November in Vienna and ??? : Questions
 

After a marvelous time in Budapest last November, I am once again considering a few days at the Christmas markets in Europe during and around Thanksgiving in the U.S. Our second winter visit will focus on several days in Vienna, a city we've visited a couple of times in the past, both in summer, and one or two other places.

Option 1, Ljubljana and Trieste: Which of the two has more to see and do in late November? I'm trying to think about which to spend more time. Also is Graz doable and worth a stopover from Vienna to Ljubljana?

Option 2, Krakow: Most trains from Vienna to Krakow transit through the Czech Republic. Is there someplace worth a stop for one or two nights?

Option 3, staying put in Austria: If we spend all our time (somewhere between 9 and 11 nights) in Austria, we would want to take day trips and / or short overnights out of Vienna. Two that come to mind are the Wachau Valley and the Salzkammergut region, both which seem gorgeous in warmer months but which I cannot seem to find information about for winter visits. Are they worthwhile in late November or will it be "dead" during the low season? Are walks / hikes possible during this time of year?

Other suggestions also welcome and appreciated. Thanks.

Forgot to mention that we enjoy history, culture, good food, and just ambling about a city. We also enjoy the outdoors - hiking - but understand it will be limited given the time of year. Our number one goal will be the Christmas markets. Thanks again.

Have you been to Prague? It seems an obvious match to Vienna and is unique in Central Europe in being undamaged in WWII - so you can see the full range of city architecture as it developed organically.

We did a walking tour of the Old Town with an architecture student from the university and it was absolutely fascinating. We just picked it up at the town hall and it was practically free.

Yes, NYTraveler, I've been to Prague and really enjoyed it.

Berlin is a possibility, It doesn't have the charm or a city like Prague but the museums are incredible and there's a lot of great food. We are just back and I must say I was a little ambivalent but many others LOVE it, personally I found the history rather overwhelming. However, it has a lot of offer on the culture front.

Hi, tripplanner001. A few comments for your consideration.

Option 1. In late November I would skip both Ljubljana and Trieste. Both are lovely cities for an overnight or perhaps two in good weather, but not so much in late November when the days are shorter and the skies can be gray and damp. Graz, especially as Christmasmarket time, makes for an enjoyable two night visit. http://www.graztourismus.at/advent/en.

Option 2. Brno would make a nice overnight. If you plan ahead, and are interested, it is possible to tour Villa Tugendhat, a Mies van der Rohe design and the location where the "Velvet Divorce" was signed. Brno, too, will have Christmas markets.

Option 3. Weather in the Salzkammergut and Wachau in late November will be hit-or-miss. In the Wachau, the fall festivals are long over; the vineyards are bare; and the markets are substantial enough to warrant more than a half-day outing from Vienna.

If this may be of planning help, I offer our two Christmas market trip reports.

Our family spent the American Thanksgiving weekend enjoying the holiday markets in Innsbruck. http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...et-weekend.cfm

We also spent a long weekend last December in Munich and Nuremberg for their Christmas markets. http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...as-markets.cfm.

Hi,

We did two Christmas Market trips in late November/early Decemebr 2010 and 2013. We also wanted to visit Ljubljana, but the markets start during or after the first week of December. We based 4 nights in the Berchtesgaden area (with a car) on both trips. Berchtesgaden was beautiful, Salzburg was gorgeous and the Salzkammergut equally nice. We spent a day on the Wolfgangsee visiting the markets in St. Gilgen, St. Wolfgang, etc. Wonderful day out. There's also other markets in nearby Bad Reichenhall and Hallein, Austria.

The area that stood out was the Innsbruck area. We based in Hall in Tirol for 4 nights. We had been many times before, but at this time of year, with some snow and snow capped peaks, Christmas lights, etc... It's magical. We visited the markets in Hall in Tirol, Innsbruck, Rattenberg, Austria and then over the Italian border to the very charming old towns of SterIng/Vipiteno and Brixen/Bressanone. We could have easily done a day trip into the Dolomites (Val Gardena) and Bozen/Bolzano, but ran out of time. We've been to all these places more than once, but they were especially beautiful during the markets. If you like a different kind of alpine/mountain scenery, the Dolomites are amazing.

www.flickr.com/photos/pjbassplyr/sets

Paul

Brit, thanks for the suggestion of Berlin. I haven't been there and would love to go, but I'm thinking something closer to Vienna so I don't have to get on and off multiple plans as this is a shorter trip.

Fourfortravel, thanks for your feedback on Graz and Brno; very helpful. I will also take a look at your Innsbruck report. I looked at Germany (would love to go to Nuremburg and / or Rothenburg) but it seems like most of the markets don't start up until November 28th or 29th and we are looking at going sometime between November 15th and 28th.

Pja1, thank you. Will take a look at Tyrol and the Dolomites.

That's why we picked mainly Austria for our 2 trips. We flew out of NY/NJ on the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week and flew home the following Friday. Salzburg and Innsbruck's markets start mid November, and the Salzkammergut (St. Gilgen, St. Wolfgang and Strobl) open the weekend before the last week of November. While St. Giulgen and Strobl's markets are open Thurs-Sun., St. Wolfgang's will be open 7 days a week. Berchtesgaden's market was open during this time of year also.

http://advent.wolfgangsee.at/en/#
http://www.berchtesgadener-advent.com/
http://www.weihnachtsmarkt-hallein.a...ing-hours.html

I don't think trains from Vienna to Krakow typically stop in Brno. YOu can check by using bahn.de and looking at all intermediate stops. YOu can get a train from Vienna to Brno direct, but then trains from brno to Krakow will involve two transfers, typically, although there is a night train and one very early in the morning with only one transfer.

I'd suggest Olomouc in Moravia, it's a lovely smaller university city, about 1/3 the size of Brno, which is the second largest city in the CR, depends what you like. here is a list which some idea http://en.czech-unesco.org/unesco-towns/

Olomouc' own website is very useful, also. http://www.tourism.olomouc.eu/

I enjoyed a couple days there while going to Krakow. Some trains from Vienna do stop in Olomouc, while some others go through Prerov, which is just down the train line a short ways. I stayed in HOtel Gemo in Olomouc, which was lovely and so convenient http://www.gemo.cz/en/reference-det....8&typ=obcanske

Pja1, appreciate the additional information.

Christina, Olomouc looks lovely. Will look into it if we decide on Krakow.

Just want to share that our flights are now confirmed and we'll only be on the ground for eight nights. Our current thinking is to base ourselves in Vienna for the duration and perhaps doing a day trip or two. We may do one overnighter outside of Vienna if we find something that makes sense. The Wachau Valley and / or Semmering appeal and seem doable, although most of the information I find are directed towards summer visitors. Also looking at the southern part of the Czech Republic, but am also interested in other ideas. Thanks again.

tripplanner001, will you have a car, or be willing to rent one for a day or two? Along the southern border of CZ, about 75 minutes' drive from Vienna is the Valtice-Lednice region with its beautiful palaces; Znjomo with its castle and socialist architecture; Mikulov (a Habsburg castle); and even tiny Breclav with a few architectural gems.

Not sure why Semmering reached your radar for November. Many of the castles will be closed for the season, and not all of the ski regions will be fully operational by then.

Thanks, fourfortravel. No, we will be travelling by train and / or bus, which will limit our options. Semmering was just one of the areas that we thought about but haven't done much research on openings and closings. Other than Wachau, I'm also into some of the places Paul suggested.