Hello, my husband, teenager, and I will be in Europe at the end of December/first week of January. We will be in London and Prague, departing from Paris. Between Prague and Paris, we will have approximately 8 days, including New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. I originally had an overzealous itinerary but have decided to spend those days concentrating our travel in either France or Italy (I've also toyed with adding in Salzburg for a couple of days, but felt it might be too much). Which country would you recommend (including having the least closures of attractions)? Also, any specific recommendations for fun, off-the-beaten-path activities such as a cooking class, would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I struggle to understand your exact dates and physical positions, it would help. I think northern Italy keeps the festival going a bit longer in the countryside and smaller towns.

Dates?

I, personally, would go to Nice, but it is not clear exactly what you want.

Cooking classes are mainstream. I prefer food tours, but I am sure you can turn up cooking classes by doing a search on "cooking class [name of town["

I doubt many people are giving cooking lessons at that time of year. Not a single person I know who offers cooking classes in my part of France would do so in mid-winter around the holidays - no customers and everyone's busy with their own family affairs.

As for which country has the least closings, it will depend entirely on where in each country you plan to land, but you can pretty much count of much of both countries being dead at that time of year, except in the big cities where there will no doubt be holiday festivities of all kinds.

Pretty much anything you can find to do at that time of year outside major cities is going to be off the beaten path.

Thank you We arrive in London on December 26th, fly to Prague on the 28th, departing on the 30th. We fly home from Paris on January 9th. I would like to be in Paris on January 7th to explore the city for a couple of days. We do not ski, nor do we want to spend too much time in museums We love taking in the culture of the towns we're in. I have been to Europe in the winter, but not around the holidays. Spending time in the bigger cities is fine, but we love the gems of smaller towns as well.

Epiphany celebrations, nationwide. All cities, towns, and villages in Italy stage Roman Catholic Epiphany observances and Christmas fairs. From Christmas to January 6.

https://www.tripsavvy.com/january-fe...-italy-1547664
https://www.visitflorence.com/floren...cade-magi.html
enjoy

One day in London? One day in Prague? Why bother? (Note that Dec 26th, Boxing Day, is a holiday and transport and sights may be affected.)

I would stay longer in Prague, fly to Nice, train to Paris.

My suggestion would be Malta, south of Sicily in the Mediterranean. I stayed there for a couple of weeks in December after disembarking from a freighter and found it a wonderful winter destination. The weather was mild, history is everywhere, Valletta is a beautiful pedestrian-friendly city on the water, the island architecture is a unique amalgamation of European & North African. I stayed in 3 locations during that time and got around on the island's buses. A week there would be lovely.

Maybe a French or Italian ski resort could be the answer. You can take cookery lessons during the ski season at Courchevel for instance: Courchevel Cookery ? Activity Courchevel ski resort, France 3 Vallees

Maybe there are similar opportunities at other places?

She doesn't ski, going to a ski resort if you don't ski seems a tremendous waste of money and time (as they are not that easy to get to and they are expensive). I do ski and would never recommend someone who doesn't go to one in high season.

I also thought no one is going to offer cooking classes during NY holiday week.

I'd just stay in Prague another day or two and then add the other extra days to Paris, that's all. I wouldn't throw another city into this mix for only a couple days. I don't quite understand the plans to leave Prague on 12/30 without even an idea as to where you are going for New YEars, but I guess that's what you want to know.

okay, London, Prague..... Paris.

I'd probably fly to Basel on Easyjet direct from PRG, 100 euro or so. then I'd spend NY eve there, as I'm not into big city NY eve celebrations, I think a smaller town would be good for that. they have fireworks, also and free mulled wine.
https://www.basel.com/en/Silvester
The best New Years Eve parties in Switzerland - Hello Switzerland

Then I'd take the train to Strasbourg for a couple days, I think their famous Christmas market is over by 12/31, but they'll still have lights up and it's a different feel and cuisine than Paris. Then an easy train trip to Paris. I've taken the train from Basel to Strasbourg, it's not hard. I've read they have a rowdy NY eve there, so I'd personally avoid that.

In Le Marche, the part of Italy where I live, there's not much in the way of Christmas fairs, nor of Epiphany observances, apart from the Catholic masses.

it's true that in Italy Christmas festivities last through Epiphany. In many European countries, including, I think, France, the lights and decorations come down before the New Year.