Where would you go December 2018?

How long do you have? Here is my fantasy tour:

3 week xmas market -
Fly to Zagreb Croatia - 3 nights
Train to Slovenia - Ljuljana - 2-3 nights
Train to Salzburg Austria - 3 nights
Train to Munich - 3 nights
Finish in Nurnberg - 3 nights

15 Nights - 5 Christmas markets - most trips 3-4 hours

Not Europe, but once I read that you had done both southern Spain and Sicily, my next though was Morocco. I don't know what your origin airport is, but you might be able to get to Casablanca relatively easily. Casa is not where you want to spend your time, though. Go to Marrakesh, Fes (stunningly fabulous crafts), Meknes, Rabat and so on.

Temperatures in Portugal would probably be fairly mild, but you could get a lot of rain. Check weather stats.

Israel?. . .

The weather in most parts of Greece will be somewhat unpredictable that time of year, so if you are looking for something warm you will at least have to go far down south, like Crete. Or Cyprus maybe. And even there I don't know if you will have warm weather guaranteed.

For sightseeing in any part of Northern Europe, well, days are going to be really short, and the weather may be anything from cold, mild, snow, rain, fog...

If you're into Christmas markets, that's the time and place to go of course. You don't say what exact dates you will be traveling. Most Christmas markets are only open before Christmas, so that's something to keep in mind.

If Europe, I would pick Portugal.

If not Europe, I would pick Central or South America (Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Argentina, etc) or Mexico (Yucatan region, Mexico City, Oaxaca, Guanajuato, etc). There is a huge world outside of Europe and it's much warmer in those places than Europe in December. It really depends how much time you have on the ground relative to transit time and cost to get there.

It’s a bit hard without knowing your time frame, but looking at places you haven’t been.

•Holland & Belgium
•Portugal
•Berlin, Dresden, Prague, Budapest

Don't kid yourself, there is no place in Europe that is typically "warm" in December. All you can hope for is "less cold". When it comes to beaches and surf, "less cold" isn't exactly what i would consider a successful idea. It's winter so dive into the cold, the snow (if you are lucky) the short days with magnificently lit cities.

Like was pointed out, without some definition of the length of the trip and the dates its hard to recommend. Dependent on time and date I would say arrive in Prague, fly to Budapest, fly to Kyiv. If it runs past the end of the year into January I would throw in Lviv for orthodox Christmas.

We went to Madrid and Toledo in December 2015 and absolutely loved it. Not warm but manageably cold and the Spanish have great winter cuisine. Think hearty stews and delectably thick hot chocolate with churros.

paul's itinerary is my dream Christmas trip!

Hello Everyone and thanks for your input. Some good ideas here. To answer some questions, we would likely have around 15-17 days. Likely something like Dec 15 to Jan 2. Kids really want to return to Europe (although Morocco sounds good to me). Might consider Turkey if the visa situation has been resolved by then. Anyway, we can deal with some cold and snow/bad weather but probably wouldn't go north of, say, Hamburg.

Paul, I love your itinerary, although since I have been to all those places (or very nearby), I'd likely opt for something new. Want to have lots of new activities (museums, cultural opportunities, hikes, etc) for the time when we are not doing Christmas markets.

Thanks so again to everyone who took the time to reply!!!

Why not South America, Africa or New Zealand? It's summer for them, that's the best time to be there.

I know you said Europe but New Zealand since you did Australia already maybe..... Turkey would be my choice in Europe if the visa issue get cleared up.
Provence
Barcelona/Costa Brava
Corsica

Well, naturally the southern hemisphere is going to be warmer that time of year, so you'll simply have to make your decision if your priority is "warmth" or "Europe".

Want to have lots of new activities (museums, cultural opportunities,
hikes, etc) for the time when we are not doing Christmas markets.

Weather aside: For museums and cultural opportunities, I'd say Berlin can't be beaten. Christmas markets are within easy reach, and a number of absolutely worthwhile smaller towns nearby (Meißen, Dresden, Erfurt etc.). For hiking, add the Elbsandsteingebirge near Dresden. Berlin is a great city for young people so I am pretty sure your daughters will enjoy it.

I wouldn't describe Turkey as "warm" in the winter. The average high temperature for Istanbul in December is 51F.

We have been to Budapest Christmas week and although it was especially cold we enjoyed it immensely. We are not shoppers but the Christmas markets were nice. I would highly recommend Kapital Inn. We have very fond memories of Albert, the owner cooking,us omelets and telling us about growing up in Budapest. The inn was lovely if you don't mind stairs. Albert lived in Boston for a few years so his English is perfect. Last year we spent Christmas/Chanukah week in Tel Aviv. There was a bit of rain but on the whole much warmer than our weather here in Boston. Having been to Rome last August at the finish of our BOE 14 day trip, and going again next May to start our South of Italy tour, that is also a good choice.

I'll put in a plug for my country. It's warm enough to float in the Dead Sea in December. Even though Jerusalem is wintry, with temps usually in the 50's and even down to the 40's, snow a once-in-a-decade occurrence and sunshine is more likely than rain. You can see Christmas celebrations in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Temps along the coast - Tel Aviv, Haifa, Akko, Caesarea - are usually in the 60s or even 70s. The same goes for the area around the Sea of Galilee. There are lots of ancient sights, from the early Israelites, the Romans, the Byzantines, the early Moslems, the Crusaders, the Ottomans, and more. Nature, the Med, the desert, and a side trip to Jordan.

Chani, excellent idea! Of course I would end the trip in Budapest. Are the flights between the two still cheap?.

You could land in Tel Aviv about the 16th for the tail end of Hanukkah then to Budapest on the 22nd to Budapest for the markets, Christmas and Net Year; then on to Kyiv in the 3rd and stay through Orthodox Christmas, more markets, etc. Three religions, 3 cultures, 3 weeks.

So - Christmas markets, museums, hikes, AND someplace warm...

You've seen Rothenburg (in that region of northern Bavaria known as Franconia) but like many R-Steves-visitors to Germany, you've likely missed the rest of Franconia. I'd spend maybe 9-10 days between Bamberg, Nuremberg, Wurzburg (all close enough to one another for a one-base-town visit) and Prague. And then catch a cheap flight to one of the Portuguese island destinations (Azores, Madeira?) where it may be damp but very likely warm enough for some outdoor fun.

Bamberg is a UNESCO World Heritage city with lots to see/do including its Christmas market.
Nuremberg has Germany's most renowned and popular Christmas market and is stuffed with sights/museums as well.
Wurzburg is outstanding as well.

As was mentioned previoiusly, it's quite an easy to day trip from Nuremberg to Bamberg - and takes only a little longer to reach Wurzburg. There is a direct IC (Intercity) bus (a DB German Railways product) operating several times per day between Nuremberg and Prague - buy tickets in advance online from DB very cheaply.

Skiing in Austria would be my pick in December of next year!

I'm with Continental on this one, but I'd probably pick something less traveled: Andorra, Bukovel, Sochi...

It's really hard to predict in case of weather for this time. In my opinion the best decisions for this could be Spain, Portugal and Greece, in case of climate they're the best. However it can rain during your time so check carefully weather forecasts. However warmer climate doesn't mean that it'll be not cold at all, it'll just be warmer for a more comfortable trip and exploring sightseeings :)
Christmas Markets will be in all European countries as I remember. If you're interested in historical architecture and similiar interesting places, I can recommend Hungary, Estonia, Holland, Germany and Czech Republic. But definetely not Poland, it's not a good choice for celebrating Christmas abroad, it's traditionally a family holiday there and everything will be closed.
From our own experience with such holidays trips I think that Hungary and Estonia are the best choices. Both Budapest and Talinn are amazing in case of various interesting sightseeings https://greentourbaltic.com/tourcats/tallinn/ , there are many places to explore and nice small cafes for short relaxes during your walks :) As I remember not all of them including museums will be closed during Christmas. Also there will be amazing Christmas Markets (Baltic countries are considered as one of the best in this case) and special events devoted to this holiday, in our case we enjoyed very much with both trips. Besides bothe these countries are rather cheap, especially comparing with Italy and France.
Austria and Ukraine can be good choices too but in case of the second one I recommend only Lviv, it's the best in my opinion for average and holidays trips :)

I am headed to the Canary Is and Madeira this holiday new yr. you could also incl the Azores islanda. Mild temps , beaches, spanish speaking, great fd and vistas etc. when I return mid January I can report back.

Hi,

If this trip is to be in Europe, I would choose London and France, ie Paris and other cities/towns. If it were my Christmas trip, I would go to Europe, ie, to London, Paris, and other French towns/cities to be determined.

I always love Paris but how about Argentina?
We had a great time Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls, hydrofoil to Uruguay, went out to a Gaucho ranch.

On my bucket list is small explorer ship experienceing the Galápagos Islands.

I have listed a few links with Cracow, Zakopane, Warsaw and Poznań on https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/best-christmas-markets-c0073ce3-8a51-4e90-ac9e-548becaa931b