HI All!
My husband and I would like to plan a trip to europe for about 10 days in November-December and I would like to know which are the best countries/cities to visit during those times. We are ok with the cold weather (and by that I mean cold as in snow, not cold as in always rainy) and don't expect to find a warm area so going to a beach is not a priority. We would just like to see a bunch of historical sites, eat lots of food, and find some nice pubs to hang out in and meet some locals. We also wouldn't mind just staying in one place but it would be nice to maybe visit a few cities within maybe 2 hours max distance.
Any advice is greatly appreciated,
Odalys
Planning a Europe trip Nov-Dec 2013
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Have you been to Europe before? If not, I suggest Paris and London - 5 days each. Both cities will meet your wish list. However, I don't think you can find a place in Europe in November that won't have a good chance of rain.
Avoiding rain in Nov-Dec in Europe. You need to be either high or North.
Helsinki, Copenhagen, Oslo are each lovely cities (well Oslo is enormous and empty and apart from 3 museums a waste of time but hey).
I think it might be better to focus on Austria/Switzerland/Slovenia (Ljubljana is very pretty and the street cafes are great with the gas heaters and the open fires). Vienna is a wonderful city in the cold, lots of nice cafe and good shoping with some splendid museums. Switzerland is expensive and not as interesting.
How about Spain? Lots of historical sites and also lots of food. The Spaniards love to go to bars, eat tapas, and talk to friends.
Tons of options if you do not mind cold weather. I would focus in the Germany/Austria choices because along with lively cities you get the Christhmas markets atmosphere and excellent rail connections.
Also, what about a 7 days or 10-days cruise with days before/after? Say a cruise departing from Italy (Civitavechia or Venice) or from Spain (Barcelona). Good ports, unpack once. It gives you a good feel for a number of cities. My sister just came back (end of Nov-beginning December) from a 10-days Italy/Greece/Turkey cruise at $509/pp (all taxes included!). It rained one day out of 10 (while in Naples!). Not bad; $50/day per person covering lodging/all meals/entertainment/transport between countries.