Gary_Mc

The last two years we have visited Bavaria from Würzburg to Münich (east to Salzburg). This year our vacation got pushed back to December. We have decided to visit go in see something a bit different and take in a few Christmas markets.


A sale on United Airlines to Frankfurt am Main, helped us settle on two possible choices:

1) Aschaffenburg, Bamberg, Coburg, Forcheim and Würzburg. A visit to medieval Franken with Weihnachtsmärkte.

2) Koblenz, Trier, Boppard (or Sankt Goar) and Mainz. The purpose of this trip would be Roman Ruins as well as Weihnachtsmärkte.

We are leaning towards the Rhein/Mosel option. Anyone visited either of these areas at this time of year and have any comments or suggestions.

Thank you, Gary

Russ

The Rhine is a good choice - I was there a couple of years ago around Thanksgiving - but generally you should stick to the larger towns in winter.

I don't think the small towns of St. Goar or Boppard are great destinations in winter - too quiet. In that area, Rüdesheim has a particularly atmospheric Weihnachtsmarkt. Mainz' is also very good. Trier's is small but attractive, and a visit there is justified in winter for other reasons. Koblenz' market seemed pretty trashy but old town Koblenz is nice enough. I would try to base myself there and daytrip to the other towns (Rheinland-Pfalz ticket, 26 Euros for all-day pass covering 2-5 persons on the regional trains; good after 9 am weekdays, anytime weekends.) Cologne is another worthwhile daytrip destination if you stay in Koblenz; the R-P ticket gets you as far as Bonn, use regular tickets for Bonn - Cologne.

Russ

I should have mentioned Marksburg Castle in Braubach - open all year except for Christmas day and maybe a day or two before and after:

www.marksburg.de

tmh

A wodnerful time to go. We TRY for Dec to take in a Christmas Market or two. I've been to a few of your locations:

Bamberg: wonderful town. Depending on the timing of your visit, you can enjoy the 'Crippen Way'...a walk from church to church to see the nativity scenes.

Wurzburg: Nice market although it placed last on our list of markets we've attended in both the former West and East Germany.

Trier: Enjoyed this city's Roman history and the markets was fun.

Cowboy1968

Weatherwise I would lean towards the towns in Franconia.
Early December is still somewhat mild, wet & rainy, especially along the Rhine which gets a milder climate than most other regions in Germany.

And with that weather in mind, I think the Rhine valley is more about exploring the outdoors, climbing up to castles, etc.
While in Franconia's towns, the sights would be more the towns proper, cathedrals, churches, monestaries, and so on.
If you should go to Bamberg, try to see Vierzehnheiligen monastery which is nearby:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilic...n_Holy_Helpers

In a nutshell, I would say that choice #2 has much more options for the rainy days than #1.

quokka

The Rhine valley in winter is entirely brownish grey. Rocks, river, vineyards, trees, houses - everything has more or less the same dull colour. Unless you're lucky to catch a sunny day even the sky will be grey. The Rhine valley is a spring to autumn destination.

Franconia's cities and towns have, I agree, more to offer for a December trip. You're facing chilly days, short daylight hours (sunset around 4.30 p.m.), probably rain.
Careful about the term "medieval", though, except some churches and a few castles there isn't much left that was built before the 30 years war.
If you want a town with at least some authentic medieval architecture, include Regensburg.

BTilke

I agree that the Rhine area will be gray in winter, but if you want to do something different, why not go to another part of Germany instead? Franconia (lovely as it is) is still part of Bavaria, which you've already visited. And the two regions you've picked are among the most touristy in Germany.

Why not go north...Muenster, Bremen, Lubeck? Great Christmas markets there, interesting towns. Or Dresden and Saxony? Again, beautiful countryside, wonderful towns, great Christmas markets...

quokka

Oh oh, never tell a local that you consider Franken a part of Bayern. Politically it is, but otherwise no!

BTilke

Oh, I know that. I worked with a Franconia based company for a few years, the staff there loved to mock the Bavarians (as do our relatives in BW and NRW), but nonetheless, if the OP wants to see something different, there are many other areas of Germany worth exploring.

Gary_Mc

Thank you all.

I do not need to be sold on Franken. I was assigned to the area twice (Würzburg and Nürnberg) and loved it both times. I am ashamed to admit that I have never visited Bamberg or Coburg. Always so close that I never got around to it.

I know that the Rhein is wet and gray in winter as both times that I visited it years ago (1974 and 1986) were in February. That is the reason that we were mainly going to visit cities. Russ, I will look into replacing my one day stop in St. Goar with Rüdesheim.

Quokka, Regensburg was on our list when we were considering starting from Frankfurt and ending at Freising. We visited there the last two years. My wife even include a member of the Thurn and Taxis family in one of her historical romances. I just like to keep my travel days short as our time is limited, so we probably will not make it that far south.

Btilke, we have never visited Münster but have been north. My wife and I lived in Bremenhaven for 15 months including parts of two winters. Our daughter was born there in December 1985. We enjoyed living there though I am less sure about a visit in December. The days are even shorter as you get that far north.

I always fall in love with the trips that I plan. I will show my plans and your comments to "she who must be obeyed" and see where it takes us.

Thanks again, Gary

Gary_Mc

In the end, we have reservations in Aschaffenburg, Bamberg, Regensburg (a bow to quokka) and Würzburg.

It turned out that one of my wife's former Sunday School youths has landed a position on the Würzburg professional basketball team. We are going to try for a connection with him. She says that he is just a "big kid". Make that about 6'5".

I think that we have made good choices in any case. We have visited Regensburg and Würzburg before and loved them. Bamberg gets lots of good reviews and I wanted to see the "Krippenweg". We like to visit a place each year that does not get much tourist exposure, Aschaffenburg is this year's choice.

Regards, Gary

wanderfrau

I think you made a great choice. You will love the Christmas markets and the overall holiday atmosphere. Enjoy the wine.

Have fun!

oinchats

I too was considering seeing xmas markets in Dec. I rent a car and am a bit concerned about snow (tire chains, road conditions, etc.). Is this a valid concern? I like to stay away from large cities as it is easier to find a destination when driving. Can any of you give me your top 2 or 3 or 4 markets that you have visited?

thanks,
Orrin

Gary_Mc

Orrin,

We were stationed one year in Nürnberg, location of one of the biggest Christmas markets. We visited Augsburg one Advent season and spent a week over Christmas in Salzburg. We also lived in Würzburg which had only a small market at the time.

We were never much for buying at Christmas Markets. The magic seemed to be in visited them lit up after dark. It is almost a cliche but the Brats and Glühwein were almost more important to us than the stuff in booths.

For us, it is important to select a city that we can enjoy during the day.

As the major markets are in cities, it only makes sense to us to use the train system rather than a car. A car works in Germany great for the countryside but is a hindrance in towns. Even living just outside Nürnberg with our own car, we used a commuter train line to visit the town.

As mentioned above, you are more likely to experience rain than snow. The real hassle is likely to be the traffic.

Regards, Gary