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Dec 2024 Trip- Need some help

Posted by (Nashville) on

Hi all, I'm considering a trip to Germany/Austria in December 2024 but trying to figure out how to weave this in with the Christmas markets my wife wants to see is making this a little more difficult on the planning side. The main problem we have is that since she is a teacher we are kind of locked into starting our trip towards the end of the market season. So basically I'm trying to optimize for that plus get the most out of the fact that we're going to be in one of the most beautiful places in the world regardless of markets.

Not sure I want to get a car given the season but I'm not fully opposed to it. I think the real key for us is going to be deciding on if we want to head into Austria and stay there or head to Austria and then back into Germany. If we do head back into Germany I would probably want to spend some time in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen area (or Innsbruck, though I do realize that's Austria).

Here is my rough idea... This assumes we can get a late flight on Friday the 20th out of Nashville. If that can't happen then everything here slides a day and just makes the market portion that much tighter.

Sat Dec 21: Arrive in Munich (AM) / Overnight Munich
Sun Dec 22: Overnight Munich
Mon Dec 23: Overnight Munich
Tue Dec 24: Train to Salzburg / Overnight Salzburg
Wed Dec 25: Overnight Salzburg

It kind of falls off the rails for me here. I think we will have 4-5 more nights and I can't decide what to do with them. We could head back west and spend some time in Innsbruck or Garmisch.

Thu Dec 26: Overnight Salzburg
Fri Dec 27: Innsbruck/G-P
Sat Dec 28: Innsbruck/G-P
Sun Dec 29: Innsbruck/G-P
Mon Dec 30: Fly back home from Munich (might need to overnight in Munich the night before but can adjust for that)

Or, make a tweak to how long we stay in Munich, do some day trips from there before heading to Salzburg then head on to Vienna from there. Something like this.

Munich: 5 nights w/ day trips down south, maybe an overnight in G-P
Salzburg: 2 nights
Vienna: 2 nights

The main advantage of option 1 from a Christmas market perspective is that we will get to experience Munich, maybe one road trip north from Munich, and Salzburg. Option 2 we get Munich and a chance to see the nearby ones. We can take day trips to other places by train before heading to Austria. We would miss Salzburg christmas market before christmas, though I believe some stay open past Christmas, and would then get to experience New Years markets in Vienna.

Note: I should add that beyond the markets we are basically avid travelers and hikers. We run several half marathons throughout the year so don't mind putting miles on our feet. Would definitely like to spend some time hiking in the mountains if time and/or weather conditions allow. We just did a 5 mile Zion NP Narrows hike just prior to Christmas for reference.

Posted by
4412 posts

My two cents is, Salzburg is nice but you're overstaying. Do a daytrip to the Salzkammergut, such as the Wolfgangsee. there should be many hiking opportunities. And since you seem to be at loose ends for 4 or 5 days, see more of Austria. Innsbruck as you said, or Graz, or the Melk abbey and the Danube float, or do some Vienna if you never have.

Posted by
204 posts

First, you may want to plan two trips and then adjujst your schedule upon arrival. If there is heavy snow in Tyrol, then Innsbruck/G-P become problematic for hiking. Still beautiful to visit, but probably not for 3 days if you can't hike.

Second, given your specific timeframes and tight schedule, conside flying home from Vienna if it remains on your to do list. Leaving from Vienna may require an extra flight, but may not be significanty more expensive.

Not sure about your comment about missing Chrismas Markets. Most of the largest markets open by early- December and, as you mentioned, some transition to New Years Markets. Salzburg's markets opened in November this year.

Posted by
1293 posts

I'll suggest what I have suggested before to similar questions. From Innsbruck with car or train travel thru the Wipptal and do a day trip to Sterzing, Italy (Südtirol). There is a Christmas market there and it is a nice town and tourist destination. The Christmas market this year (2023-24) is open thru 6 Jan. If you go by car and there is not too much snow you can take the secondary roads and avoid the Brenner Autobahn and tolls. There are parking places outside the town (toll). Just be ready for a slow drive with traffic and behind trucks and busses. Along the way is the Outlet Center Brenner. I've never stopper there, but it always seems packed.

From Innsbruck you can take the Stubaitalbahn to Fulpmes. You can catch this train at the Innsbruck Bahnhof and a few other stations. The ride is historic and scenic. In Fulpines you can take the Kreuzjochbahn up to the top if you want.
Many buses from Innsbruck thru the Stubital, but probably all the markets are done when you plan to visit.

https://www.sterzing.com/en/sterzing-vipiteno-southtyrol.html
https://www.stubai.at/en/aktivitaeten/points-of-interest/stubaitalbahn/#:~:text=The%20train%20station%20of%20the,turn%20of%20the%20century%20here.
https://www.stubai.at/en/skiing-resorts/schlick2000/

Posted by
8 posts

We just did a Christmas trip to Germany & Austria and ended in Salzburg from 12/23 - 12/28. There were some markets still open after Christmas but virtually nothing was open after 1 pm on Christmas Eve thru Christmas Day or the day after. If you really want to see things, hunt for some good options to book well in advance—we did a concert at Mirabell Palace on the 24th and a cooking class on the 25th at Edelweiss cooking school. I recommend staying in a decent size hotel with a restaurant too for access to meals. We liked the Imlauer Pitter.

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