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Short Thanksgiving trip to Europe - need some help!

Posted by (Atlanta, GA, United States) on

OK,

Looking for some advice here....
My wife, my two teenagers, and I have decided to take a quick 8 day trip to Europe over the Thanksgiving break.
My wife and I have been to Europe many times, and kids have been a few times.
Originally, we planned on seeing as many Christmas markets as possible, so we got a great price on plane tickets into Munich, and home from Amsterdam. After booking the tickets, we realized that most of the markets don't begin until our second week there, a little later in November.
So right now, we are planning on two nights in Munich at the beginning of our trip. Then we are headed over to Strasbourg/ Colmar for another two nights. And, finally we are going to be in Amsterdam for two nights to end our trip.
Here's what I'm struggling with..... We have two nights between Colmar and Amsterdam. Part of me wants to jump on a train and head to Paris (we love), another part wants to head up through France/ Belgium and check out some neat towns, another part wants to head up through Germany towards the North.
I would love to stay two nights somewhere, just to avoid having two 1 night stays.

I've been to Cologne, and didn't really care for it. So, I'm leaning towards going north through France and Belgium or just heading to Paris.
Again, we are making our way towards Amsterdam.

Any thoughts or ideas will be welcomed!
Thanks!

Posted by
3049 posts

I know I am dangerously close to sounding like a paid shill for Stuttgart (and to be fair I have a tourism business in Stuttgart but I do not advertise it here.) BUT

Depending on the timing of your trip, if the Christmas markets are open during your two free days after Alsace...why not Stuttgart? I've traveled all around Germany/France/Austria for Christmas markets and Stuttgart's is by far the best contiguous "big city" market I've been to. The decorations on the roofs of the huts are off the hook, and we have a couple of neat little diversions, like children's choirs in the courtyard of the Old Palace, or the fire-warmed teepees of the Finnish market, complete with smoked salmon and Gloogi (Finnish Gluehwine). Don't get me started on the Goose Hut - Goose legs with red sauerkraut, goose bratwurst, and duck "nuggets" - amazing.

In addition, what is in my opinion, Germany's best Christmas market period, is in Esslingen - in addition to their "normal" market which is great there's the middle ages Christmas Market. A few cities do these in Germany but none as magical as Esslingen. The only downside is that it gets very crowded - so you want to visit in the afternoon on a weekday as it become dusk and leave before it gets too crowded. The atmosphere and the food and hot honey wine is all incredible.

That's a 10 minute train from Stuttgart hauptbahnhof. 10 minutes in the other direction you're in Ludwisburg, which has a massive baroque palace (the "Swabian Versailles") and a baroque Christmas market to boot with the best version of "feuerzangenbowle" (a special fruit punch where a sugar cube is soaked in rum and lit on fire so it caramelizes into your beverage).

It's not difficult to get here from Colmar, and there are very cheap flights to Amsterdam from the Stuttgart airport. I'm sure others will weigh in but again, I've been all over this country for Christmas markets but Stuttgart and it's neighboring cities are getting mentioned more and more, to the point where they made top ten in the Guardian UK newspaper last year.

Posted by
6650 posts

"...another part wants to head up through Germany towards the North...."

Frankfurt is on the way north through Germany. So is Mainz, just to the west, if you want a somewhat smaller place. Trier is smaller yet but very rewarding.

The Frankfurt Marriott has a sports bar that puts on a Thanksgiving buffet. My guess - televised football as well.

Marksburg Castle (north of Mainz on the Rhine, south of Koblenz) is the only medieval Rhine Castle that is both intact and offers tours - open then and very worthwhile.

Posted by
3857 posts

@Sarah... Thanks for being a shill. :)
I'm headed to Stuttgart for Christmas markets (including Esslingen) Dec 1-6. I appreciate the info!

Posted by
8946 posts

Another fan of the Stuttgart and Esslingen markets. For a big city, Stuttgart is #1 on my list. For unique, Esslingen is #1.

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