Ideas for Dec (Christmas) holiday - Where to go??
 

I have just finished posting my trip report about my holiday in Italy in June and now thinking I need another holiday in Dec :)
I went to Paris last Dec and loved it! I got mild winter weather and enjoyed the Christmas vibe.
I have 12-14 days. I was thinking of maybe going to 2 cities. London is at the top of the list but where would be good for a nice Christmas vibe but not freezing icy cold ??
Any ideas, suggestions, inspiration??
Thanks

I am going back to Paris for a third time...so that's my top choice. If I didn't go to Paris then I would choose Rome, I think. Some say London shuts down on Christmmas and Boxing Day, so you may wish to check out what would be open.

Thanks Denise. I thought of Paris and Rome first too. But having visited these cities in the last 6 months, I think I want to go somewhere new. I cant wait to read your trip report :)

Strasbourg?

You are most likely to ge tmilder weather south of the Alps - although my best friend spent a week in Venice at christmas one year and got 6 days of chilly rain and one of snow.

But you could do Venice and Florence - plenty to do indoors and the probability of real cold is small.

I would probably do London and Paris (again, snow not likely and more chilly than cold) since they are probably my two favorite cities. If you do Paris on Christmas eve and day and the next you avoid the worst of the UK holiday closures.

This will be my 5th Christmas in Paris....I was just there in April but am addicted! It's so magical at Christmas time that I can't seem to change venues! I do think, from past experience that London does shut down more for Xmas and Boxing Day,but it has been awhile,so hopefully someone with more current info will post. Whatever and wherever I'm sure you will enjoy the holidays.

Vicki

Are any of the cities in Germany considered milder from a weather perspective? What about Brussels?

Strasbourg is excellent at Christmas but it is already almost too late to reserve anything there.

You might want to check out the "Festival of Light" in Lyon in the early days of December -- but that too is already almost completely reserved.

Thank you for the suggestions. I will continue to explore the Strasbourg and Lyon options. They sound really good and easy for me if a fly into Paris and catch a train.

We short changed ourselves in Strasbourg by not staying and spending more time. There are many towns in the area that would be worth exploring, I think. Check lowcountryislander's trip report. She and her mom spent time in Strasbourg 2-3 years ago over Christmas. Her report could help you. TGV train from Paris was easy.

Thanks Denise. Found the report and will be reading it over the weekend. But Kerouac is right, Strasbourg is pretty booked.

You might like to check out the Winter Wonders festival in Brussels:

http://www.brussels.be/artdet.cfm?id=4843&agendaid=59

Brussels is similar to Paris in winter, possibly with a bit more rain / sleet. Daytime expect about 5C. Perfect time of the year for Brussels' museums (there are 87). You absolutely must visit the Horta Museum - it is an outstanding example of Art Nouveau.

Lavandula

Thank you Lavandula. This looks fantastic!

Another vote for the Horta Museum if you should decide to go to Brussels.

At this stage based on flight availability I can fly into London on 16 Dec and out of Frankfurt, Munich, Milan or Barcelona on 31 Dec.

If you were to fly out of Frankfurt, that would be the closest to Belgium. Not sure where you want to spend Christmas - in Germany the Christmas markets last until 23 December and locals celebrate on Christmas Eve. Everything is closed for 25 Dec except maybe the restaurants of a few hotels and petrol stations (and maybe also some train stations), and businesses start to open again gradually from 26 Dec -and then you could hit the sales. Germany is cold at that time of year, colder than Belgium, but there is sometimes a little snow then. But you would have a singular opportunity to experience the Christmas markets, which are fantastic. Great atmosphere, super food, super Glühwein...

Lavandula

Thank you for help all! Plans are taking shape.

Flying into London 16 Dec
Going to Brussels on 23 Dec
Going to Frankfurt on 28 Dec
Flying home on 31 Dec

Trying to decide between Vancouver Studios and Fielding hotel in London. Have tentative bookings at both at this stage.

Spending Christmas in Brussels. Thank you Lavandula. The winter wonders fun fare is open on 24/25 Dec so I will have something to do and somewhere to eat :)

Now I need to find a central hotel in Brussels and maybe priceline for Frankfurt.

Phew...

The Hotel in Brussels is excellent. We stayed there in May. It was the Hilton but has been taken over by an independent group and given a complete transformation. If you book a room on their club (panorama) floor, you can use their lounge. It has a good buzz, easy to interact with other guests and has an amazing view over Brussels. (we had fun using the telescopes provided to look at our old apartment)

WeisserTee thank you for the recommendation! Hotel looks amazing and I like the idea of a club room.

Ozgirl07; President Obama stayed at The Hotel in Brussels earlier this year. He had the whole top floor...

If you do go to Brussels, try to fit in a daytrip to Antwerp. There's a Christmas market and ice rink in the main square by the Cathedral.

Wonder if Obama liked the fashion Barbies in the Panorama lounge ;-)

HI Ozgirl07..did you check out Austria? I was there in March one year and really loved it. Went to Vienna, Innsbruck and Salzburg.

Salzburg was magical. And in Innsbruck they have the Swarovski museum which was interesting.

I hear their Christmas Markets are great.

Just an idea..have fun whatever it is!

Tulips - I will definitely do a couple of day trips. I have Cologne, Bruges and Antwerp on my list.
WeisserTee - Fashion barbies??
atennislover - I have been to Austria and visited Vienna, Innsbruck (Swarovski museum) and Salzburg. Loved Vienna!

If you can get to Cologne before 23 Dec - it has 7 Christmas markets. Would be a shame if you got to Germany after that date, as you would miss out. There are some cities where it goes on a bit longer - try Limburg near Frankfurt, which is cute for a visit anyway.

From Frankfurt - Mainz is a good day trip. Nice old city (Altstadt) and excellent museums such as Gutenberg Museum, Museum for Ancient Shipping (with Roman boats dredged up from the nearby Rhine), the 1000 year old Mainzer Dom (cathedral), the Chagall windows in the Stefansdom. Frankfurt has a lot to offer also, with a wonderful river bank of world-class museums (the Museumsufer), and a small town square, the Römer (Römerberg). It also has a wonderful shopping street, the Zeil.

Hopefully Mainhattengirl will chime in here because she lives in Frankfurt and can give some good suggestions for sightseeing there. You might also look up threads by texasbookworm, who spent ten days in Hoechst (which is close to Frankfurt), and she visited a lot of nearby towns.

Lavandula

Ozgirl, The Hotel has a bit of a fashion and design theme. The Panorama lounge has the most amazing collection of fashion and design coffee table books I've ever seen. Some of them were clearly limited editions and pretty valuable. They were interesting to leaf through over a drink. And as a touch of irony or kitsch, there is a small collection of designer fashion Barbies under glass domes in the lounge as well. They're not everywhere, you don't even notice them after a few minutes.

Regarding Salzburg, I was there over the week-end and was dismayed by how crowded it was. I've heard December is much the same. So how much you would enjoy Salzburg would depend on your tolerance for crowds. I was glad I stayed out in Anif at the Hotel Friesacher, where it was much quieter.

From Mainz, Baden-Baden is also an easy day trip. And even though the Christmas market will have closed, the whole town is beautifully decorated for the holidays and the town, store, hotel, restaurant decorations will still be up.

should have said, from Mainz OR Freiburg, Baden-Baden is an easy day trip....