<p>A few years back I went to the Czech Republic, with a side trip to Salzburg when snow was on the ground. As crowds were minimal, aside from when the school tours came though, I felt so glad to be there far from peak season. Though in the Czech republic, some of the outlying castles were closed for the season. The food is hearty, made for cold weather, and city walking is pleasant when a bit chilly. </p>
<p>Many cities have wonderful day tours. You could stay in Paris and take day trips to the D Day beaches, Versailles, and many other sites without having to sign up for an entire tour. Same in Salzburg, there are a variety of English language day tours, and the city was gorgeous surrounded by snow capped mountains. </p>
<p>A winter trip though, tends to be a more city oriented trip.</p>
<p>I agree that if the trip is in winter, cities are ideal. There is something wonderful about wandering around the Musee d’Orsay when it’s cold and gloomy outside.</p>
<p>With that said, 19+ years ago, H had a friend who was living in Heidelberg for a couple of years. In her Christmas card letter, she issued a general “Come visit!” Well, very shortly thereafter we saw amazingly low plane fares, so H called and asked if she was serious. So, in mid-February we went to Germany. Stayed a night or two with them, then drove around the Black Forest region and Bavaria. Seeing the Black Forest and Neuschwanstein in the snow was amazing!!! (And not at all crowded. We went back a few years ago with the kids in the summer and could barely move for the crowds.)</p>
<p>Well darn. The late April / early May idea may not mesh with project schedules reviewed today at work. But keep the ideas coming… dreaming is half the fun!</p>
<p>Do bear in mind if you are considering London at Christmas that the UK is closed on Christmas Day. Everything shuts up shop on Christmas Eve and doesn’t open again until Boxing Day morning (26th Dec). No public transport, no tourist attractions, no shops. There will be some ethnic restaurants open (but not as many as you might think. Even people who don’t celebrate Christmas like to get a day off work) and also hotels/restaurants offering Christmas dinner, but many of these places will fill with bookings month in advance (and you will likely have to walk to get there. Though maybe Christmas day is the only day of the year driving in central London would be ok, due to hardly any traffic. I’ve never driven in London!). It’s also a lot more likely to rain than snow on Christmas Day here. And yes it’s dark. Already dark about 5pm an it will get worse. Go somewhere like Finland in December and you only really get daylight 11am-3pm.</p>
<p>I’m going to Bath tomorrow to visit the spa. V.nice at Christmas time. Going to get some presents at the Christmas market if it is open.</p>
<p>Several years ago we went to Germany just before Christmas. The airfares drop the first two weeks of December (through Dec 18/19), then increase back to peak rates a few days before and after Christmas. Fares drop again after the first week of January. We used Frankfurt as a gateway, but Munich is not much more expensive.</p>
<p>Germany at Christmas time is utterly magical. We loved holiday shopping in the open-air Christmas markets, attending concerts in baroque churches, admiring beautiful decorations, and we especially liked drinking hot mulled Glűhwein. I think that Austria (Innsbruck, Salzburg, Vienna) would be equally wonderful.</p>
<p>Well, colorado_mom, since that time may be out, you (and others) need to keep in mind that the Olympics will be in London this Summer, and the Euro 2012 soccer will be going on. It’s in Poland/Ukrania, but all the 16 nations that have entries will be hoopin’ it up (go Spain) at the outdoor screens and bars/pubs. Then of course there is the annual Tour de France throughout the country. </p>
<p>It might be a good idea to do a search on the Internet of the areas you have in mind just to see what’s going on there, either to go for it or avoid it.</p>
<p>Thanks for the hints, gloworm. I’d definitely like to avoid crowds (although DH would I’m sure like the Tour de France). For now trying to avoid summer since that may be time we need to keep open if we want time with our college kids.</p>
<p>If you want a "sampler’ type of trip, a med cruise is a great value. try Celebrity or Princess… It is easy because you really don’t have to think about logistics and it is relatively inexpensive if you want to see alot of places in a short period of time.</p>
<p>If you want to absorb culture and linger, then I would recommend Italy (Florence/Venice/Tuscan Hill Towns/Rome/Amalfi Coast - pick one or two) or Paris…there is no place like Paris in the spring…</p>
<p>I second the suggestion of Germany in December. Last November DH and I spent a few days in Berlin, barely missing the opening of the Christmas markets (at least I got my Christmas fix at KaDeWe). There weren’t as many tourists, so we did not have to wait long to get to the top of the Reichstag (free admission!) and had a pleasure to eat dinner at the top of the world at the famous Fernsehturm, Berlin’s revolving restaurant, without any reservations. The history museum is not to be missed (we spent an entire day in there)! Unfortunately, we did not get a chance to see Knut the polar bear…</p>
<p>Quick thoughts (after having both vacationed and lived in Europe):</p>
<p>Many cities offer English-language walking tours that are usually excellent. My family went on various walking tours in London, Bath (free), Florence, Munich, and Berlin, all of which were great. The double-decker bus tour of London was terrible because the guide didn’t say much at all about the sights but concentrated on telling people how to transfer and get to their destinations, as it was the last tour of the day. We had waited over an hour in line, and it was a waste of our time. We also had an excellent private tour in Milan with a tour guide recommended by Rick Steves. </p>
<p>If you go to London, don’t miss the free Ceremony of the Keys (closing ceremony) at the Tower of London. Make sure to request tickets far in advance. Also, be sure to see Parliament in action if possible. My kids were fascinated, and even wanted to watch both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.</p>
<p>If you go to Paris, also spend a day (and a night or two) in Versailles. Hotel rates are much less expensive than in Paris and Versailles is worth seeing.</p>
<p>Besides trains, my family flew EasyJet often. Sometimes we flew roundtrip for less than $100 for four of us (5 years ago).</p>
<p>Rick Steves has a lot of good ideas, but his book on Switzerland several years ago missed the boat on Geneva, making me think he’s either never been there or had a bad experience and didn’t go back. Geneva hotels are extremely expensive; we stayed just over the border in France.</p>
<p>Selling food in Switzerland is highly regulated. It is probably the only country in Europe where I would feel comfortable eating food from street vendors. We did so often, with no ill effects. </p>
<p>I hope you’ll enjoying both the planning and the trip!</p>
<p>"Selling food in Switzerland is highly regulated. It is probably the only country in Europe where I would feel comfortable eating food from street vendors. We did so often, with no ill effects. "</p>
<p>That is a highly surprising comment. I am not sure what countries you had in mind when addressing street vendors, but I would counter that many countries have a highly developed network of street vendors. Heck, the current craze of food trucks has its origin in the Benelux and Germany. Combined with the long tradition of street markets and ambulant food vendors throughout Europe, I am not sure anyone would think that the Swiss have any type of superiority in that domain, safe and except for their overpriced and overhyped offerings.</p>
<p>Are you really claiming to be too cautious to buy from a street vendor in Munich, Brussels, Paris, or Rome? Confused with Tangiers, Istanbul, Cairo, or … New York, perhaps?</p>
<p>There are lots of wonderful trips to Europe, but I love Italy starting from Rome and going north [UK (Oxford, Cotswolds, Cambridge, Scotland, etc.) and France (Paris is wonderful, Loire Valley, Provence, …) are both magical, but Greece can be great too]. Florence, Siena, Montepulciano, Assissi, Pisa, Venice (I like Venice less but many people love it). I haven’t been to Bologna but some Italians I know think it has some of the best food in Italy.</p>
<p>Ok - keep in mind I’m clueless on European travel - but I’m a good researcher … if we did Austria and Germany over christmas and New years … any specific recommendations?</p>
<p>We stopped by AAA today to discuss possible Europe plans. One idea has been Mediterranean cruise (with some days on our own in start or end city). Also considering tours.</p>
<p>Has anybody done a Trafalgar tour? We are tempted by a 12 day tour that starts in Paris and ends in Madrid.</p>
<p>^ I read the itinerary, and it seems to me it is packed and, at least to me not meaty in the 3 big cities. For instance, it appears that to go into the Louvre, you need to take the optional excursion in place of the free afternoon in Paris. It is huge, and even an afternoon can’t do it justice.</p>
<p>The tour does look jam packed, more cities than days. If you really want to see many places, a tour or cruise may be the only practical way to access them all. The destinations themselves all look worthwhile, though I have only been to some of them. That said, do think about the type experiences you want to be having in each place. Is it enough to just see the city, or do you want to walk a lot, explore neighborhoods, check out that local shop, museums, etc.? Do you mind spending such a large percentage of your trip “on the road”?</p>
<p>I know people who have done European cruises, and liked it because they didn’t have to pack and unpack. Their goal was to see enough to know where they wanted to return and spend more time on another trip. I have yet to travel that way or with a tour. I like to feel that I have really seen a destination. Never fully, of course, but at least a good start. I know where else I want to see and always have a running list (no, I don’t always have a plane ticket-just dreams sometimes). I would be wiped from shifting gears so many times in a fast-paced tour, even though I often walk 10 miles a day in European cities. Someone else would be fine with it. For me, it is spending the time in one place that has allowed me to plan European travel more confidently, attending to the appropriate details in each area.</p>