Adelya

Hello all! Me and my husband are planning to go to Germany for Christmas holidays and NYE celebration in 8-9 days, so it’s quite a last minute.
I’ve been reading lots of threads on forums but still not sure what cities to cover, what would be the best route etc., so would greatly appreciate any feedback.
Things we are looking for: Christmas atmosphere, markets, cold snowy weather (yes, that’s right; we’ve been living in the Middle East for too long, so enjoy “proper” winterJ), nature (where possible), coziness of smaller towns and nice places/cities for celebrating Christmas and NYE.

Initially, I was considering to cover more of a south-west and combining something like Black forest, Baden-Baden, Strasbourg, Freiburg, Munich and maybe head to Vienna for NYE (we don’t mind going to two countries).
Then, thought that Black Forest deserves another trip, so one can enjoy all the hiking (which we love), snow and nature it offers, and which we can’t necessarily do at this point of time, as my husband had a minor surgery recently and too much/strenuous walking is not recommended for him.

Given the above, we wouldn’t want to rush around from city to city trying to cover ALL “must-sees”, but rather take it easy, enjoy nice strolls and city atmosphere, visit museums and maybe couple of castles.

After some research, I’m considering Romantic Road along with Munich and Berlin. And btw, we are thinking of renting a car.

The only places we’ve been to in Germany before are Berlin, Passau, and Regensburg, and given that there are so many amazing cities to visit, I’m having a real difficulty to choose some and drop others.

Flight wise Frankfurt is more convenient to fly into, as it’s a direct flight, but Munich and Berlin also doable.

Dates are: December 21st- January 2nd(+/-)


Places I’m thinking o visiting:

*Driving up to Wurzburg, upon arrival to Frankfurt (staying 1 or 2 nights?)

*Rothenburg ob der Tauber – 2 nights?

*Driving through, and stay for a short walk and lunch at Dinkelsbuhl/Nordlingen?

*Munich – 3 nights with a day trips to a castle? Or Fussen overnight and then Munich?

*Nuremberg – maybe overnight?

*Dresden?

*Berlin; drop off the car there. Stay for NYE.


What do you think guys? Is it rushed with too much driving? Would it be better to take a route of Baden-Baden-Strasbourg-Freiburg, taking into consideration the dates and maximizing/catching Christmas markets before they shut down on 24th? Would Berlin be a good choice for NYE celebration, or one can skip it and opt for another city in Germany? Or maybe even head down from Munich to Innsbruck then Vienna (been there but briefly; would love another visit)?

menachem

I don't think I would drive. Days are short, weather may make for "interesting" roads. Also, maybe stay put in and around Munich. 9 days, excluding travel, presumably, gets you 7 days on the ground, of which you make the majority into driving days.

Adelya

Thank you for the reply menachem Yes, I see from what I've read that many don't recommend driving at this time of the year, but given that we can't afford moving around too much from station to station with suitcases at this point of time, I thought having a car would be more conveniet. Plus I still have hopes that there will be snow and looking forwards to beautiful scenery along the roads.
As for "staying put in and around Munich" - do you mean its better to skip Berlin at all, and stay in Munich for NYE? Do you think it is a good option to celebrate NYE in Munich?

ToniaPanteli

Don't drive. Stay in Berlin and visit Dusseldorf as well. That's all about it and have fun! The wearther is gonna be haaard!

Adelya

Haha Tonia That sounds good as well - just cover couple of cities and have fun; this what my husband was suggesting, but I'm seriously puzzled

hetismij2

You need to check on accommodation as you are leaving it late to book hotels and restaurants, or even AirBnB and you will need to book restaurants if you intend to eat out over Christmas and NYE, or indeed NYD.
With so few days, the time of year making days very short, the possibilty of poor weather and delays I would stick to two places at most I think. Which two is up to you, but bear in mind you want to get back to Frankfurt for your flight home, unless you can fly into Munich, spend Christmas there and fly home from Berlin if that is where you want to celebrate NYE.

Lubitsch

Honestly this seems to me a pretty bad idea with totally unrealistic expectations. You are looking for Christmas atmosphere and markets but as you know these close on the 23rd so you at best have two days for them. And Christmas is a family affair you'll struggle with having to do something on 24th and 25th. Generally the week after Christmas is the totally worst time for a visit, the markets are closed the days are at their shortest and bleakest, attractions are either closed or crowded because people use their free time.
It will also probably neither be cold and certainly not snowy unless you go for elevated areas. Nature will be drab and dreary and small towns will be dead.

Such a winter break makes most sense if you are after museums and indoor attractions in big cities. I was in late November (another month when I'd never visit Germany) in Vienna for six days, did all the museums and palaces and appreciated whatever I could get for sunny walks outside as a bonus. But other than that it honestly puzzles me why people consider your timeframe for a holiday.

That your destinations are a grab bag of the worst possible cliches doesn't help, but is almost irrelevant regarding the circumstances.

Adelya

Thank you guys for your insights! Seems like I need to seriously reconsider the itinerary. But what would be those 2-3 or even one city to spend christmas and NYE? Berlin? Never been to Munich so thats tempting too. And I assume renting a car is not even "discussable"

@hetismij2, I think its not critical for us to return to Frankfurt for our flight back; can fly out from Berlin or Munich

Macross

Hello, we leave next week for Munich. We booked our hotel close to the Marienplatz for several nights but then rented an apartment for the week farther south. We can do it all by train. So many nice places to visit in the Garmisch area via train. We will stock up on food for Christmas eve and Christmas day if we can't get to the Zugspitze on Christmas day. We like to go up when it is a clear day so waiting to see what the weather is like but you might not care. All will be open on the mountain during the holidays.

Melnq8

We leave for two weeks in Germany and Austria tomorrow - despite Lubitsch's puzzlement we love to visit this time of year, dreary weather not-with-standing. We've spent our holidays in Germany, Switzerland and Austria for the past many years. We've never run out of things to do - and we're not museum people.

This year we're splitting our time in Germany between Munich and Rothenburg (yes, its kitschy, but my niece will love it), and then we're heading to Austria - three nights in Innsbruck and four in Salzburg, then back to Munich for one night before departure. All by train.

We will spend Christmas in Salzburg and I've found loads of things to do despite many business closures. The Christmas Market in Salzburg runs through December 26! There's also a Winterfest, but I've not researched the details.

As for snow, you might find it in Seefeld, Austria and Garmisch, Germany, both beautiful alpine towns.

My concern for you is how late you've left it (and how scattered your plans are - too much for too few days - too much moving about).

I think you might find it difficult to find accommodation (some hotels in Rothenburg for instance close for a rest period right after Christmas), and you're probably SOL on a visit to Neuschwanstein Castle unless you book a tour, as tickets do sell out. You'll also be hard pressed to find a holiday meal at this late date - the few places offering holiday meals are probably booked out (Christmas Eve).

Christmas day is quiet, but you will find some open restaurants if you're in a city.

We always travel by train, so can't help with car questions. But with only 8-9 days I'd suggest you limit your choices to 2-3 places, and I'd suggest making a loop from your arrival city.

My advice is to get busy booking - all you need is a little imagination and you will have a lovely trip. FWIW, I used to live in the Middle East and we loved our trips to Germany. Pork! Alcohol! Christmas! Cold weather!

PS - The Black Forest wouldn't be my choice this time of year - we visited one year in December and it was a bitter disappointment. We visited from Freiburg im Breisgau, which we've visited twice over Christmas - really enjoyed Freiburg. It's easy to get to Colmar, France by train/bus from Freiburg - very festive at Christmas, and to Basel, Switzerland. Freiburg is best reached from Basel or Zurich though, not Munich or Frankfurt.

Fodorite018

We stayed in Rothenburg for 3 nights and absolutely loved it. Our hotel was Hotel Spitzweg and omg, we were so pleased with it! The host looked and sounded just like what you imagine St Nick to be, and the guests said the same thing, lol. He takes obvious pride in everything at his hotel. He makes breakfast each morning and makes sure you have what you want. We had the big family room as our adult kids were with us and the room was very well kept, very spacious and charming. No complaints at all! We were there in mid September and did not experience the crowds at all that I had read about. The Night Watchman tour is not to be missed, and the criminal museum is really good too. Just walking the walls of the city is really interesting and can take as much or as little time as you want. Climbing the tower is really interesting as well, but if heights/narrow stairs bother you just take deep breaths as it isn't that bad There is a restaurant in town that is sooo good, Zur Holl, and I absolutely would not miss it! Make reservations, and I think it was cash only. Very reasonable, and excellent food and the owner was very engaging.

We spent 5 nights in Munich on the front end of our trip and then another night at the end. We stayed at Pension Lindner, near Marionplatz, for the first part and then Hotel Am Viktualienmarkt for the last night. Both were very good and had great locations (the second one was right near the big market), but PL had more charm, if that matters.

Salzburg is a short train ride from Munich and we stayed there for a few nights as well. Loved it, such a beautiful city!

Adelya

Thats sounds good, Macross! Don't know much about Garmisch, but will read up!

marvelousmouse

Alejandrow

Dresden is lovely around Christmas with the oldest Christmas market in Germany. This year is special too since it's the 585 year in a row that they arrange Striezelmarkt

Adelya

Melnq8 thank you very much for such a detailed reply! I've actually had Innsbruck at the back of my head from the very start, and after reading your message, it occurred to me that smth like Munich-Innsbruck-Vienna could be a good option, since all of you guys suggesting to stick to 2-3 places. (We've done Salzburg last year). Also, I guess we'd be better off with finding accommodation and holiday meals in those (bigger) cities, as you rightly mentioned, we left it too late.

And Freiburg-Colmar (+Starsbourg) 100% worth considering for another trip!

As for "Freiburg is best reached from Basel or Zurich though, not Munich or Frankfurt" - very useful to know; thank you!


mms your experience in Rothenburg sounds lovely! I'm putting down the name of the hotel in my notebook

marvelousmouse Alejandrow Speaking of Dresden, do you guys think Munich-Dresden-Berlin sound good as another option?

menachem

I would, You could do trips by train to Salzburg for instance (1.30 hr by train) or to Innsbruck (1.45 hr by train). Or rent a car and drive there from Munich for the day. Much less stressful than the Autobahn in winter. Not much scenery there.

marvelousmouse

BDKR

"The wearther is gonna be haaard!"

It's actually expected to be quite "warm" and dry. Nothing hard, just don't expect a white Christmas.

https://www.wetterprognose-wettervor...hten-2019.html