Salzburg, Vienna and Budapest or Belgium in December

Hi, KRS, you might want to read Jean's trip report, as she was in Munich, Salzburg, and Vienna for the Christmas markets recently.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/mother-daughter-christmas-markets-trip-austria-germany-france

For what it's worth, I've been to Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Amsterdam, Cologne, Bruges and Ghent (mostly in the spring) and loved them all. That said, I think that there is something about the vibe of Christmas that really makes a place special. And really, I think your first choice does that best. I love the other cities, but for that winter and Christmas charm, I would go with choice #1. 😊

Option 1 has many more big-name destinations but will also involve much more travel and probably more travel days. You can easily do option 2 in two weeks. Not so with option 1.

I have done Amsterdam and Bruges in December. The crowds were not a problem--in fact, I would think they would be greater in the spring. But the winter weather did curtail what I did in Amsterdam. To me, option 1 looks much more attractive but far more ambitious.

You state several times that crowds are a concern. Others are far more knowledgeable about how crowded are the cities you mentioned at different times of the year. But some of these places like London are just highly popular and crowded regardless of the time of year.

Thanks for replying Mardee. I’ve read Jean’s TR as well as many other posts about these areas. I’m also following other sites and groups. Unfortunately, most of what I’ve read focuses on the markets, which I’m sure are lovely, but again, that’s not my primary interest. I guess my concern about crowds is foremost in my mind, and over and over it seems I hear about choice 1) being at the center of it all which makes me wonder if 2) would be less crowded and therefore a better choice for me.

RJ, I hear what you’re saying for sure. I’m not particularly interested in Munich, but it’s probably where my trip will start, so I might just spend one night there. Prague is an outlier, but sounds so lovely that I’d like to see it if I’m coming so far, but nothing is definite yet. I figured once I decide on which trip to do, I can start narrowing in on how many days to spend where and if I need to drop a place to make it a better trip.

KRS I have visited your option 1 cities, except Prague and Budapest (which I am scheduled to visit shortly). But my visits to the Munich and the Austrian cities you mentioned took place in May.

For whatever it is worth, excluding warm-weather sites, I am reluctant to travel to Europe in December unless I am visiting a major city like London or Paris or unless my reason for travel is to share in the Christmas experience, which includes the markets. (I would think Salzburg would be ideal.)

Regarding my one December trip, the places I enjoyed were London (because of the theater and there are just so many things to do) and Bruges. But I found the weather adversely affected my time in Amsterdam (too cold for me) and Edinburgh and York (rain and cold weather).

I have been to all the places you listed and enjoyed them all.
However, I thought Brussels was just OK, but I did love The Grand Plaza.
We lived in Augsburg, Germany for four years over 30 years ago and I would NEVER pay to go to Northern Europe in the Winter.

If you drive, you could run into ice and snow and that won't be good, especially in places like Salzburg, Innsbruck, Vienna, etc. I have been to those places in the Winter and ran into ice and snow, slowing down our drive. Europeans in those places usually have winter tires that assist. Not sure you could rent a car with winter tires.
The Christmas Markets are nice, but I wouldn't pay to fly to Europe mainly for that.

Also, that is a lot of places to visit for 2-3 weeks.
You might skip Belgium.