I'm trying to put together an itinerary for my husband & I for 7 nights in December (Dec 10 – Dec. 17) We are thinking of flying into Munich & travelling through Southern Germany. We need to be in Strausbourg Dec 17 where our family will join us. With the family, we will stay in Strausbourg (3 nights), Nuremburg (2 nights), Munich (1 night) & Salzburg (3 nights). We enjoy scenery, walking around the towns, hiking, exploring the Christmas markets, castles & churches, admiring the buildings & enjoy restaurants & cafes but don't really enjoy art or museums & don't care about nightlife. Areas I've been looking at are Regensburg, Garmish to Lindau or other places around Lake Constance like Konstanz, but I'm also curious about the north part of Switzerland & wonder whether that would maybe make sense to build into our route bearing in mind it is December. We plan on renting a car so we can explore at our leisure & stop at different towns. I have been to King Ludwig's castles but my husband hasn't so I would like to stop at Linderhof & would like to do the torch walk in Partnach Gorge. I'd appreciate some itinerary suggestions. We're fine with having to change hotels or b&b's every 1-2 days.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
Keep in mind something about December in Germany... it's damp, grey and dark. Don't expect much in the way of stunning scenery. Those Technicolor post-card views that you expect in summer are hidden behind a wall of gray haze in December. So, my recommendation would be to concentrate primarily on cities and towns. This is not the time of year for hiking unless you're prepared for mud. Northern Switzerland may be one of the economic powerhouses of the world... but it isn't the region most travelers come to visit. That being said, from Lindau, if you head south through Bregentz in Austria to Sargans in Switzerland, and west by Flums and the Walensee to Zurich... this is a gorgeous drive through some Alpine scenery and sub-Alpine lakes. However, in December, how much you can actually see will be dependent on the weather, which usually does not favor good visibility.
Posted by
OP
Toronto, ON, Canada
201 posts
Thanks Tom. I realize it's not the best time weather-wise & expect it will be similar weather to what we have back home, so we will make the most of it. We hike year round, but we don't expect much opportunity because of the time of year. Will check out the route above. Can you recommend what towns would be good to stay in along this route or towns to stay in if we stay in Germany?
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15781 posts
I toured the Christmas markets last December. The Stuttgart markets were nice, but the best was Esslingen, just a short train ride from Stuttgart. Besides the "regular" market, there is a large medieval market - vendors dressed in costume, with goods and attractions that evoke the age. Great fun. The markets in Mainz and Weisbaden were very nice - I went to both in one day, but didn't spend time sightseeing (I'd been to Mainz before). I thought the French markets were quite different from the German ones. Colmar was even lovelier than Strasbourg - well worth visiting on one of your Strasbourg days. Don't miss the children caroling on the canals around 5 p.m.