I have an opportunity to go to Denmark and Germany in early Dec to attend a conference. My school will pay my entire cost for the Copenhagen portion (3 days). My wife will join me and we would like to travel by car thru Germany as well.

My only concern is the weather. Has anyone been there at that time who could tell me their experience? Thanks for the help

>cool to cold, rain or snow (more likely when heading south) possible. The short days can be a problem, if you're schedule isn't adjusted to them.

Are you traveling by car or train? If by car then make sure you get snow tires - just in case. It can get cold as logos mentioned - but usually not too much snow. The Christmas markets in Germany will more than make up for the chill.

>If by car then make sure you get snow tires
Yepp, diving without snow tires on snowy roads = fined.

Yes, I could imagine diving without snow tires could be very difficult

oops, just one single "r" missing changes everything

Copenhagen all lit up for Christmas is a lovely sight.

Hi d,

Go.

I was in Copenhagen the end of Dec. until the 5th of Jan this past holiday. They had MUCH more snow than is usual for them. Being so close to the ocean, it's gets cold but they don't usually get a ton of snow. We landed in the middle of a three day blizzard and then then closed the airport. It snowed some the next day and then did not snow again. It was cold but it's so easy to dress for it. I had silk underwear t's and then wore a knit t-shirt or top with a cardigan sweater over that. I have a long (to the ankles) medium weight wool coat that helped keep my legs warm. I have knit pants or skirt and wore tights underneath. My boots were rubberized on the outside so water proof and lined inside..NEVER needed heavy socks with them. I have lined Isotoner gloves and always a soft warm scarf. I could pull the scarf up over my chin if needed. I won't wear a hat....hat hair just doesn't do it for me but my brother and neice wore knit caps frequently. So, I never had any problems walking around outside. The highs for the days were mostly mid 20's. It gets dark around 4:30 or so and light between 8 and 9 in the morning. Anyway, I found it all delightful.

Yes, GO. The Tivoili Christmas season is said to be magical. And don't worry too much about dressing for the cold. Copenhagen is a fabulous place to shop for warm boots, gloves, woolens. Warm AND stylish.

Oh yea...I forgot to mention Tivoli. Very fun. It's closed in the winter but hey open during the Christmas season. You can google Tivoli Gardens Copehnagen and get the whole schedule. We went to the Christmas markets and saw a fun screwy play put on by a goup of British expats. It was called No Hans..a spoof on Hans Christian Andersen and was too too funny. They would intersperse references to Hans stories like the Pricess and the Pea, The Little Match Girl etc. and when they did, the audience would have to yell out "NO HANS". They had a guy that was the Emperor, from the Emperor's New Clothes and he came out on stage with like a lecturn covering him from his chest to his knees. He had no shirt on and was bare foot. He did his little shpiel..we all yelled NO HANS of course, and then he turned around to exit the stage and, oh my soul, he was BUCK NEKKED!!!! He ran off stage with his white butt cheeks rippling..oh my lord..it was too funny and the I couldn't help thinking that I'm SO glad that I can't see myself from the rear when I'M buck nekked. Probably more infor than you wanted, but, they do a production every year and it will be on the Tivoli calendar if you check it out.

Dear crefloors,
I am laughing my ...... off at your description!

Do you mind a little description of how you spent your days in Copenhagen during your Christmastime trip? How was it finding places to eat each night?

Still laughing.

dovima

The Christmas season at Tivoli <i>is</i> magical. It's been several decades since I was there at that time and it is still my most treasured holiday memory.

Obviously I am so far the only one to discourage you.
I generally think the winter months aren't a particularly nice period to visit the more Northern parts of Germany and Europe in general.

The days are short - it'll be light only from 9 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.. The maritime climate in Denmark and Northern Germany brings a lot of rain, and damp air while still being chilly. The cities in general appear to be very grey. Sometimes a disgraceful mix of watery and melted snow with the dirt of the road is prevalent in the streets.
That said, the Christmas markets don't do that much for me, either. If you've seen one, you've seen most of them IMHO. Lots of seasonal merchandise and quite an amount of kitsch (admittedly Copenhagen offers less of the latter, though).
Just thinking of the winter days I am facing here, makes me shiver.
I'd definitely go - but do go during a nicer season, such as late fall or late summer!