December in Munich, Salzburg, Graz, and Budapest
 

We're flying into Munich and home from Budapest departing December 2. We plan to visit museums and Christmas markets in each city. We like to explore cities and hope to find some music events plus good food and wine.

Our plan is for Munich (3 nights); Salzburg (3 nights); Graz (3 nights); and Budapest (4-5 nights.) We're thinking of renting a car.

1) Anyone had experience driving between these cities in December?
2) Does the time in each city sound about right? Wondering about time in Graz--too much or too little?
3) Any other cities we should consider? (Not going to Vienna this time.)

Thank You!

Sounds fine except for the car part--useless and expensive to park in cities, and a large fee for dropping off in a different country.

~Liz

Thanks Liz! Just the bit of research we've done made it seem like it might be less expensive to rent a car compared to train travel--we'll look further. Agree that parking can be expensive!!

Also concerned about the weather that time of your!

If going to cities only take the train - public transportation is awesome and city centers are very walkable and often pedestrianized. If the 3 nights in Munich counts arrival day after an all-night flight I may add a day there and take it off Graz, maybe do a day trip by train or car from Munich say to 'Mad' Ludwig's fantasy castle Neuschwanstein, which the German tourist office calls the most famous castle in Europe and many concur (don't mean finest however as this fantasy csstle is Ersatz - a fake medieval castle built not for defense but sheer follies and to look dreamy - Walt Disney in part modeled his Disneyland Sleepin Beauty castle after it I think - train to:

Fussen then a mini-bus or cab or few-mile stroll to the castle.

After being to Budapest thrice I would say 4-5 days is about two too many for the average traveler - not that weeks could not be spent there - but in December... awful December where this area often has grey skies if not drizzle or rain but days get shockingly short - thank God those Christmas Markets light up the night (along with the Glug wine - piping hot spice wine sold many places at that time of year - even in train stations!

Prost!

If thinking of trains, for the salient reasons elberko gives - to avoid a potentially steep drop-off charge - check these informative sites for oodles of great info: www.ricksteves.com; www.seat61.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

Trains in those places are excellent and frequent - nothing at all akin to Amtrak here Stateside. All those cities are comfy train rides apart.

Wow! Thanks PalenQ--that's a lot of great info. We're re-thinking our time in Budapest. We arrive in Munich early a.m. so thought that 3 nights might be enough--perhaps not!! Our itinerary is still fluid...I'm grateful for the suggestions.

thank you - Munich also has Dachau in it suburbs that though it is not everyone's cup of tea if going takes another half-day and if you've never been to one of these memorials it is a sobering experience - thinking DUH - it was not that long ago that civilized forlks like Germans perpetuated such heinous crimes!

Take S-bahn to a station near the memorial then walk or do a short bus ride from the S-Bahn station.

If into BMW tours they are very popular in Munich along with the museum - another half-day if so inclined.

But if not doing day trips then yes 3 days is IME enough for Munich for the average tourist.

We've revised our itinerary to include 4 nights in Munich with day trips as suggested.

We're also thinking that 4 nights in Budapest may be enough.

We'll have 3 nights in Salzburg, then probably a couple in Graz with "wiggle-room" for other possibilities.

It's shaping up to be a relaxed, fun December trip!
Thanks all!

Four night in Munich would be fine but you do not say what you are planning to do there, just that you've decided on some day trips "as suggested." It would be helpful to those of us who have been to Munich and more than once if you told us of your interests.

I am just trying to be helpful here, that's all.

Hi Dukey1!

Our interests are in museums, music events, the holiday markets, and checking out good and reasonably-priced restaurants.

We think that a day trip to Nuremberg would be fascinating as well as to Fussen. It's been about 12 years since we've stayed in Munich so we're anxious to catch up.

We're open to any suggestions--especially for day trips within an hour or two of the city.

Hopefully you can time Salzburg with this event.

http://www.salzburg.info/en/art_cult...krampus_percht

That sounds unique and fun coffeequeen! We might just be there at that time! Thank you!

There's a bigger event in Graz. I can't find the date.

Here's a few others.

http://wolfgangsee.salzkammergut.at/...-wolfgang.html

We think that a day trip to Nuremberg would be fascinating>

Yes IME very fascinating - not only do you have a nicely rebuilt from rubble old town center but if interested in Third Reich relics than Nurnberg has the largest most intact grouping of such things in Germany - just a few miles out of town (S-Bahns go there) -Hitler's old parade grounds with the stadium balcony from which he reviewed goose-stepping troops still there-

hovering above a vast broad avenue that has now been restored - there are other stadiums and a museum, etc. Very evocative.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_party_rally_grounds

https://www.google.com/search?q=nurn...w=1455&bih=977

I felt a day and a half, or 2 days is good enough for Graz, a complete day for the old town, half a day for an excursion somewhere, maybe the Schloss Seggau(a winery+ hotel+castle), and alf a day again for the old city.

Thanks PalenQ for the additional info about Nuremberg--it looks like it would be a very reasonable day trip from Munich.

ashwinb, thank you for confirming that 2 days in Graz if probably plenty!