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-   -   Where would you go in December? (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/where-would-you-go-in-december-1722978/)

bvlenci Jun 3rd, 2024 01:49 AM


Originally Posted by lavandula (Post 17568128)
There was a thread on here recently about Christmas markets open after Christmas, as there are quite a few dotted around. That might be helpful for you. To this I would also add Brussels, which has a market (Winter Wonders) that is open until 6 January.

Lavandula

The Christmas markets in Alto Adige/Südtirol are all open until January 6th. Bolzano/Bozen and Bressanone/Brixen both have markets, as do other towns in the area. This is the trilingual part of Italy; Italian, German, and Ladino are all official languages.

SmilingAllTheWay Jun 4th, 2024 11:24 AM

St Johann Pongeau Austria —Krampus Fest
 
Around St Nicholas Day in early December this small village has 2 nights of festivities with Krampuses. People dress up and accompany Saint Nicholas to visit the kids and leave treat in their shoes. They shut the town roads down and have a parade one night for kids one night for adults. The costumes are amazing. It is in a village in the Swiss Alps and so magical. There is a large sports lodge in town. We don’t ski but took a bus to the mountaintop with the skiers and had lunch in the lodge. The gondola ride up was so scenic. And with the snow, the trip was magical. Add on a day and heading north about 30 miles to a small village called HALLIEN. You can take the train. This is where the composer Gruber has his museum. He wrote Silent Night for the church next door. During the day we visited their salt mine which was a ton of fun. We then went to Vienna for a few more days. Loved this trip!

KarenWoo Jun 4th, 2024 02:31 PM


Originally Posted by shelemm (Post 17567422)
I went to Provence at that same time of year. It was wonderful.

I agree with shelemm about going to Provence in December! We spent several weeks in Provence in December 2022, and had a wonderful time. We visited many villages; restaurants were open; the market in L'Isle Sur la Sorgue was open, on a much smaller scale, of course, but we weren't fighting the crowds. The villages weren't crowded at all so it was very enjoyable for walking around and enjoying the quiet ambiance. Marseilles was a lot of fun and quite lively as was Aix en Provence. The weather was warm enough on some days that we were able to dine outdoors.

If you wish, you can click on my name to read my trip report titled "Provence in December". With photos, to give you an idea of what the villages are like in December.

Fleur_de_Lis Jun 5th, 2024 08:14 AM

I second Prague - it's a magical, beautiful fairytale city and the Christmas markets in both Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square typically go through January.

Otherwise, Strasbourg in France is also lovely - and while the Strasbourg market might not still be up when you're there, it's a great base to explore the other fairytale villages nearby - and I believe nearby Colmar and Saverne will still have markets/decorations up.

lrice Jun 7th, 2024 07:00 AM

We spent December 2023 in Sevilla and highly recommend it! The weather was beautiful- sunny and 60s. The city is very festive with lots of wonderful restaurants, shops, the amazing Cathedral and stunning Alcazar!

I wrote a trip report with lots of pictures:

https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...lucia-1720008/


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