Help! Planning 2 weeks trip to Europe over Christmas and New Years.
May 5th, 2005, 05:50 AM
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Help! Planning 2 weeks trip to Europe over Christmas and New Years.
We are planning a 2 week trip to Europe. We don't mind being slightly busy - But also want to be able to take our time and not be over planned leaving room for spur of the moment things. We have considered London (4-5 days) and Ireland (9-10days). Just not sure of the weather and the lack of daytime hours when driving in Ireland. Should we consider going somewhere more southern and a little warmer like Italy or Greek Isles for that time of year? Any adive would be great - this is our first trip to Europe TIA!
May 5th, 2005, 06:16 AM
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We have done Christmas and New Year trips, my wife is a school teacher. If you've never been before you may want to include Paris in your plan. London pretty well closes down on Christmas day and the day after (Boxing day) so it is a great time to go to France.
In the past Chunnel trains have not traveled on Christmas day so we flew and actually hopping a flight on British Air was cheaper than the Chunnel Eurostar Train would have been. The only downside was that you end up at the airport rather than going from city center to city center.
In the past Chunnel trains have not traveled on Christmas day so we flew and actually hopping a flight on British Air was cheaper than the Chunnel Eurostar Train would have been. The only downside was that you end up at the airport rather than going from city center to city center.
May 5th, 2005, 09:37 AM
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The Greek Islands won't be very warm at that time of year, but the further south you are the warmer it will be. Crete or Rhodes would be a good choice for the Christmas Holiday, but many people go to Mykonos even though it's about 130 miles north of Crete.
May 5th, 2005, 09:51 AM
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I've done Paris and Northern Italy in winter. Both were wonderful trips. I loved seeing the Christmas decorations/ traditions.
I've been to Paris three times in the winter, and experienced everything from beautiful 50 degree days to bitter cold and rain, but I always found it enjoyable.
Florence on New Year's Eve (Buon Anno) was magical. The weather in Florence got up to the 50s when we were there, but in Bologna, Milan and Venice it was COLD. We like the cold, so it wasn't a problem- just an excuse to eat more and drink more red wine or hot chocolate, but my Floridian in-laws would have been miserable.
My parents drove around Ireland in late November one year. They had a great trip, but said that they spent a lot of time in cozy pubs, tea shops, etc. They said that it was still beautiful, but that they were less inclined to get out of the car to see scenery. They can be a little wimpy about cold, too, though.
My friend raves about Germany and the Christmas markets.
I would advise that if you don't mind cold weather, to just decide where YOU want to go. Just be sure to hit the Fodors boards to see when things will be closed so that you are prepared.
I'm a teacher, too, so my trips to Europe have all been in the winter because of money and time issues. I adore winter travel in cities, so I hope you have a great time!
I've been to Paris three times in the winter, and experienced everything from beautiful 50 degree days to bitter cold and rain, but I always found it enjoyable.
Florence on New Year's Eve (Buon Anno) was magical. The weather in Florence got up to the 50s when we were there, but in Bologna, Milan and Venice it was COLD. We like the cold, so it wasn't a problem- just an excuse to eat more and drink more red wine or hot chocolate, but my Floridian in-laws would have been miserable.
My parents drove around Ireland in late November one year. They had a great trip, but said that they spent a lot of time in cozy pubs, tea shops, etc. They said that it was still beautiful, but that they were less inclined to get out of the car to see scenery. They can be a little wimpy about cold, too, though.
My friend raves about Germany and the Christmas markets.
I would advise that if you don't mind cold weather, to just decide where YOU want to go. Just be sure to hit the Fodors boards to see when things will be closed so that you are prepared.
I'm a teacher, too, so my trips to Europe have all been in the winter because of money and time issues. I adore winter travel in cities, so I hope you have a great time!
May 13th, 2005, 12:25 PM
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I have spent various Christmases London, Stratford-on-Avon, Rome, Tuscany, and on a Greek island. The weather is not great anywhere that time of year.
I would not go to England for Christmas again. What with it being cold, and a lot of things being closed, and everyone seeming to be drunk beyond belief, it just wasn't very Christmasy or fun. The after Christmas sales are fabulous though if you like shopping.
Especially if you haven't been to Europe before, I would suggest you plan a trip to Italy. Rome is amazing at Christmas time. The people are really friendly as there aren't so many tourists around, and there is a lot going on for the holiday. We saw an acapella boys choir performing in the Pantheon that will be with me forever. There is a great Christmas market in the Piazza Navona, plus the churches are amazing. I had resisted going to Rome for many years as it seemed like it would be just one more big city, but it is amazing. So much to do, and such fabulous food. Like everywhere else, the weather is unpredictable, but when we have been there for Christmas it has been very pleasant weather. We walked everywhere, and were quite comfortable. If you want warmer weather, you can spend some of your time in Sicily, which is also very interesting. Because Sicily has been a Greek colony, there are interesting Greek ruins. In Tuscany, we stayed in a small town outside Sienna called Montereggiano, and participated in a very beautiful candlelight Christmas walk. And of course, the food and wine in Tuscany are incredible any time of the year. We were able to get in at many amazing restaurants that require reservations in advance the rest of the year, plus we arranged winery tours as well. We made sure to rent a place to stay with kitchen facilities, so that we could take advantage of the seasonal food specialities for sale in the outdoor markets and grocery stores. YUM YUM. I've just talked myself into going back this year! Go to Italy, you won't be sorry!
I would not go to England for Christmas again. What with it being cold, and a lot of things being closed, and everyone seeming to be drunk beyond belief, it just wasn't very Christmasy or fun. The after Christmas sales are fabulous though if you like shopping.
Especially if you haven't been to Europe before, I would suggest you plan a trip to Italy. Rome is amazing at Christmas time. The people are really friendly as there aren't so many tourists around, and there is a lot going on for the holiday. We saw an acapella boys choir performing in the Pantheon that will be with me forever. There is a great Christmas market in the Piazza Navona, plus the churches are amazing. I had resisted going to Rome for many years as it seemed like it would be just one more big city, but it is amazing. So much to do, and such fabulous food. Like everywhere else, the weather is unpredictable, but when we have been there for Christmas it has been very pleasant weather. We walked everywhere, and were quite comfortable. If you want warmer weather, you can spend some of your time in Sicily, which is also very interesting. Because Sicily has been a Greek colony, there are interesting Greek ruins. In Tuscany, we stayed in a small town outside Sienna called Montereggiano, and participated in a very beautiful candlelight Christmas walk. And of course, the food and wine in Tuscany are incredible any time of the year. We were able to get in at many amazing restaurants that require reservations in advance the rest of the year, plus we arranged winery tours as well. We made sure to rent a place to stay with kitchen facilities, so that we could take advantage of the seasonal food specialities for sale in the outdoor markets and grocery stores. YUM YUM. I've just talked myself into going back this year! Go to Italy, you won't be sorry!
May 13th, 2005, 01:36 PM
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We have done several trips to Europe over Christmas and New years. In fact we dont celebrate Christmas at home any more. We travel. THis year we are going to the south of France with maybe a little side trip to Cinque Terra. I agree with the other posts on the weather etc. The best weather we had was in Rome. 50 deg F during the day with a few rainy spells. Paris was hit or miss on the weather with it being brisk most of the time. The Christmas time in Rome and Paris was fun and the Markets were great. London was colder (but not always) and it does tend to close down but we knew that. You will have fun no matter where you go. I can't imagine that the weather in Ireland would be very good in the winter.
