I would like to spend from Christmas to New Years in Europe. I would be traveling from the US to Europe and meeting the rest of my family who will be flying in from Turkey. Does anyone have specific recommendations for where in Europe this might be best. The main reason is for a family reunion, so we are open to anywhere. We would prefer somewhere not overly expensive. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Posted by
Orlando
166 posts
Any of the smaller villages outside of Munich such as Garmisch, Mittenwald, Oberaummergau.
Posted by
Walchensee
8 posts
I spent a great Christmas in Trier some years back. The Christmas market was good but not too large, shops and restaurants good quality in general and the Roman remains (if you're into historical sites) well worth a visit, although I don't know about opening times between Christmas and New Year. Hotel prices are a little cheaper than bigger German cities and you're not far from Frankfurt Hahn airport where we flew into (serviced by Ryanair, don't know if they fly to Turkey though)
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10609 posts
You might want to consider somewhere with plenty of indoor activities, since the weather at that time will be cold and unpredictable. We spent New Years in Paris 2 years ago, and it was beautiful. How many people are you talking about? You might consider renting an apartment, no matter where you are going. As far as expense, that is the most expensive time of the year, costing at least as much as high season. Some places it might be even more. A smaller, more out of the way destination will cost less, but there might not be much to do or see that time of year. A ski resort area will charge the max amount that week.
Posted by
Des Moines, IA
2193 posts
Have you considered Spain? Madrid, in particular, is quite festive during the Christmas season....lots of cool lights across the streets and huge Christmas trees in all the plazas and parks. Big Christmas market in Plaza Mayor. Lodging is very reasonable, and food/drink can be very inexpensive. You can do some great daytrips from there.
Posted by
OP
Nevada City, CA, USA
2 posts
Thank you. All good information. There is frequent travel between Turkey and Germany, so that is not a problem. I am interested in renting an apartment if possible. We will be a total of 7 adults and one child. Any other suggestions are welcome.
Posted by
gaston, oregon, usa
842 posts
In 2007 we split the XMass season between Germany and Portugal. We flew into Germany and hit up the XMass markets around Nurenburg, then took a cheap flight on Ryan Air to South Portugal. It was so nice in the Algarve, and around the Lisbon area, that we were wading in rhe surf. Our friends, who accompanied us on this trip, have done So Spain during XMass, and said it was even warmer. Both Spain and Portugal are tremendous values. We rented apts thru VRBO.com and Homelidays.com for that trip. We use both for most of our EU apt rentals. We found that a rental car gave us the flexibility we needed. Drving in Portugal was a piece-of-cake. All the freeways were new, and we never encountered much in the way of traffic. In your case a van would be a great idea. We generally rent thru Auto Europe, but in Portugal we found the best rate thru a firm called " Guerin". Have fun! XMass in Europe is a wondrrful treat.