4 weeks Austria, Germany, Switzerland & Paris in Dec 2014

First of all, because your trip is in the winter, go with a completely different set of expectations. Most travel literature intended for non-Europeans is based on summer experiences. It's a whole different ball game in Decemeber. Obviously, it's colder, although except for the Alps, not as cold as you might think. But the weather is usually quite damp, meaning you won't see the brilliant technicolor views featured in travel literature and videos. Everything will look kind of gray and misty. Finally, the days are very short. Whereas near mid-summer's night, the sky starts to light up at around 4 am and then it doesn't get completely dark until almost 11, around the winter soltice, the sun is usually not up until after 8 am and it's completely dark again before 5 pm. So... what this means is unless you want to take advantage of the winter sports in the Alps, concentrate on the cities and larger towns... where you'll easily find plenty of Christmas markets to keep your otherwise early and dark evenings festive.

Now, some specifics...

"4 days in Munich with side trip to Salzburg & Hallstatt, possible?" Salzburg is feasible, don't bother with Hallstatt in the winter, for the reasons given above.

"Daytrip to Strasbourg & Colmar, will the itinerary be too tight, travel time too long?" Too far from Munich. More feasible if you stop off in Basel while in Switzerland, or perhaps on your way to Paris.

"would like to visit black forest & trier & Lake Titisee by rail before going to Swiss, any suggestions?" Again, don't bother in the winter, and it's too far from Munich. Maybe feasible from Basil... but just not worth it in the winter.

"which part of Swiss should be the first stop?" Coming from Bavaria, if you're a skier and you haven't hit the slopes yet in this part of your trip, the beautiful mountain resort of Flumserberg. If you're not a skier... Luzern or Zürich.

Vienna will have lots more going on than the rural areas, so I would want to include several days there, during a 4-week trip. Direct trains take only 4 hours Munich-Vienna and 8 hours Vienna-Zurich (with nice scenery). After Switzerland, I would add a night or two in Colmar or Strasbourg, replacing the Black Forest; both towns have TGV fast trains to Paris. You could do something like this: Munich-Salzburg-Vienna-Luzern-Golden Pass line to Montreux-Murten-Bern-Colmar-Paris. (My purpose here is not to reduce time in Germany; although it does have that effect.)

BTW, if you include Colmar or Strasbourg in your trip, the nearby Vosges mountains are practically a mirror image of the Black Forest on the other side of the Rhine. Neither make great winter destinations, unless you want to ski on some of the pistes... but the Alps offer far better possibilities at that time of year.

Hi
Thanks for the advice.
My plan currently is as per below, please let me know if it feasible.
Vienna(3days)
Salzburg Daytrip
Munich(3days)
Daytrip to Neuschwanstein Castle
Daytrip to Nuremberg
Berner Oberland(2days)
Zermatt(2days)
Lucerne(2days)
Bern(2days)
Generva(2days)
Strasbourg(2 days)
Colmar Daytrip
Paris(4days)

I count 22 days, so you seem to already have some travel time built in. Nonetheless, minimizing travel time should be a priority. If are still planning on flying into Munich, I'd stay there first. You can use your travel day to Vienna as your Salzburg day trip. Consider taking a night train between Vienna and Luzern. Unless you have some overriding desire to see Geneva, skip it. Use the travel day between Bern and Strasbourg as your Colmar day trip. So I see:

Munich(4days)

Daytrip to Neuschwanstein Castle

Daytrip to Nuremberg

Salzburg, Day trip between Munich and Vienna

Vienna(3days) then night train to Luzern

Lucerne(2days)

Berner Oberland(3days)

Zermatt(3days)

Bern(2days)

Colmar, Day trip between Bern and Strasbourg

Strasbourg(2 days)

Paris(5days)

That comes to 25 days including an overnight train. I added a day in Munich for jet lag recovery and light touring. I added a day each to Berner Oberland and Zermatt to cover travel time in and out and giving a better chance of having at least one good weather day when there. Also an extra day in Paris to cover your departure day.

Hi,

Are you willing to trade the time reserved for Munich to be spent in Vienna? Or skip Switzerland for traveling to Vienna?

Hi Sam

Thanks.

I like your plan but instead of taking night train to Lucerne, I may decide to take flight to Lucerne as I had extra budget(if the flight cost not too expensive) and do not really like night train(as I do not feel comfortable sharing/sleeping with strangers) and do not want to waste around 10hrs of daytime for traveling.

Actually I last minute decide to go to Swiss therefore had not kick start any real research on Swiss. Any advice which particular sights/cities a must visit? Old bern should visit from where? Grimmelwald is it worth to visit? If I follow your plan, do you have any nice resort/accommodation to recommend in Swiss? Is the food there really that expensive? Lots of people recommend me to go grocery shopping and make my own sandwiches while there but really would like some Swiss local dishes, any to recommend?

I plan for this trip as I want to visit Europe Christmas Market as Singapore Christmas is not much to see. I know Nuremberg Christmas Market had good review, therefore decide to go there as a daytrip from Munich. Is there anymore nice Christmas Markets to enjoy?

I like wood handicraft/souvenir, Germany is well known for it wood crafts any good store in Munich to recommend?

"Grimmelwald is it worth to visit?"

Gimmelwald or Grindelwald? The former is a small high altitude farming village blown out of proportion by Rick Steves, the latter is a ski resort. And remember... winter! The focus of Grindelwald in the winter is housing and feeding skiers. I'm not sure what exactly goes on in Gimmewald in the winter, other than it will be snowed in. Nearby Mürren is also a ski resort, so probably a little more alive in December.

A few thoughts on your last reply.

NIKI (or flyniki.com, established by the Formula One driver, Niki Lauda) has 3 reasonably priced flights a day from Vienna to Zurich. From Zurich airport you can get a train to Luzern, although after 10:30 pm you will need to make one change at Zurich Hauptbahnhof. Its about a 1 1/4 hour trip, and they run at least every half hour.

You will also find Christmas markets in Colmar and Strasbourg, as well as towns in Switzerland.

Carved wooden figures? You might try the Viktualien Markt in Munich. Otherwise, shops are fairly common in towns Switzerland and in Colmar and Strasbourg as well.

Swiss specialities? I hope you're not lactose intolerant, as everything Swiss is dripping with cheese (and really good cheese!). The fondue is classic, but you can also get it with meat and you cook your meat in a hot oil fondue pot. Raclette is another dish, cheese melted directly over small boiled potatoes and onions. Roesti is a casserole of sliced potatoes and ham or sausage baked in, you guessed it, cheese, often with a fried egg on top.

In the Berner Oberland and Zermatt, consider getting a hotel which includes breakfast and dinner. The dinner option is always quite good, and a good value compered to dining out. Plus you are liable to experience some of those Swiss specialties at least one night.

Gimmelwald will definitely be covered in snow. Muerren is a better option to stay, as you can hike (or sled) there from Muerren or ride the cable car. It will be early ski season when you visit there and Zermatt, but because it is early, you should have no problem finding places to stay at a reasonable (for Switzerland) rate. The rates will sky rocket beginning the weekend before Christmas.

Hi

Thanks for the recommendation.

If I skip Zermatt, will I miss out a part of Swiss? Is it a must visit place?

I thinking of spending time in Grindelwald for paragliding or is there other place for this type of activities?

And thks for the food recommendation, will definitely go try those and I love cheese.

For Geneva, Winter is there much to see?

"I thinking of spending time in Grindelwald for paragliding" It may not be available in winter.

Unless you really want to ski there, I wouldn't go out of my way to visit Zermatt in winter. The primary attractions there in the summer are the views of the Matterhorn and the hiking. You can't hike in the winter, and the frequently cloudy weather of December makes your chances of getting a good Matterhorn view much lower than in the summer. Like most mountain resorts, the town is merely a place to eat and sleep while you enjoy the Alps.

I would say that Zermatt is an option you could skip, especially if you are going to Berner Oberland. It always depends on individual interests. Zermatt is an expensive place to get to and an expensive place to stay. It really depends on how bad you want to see the Matterhorn, keeping in mind that bad weather could obscure it the whole time you are there.
Paragliding is offered at most popular Swiss alpine resorts, Grindelwald, Muerren, or Zermatt.
If you have an interest in science, the CERN physics lab outside of Geneva can be special. A reservation for a tour is recommended.

Hi

That what I think after watching the video @ youtube therefore decide to scrap Zermatt. But I see paragliding is still available during winter.

Thinking of visiting Zurich instead or spend one more day in bern.

What do u think?

Plan change to below:

Vienna(5days) with one day trip to Salzburg
Munich(5days) with one day@ nuremberg, one day@ neuwanstein castle
Zurich(2days)
Lucerne(2days)
Berner oberland(4days)
Bern(3days)
Paris(5days)

Hi,

Doing a day trip from Vienna to Salzburg takes up too much back and forth. Better to do it from Munich, less time spent going back and forth. I've done from Vienna to Linz, barely enough time even if you plan on returning to Vienna after 22:00.