Good morning all (it's morning where I am anyway), I am in the early stages of planning a solo work-related trip to Europe in early December with some down time tacked on at the end, and although I have hotels and flights in place, I have little of the detail. I am going to Konstanz first for a workshop at the University. If you don't know, Konstanz is the southernmost part of Germany; it's the only part on the Swiss side of Lake Constance (Bodensee). I will be flying into Zürich to get there. I arrive on 29 November and the workshop starts late afternoon of 1 December, so I have a day or so to poke around. I have never been to Konstanz so if you have any advice please do share it. I have been to Zürich in 1988 so it's as good as never having been. If you think there's something in Zürich I shouldn't miss, let me know. My hotel will be the Graf Zeppelin.

After that (6 December) I will be visiting family in Amsterdam but I won't be staying with them this time as they have a son + family visiting them while I will be there, so I will have time to see some things in Amsterdam away from them. I know Amsterdam fairly well but if any of you have seen exhibitions of anything or know of upcoming exhibitions or events or interesting shops I would gladly hear of them. I am staying in The Social Hub in the Wibautstraat (6 - 10 Dec), purely because it is close to my cousin's house, I don't think it will be luxury. Then I am going to Brussels, and likewise, I know Brussels well, but if you have any exhibition or museum tips from a recent trip I would be interested to hear. In Brussels I am staying in the Citadines Toison d'Or in the Louise district (10 - 14 Dec). I have stayed there several times before, and it is a good place to stay because it is quite a nice hotel and has a kitchenette in the rooms and a supermarket just around the corner. I like to self-cater because it is cheaper and particularly this time because I will be alone, I don't think I will be going out much in the evenings. However, if you have a restaurant tip for a lunch, I will leap on it!

I will write a trip report afterwards, I promise!

Lavandula

Konstanz: Been there, done that. While the old town is indeed on the southern side of the Rhine, the University is up on a hill on the northern side. Quite a distance from the old town, but the buses run frequently. Konstanz can easily keep you busy for a day or more. Weather is of course an issue in Nov/Dec. I guess it will be cold, cloudy, foggy, humid. Indoor activities will be your favourites in this case - Minster church, some other churches, Rosengart Museum. Whatever the weather is, don't miss a walk along the alleys of the old town - beautiful houses, often painted facades. Check out the works of Peter Lenk, a regional sculptor: "Konstanzer Triumphbogen" (a fountain at Untere Laube) and Imperia statue (harbour) e.g.

For an excursion consider UNESCO world heritage Reichenau island (reichenau-tourismus.de) with its three Romanesque churches. Two are open all year round 9 am through 5 pm. I cycled there from Konstanz and took a boat back. Probably not doable in December, but you can check bus schedules on bahn.de

Oh, Ingo, thank you! I was hoping there would be something to do for a day or two in Konstanz! (And yes, I was expecting bad weather.) I will look up Rosengart Museum - indoors definitely sounds better to me than outdoors! Sometimes smaller conferences or workshops plan an excursion so I hope if they have one, it's to Reichenau Island.

I think I am staying in the old town. They had a choice of 5 different hotels and I got my second choice after the Barbarossa, which would have been nice but this one is good too, and just a bit cheaper. There is not much about Konstanz on this forum, and certainly not a lot recently, so any other tips welcome.

Lavandula

The Amsterdam light festival will be on while you are there. Best seen from a boat, which you will need to book.

Van Gogh Museum has couple of things that may be of interest:
https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/visi...the-exhibition
and
https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/visi...ted-by-vincent

MOCO has Banksy and Robbie Williams amongst other things:
https://www.mocomuseum.com/nl/amsterdam/

Plus it will just feel festive even if Sinterklaas leaves the country as you arrive.

You're welcome, lavandula! I am happy to help ... btw, I misspelled the museum's name: it's Rosgartenmuseum. rosgartenmuseum.de
Also, I forgot to mention Jan Hus house: Jan Hus, one of the earliest religious reformers, was burned during the council in Konstanz in 1415. They say he stayed in this house which has a nice exhibit about him.
Maybe the special exhibit in the Wessenberg Gallery is of interest for you - landscape paintings of the Düsseldorf school (19th century.)
And another idea for bad weather - Bodensee Therme. I enjoyed it very much even in summer on a rainy day. therme-konstanz.de

Thank you to both Hetismij and Ingo!

Hetismij, I am sorry to be missing Sinterklaas but I think my relatives will be happy not to be accommodating me as well at that time of year ... they have their first grandchild staying and of course the first Sinterklaas would have to be important. Hopefully I will be there at the right time to buy wrapping paper and decorations to take back to Australia with me, that is nigh on impossible to find in Australia.

I will definitely look into van Gogh and Banksy, they sound like things not to be missed. Likewise the light festival sounds wonderful. I am up for a boat tour. Do you think I would need to book this in advance?

Ingo, thank you for the tip about Jan Hus' house. I would love to see it. I am quite interested in the beginnings of Protestantism, so this is a good opportunity. I will see how much time I have to do the Wessenberg Gallery but it sounds interesting too. Note to self - bring swimsuit.

Thank you both, now I have a lot of things to fill my time in Konstanz and Amsterdam. Just brilliant!

Lavandula

I think it is probably best to book a boat trip, but you can also see much of it just walking around.

https://amsterdamlightfestival.com/en/cruise

https://amsterdamlightfestival.com/en/walk

How exciting, hopefully I can report back and say what I have seen! Many thanks to both of you !!

Lavandula

Hey Lavandula,
It would be a wonderful trip! In Konstanz you can walk around the old town, and along the lake side. This is lovely. If you are able then the ferry ride to Meersburg is quick and will have amazing views during travel.
In Zurich's you can travel along the Lake Zurich is really relaxing. Art museums (Kunsthaus) will be excellent if you likes museums.
In Amsterdam, the Light Festival is typically held in December. The canals look beautiful with all the lights. Moreover, the Van Gogh Museum has special events too.
For Brussels The Magritte Museum. For a great informal lunch, you can try, Noordzee Mer du Nord is a great place to eat seafood.
If you have any other query related to travel you can ask more
I wish you a safe journey!
Thank you

Ooh, I forgot to mention what I was planning to do in Brussels, which I have just worked out in the last few days - aside from a business matter (which will only take a couple of hours), I also intend to see the Art Deco exhibition at the BELvue Museum. They have a double ticket with Coudenberg so if I have a lot of time I will do both. The exhibition has works from the King Baudouin Foundation, and it's free. I am also planning to meet up with one of the Brussels Greeters - they are volunteers who will meet you and show you Brussels from their side - could be their neighbourhood or something that just interests them. It will also be the Winter Wonders Market in the centre of Brussels, and lastly I want to try the Fernand Obb Delicatessen in St.-Gilles. They are said to have the best shrimp croquette in Belgium, and you can have a meal there. I also have to buy Christmas presents for my daughter and husband and nieces, but that could be anywhere along the pipeline, even in Konstanz or Amsterdam. Rain may stop play, I don't know how rainproof I'll be yet.

So that's me organised mentally. I haven't booked any of my attractions yet but will put some things in place before I leave. I also haven't booked trains from Zürich to Konstanz and back yet and might leave that until I get there - worried about plane arriving on time. I will let you know more about the trip as it happens, if I can manage it.

Lavandula

Arriving on the 6th in Amsterdam should mean Sinterklaas bargains - cut price chocolate letters, though probably not a full alphabet's worth, the wrapping paper etc you want and so on.

Have a lovely and varied trip!

Hi mitbhashidal, thanks for the tips - I have already been to Magritte and Nordzee in Brussels, otherwise I would take you up on your tips. But I will try to do what you say in Konstanz unless the weather is too bad!

Lavandula