What was the BEST winter trip to Europe you've ever taken?

Though we have always gone in late Nov/early Dec, I have found that the UK and Austria are both wonderful in winter. Much smaller crowds and more chances to "get in with" the locals.

I might be crazy, but I visited St. Petersburg in the depths of winter. I won't lie to you, it wasn't warm. But under a fresh layer of snow, the city (well, at least the old Imperial sections of the town, not the god-awful Soviet-era industrial areas), resembled a post-card winter wonderland. There was only a few hours of daylight, but the city is so colorfully lit, it didn't matter.

Hello Kate. I think ITALY is better in the winter, because ITALY has terribly hot weather in the summer.
There could be lower prices there in the winter. And lower prices for flying to ITALY from the U.S.A. in the winter. If you are interested in being at a place that is not at or near a city, ITALY's Cinque Terre villages, in Liguria at the Mediteranean Sea coast, can have warm air in the winter. I do not know if the air would be warm the days when you would be there, but the air is not likely to be very cold there during the day. Read about the Cinque Terre in the book "Rick Steves' ITALY. The Cinque Terre is located not very far from the hill town Lucca.
And, I think being at Salzburg in Austria could be pleasant in February. I saw the Travel Channel's "Passport to Europe with Samantha Brown" episode of her in Salzburg. I think that show was made in February of 2006. It has a view looking from "New" Salzburg across the river to old Salsburg : very large fluffy snowflakes.

More on the Cinque Terre in ITALY : As I guess you are aware, any place in Europe could have rain in February. I read that the trails at the Cinque Terre were closed some days. I think that was because of mud. I believe the trail between Riomaggiore and Manorola is open every day.

Hi Kate,
I was in Switzerland last winter and will be there again in Feb because it is gorgeous in the winter and the skiing is the best. I was also in Florence and Lake Como last Jan. Florence was perfect with mild climate, low hotel prices,Everything was open and no lines at museums! Lake Como was beautiful also but the snow and cold discouraged me from taking the ferries across the lake.

We did a week in late February - two days in Munich, Ludwig's castle, then on to Garmisch. Kitzbuhl, then two nights in Salzburg. The Alpine Strasse was absolutely gorgeous - about 2 feet of snow on the mountains - but the roads were clear and dry.
Don't even slow down when you pass Innsbruck - it has all the charm of a dirty ashtray.

I did an incredible trip to Vienna and Prague right before Christmas a few years ago. The Kris Kringle marts on the streets were open, there was a dusting of snow, and we had a great time popping into cafes to get gluhwein and warm up.

The best part was probably the thinning of the famous crowds in Prague. We had a very leisurely time and never, ever stood in line or had anyone standing in front of us.

My husband ski's, but I do not anymore.
We went to Zermatt in Switzerland. He skied and I walked around the town. I took lifts and railways up and met him for lunch in different areas on the mountain. The scenery was spectaular.
I could not get enough of looking at the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa area.
Wonderful meat and cheese fondue dinners. He skied down to Italy for lunch one day. We both rode up together to the Kline Matterhorn. Then I rode the lifts down and stopped half way down for lunch.The train ride up to Zermatt by way of Zurich was beautiful too. We do winter trips where he skis and I do not. Zermatt was one of my favorites. Murren Switzerland is fun. I guess it depends if you are looking for a snow adventure or a warm and sunny adventure.

Mainland Greece for two weeks during Christmas 2003! We visited Ancient Corinth, Naflion, Mycenae, Delphi, and Athens with family. Wonderful time! Great weather (compared to Chicago) and very few tourists.

Lyon France in early December 1996. Things were lit for Christmas and there was a carousel set up near the shops. My wife and I took two rides each on it and although the proprietor didn't speak any English and we no French, he new we enjoyed ourselves to the hilt.

Years ago my husband and I took a wonderful two week ski vacation in Austria - one week in Kitzbuel and one week in Saltzburg in late Feb/early March. Austria has a fabulous tourism industry, so you can design your own vacation while you're there. You can choose to ski, or take part in a number of trips/tours that are offered on a daily basis. Saltzburg is a wonderful place to base yourself, as you can choose to ski on near-by resorts, enjoy the fabulous city, or take part in one of the many tours on offer.

My husband and I did a Christmas market tour in late November early December. We started in Prague for three days then took the train to Vienna for one night. We boarded a river boat in Vienna and cruised the Danube River for 7 nights and ended in Nuremburg, Germany. We loved it and would like to do it again. The price was very good too. We used GateOne travel.

As one who hates heat and crowds, winter in Europe is a great time.

For skiing, we have had absolutley fabuluous trips to Norway, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and of course, Austria. There are a lot of really great ski resorts, we just have about 300 left to see!

For sightseeing, the big cities are great, crowds are down, lines are short (e.g. Paris, Vienna, Munich, etc). Personally I will take the frozen fountains and no line at the Louvre over the hordes of summer anytime. I have never been to Venice in the summer, but found the canals to be quite aromatic enough in the dead of winter!

For small towns, with all the tourists gone, you have really great conversations with the shopkeepers and hoteliers (if they are open). We cruised the markets and villages of Provence and Italy during winter months and found it delightful.

With the exchange rate there are few Americans. We just returned from three weeks in Europe and probably heard American english on only 3-4 times.

I just returned from my second January trip to Paris in 2 years - I love it! No crowds, everyone still looks great and hangs out in cafes. The stores all have sales too.

Hi Kate,
We almost always go to Europe off-season (usually either mid-March or October-November) and I personally think it's the best time to go. The crowds are down, the prices are lower and you get to see more of the "real Europe" instead of just hordes of other tourists (esp. in popular areas, like Venice). I usually don't even mind the weather--we are from the upper Midwest and it is often warmer in Europe than at home. The only downside is some attractions may be closed or have reduced hours, and some of the heating in the cheaper hotels may be slightly, um, "erratic," so bring some silk long undies and be prepared to layer. Wherever you decide to go, I hope you have a wonderful time.

Salzburg, Austria, and Munich & Rothenburg, Germany at Christmas time. Nothing like it.

The only way to do Florence is in the winter. It's not a "warm weather" destination anyway. And I was able to see David and the entire rest of that gallery in 30 minutes including wait times (of which there were NONE!). I saw every single major sight in Florence in one day and at no point did I feel like I was breezing too quickly through anything!

I agree with Jarrod. I went to Rome (and one day to Florence) the first week of December and it was FANTASTIC.

Almost no crowds, which made the museums & sights incredibly peaceful. I was just at Rick Steves' travel festival and they had a picture of the David at the far end of the hallway with a whole crowd of people in-between. I couldn't get a picture, unfortunately, but there were almost no people between me and David, so I got to enjoy an unobstructed view the whole way down. It just isn't that crowded and even the pickpockets aren't around as much. (They are still around though, so moneybelt!)

The weather was decent--in the 40s and 50s F. Rained a bit two of the days I was there, but nothing a hooded jacket or umbrella can't handle, and the middle of the week had absolutely gorgeous blue sky. Florence was a lot colder than Rome though, layer up!

Considering how miserable crowds, heat, pickpockets, price, etc. can be, I would always go to Italy in winter.