Munich and surrounding areas at christmas and new years time.

Rothenburg, Bamberg, Nuernberg are all wonderful and have outdoor Christmas markets. However, with the dates that you've listed I'm thinking the markets will all be closed.

At that time of year, I would skip the Romantic Road to maximize daylight hours. Take the fastest, most direct route. If you've never been to Europe before in the winter... days are VERY short compared to the US. And besides, for the most part, the Romantic Road is mostly no different from any other country road in Bavaria. Scenic, yes, but unique only in that the local tourist board dubbed it the "Romantic Road" to entice more people to drive it.

I hope I have understood your question properly. Are you leaving NY on the 23rd and landing in Munich on the 24th?

Please be aware that literally everything closes down on the 24th after about 14:00. Especially restaurants and stores. Nice hotels will of course have dinner available, but you will probably need reservations. Public transportation will also still be running, but on a sparse schedule. The 25th and 26th are public holidays, so no shopping, but restaurants will be open. Check other tourist attractions like museums to see if they will be open on those 2 days. Stores will of course be closed on the 27th as it is a Sunday, on Monday the 28th, again check museums if they will be open as many close on Mondays (this is the case almost everywhere in Germany.)

Get reservations for New Years Eve as restaurants will be packed or closed. Stores will close early on this day. New Years day is of course a public holiday, but again I would check whatever tourist attractions you want to go to and make sure they are open on this day.

We were there last Dec. The markets close before Christmas. We had great weather. Even snowed which made it magical.

We are flying from Chicago Dec. 25 and coming home Jan. 1, so we may pass each other on the street! We were in Munich/Rothenburg/Fussen area in summer of 2008. We are taking our adult children on this trip because we loved it all (and there's a story to our trip related to my dad in WWII to share with them). Rothenburg is an easy 2 1/2 hrs from Munich. It is a magical looking place if you have the time to visit. I swear that Shrek walked those streets. :) As the other person said, skip the Romantic Road. If you go to Rothenburg, try to catch the Night Watchman tour. It's fun. I was afraid he would be on vacation when we went, but his email to us says he'll be there a week more.

In Munich, we are staying at the Hotel Europäischer Hof. If you pay in advance more than 20 days, I think, you can get a 20% discount. We stayed there in 2008. Breakfast is wonderful. Service, eh. Our kids are staying at Wombat's Hostel across the side street. I researched other places in the area, but they were booked solid. Most require a 3-night stay at New Year's.

Jan

The Munich Christmas market closes at 14:00 on the 24th.

Hi Wendy,

I'd also suggest Salzburg, which is just 2 hours from Munich. "Mad" King Ludwig's Neues Schloss (Herrenchiemsee) is just an hour away from Munich (or Salzburg).

www.herrenchiemsee.de/englisch/n_palace/index.htm

Paul