My family of 6 (youngest 17) want to fly to Italy Christmas Day and stay though 1/5. We considered splitting our trip between Rome and Munich/Austria to allow for some snow activities. Our only definite is that we want to be in Rome on New Year’s Eve. We are an active family that has never been to Europe. We are looking forward to the Christmas decorations and hopefully a market. We want to enjoy the traditional sights but willing to move off the beaten path.

Related to the Rome portion of our trip can anyone suggest a 4 to 5 day itinerary for us? I have found many for summertime but wondering how much the weather at this time of year will alter our ability to see the sights. Any guidance is appreciated.

Related to the Munich portion we are hoping to head to an alpine village to spend several days in snow related activities. We have looked In and around Innsbruck and Tyrol and Hallstatt. We are looking for fun times and beautiful scenery. Any recommendations in that area?

Hi saranda4,

Yes, it sounds like a decent plan, but I guess you'll be flying from Munich to Rome?
If you fly out on 25 Dec, you will land in Europe on 26 Dec. Unfortunately, most Christmas markets, at least those in Germany, will be closed; generally they shut down around 14.00 on 24 Dec.

Also, Innsbruck is a rather large town or city, so if you really want to be in an Alpine village, you don't want to head there. Tyrol is an area. Hallstatt is a village, so you may want to investigate that more. Some other areas worth looking into might be Imst (west of Innsbruck), or Igls (just outside of Innsbruck), or St. Anton (west of Imst). Or you may want to look into St Gilgen or St Wolfgang on the Wolfgangsee, south of Salzburg.

Have fun as you plan!

s

We enjoy Seefeld in Tirol between Christmas and New Years. Their Christmas market is open, but it is very small (6-8 stalls) and likely would underwhelm you. I recall there being one market open in Innsbruck after Christmas, but also that is was a little underwhelming.

But back to Seefeld. We have been three times, and this summer will make a fourth. The village is family-friendly with plenty of activities all year round. There's a decent chance for snow in the week between the winter holidays. One year "Die Jungen" went tobogganing while DH and I winter wandered on snow-covered trails, and on another year we all hiked one trail that was clear but offered views of the snowcapped mountains. Seefeld in Tirol is also an hour away from Innsbruck by train.

Thank you for your suggestions in Austria. Yes I think I will need to be looking into these areas to get a better understanding. Do you have a favorite? Yes I am thinking the best way to get to the area is to fly from Munich to Rome . We can then fly into lMunich so I didn’t want to venture too far from Munich. I have read neat things about Munich as well. We were going to squeeze some time at Venice by train and then continue to Rome but got concerned about the weather st that time for Venice and the time it will take to get there.

I'd do Venice for a day just to see it - weather should not be cold but not warm either - anyway you could also take an overnight Night Jet train Munich to Venice or Rome - could be an experience for kids and adults too - get 2 or 3 adjoining private compartments and bring any food and drink aboard - book at: https://www.bahn.com/en/view/offers/...nightjet.shtml - for lots on trains and overnight trains in general check www.seat61.com; BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com.

with night trains the time to get there is while you sleep- ultimate time-saver even over flying.

weather should not effect anything in Rome - been there a few times at that time and can even often sit in outdoor caffes.

Hi again,

Fourfortravel has given her favorite. Unfortunately, I don't feel comfortable naming a favorite since I hate to recommend something, and then the traveller doesn't like it. Case in point -- I've been to Seefeld in Tirol, spent the day, walked through town, saw the snowfields, etc, at the edge of town, and it didn't really do much for me. It's a nice enough town, but nothing special in my mind. Similarly, I'm sure that fourfortravel has been to Garmisch, where I live, and would probably say the same thing about it!

Why don't you take a look at some photos -- either online with google's "image" search engine, or at your local library? See if one or the other place draws you more?

Good luck finding the right place... and have fun!

s

"Similarly, I'm sure that fourfortravel has been to Garmisch, where I live, and would probably say the same thing about it!"

Indeed, swandav, I have been to Garmisch three times, most recently this past weekend, though I would not write that GAP doesn't do much for us. Funny enough, our first visit and this visit both coincided with the little festival in Partenkirchen on Saturday! GAP makes a great base for activities we like to do in the area, just as Seefeld in Tirol does on the other side of the border. We like GAP just fine, but overall would give the nod to Seefeld. It feels cozier; and, doesn't roll up the sidewalks on Saturday evenings and Sundays.

Seefeld or G-P - you can't go wrong. I'd taken whichever is quicker to get to from Munich and from there to wherever or however you''ll be going to Rome. That Munich-Rome overnight train also serves Innsbruck I believe.