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advice for xmas trip

Posted by (San Francisco) on

Hi all:

Looking to see if I should switch up the very end of this trip.... Suggestions? Background: Me and husband, 2 boys 12 and 13 who like active things and not "walking around looking at stuff". So... in winter this is harder, but I have found some things I think will keep their interest. Anyway...

Arrive Frankfurt, stay one night. (dec 17)
Nuremberg, 2 nights, 1.5 days
stop in Salzburg for a few hours on way to Vienna
Vienna, 4 nights, 3 full days
Prague, 3 nights, 2.5 days (over Xmas)
Berlin, 4 nights, 3.5 days
return to Frankfurt, 1 night new years eve
flying out New Years morning

So I am feeling pretty happy about everything up to Berlin. I am worried 4 nights is too long and maybe we should go for 3 nights, 2.5 days? Looks like they still have some markets open, some ice skating, winter world at potsdamer, and I want to do one history walking tour. The boys won't be too great with too many museums...

Do you think we should go back and spend 2 nights in Frankfurt? Or stop somewhere for one night on the way back to Frankfurt... but where? I am just worried maybe Berlin is a little too long in the winter....

Thoughts? Debated skipping Berlin, but I do think we want to go there... just having buyers remorse and second guessing I guess... everything is still changeable until we buy the train tickets.

Thanks!
Kim

Posted by
993 posts

should we skip berlin and go to bamberg/rothenburg 2 nights each or something??

Posted by
179 posts

I'd say, leaving Germany on New Year's morning is wrong. It's generally a day to cool down after fireworking all the evening of 31st Dec along. With two 12 year old boys, expect them to be totally exhausted. Or you make them miss the German 4th of July experience, which I find especially cruel. (^.^;)

http://www.bugmartini.com/comic/sparkle-motion/

For going to Berlin in Winter and not going into the numerous museums, it sounds wrong to me, too. The collections of old greek and egyptian art at the Museumsinsel may be interesting to them? But you hardly need four days for that, that's right. Rothenburg, on the other hand, is a one-afternoon visit. I think your boys will enjoy climbing the old city wall until dark. No need for a second day, however. Don't make them miss the criminal museum there.

Ah, and see the weather forecast when you are there to check whether there is snow in one of the numerous mountainsides and go there sledding with them. Don't know if you do this often back home.

Posted by
6 posts

Add 1 or 2 nights in Austria and go skiing (north of Salzburg). If you don't know how to ski, rent snow boards and an instructor, if you like sports snow boarding is easier to learn.
We did Berlin in summer with a 13-year-old and had tons of things planned. She ended up shopping with us and then met some facebook-friends, she spent the days long-boarding in and around the city. Berlin is a great city to be and most of the time we had things planned and did only do half as we "went with the flow".
Some suggestions for Berlin in winter:
sledging
Teufelsberg or Volkspark Friedrichshain or Viktoriapark in Kreuzberg
Spa/Hamam
Real Life Mysteries are quite hip in mos german cities - maby they do offer them in English as well

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