birder

My husband and I are thinking about taking a 5-6 day vacation over Christmas to Europe. We'd love a beautiful location that feels Christmas-y. We've never been anywhere in Europe (except for a day-long layover in Germany). What do you think about Christmas in Zurich? If we choose Zurich, should we stay in the city the whole time or take a train somewhere? I've read a lot on Zurich but not much covers traveling in winter. My guess is that we probably would want to use the trains, not a rental car.

Thanks for any ideas you might have. We are into beautiful, scenic locations - we are not big fans of huge cities (for example, we definitely would NOT want to do London). I've read that Zurich is more of a big resort than a big city, so that is appealing. We do want to see some of the culture, which is why we'd probably prefer a city as opposed to just holing up in a chalet out in the countryside for the vacation.

Queenie

I would avoid Zurich.

Everything closes mid day Dec 24. And Dec 25 & 26 are holidays with everything closed.

The following week is similar with closings Dec 31 with Jan 1 & 2 as holidays.

It is very quiet, and can be depressing if you do not have friends or family to visit. You may be stuck in your hotel watching CNN.

hiddeneurope

Zürich at Christmas will be comatose! About as exciting as a wet Sunday in Sioux Falls. The principal entertainment will be watching the traffic lights change colour. But heading to a small Swiss town for Christmas could be a fine way to spend the holiday. Try Zernez in eastern Switzerland for a small town Christmas in a picture perfect landscape. Or, for something less remote, one of the lakeside towns in the south: say, Locarno.
Hope this helps.
Nicky
www.hiddeneurope.co.uk

Cimbrone

Zurich is NOTHING like a big resort. It is very much like a smallish big city, if that makes any sense.

From what you say, I think you want Vienna or Salzburg for Christmas.

birder

Thank you for the feedback - I really appreciate it!

My husband has always wanted to go to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, or Switzerland. Can you think of any places you'd recommend in one of these countries -- beautiful scenery, lively Christmas activities, culture & good food?

I've been reading that it's much cheaper to rent a chalet or apartment - but the problem is, we don't want to just sit around in a chalet and make our own food. (Although grocery shopping is a great cultural experience that we always try to do at least once when we travel!) We want to be out and about to experience the sights and the gorgeous winter scenery.

Thanks in advance for any insights or advice you might have!

BTilke

Ditto to Cimbrone, Salzburg or Vienna both sound more like what you're looking for. Graz possibly, but as it's a provincial capital, you may find it a little too quiet over the Christmas holiday.
Several Fodorites are planning December trips to Austria, ourselves included, perhaps there can be a holiday GTG?
In Germany, you might want to consider Baden-Baden, which *is* a resort town and most shops, etc., will be open around the holidays (but not on Christmas day itself). There are a variety of musical performances scheduled for that time in the Festspielhaus and other town venues.
Other German options might include Bamberg, Freiburg, Rothenburg, all good sized towns but not big cities. Or perhaps even Bruges in Belgium; it has a lovely atmosphere at Christmas but the surrounding countryside, while scenic, is not truly beautiful (by most accounts).
If you opt for small town Switzerland instead, then Nicky has some good suggestions, although I think Lugano might have a little more going on than Locarno.
But Vienna or Salzburg still sound the most like what you're seeking. The Salzburg region has terrific postbus service, so you could stay outside the city at one of the lakeside towns (St. Gilgen, for example) and still get in and out of Salzburg quite easily if you decide you don't want to stay in the city itself. From Salzburg you could day trip to Vienna or Munich if so inclined.

GeoffHamer

Zürich is a financial and business centre, rather than a resort.
There are many smaller cities in Switzerland that would be more suitable.
Last Christmas, I was in Luzern which is a very attractive city, less than an hour from Zürich by train. Switzerland does not completely shut down at Christmas, and trains and buses run on Christmas Day. Most restaurants close on Christmas Eve, so it's best to have a big lunch on the 24th because few places are open for dinner. On Christmas Day, we got a train to a small town where we found a restaurant open. One of the lake paddle steamers did a cruise the length of the lake which we did on the 26th, having a very good lunch on board. You can disembark at various towns around the lake, and the funiculars and cable cars up the mountains all seemed to be running. Public transport in Switzerland is superb. The mountains around Luzern were covered in snow, of course, so it did feel Christmasy.

Cimbrone

If you want Switzerland, Lucerne might be a good choice. I think that Lugano and Locarno might have too much of a Mediterranean ambience to deliver the feel you're looking for.

And although it's not in one of the countries you mention, Strasbourg France, from what I've read, is a special place at Christmas.

W9London

Agree with others Zurich is probably not the best destination that fits your description. Though it has its own charm and definitely stop by either before or after Christmas.

Try Luzern or Austria--if your stay overlaps New Year. Or stay in a mountain resort in Switzerland. Thun near Interlaken is nice.

Not exactly sure what you mean by Christmas-y... Things do close down around the holiday, it's less commercialised, more family-focused than in the North America. You'll see some forest green-and-red displays, christmas trees and creches in town squares, but don't expect glittering electric neon.

LJ

Have you considered one of the more upscale ski resortsof Switzwerland or Austria or Scandanvia for that period? There might be more of an intentional tourist Christmas atmosphere, more options for fine dining and events for the visitors. Christmas without family in a European city where you have no relatives can be a rather dank and cheerless business.

Bird

You might consider Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the German Alps. From there you could visit Oberammergau, Mittenwald, Schwangau (with the famous Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles), Bad Tolz, etc.

Austria is a short drive away.

swandav2000

Hi All,

Must chime in to direct you away from upscale resorts in Switzerland -- I spent Christmas 2004 in Gstaad and there were no decorations (except for a few fat, red Santas). I discovered that the Swiss consider this a time for families and private celebrations, not for public displays. The cities (Luzern, Zurich) will have Christmas lights & decorations, but the resort villages will not.

Ditto to Cimbrone & BTilke, I think you're looking for Salzburg (don't remember Vienna . . .).

Personally, I'm going to be in Mittenwald this Christmas, and I'm a die-hard fan of Switzerland.

s

Cicerone

Well, other than Queenie, I don't think anyone other than myself has actually ever been IN Zurich for Christmas so I don't agree with any of the above posters. I think it would be very pretty for Christmas as it is beautifully decorated. There is a tree in virtually every square, the Banhofstrasse is hung with lights, and there are Christmas concerts in many churches. While snow on the ground in town is unlikely, it is still pretty and due to winter winds, clears days with good Alp views as possible. (The best Alp views I ever saw in 4 years living in Zurich was a Christmas Eve in 2004, the Alps looked so close you could practically touch them.) I agree that many shops and museums will be closed so if you planned to shop or see art in museums you would be out of luck. You will most likely have to have dinner at places like the Bau au Lac and the Dolder Grand, the best hotels in town with wonderful restaurants, so if you can stand that, you probably would like it. The Bau au Lac does a very lovely Christmas lunch, I can attest to that. If you want to attend a mass in English, I can give you suggestions.

I agree that a mountain town is a lovely idea and can also give you suggestions. Note that this is THE most crowded time in the mountains and you may have to commit to a minimum of 7-10 nights in a hotel unless you can do a very last minute booking or can get on a waiting list. I have been able to do this in years past, but initially was always told that 3-4 night bookings were not possible. As I was not buying airfare based on that, this was not such a problem for me.,

You will find Lucerne just as closed as Zurich in terms of restaurants and museums, so I don't know why one would go there over Zurich.

I think Vienna is also very good for Christmas. You are going to have the closure issues in any city in Europe, it is the resorts which are open, the cities have closures.

richardsonsnm

birder: Zurich is a great city, my wife and I are going back in Jan for 5 nights. We made a stop in Zurich on our way to Florence from Paris on our first Euro trip in 01. We stay at the wonderful Baur au Lac hotel and use the trains for side trips. Zurich has great food and plenty of places to walk to. Zurich is NOT very popular on this forum, but it is very nice.

birder

Thanks everyone for your help. I think we've decided against it, mainly because now my husband is stuck on the idea of Scotland. (I know, Scotland in the winter doesn't sound too great to me either.) So I'll post another topic for that. Again, your help is appreciated!

Cimbrone

birder--forgive me if I'm being too forward here, but why is your husband getting "set" on the idea of certain countries? First it was Switzerland, Norway, etc. Now Scotland.

Perhaps you can explain to him that all of these places are wonderful, but that if he is going to travel at the most particular time of year (very cold AND a major holiday), he really needs to use THAT as a starting point. None of these countries are going anywhere.

birder

Cimbrone, these countries aren't going anywhere, but our ability to travel is about to be significantly disrupted. We are trying to start a family and that will definitely curtail expensive international trips for a while. Since I travel internationally with my job, I am happy to defer to him on this trip, because it is likely to be our last international vacation for a while. (Of course, if we win the lottery, that won't be the case, but otherwise, our budget is going to be a lot tighter.)

Cimbrone

Understandable. The only reason I mentioned it is that, last April I visited some places and one post-er here diplomatically had tried to tell me I wouldn't be getting the best out of them that time of year. I had already done all my planning and ticket-buying, however, and didn't want to listen. Had a good time, but now I want to go back and see some of those places at their best. I learned not to try to experience the countryside before things have warmed up and greened up a bit. I'm sure you'll have a great time, whatever you decide.