Hi all,

So my question might have a clear answer but need your advice
We are looking to travel in December to either South Tyrol area in Italy, or Finland's archipelago area, both of which are amazing I heard. Duration of our trip will be 5-6 days in total.
We are a couple, in our late 30s, both love nature, so some hiking and animal watching, but nothing extreme, and also love visiting villages and exploring cities, while eating good food. At the same time we can also enjoy laying around doing nothing and enjoying the silence.

The tricky part, we have a fixed date on which we can travel, so early December will be cold for either destination, but wanted your thoughts on which one should be more enjoyable during that time of the year.

Thanks!
Daniel

Finland will be seriously cold and dark by about 4pm (the sun rises late too). It's the dark that will really cramp your style. I would not recommend the wilds of Finland in December if you could travel at another time. Might be OK for a quick city hop.

Lavandula

Hi Daniel,
I am planning a trip to South Tirol in early December to visit the unique Christmas markets of the region and see Krampus parades. I also hope to do some winter hiking/walking.
4 Nights, Soprabolzano

3 nights, Merano

3 nights Munich

I'm happy to share more details if you decide to explore this area. Happy Travels!

We too have booked a trip to the area in December - it will be our first to the Dolomites, and although we've been to Austria in the winter before, we're visiting some new places this year. Our emphasis is winter hiking.

Arrive Munich - one night (only because our flights recently changed and we had to leave a day earlier than planned)
Fulpmes, Austria - five nights
Mayrhofen, Austria - five nights
St Cristina, Italy - five nights
San Candido, Italy - five nights
Salzburg, Austria - five nights (over Christmas)
Munich - three nights (again, an extra night here due to a flight change)

Thanks everyone for the comments

When Finland gained independence, Åland wanted to be part of Sweden. But the archipelago is continuous to Finland and there's a empty open water

So we finally booked flights, and will be driving from Milan to Bolzano and have 5 full days in the area. So now we are contemplating how to spend those 5 days, wether split to 2/3 nights in different areas, perhaps start with 2-3 nights around Bolzano/Lana and another 2-3 nights elsewhere, what do you think? We're not yet sure if we want to take a ski lesson, maybe 5 days is too short for that.

Daniel

Lots on this Forum and others LOVE Ortisei! I would look there to stay. You can take the train to Bolzano and then a short bus to Ortisei. That said, Bolzano is a very pretty town with a gondola and lifts, and easy buses to Alpe di Siusi.

Thanks, but will we be missing anything exciting if we stay our entire 5 days in the same area (i.e. base in Bolzano)?

Daniel,
What are your exact dates?
There are two unique weekend-only Markets that I plan to visit...
Magie Natalizie al Lago di Carezza (Krampus event is at 3 PM on Sunday, December 5)
Rittner Christbahnl - Christmas Train Market
Advent at Castel Rametz
December 8 is a national bank holiday...TIROLER SCHLOSSADVENT will be open

For winter hiking I have these notes:
MONTE S.VIGILIO/VIGILJOCH
Lagundo Waalweg path or Tappeinerweg Trail

Merano might be a nicer base than Bolzano, but I am not certain.

check out the Christmas Forest at FORST Brewery event

Helpful resources:
throneandvine website
south-tirol.com website
suedtirolerland.it website

Have a fabulous trip!

When it comes to good eating, I suspect that South Tyrol is a better destination. It probably is true for that time of year except for cross-country skiing.