Hello experts,

I'm going around desperate for advice on my first family trip to Europe.
I will be flying into Zurich on the 19th Dec and out of Basel on the 28th Dec.

I'm having a dilemma choosing parts between Germany and Austria. It would be great if anyone could share their personal experience or tips for travelling during this period; i.e. making the most out of short daylight, best use of public transport for routes (e.g. bayern card, etc..)
I basically have 8 days with 2 days dedicated to travelling to & from airports in Switzerland.

Rough plans:
19th Take the afternoon train from Zurich airport to Munich or should I stay one night in Innsbruck?

20th-24th Salzkammergut region - hoping for winter wonder
Originally I found the salzkammergut region very worthy of spending at least 4 nights in,
Hallstat
Gosau Valley
Obertraun
are among the places advertised for blue skies, snows and winter trails.
But it seems there are quite a number of people saying that this cannot be expected in December when it will mostly be grey and gloomy unlike later in winter. Is this true? I really want to experience at least one day of the "advertised winter wonderland" where is it more likely?

Bases recommended for these travels that i've heard are Bad Ischl, St wolfgang & Salzburg. Bad Ischl looks convenient due to its public transport links but I'd prefer spending Christmas Eve elsewhere ( maybe hallstat or salzburg), can i expect to get back to my base by public transport? Or would there be a better base for what im looking for.

25th- 28th
Train to munich
Explore places like the Neuschwanstein Castle (Again)
Some people have recommended Garmisch as an alternative to the Salzkammergut region for better weather.
Rothenburg
Nuremburg
Fussen

Basically im listing out common places where ppl visit in these areas, but there is just too many choices and I really dont know the sequence i should go with!
Would anyone recommend a good route for my situation?
Like to experience winter scenic villages , winter walks (not too long as i have children with me), bavarian villages, castles, some christmas markets. Not too into museums or places such as the Eagle's nest.

Entry point: zurich Airport
Exit: Basel Euroairport

Any help however small would be so appreciated, even a simple route suggestion!

Thank you,
Reah.

Wish you had an open jaw ticket into Munich or Frankfurt and out of Zurich. It took us a couple of hours by train to Nuremburg from Munich. Take the fast train if possible. Garmisch has a nice Christmas market and more things your children could do. More snow in the mountains. Snowboarding classes would be fun for them. Train travel is easy though from Innsbruck to Garmisch to Munich and Nuremburg. Lodging will be number one priority now and that might decide where you go.

Hi Reah_L,

I live in Garmisch, so I may be able to help a bit.

First, I have to say that there may not be any snow in town that early in the season -- of course, winters are getting warmer and warmer, and we're getting fewer and fewer days of snow in town. And the snow that does come, comes in February.

You should find some snow on the mountains nearby though. The Alpspitze, Kreuzeck, and Zugspitze will have enough snow to play in -- though may not have enough snow for skiing. The Zugspitze normally gets plenty of snow for Christmas skiing, but one year we had high winds, and it blew all the snow off the pistes.

You can get to these peaks easily using either the town busses (bus #2 takes you to the Alpspitze/Kreuzeck cable cars) or the cogwheel train to the Zugspitze.

If you want a snowy-town Christmas, you need to look for higher elevations -- the Engadin valley or Zermatt in Switzerland.

The Christmas market here is pretty small -- just two rows of stalls. But it's got everything you need to feel the spirit: Glühwein and Wurst!

We have some great walks that are good for wintertime (particularly if there is no snow).

From Garmisch, it is very easy to see Ettal Monestary, Linderhof castle, Oberammergau, Mittenwald, & Innsbruck. It is ok for travel to Füssen.

There is a wonderful night-time torch walk through the Partnach Gorge that is spectacular in winter -- the cascading water freezes into beautiful sculptures that are illuminated with torches. It's safe & easy for children.

Have fun as you plan!

s