business Class" vacation for the cost of an "Economy Plus" vacation. For Cheap-Cheap I might say a hostel in Paris, but it is a shame to see such a beautiful city in November.......

I tend to see the down side of Europe that time of year not so much about weather but about less daylight. Chicago has pretty short days that time of year to begin with, and is roughly at the same latitude as Spain, which is considered to be the south part of that continent. Given that you've already got Italy plans, I'd try pricing out ORD-Dublin and then going the European low cost carrier route for Dublin-Spain or seeing if Turkish is going to have another round of fare sales and using them through Istanbul for one of the more with it Balkan countries. I keep hearing great things about Croatia.

I spent Thanksgiving a few years ago in Istanbul and really loved it. It was cold at that time of year, I had to stop in and get some çay every few hours to warm up, but I really enjoyed it. I did have my husband there, so I wasn't a single traveler - but I always felt safe overall. Plus it is very cheap. We stayed near the Galata Tower and the hostel was 10€ a night (could have gone even cheaper). Food was cheap too. I don't know about Chicago but I've seen some really good round trip prices from other major cities, maybe they'll have deals for Chicago too. Direct flights around $908 from ORD.
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I really like others' suggestions of Germany though! I have loved both of my visits there, and lots of Germans do speak English so I never found an extreme language barrier. Last trip was to Köln and I had a great time going out there. I couchsurfed for two nights. Really loved our stay.

Back in the days before I got a job over here (yay!!), I used to spend a long off-season weekend (4 to 5 days) in Europe almost every year. The only deciding factor was cheapest airfare. As I was coming from Washington D.C., there were occassionally some real deals to be had. I once spent Thanksgiving in Amsterdam and really enjoyed it. I kind of miss the old days of traveling solo. So much more flexibility and more chances for impromptu discoveries and adventures. Have fun!

selkie, et al.

Cold weather, short days; leverage them. We generally make at least one trip in the winter and the secret is to go someplace where the limitations add to the trip and do not detract from it. Rome in November was miserable, Rome is May was wonderful. Here is an example of it working for you. We once had time in January so we went to Moscow for a few days. Red Square under 2 feet of snow is iconic to a baby-boomer (50+) and the event that made it perfect was Christmas Mass in an Orthodox Church. No other time of the year would have had the same impact or enjoyment. I said for a few days, then we went to Budapest. If you go to a major city then I would suggest that location will be everything. You are right then days are short so you want to be where you are comfortable out after dark. Generally the inner cities and the tourist zones. Dine out, go to a wine bar, look at the lights and do a lot of window shopping. The cities are still alive after sun goes down. The people who live there have lives to, you just have to set yourself in the center of the activity.

Yet another idea is search the web for festivals and special events in Europe. Fly in for the event, love it and head home. There must be something interesting even in November. One idea is the Christmas markets. Go to the city that in your opinion has the most interesting.

Hi,

Basically for the week of Thanksgiving I would choose London. I don't have any practical experience in Europe in November, was never over there in that month. All factors considered around Thanksgiving, my suggestion is London.

Hi Sarah,

I have spent Thanksgiving week in Geneva, Rome, and Madrid. Geneva at that time of year was too cold (for a Florida guy), but both Rome and Madrid were awesome! Perhaps because you have a later trip to Italy coming up, I would recommend Madrid. The museums are comparable to those anywhere in Europe and I have become addicted to tapas...

I have spent a few Thanksgivings in Europe... One in Salzburg and we were visiting the Xmas markets in Germany and Austria..... great fun. The other was Paris and I think the Xmas Market was open around that time as well. I would suggest either location and with a short amount of time I would take the easiest flight option. It was a great time to visit Europe... less tourists even though there are shorter days...it is a plus in Paris (city of lights) as well as the Xmas markets (when you want to see the lights).

Sarah,

if cost is the factor, go where the cost allows you to.

To me spending less than a week overthere is a waste of $$$. i would just hold on and use the $$$ on your Italy trip. but thats just me.

happy trails.

Istanbul came to my mind too. Exotic, scenic, even glamorous, and moderately priced. Living in Chicago you have a choice of flights, some showing less than $900 now. That's with one stop; Turkish Airlines run a non-stop which would be nice given your narrow time frame. It's substantially more money but you can wait awhile to see if bargains show up. Turkish is in an expansion mode so might run promotion pricing. It would be worthwhile to see if they offer advance notifications of sales.

Hi Sarah,

We've done something similar in Nov. 2010 and Nov. 2013, as we have off from work Thursday and Friday Thanksgiving week. We took Mon. - Wed. off of work to give us 9 days using only 3 vacation days. Both times we flew into/out of Munich and visited Salzburg, Innsbruck and more. Salzburg and Innsbruck during the Christmas Markets are just beautiful. The holiday atmosphere is terrific.

Paul