Germany during Winter/Christmas

I would suggest that you fly into Munich and make that your base for your trip. The city is beautifully decorated for Christmas and there are Christmas markets with interesting things to see.
Stay near the MarienPlatz or the Hauptbahnhof--Hotel Eden Wolff, Europaeischer Hof, Le Meridien, Bayrischer Hof--check Booking.com for other hotels.
Most hotels will have Christmas trees and decorations.
Restaurants will feature special holiday meals and the wine is excellent.
Day trips to Neuschwanstein, Garmisch and other sites are easy to arrange and Austria is not too far away.
Weather is impossible to predict, but I have found it to be damp, not too cold, little chance of snow. Dress in layers with a waterproof jacket for your outerwear.

Hi,

What dates are you looking at? How do you plan on getting around?

Christmas Markets generally end/close up on the 24th. Innsbruck has one that stays open until early January.

Paul

We've done 3 Christmas Market tours over the last decade and LOVE this time of year to travel. Although ours was a guided tour with a chartered bus, you could still do this itinerary on your own, using trains or renting a car. We arrived in Frankfurt and headed to Rothenburg ob der Tauber (2 nights there). Wonderful, quaint town and a must-see during Christmas time. Then to Nuernberg (largest Christmas market in Germany, they say). We stayed here 2 nights and took a day trip to Bamberg (famous for its 'Krippenweg', various churches that house unique natavity scenes). Then to Neuschwanstein castle. We also stopped in Oberndorf, where 'Silent Night' was first written and performed. Then on to Salzburg (2 nights) and finally Munich (3 nights). Each town has its own christmas market and there's a uniqueness about each one. Our trip was 10 days. Weather is cold and either rainy or snowy but it's never been horrible, in my mind. I prefer to travel in December or around Easter rather than summer. Happy travels!

Thanks Joan. Hey Paul. I am looking at 20th through the new year. Have not made any plans on transportation yet and am open to any suggestions. Thanks,
Ken

Thanks Alexandria. Coming your way Paul in July. Got tickets to see U2 in July and doing a few tours. Came up a winter ago with kids and had a great time seeing everything. This trip will be a little slower likely.

Hi,

We've done 2 "Christmas Market" trips in late Nov./early Dec. 2010 and 2013.

www.flickr.com/photos/pjbassplyr/sets

Problem is that if you arrive on the 20th, the markets will be closing 3.5 days later. Then Christmas and the day after are quiet, at least from what I hear.

I suggested this to a family that went at this time of year in 2014 and they loved their trip:

They based in Hall in Tirol (which has a Christmas Market) at the Gasthof Badl (a RS favorite also) near Innsbruck, which has a market which stays open till early January. Along with visiting Innsbruck and Hall in Tirol, they did day trips to Brixen/Bressanone, Sterzing/Vipiteno, Bozen/Bolzano (over the border in Italy and all have Christmas markets open till early Jan. plus they did a drive through the Dolomites.

You could visit all the Christmas Markets in Innsbruck and Hall in Tirol. Then after the 24th, if you still want to see more, take a short drive over the Italian border.

Innsbruck also has a big outdoor NYE with fireworks with an alpine backdrop.

We've stayed at the Gasthof Badl 18 nights so far (10/01, 10/03, 4/05, 12/10 and 12/13) and plan to go back later this year.

Paul

We've spent a few days around NYE in Berlin. The outdoor party at the Brandenburg Gate is HUGE and extremely popular. And the palaces out in Potsdam have a completely different quality than during the summer.

Berlin can be colder and snowier than many other parts of Germany. But if it gets too cold, you can always warm up in one of the fantastic museums. And it doesn't matter then if it's already dark outside.

Mind you, this is high tourist season for Berlin so book your hotel as soon as you've made up your mind.

I would not rent a car during this time of year. Roads might get icy or foggy causing huge traffic jams - or worse. We pre booked point-to-point train tickets and were very glad we did. You can get Sparpreis (savings fare) tickets for longer distances 92 days in advance of travelling. And for this time of year they do sell fast, especially if you need 4 of them.

It seems to be a common myth that Christmas markets usually close on the 24th. The reality is that they usually close on the 22nd or 23rd. Very few markets are open on the 24th. Small towns may just have their market on one weekend during Advent and that is usually more towards the beginning. There is a trend happening that seems to be spreading to have markets open after Christmas. Speyer is one of them, but I have seen a few more. Large cities will have markets spread all around the city and often with varied themes.

Christmas Eve is the big holiday and you will see a country almost shut down by 14:00, with 99.5% of the restaurants closed that day. Hotels are your best bet for a Christmas Eve dinner. On 25 & 26 Dec. all stores are closed, but restaurants will have a booming business if they are open. Museums and tourist attractions are often open, but best is to check the individual websites. Public transportation always runs, but at a slower holiday schedule. The big problem this year is that the 27th is a Sunday which means stores are closed one more day. There will be grocery shopping frenzy going on in the days running up before the 24th. Germans are afraid of running out of delicious things to eat when stores are closed too many days in a row. Fun to watch.

Hi Ms. Jo,

That why I thought the Innsbruck area and the Italian towns over the border would work well if they're looking for Christmas Markets, as the Christmas markets would still be open, there's plenty of alpine scenery, sledding, etc., museums, castles, charming old towns and so on. Plenty of other day trip possibilities also, Rattenberg, Zillertal, Seefeld, Stubai glacier, and so on.

Thank everyone for their help. It looks like we can arrive the 15th. Thinking of Munich as base and travel in area and move to later lauterbraun valley during 24th-26th so we can hike and sight see so we do not have to worry about so many closures. We will just enjoy the scenary. Any thoughts? Thanks again, everyone is very helpful.
Ken

Sorry for typos. Multitasking.

Hi Ken,

I'd still be sure to fit in Innsbruck and Salzburg. While we love Salzburg, during this time of year, if you can't get to both, I'd go to Innsbruck. The old town markets, the snow capped peaks, it's beautiful. From Salzburg both Berchtesgaden and the area and the Salzkammergut are worth visiting. Unless you're flying home from Zurich, there's no reason to head to Lauterbrunnen.

Paul

Hi Ken,
I suggest you try to include Dresden in your plans. They have a great Christmas Market and the Volkswagen Transparent Factory, where they make the luxury Phaeton car, is well worth touring. I went there on a daytrip from Prague and wished I could have seen much more than I did. This year, I'm seeing Cologne and Nuremberg on my way to my annual Prague visit. Very excited to see the Cathedral in Cologne, and some castles too.