Christmas: where to go? Germany/Swiz or Sicily?
 

I am a bit all over the place in choosing a location for our family in December to celebrate Christmas and the New Year. We have older teens/young 20s. We were thinking Germany, Salzburg and Lucern, Switzerland, but since we will be arriving only a day or two before Christmas will miss many of the Christmas Markets. Would you still recommend this trip or would Sicily be better? I was told Sicily would not be good in December, but I thought the kids might prefer seeing the ruins and various festivals as opposed to art museums. Has anyone been to Sicily for Christmas? Or is there another place you think would be great for Christmas (we've been to England, Scotland, Paris, Rome/Florence/Venice, and Madrid before)? Thank you

We've spent many Christmases in Switzerland, Germany and Austria (and we don't visit art museums!). Loads of outdoor winter activities. If it's markets you're after, Salzburg's Christmas markets will run through January 1, 2025.

Having lived in Vienna for 7 years, we found the week between Christmas and New Years an outstanding time to head into Tirol. Winter wandering; great food; skiing; tobogganing; and so forth. We've also spent a Christmas each in Krakow and Paris, and both were magical: Krakow, because I am of Polish descent and fully embraced all of the food customs; and Paris one year because, well, Paris is always a good idea. Wherever you decide, keep in mind that 24-26 December comes with early/full closures of stores and restaurants.