Interesting European cities in winter

shortstop14

shortstop14

Recycles dryer sheets
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Looks like we'll be heading to Berlin over Christmas for a week, and then a week in Prague after that.

I'm looking for an interesting place in Europe to spend a couple of more weeks, hopefully with a cheap flight home in late January. There are a lot of potential places within easy reach of Prague (either train or flight), so it's more a matter of narrowing down from way too many good destinations. Considering Budapest, Stockholm, maybe a city in Croatia.

But yet, I'm still looking for good ideas. Since it's winter, and we're not big skiiers, it's probably going to be a big or mid-size city with good walking areas, rather than a ski resort - off-season areas rather than height of season.

So - any ideas?
 
Budapest would be awesome, because it is cheap, full of cultural attractions, and should have (relatively) mild winter weather.
 
Meadbh said:
Budapest would be awesome, because it is cheap, full of cultural attractions, and should have (relatively) mild winter weather.
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+1 Love Budapest.......(haven't been to Kraków but it's on the bucket list, have heard good reports)
 
Wien (Vienna)

Great walking city. Lots to see and do culturally. And it is a hub airport.
 
Budapest, Krakow and Vienna were all nice (was in Prague over Christmas and that was great but very cold). Have you considered Istanbul or even Athens?
 
Checking out Krakow and Vienna- both close to Prague. Going south might make sense from the weather perspective. I've got another trip planned to southern Spain next year, but Greece or Podgorica / Dubrovnik might be interesting. Or just embrace the cold and try Stockholm or Helsinki.

Istanbul is a great walking city and I want to go back for a longer trip some day, but since I was there a few years ago it's not as attractive for this trip.
 
Be aware that in Germany on Dec. 24 shops will close early afternoon and open not before 27. Museums might have same closing schedules. Restaurant reservations are advised.

Later in Jan. you might enjoy Munich, Salzburg or Swiss towns with snow.
 
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WE have been to Krakow 2x's and it is such a beautiful city with a lot to do. I did read however that in winter since they often heat with coal that the air can be bad so might want to check on that before going if it is a concern.
 
I believe in traveling in a straight line. I'd go Berlin-Dresden-Prague-Vienna-Budapest.

They're all fabulous European cities. In January, you do best heading south.
 
Bamaman said:
I believe in traveling in a straight line. I'd go Berlin-Dresden-Prague-Vienna-Budapest.

They're all fabulous European cities. In January, you do best heading south.
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I like this idea. We haven't been to Vienna or Budapest but thought Dresden was indeed fabulous. You probably don't need a full week there but there is a lot to see and do. We especially enjoyed the grunes gewolbe (the green vault, umlauts omitted) which is the treasure collections of the Saxon kings, particularly Augustus the Strong. That and the Old Masters art museum are two of my favorite museums ever. We also enjoyed the Kunsthofpassage, a small area of the city painted and decorated by local artists, and the cafes near the Frauenkirche.
 
I'd also suggest Vienna. Or my favorite place of all, Salzburg. Both are lovely and romantic in winter, with plenty of festivity, Christmas markets, etc.
 
Rome. Mild weather and one of the great cities of the world.
Maybe with a stopover half way in Innsbruck.
 
Czech out ryanair.com and easyjet.

Ryanair for example appears to fly to tons of places from SXF in Berlin for around USD$20 one way (+$20 for a checked bag). Greece, Rome, Sicily, etc. All should be on the decent side weather wise in winter. Also a few destinations out of Prague.
 
Thanks for the ideas. Our Berlin -> Prague section of the trip is kind of controlled by my daughter - she's doing some research for a book so she's running that part of the show. I think we're going to have to decide whether we want to stay with cold weather destinations - so look at Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest - or even Talinn, Helsinki, Stockholm. But I'm also tempted by Split / Dubrovnik or even Sicily to chase the warmer weather. It will likely be somewhere a short cheap flight out of Prague.

I'm also factoring in a cheap flight home, but it should be easy enough to get back to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, or London on a European carrier and find a flight from there. Might not even book a flight home until we're there.

It's a nice problem to have - travel as a retiree is so much more flexible. More options, more choices.
 
Zermatt, Davos, St. Moritz, Grindelwald, Innsbruck, Kitzbuehel, Garmisch
 
shortstop14 said:
Thanks for the ideas. Our Berlin -> Prague section of the trip is kind of controlled by my daughter - she's doing some research for a book so she's running that part of the show. I think we're going to have to decide whether we want to stay with cold weather destinations - so look at Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest - or even Talinn, Helsinki, Stockholm. But I'm also tempted by Split / Dubrovnik or even Sicily to chase the warmer weather. It will likely be somewhere a short cheap flight out of Prague.

I'm also factoring in a cheap flight home, but it should be easy enough to get back to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, or London on a European carrier and find a flight from there. Might not even book a flight home until we're there.
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Yes, it's nice to be retired and a perpetual traveler. My wife's back plotting our next trip--after I swore we'd stay home for awhile. I think we've seen 20 countries in the last 2 years. We've been to all those places mentioned.

Tallin, Helsinki and Stockholm are all lovely places--from May until August. I've skied Innsbruck and visited Venice in January--too cold for me there. Split and Sicily are out of the way and don't fall into my straight line travel.
By the way, Budapest is my new favorite city.
 
If you want a little warmer, I'm a big fan of Spain. Barcelona is a terrific city, and you can do day trips from there.
 
Maybe the Alps?

Even if you don't ski, it can be very beautiful if you get sunny days.

Been to Switzerland twice in late January, early February.

But the Euro is a better deal now so maybe some parts of Austria or northern Italy.

I don't know about other places but Bernese Oberland have some beautiful walks you can do in the snow, as long as it's not too deep.
 
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