Any suggestions for a Christmas in Germany ?
 

Just recenly learned that I would have to take a forced vacation at the end of the year, and a Christmas week in Germany (more specefically, in Bavaria) seems like a good way to spend it. I would appreciate any pointers and information, including your opinions on if it is too late to arrange for such a trip (I live in US).

I think it's a great idea. I would travel by train if I were you. Roads may be slippery. I think I'd spend time in Munich and maybe Nürnberg. Hit the Christmas markets.

You've got two months. That seems like enough time to me.

What part of the States do you live in? That would influence my choices. I live in Washington state, and going to Germany for a week would be a stretch, since I have to travel across the U.S. and then across the Atlantic.

There is a city in Germany where Christmas can be experienced all year long - Rothenburg ob der Tauber on the Romantic Road in Bavaria.

http://www.germany-christmas-market....burg_christmas

My fav but anywhere around Munich as long as you do not mind

Cold and Frontal Rain... Quite festive good off season price

less crowded eurocheapo.com/munich

We love Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Stayed there between Christmas and New Years one year and just returned from another stay in September of this year.

Here's a link to my report of the snowy holiday there:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...e-holidays.cfm

And here's a link to pictures from the fall holiday there:
http://sz0094.ev.mail.comcast.net/zi...sg&id=504842#1

And here's a link to pictures from Munich on the same recent September trip:
http://sz0094.ev.mail.comcast.net/zi...sg&id=504842#3

I'm no whiz when it comes to transferring pictures, so I sure hope the links work. Regardless, I think The Garmisch area is a very wonderful place to be for the holidays. You can do day trips to many cute small towns surrounding it and besides Linderhof which we chose to see on our most recent trip in the area, you can also go to see Neauschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, two more of the Ludwig castles. But you'd best get going to make your lodging reservations asap. As my report says I had a heck of a time getting something and I started in June that year. Good luck. Enjoy.

For Christmas itself and atmosphere, you may wish to select some small resort village, that has a Christmas program and great scenery. My suggestion would be Reit im Winkel. You can find it on the map south of the Chiemse (big lake, east of Munich). You can get there by train to Prien (about 1hr), and then bus to Reit (about 45 min). You can travcel on the EUR24 Bavarian Ticket (see details under "Search"). There are several hotels, Pensionen (B&B) and places in private homes. Also, nearby, is a fancy resort, the Peternhof. It is actually in Austria, 5km from Reit, accessible by cab.

For train/bus schedules see www.bahn.de. For detals on Reit and the Peternhof, check their websites.

What kind of weather should we expect in Southern Germany, based on recent years pattern ? Somebody mentioned "cold and frontal rain" - is it really that bad, expecially the rain part ?

You might consider heaidng as far as Vienna, which has a huge, wonderful Christmas market, then making your way back parallel to the Danube and visiting Passau, Rothenberg, and finally Nurnberg. Then finish up in Munich.

When exactly will you be there?

Most of the Christmas markets close on Christmas Eve. Many traditional German restaurants close for Christmas Eve, Christmas and second Christmas Day to be with family.

If you will be there over the holiday itself, I suggest booking a place that includes meals or will get you reservations at a nice restaurant.

And, if its in your budget, consider staying in a higher quality romantic property, or castle. It will be a memorable experience.

http://www.schlosshotels.co.at/en/ca...ons/index.html

http://www.relaischateaux.com/spip.p...e=home&lang=en

Actually, most Christmas markets in the big cities will close on the 22nd or 23rd, not the 24th. Small towns will only have a Christmas market on one of the weekends during Advent. There are a few cities where the markets may be open on the 24th or the 25th, but not very many.

Pretty much everthing shuts down on the 24th around 1400 or so, except for public transportation and the churches. If you do not have reservations at your hotel for Christmas Eve dinner, you will search in vain for dinner, as all restaurants will be closed, not just traditional German ones.

The 25th and 26th are official holidays and all stores will be closed, as well as some tourist attractions. Museums may be closed on either of those days, so check with the individual museums to see what their holiday hours will be.

Best is to find a ski resort type of place as suggested, one with a Christmas program over the holidays. You are more likely to have snow too.

I was planning to be there approx. 23 - 29, but from what you are saying I'll just catch something on 23rd, and after that it will be kind of a dead season ?

You can go shopping, returning those gifts to the stores. People don't work, people want to rest, sleep long, watch TV, do nothing and prepare for the big party and fireworks on New Years Eve. It's as "dead" like you call it, as it gets. No entertainment for you except culture. You like culture?

Weather? Around freezing is common, snow, maybe a snowstorm, but not really that cold, that comes later. But who knows.

I think this is a great destination for a Christmas trip!

We've done two Christmas trips in the Bavarian and Austrian alps and had a wonderful time. Both times we spent Christmas itself in Salzburg, which was an ideal base. Our experience there was that the Christmas markets closed around noon on December 24. Christmas Eve afternoon/evening are quiet. We made reservations for lunch, and our hotel, The Wolf Dietrich, had a special dinner for guests. http://www.salzburg-hotel.at/en. Christmas Day is a good day to go for a long walk... the second year we found there were even a few shops open and we took the funicular to the old fortress. The Stadtkrug is a great place for Christmas lunch, on the Linzergasse near the Wolf Dietrich. http://www.stadtkrug.at/ On Christmas night I'd recommend a concert. Your hotel can help with arrangements or you can find and book online.

Both years we did a day trip into the Salzkammergut on December 26. This is a beautiful area of lakes and mountains, less than an hour's drive from Salzburg.

In the days prior to going to Salzburg, we've stayed in Oberammergau. If you have a car, this would be a good base to explore the area, including visiting some of the famous castles. You could also do a trip to the top of the Zugspitze near Garmisch.

One year we did have snow, so that's something to consider. If you didn't have a car, Garmisch would be a great base and you could get there easily from Munich by train. We enjoy Munich at any time of year, and we especially enjoy the big Christmas market.

You might want to look at the photos from our last Christmas trip to Germany/Austria. This will give you an idea of what you might do and the weather to expect: http://www.stadtkrug.at/

Kathy

>I was planning to be there approx. 23 - 29, but from what you are saying I'll just catch something on 23rd, and after that it will be kind of a dead season ?

Yes. To me the week "between the years", as we call it, is the most boring week of the year. Christmas is a quiet family holiday here. After the holidays everyone is busy digesting all that food, doing the inevitable we-have-to-see-Auntie-once-per-year family visits, exchanging unwanted gifts and spending their Christmas money from Grandma, and doing all those things that haven't been done during the year, like the photo albums of last summer holidays, the tax declaration and such, and then preparing the party on New Year's Eve. Or people go away either for skiing or to Southern shores. Daylight is limited to 8 hours per day and the weather is not necessarily pleasant.

Staying in one of the resorts in the mountains where there is skiing and other winter activities seems the only worthwhile option to me. Pick a hotel which has a programme for guests with festive meals and such over the holidays.

Oberammergau is a beautiful little town, with many painted house façades (as in designs, sometimes fairy tales). Its shops feature handcrafted wood items, and there are some simply gorgeous Christmas ornaments to be found.

Thanks for all the info, so what I hear is that Dec 23-29 is pretty much a dead season, with high probability of unpleasant weather, so no point in coming at that time. But then I still have a question: why all the hotels in Bavaria, especially in small times, seem to be fully booked at that period ? :-)

Everywhere in Bavaria? I suppose you are talking about the Bavarian Alps, i.e. places that qualify as the abovementioned winter resorts.

> Everywhere in Bavaria?

Before I got the feedback here that the end of December may not the best time for tourists in Southern Germany, I contacted some hotels in Munich and Nurnberg, and was told they are fully booked 23 - 29.

I am sure all of the prior postings are based on experience and not what they have heard or read.

We were in the area over Christmas last year. Spent three days over Christmas in Munich. The Christmas markets starting breaking down around mid afternoon on Christmas eve. We had our choice of restaurants that evening around the main square. All the beer halls were open on Christmas day and were packed. And a few restaurants were open that evening. Had no problem with finding places to eat. We were in Bavaria for about ten days and it snow nearly every day lightly. Nothing heavy but it was cold. It did not bother us but we are also from Colorado and had the proper clothing. It was a great place for Christmas and would repeat it in an instant and we will sometime. Rothenburg with light falling snow, the smells of the roasting meats with pots of glug wine was magical.

The hotels are booked because it is terrific place to spent Christmas.

Thanks fmpden. Again, it looks like the best time for the Christmas would be something like from Dec 18 (the last Sunday of Advent) till Dec 25. The schedule I was looking at (Dec 23 - 29) may be just a bit too late, and would make sense only if I planned to stay over the New Year Day (which I cannot). Am I correct ?

Christmas Day may be a little dead but the beer halls in Munich were great. Packed with locals and bands were playing.; The day after Christmas everything returns to normal. Of course the Christmas markets are gone but everything else is there. We went on to Prague and came home from Prague on New Year's eve. The markets in Prague were open till Jan 6th. I don't fully understand some of the earlier negative comments, but it is all opinion. If I was you, I would be going.

Hi igorek,

The reason so many hotels are booked during the "dead" period is that many German families are enjoying a holiday at that time. They don't necessarily need souvenirs or boutiques and can eat in the hotel. What they do, generally, is to take walks and hikes in the woods or lakes or mountains.

Hope you do have a good time --

s

Hm. Being stuck in a hotel room in a strange city on Christmas Eve is about the worst that could happen to the average German. That's why we feel sorry for you tourists who deliberately choose to do this. But obviously your expectations are different from ours!

If I wanted to have a gorgeous Christmas/ winter holiday, I'd go to Colorado. Or the Canadian Rockies. And I do live in Munich. You got better, more reliable weather over there. The snow is nicer, drier. More sunshine. Less crowds.

Weather in late December is totally unpredictable. It's long before we usually get somewhat stable winter weather conditions in late January.

"White Christmas" is the exemption from the rule here. You can have weeks of miserably mild rainy weather but no snow. Or you can have 3ft of snow and sunshine. Or a mix of both, changing every 3 days.
All would be totally within the normal range, and you definetely play the weather lottery at that time of year.

igorek:
What about the obvious?---Go one week earlier still, enjoy the festivals, avoid the long airport delays around Christmas proper and be HOME for Christmas?!
You can check a small listing of Christmas markets at
www.christmasmarkets.com/Germany.html OR More Inclusive yet at
www.germany-christmas-market.org.uk/
ex: Nurnberg 25 Nov-24 Dec
Bamberg nov 24-Dec 23 (but only if you like quintessential german towns with half-timbered houses, 9 breweries, etc!!!
;-)))
Cologne 21 Nov- 23 Dec
Europa Park in Rust- 26 Nov-8 Jan (really, a winterfest)
Trier (beautiful Roman remains) 22 Nov-22 Dec
Bernkastel (along the Rhein) 20 Nov- 19 Dec
Frankfurt 23 Nov-22 Dec
Baden-Baden (Huge spa town) 22 Nov- 26 Dec
and Munich 26 Nov- 24 Dec just to start.
Any town that you are thinking about, just check their website to see if they sponsor a Christmas market and what the dates are...
My faves would be the nearby towns of Bamberg, Amberg and Nuernberg!
Happy planning what should be a GREAT experience (just a week or 10 days earlier!)

Oh, and don't forget Coburg as well (28 Nov-23 Dec)
Amberg dates = 24 Nov-23 Dec.
Let us know if you end up going--report back after so we can live vicariously!
Bamberg site in english and easy to find/book hotels:
www.bamberg.info/en

quokka,

As I said, they are rarely stuck in the hotel rooms! They are out, either walking or hiking. In the evenings, they are in a hotel bar or stübli or restaurant meeting folks, singing, drinking, & eating. Or that's what I've seen in Mittenwald and in Garmisch during the holidays!

s