Just returned from a whirlwind two week trip to Germany, Austria and France to see the Christmas markets with a five and a seven year old. It was a bit of rush since my husband had to work until the 16th and most markets wrap up on the 23rd or 24th, but we were still able to do and see a lot. The weather was almost perfect as well. The area is having a freak winter warm spell that's wreaking havoc on the ski areas, but made for beautiful blue skies and comfortable touring temperatures.
We started and ended in Munich and really liked the city. We stayed at the Novotel Munich City Centre and enjoyed the hotel, especially the huge buffet breakfast and the indoor pool for the kids. Munich has several lovely markets but our favourite by far was the Medieval Market, which is almost like a theme park with handmade goods, loosely medieval themed entertainment and "authentic-ish" costumes and food. It was a lot of fun, especially for the kids.
We used the Bavaria train pass to travel to Salzburg for two days and found the trains to be fast, convenient and family friendly. We stayed at the Meininger City Centre, which is a sort of budget hotel/hostel hybrid. It was less than 80 Euros for a four bed room with bath and while basic it was clean and adequate for us. On the night of the 21st they had the traditional "Krampus and Pertchken night" I stayed at the hotel with the kids because we weren't sure how scary it would be but my husband went and his pictures of the elaborate costumes and wild dances of the pagan influenced event looked pretty amazing. There was very little publicity of the event; it was mainly for the locals, not the tourists.
After Salzburg we picked up a rental car and drove to Rothenburg. The roads were excellent and easy to navigate. We spent four nights over Christmas in the little town and enjoyed a vacation from our vacation. Everything was closed over the 24th and 25th so we spent the time exploring the back streets and just enjoying some family time. We stayed at the Hotel Klosterstueble, which is recommended in Steve's book and found it perfect for our needs. We had a sort of mini suite that had an alcove with bunks for the kids and the included breakfast was lovely. They even left a plate of goodies and a small bottle of wine in our room on the 24th. The Rothenburg Christmas market was small but very nice and of course the huge Christmas store was a treat. My favourite thing was attending a children's service at the main cathedral. I couldn't understand a word but hearing the congregation sing Stille Nacht with the pipe organ was amazing.
From Rothenburg we drove to Colmar in Alsace on the 26th. I had done some research and found that the Christmas markets in the area were open until the 31st, unlike the German ones that wrapped up by Christmas so we were able to fit in a few more market visits. We stayed at an apartment property called Residence les Rives de la Fecht in Ingersheim, just outside Colmar, and enjoyed having the extra space and amenities for a couple of nights. It also had an indoor pool which the kids loved. We went to markets in Kayserburg and Colmar and loved the scenery and architecture in both towns. The goods were a little different than the German and Austrian markets.
We finished our trip in Fussen with a visit to King Ludwig's castles. I had pre-booked online and was very glad I did. The area was buzzing with tourists. The line stretched from the ticket office to the lower parking lot by noon. The hotel prices were very high in town with many places wanting 3 or even 7 night minimum stays so we booked a single night at the youth hostel. It was okay, much nicer than many I'd seen as a backpacker, but we agreed that as a family we were probably a bit too spoiled now for roughing it. It was fine for one night, though.
From there it was back to Munich and home. We had an amazing trip and would recommend it highly. Frohe Weihnachten!