Where to go before and after Christmas ???

Corfu could be interesting, not for Orthodox Christmas, but that the Christian community still apparently mark the Feast of the Epiphany in a big way.

I thought so too, but alas they don’t have flights after October. Shut down for the winter I guess.

So far, I have calculated flights and hotels and entertainment for:
Montenegro: January trip. Well within budget with markets in three cities that run until Christmas 7 January. I have a local contact.

Sofia: December trip. This would be for the pre-Christmas. A great selection of classical music, opera and ballet and two large Christmas markets. One has made a few "best of" sites. A bit over budget but thats in part me wanting to return to a hotel I love. Great city for a few nights and I have local contact.
Bucharest: December trip. Despite the recent criticism of Bucharest its got a good cultural scene. Flights and hotels are a bit more expensive though. so I will end up a little above the schedule. Another with a local contact. Local contacts always make trips better for me.

Skopje: January trip. Okay for years I have been tempted but I just couldn’t justify a week or more there. So maybe the fast trip is the way to test it. There is a market of course and it believe it runs until Christmas on the 7th.

I’ll keep going down the list.

I'll always vote for Poland.

pbscd, okay. I need a bit of guidance.

My choices are: GdanskGDN KrakówKRK Warsaw ChopinWAW WroclawWRO Katowice

My perfect 3 nights would include one night with music, theater or ballet. A hotel with breakfast, and one i can cancel if the invasion begins.

I haven't stayed here but did a ridiculous amount of overthinking before booking Hotel Wielopole in Krakow and Art Hotel in Wroclaw for next June. Would you want to be as far north as Gdansk at Christmas? But maybe Warsaw would have more fine arts options. I have concert tickets with the Wroclaw Philharmonic in June.

https://www.operabase.com/productions/dziadek-do-orzechow-opowiesc-wigilijna-piotr-czajkowski-youri-vamos-643663/en

Ballet that might work for you

I think it’s a good chance to go somewhere you have not yet been - on at least one of the trips. My vote is Krakow before Christmas. It is large enough to have activities, has a nice market, lots of churches so most likely lots of music, and could easily absorb a 4 day visit. For a 6 day visit (I didn’t look at flight days), you might want to combine Krakow and Wroclaw or Warsaw. I like Krakow. Second vote goes to North Macedonia. Then you could go to a familiar place on the other trip.

Mr. E, you might want to read Mary’s trip report of Krakow. She just got back. It makes me want to hop on a plane and jet right over.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-6-nights-in-krakow-september-2026

Mardee, do it! 🙂

pbscd, TTM, Mardee. Looks like Poland is an idea.

I looked at Warsaw so far. A tremendous selection of theater and music and pretty okay airfares. Sort of a mixed bag on hotels, but I can find one that will work.

I will look at the other stops in Poland.

Warsaw is another city I didn’t expect to like, so on my month long trip, I only scheduled 3 nights. I expected grim and industrial…. What I saw was rebuilt, interesting, historical. There is a lot there. Hotels I’m no help with (I stayed in an apartment). I would think there would be some good choices for an evening of entertainment - I just went to a small, regularly scheduled, hour long Chopin concert, but it was lovely. It is definitely a place where you would enjoy a guide for a day.

No wrong answer here.

You stayed in an apartment?? SHAME!

I am guilty all over the world….. this was one of the more interesting ones I have stayed at. Very comfortable and convenient, but might be the only place I have stayed that came with two door locks.

@Mardee "Mr. E, you might want to read Mary’s trip report of Krakow. She just got back. It makes me want to hop on a plane and jet right over."

I think you would LOVE Kraków. It has that small town feeling but so much to see. Beautiful sights, history, kind people.

Given this list, I too will vote for Poland...absolutely.

Seeing Dortmund there...one must be joking!

Memmingen is nowhere close to Munich, it's more or less south of Ulm

Wroclaw is pretty sweet, but the flights don’t work for a 3-night trip.

So, I am down to Warsaw and I really cant find much wrong with it.

- 5 December morning flight to Warsaw.
- 6 December Christmas Markets and Premier Copella at the opera house.

- 7 December Christmas markets and maybe a tour guide.
- 8 December morning flight to Budapest.

Under $800 with the best box seats $50 less is I am less pompous. Which is a bit high, but livable.

Oh and Skopje is a little less expensive.