We are flying into Frankfurt on Christmas Day 25 -January 2 and driving to Amberg to visit our daughter. From there we would like to take a 5 day trip through Bavaria down to Austria. Some thoughts are Salzburg , Garmish area and or Vienna. Trying to decide either to skip Garmish or Vienna to minimize driving times and more sight seeing and activities to include a day trip Halsatt from Salzburg. Any ideas , tips or suggestions.
Things we would like to do:
Christmas markets (from my research it looks like Christmas Markets will only be open in Austria during that time.
Castle
Church
Food wine / beer tour
winter outside activity
Posted by
Bend, Oregon
2324 posts
I absolutely love Salzburg. You will find everything you listed (and more) there. Hallstatt will be magical in winter. You could go to the Silent Night chapel. The options are endless. Some of the markets will be open after Christmas.
https://www.austria.info/en/things-to-do/skiing-and-winter/christmas-markets
Posted by
New York, NY
4007 posts
For a 5 day trip, Vienna uses up valuable time. I would leave Vienna for another trip. Go to the top of the Zugspitze in Germisch-Partenkirschen. It is spectacular! I would stay one in one area like Munich and make day trips as I wouldn’t want to waste time packing, unpacking, checking in hotels, checking out of hotels, etc. I would think Christmas markets will close on December 24. You can certainly do a day trip to Salzburg to from Munich. Enjoy!
Posted by
Paradise
6662 posts
We are flying into Frankfurt on Christmas Day 25 -January 2
Are you also flying HOME from Frankfurt? If not, then from where? The place where your final night needs to be spent will play an important role in your short trip. And is January 2 your fly-out date, or your last full day in Europe?
Posted by
OP
4 posts
We are flying out of Frankfurt on the 2nd, so will be heading back to amberg on the 1st.
Posted by
Paradise
6662 posts
Amberg is a great little town. Lucky daughter. So you are going there first. But after your tour, I advise you not to sleep there on Jan 1st, as you will end up with a 3-hour drive on the 2nd, a day when you cannot possibly afford a flat tire, a traffic jam, a missed exit, or a slow car-return process. And don't you need to be at FRA about 3 hours prior to departure time?
Strongly suggest you spend your last night at an airport hotel, in Frankfurt, or in Mainz (both cities offer trains around the clock to the airport.) That way you can wake up a little late and maybe be better prepared for the long flight day you have ahead of you.
With the FRA departure in mind, it makes sense to forget about Vienna.
from my research it looks like Christmas Markets will only be open in Austria during that time.
Not so. Quite a few in Germany remain open into the new year.
Things we would like to do:
Christmas markets
Castle
Church
Food wine / beer tour
Here's what I would do with your priorities over your 5 days...
Days 1 - 2: Salzburg + Berchtesgaden
These places are quite close to each other. Visit Hohensalzburg Castle. Find some snow?
Day 3: Drive to Koblenz for a 3-night stay (since you have to drive back to the Frankfurt area anyway... and this is a fine spot for your interests.)
Castle: tour an intact medieval castle... Marksburg Castle in the old-world Rhine River town of Braubach, 10 minutes from Koblenz. Open year-round. See open hours here. (You can stop in Braubach on the way to Koblenz.)
Extended Christmas Market in Koblenz: spend the evening there.
Days 4 and 5: do outings from Koblenz.
Church + Christmas: Visit Cologne (Cologne Cathedral, Germany's most-visited tourist attraction!) + extended Christmas market + museums of all sorts
Wine + Christmas Visit Traben-Trarbach (wine town on the Mosel River.) Extended Christmas market has a wine theme. Conde Nast has this one on its "best of Germany" list. Scroll down.
Extra time? See Ehrenbreitstein fortress, on a cliffside outside Koblenz. Take the cable car ride from Koblenz' old town to get there.
End of day 5: drive to hotel near FRA airport. Your daughter can see you off - then, assuming she's old enough to travel on her own, she can take the train back to Amberg.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thank you gives me food for thought.
Posted by
Los Angeles, USA
5 posts
The nicest Christmas Markets in Bavaria imho is Regensburg, Augsburg and Nuremburg (in that order). It will also be matter of personal taste. But if you are in Amberg, Regensburg & Nuremberg are less than an hour away.
Posted by
Oberpfalz, Germany
1297 posts
If you have not experienced a German Silvester, I would consider where you want to be on New Years (dinner-hotel reservations etc.). We were in Regensburg one year next to the Danube not far from the old bridge. I was great. A lot of Germans get crazy with fireworks. To/from Salzburg you might stop in Burghausen to see the castle. I would save Vienna for another trip. See the Stadtbrille in Amberg.