Visiting Munich area over Christmas and New Year

My girlfriend is coming from the states for 20 days this winter. I was thinking we should do some traveling while she was here and I had some time off. Would Salzburg be a good location for Christmas? I figured it was pretty close, had snow, I could hire a car to get out there. Any other ideas?

At peak periods the traffic jams on the A99 and A8 round Munich and to Salzburg are notorious and if it snows hard prepare to camp out on Irschenberg Hill. Bayern rail ticket is your friend.

Salzburg is always a great idea but is especially beautiful at Christmas. The Christmas market there is one of the nicest in the region (in my opinion, anyway-- I didn't see as much kitsch there as I've seen at some other markets) and there are usually lots of nice holiday concerts in the Dom there. There seems to be a nice mix of locals and tourists at that market. In the area there is now a location of Demel with really yummy cakes and warn drinks (I recommend the hot chocolate with chili!)

If you're in Salzburg you may wish to check out the town of Oberndorf which is nearby (and reachable on the regional railroad) and has the Stille Nacht Kapelle on the site of the chapel where "Silent Night" was first performed. Oberndorf is on the Austrian side of the border, right across the river from the Bavarian town of Laufen. Oberndorf would be a nice sidetrip from Salzburg.

I disagree with the poster who says to take the train. If you just want to focus on one city, great, but if you want to travel around a bit the car gives you the option to stop in that cute little town or go off on some side trip to some place where the train or bus might not go so often.

Vienna is also nice at Christmastime-- markets, music, etc. plus all the museums and cultural things that are available year-round. Skip the Christmas market at the Rathaus because it's full of kitsch. The Spittelberg neighborhood (7th district-- near the Mariahilferstr.) has a nice, artsy market with lots of handmade things from local artisians. I also really like the one at Karlsplatz in front of the Stadt Wien Museum.

I've never been to Nuremberg but I've heard it's lovely at Christmastime.

I like the positive reviews of Salzburg. I have a Bahncard 50 so getting there wouldn't be too bad. I wasn't sure if hiring car was better for getting around in Salzburg or if snow would be an issue especially since I'd be in a dinky little economy car, I love that they offer the option to rent chains

I think Salzburg is worth a day-trip on its own, and taking the train with a cheap Bayern ticket or such is probably a lot more stress-free than taking a car.

Salzburg is a good place to go to for Christmas. The centre of Salzburg is very compact and almost completely pedestrianised, so a car isn't only unnecessary and expensive, but useless as well. Sure, you could stop off en-route somewhere with a car, but SE Bavaria is littered with train lines so of all the places that I can think of of interest between Munich and Salzburg (Wasserburg, Chiemsee, Berchtesgaden, Burghausen), all are easily accessible by train. A hire car would cost hundreds in hire charges, fuel, parking etc. The Bayern Ticket costs €27 for five people. Bit of no-brainer in my opinion.

Make sure you take a day trip to Berchtesgaden and Königssee, again both easier and cheaper by bus from Salzburg.

Ahh I didn't know the bayern ticket was good for Salzburg, I'd only heard a little bit about it that wiki helps out. That definitely seems to be the way to go.

I still want to find a car hire place with a modern MG.. I'm a bit of a British car enthusiast owning an MGB and an Austin Healey so being able to drive an MG made in this century would be pretty cool. Like a lot of euro cars, they don't get exported to the states

Just be careful with the bayern ticket. You can't take all the trains and the last time I used one to get there there was a couple of hours between trains unless you paid again for the quicker train. Plan your day well and it's incredibly cheep though. Salzburg is gorgeous when it's snowed.

Bollocks. Slag them off as I might love to but your luvverly Bavarian State Government PAYS for there to be a roughly hourly semi fast train between Munich and Salzburg which is only 15 minutes slower than the Inter City on which the cheap tickets aren't valid.

Kufstein, Salzburg and Ulm although not in Bavaria are valid on the BayernTicket as is the route to Lindau via Hergratz in BaWü.

I'm looking for advice for places to go, interesting activities, events that may be fun and different.
It'll be my husband and I traveling around with my "Bavarian" mother-n-law and my American mother. I really like FUN and DIFFERENT but also "traditionl/typical German/Bavarian" since my mother-n-law will be with.

We will be traveling around Southern Germany btw Dec.27 and Jan.3.
So far I have looked into the Sound of Music and salt mine tours in Austria and the Neuschwanstein Castles.

I'm also looking for suggestions for how to spend New Year's Eve in Munich with my mother, in-law, hubby, and I?

I would really appreciate any and all advice. Many thanks,
Beth

Topics merged by admin

Watch out for the opening hours, as over Christmas/New Year a lot of things are shut.

Opening times of Neuschwanstein Castle

April - September: 9 am - 6 pm
Cash desk open from 8 am - 5 pm
open daily

October -March: 10 am - 4 pm
Cash desk open from 9 am - 3 pm
open daily

Closed on the following days:
1.1., Shrove Tuesday, 24.12., 25.12., 31.12.

Neuschwanstein

The Nuremburg Christmas markets are worth a look and not far from Munich.

Does anyone know if Berchtesgaden has a Christmas market?

Does anyone know when the markets in Vienna and Salzburg are over?

Edit: Googled it. Despite the fact the Austria markets open 5 weeks before Christmas, they close on Christmas Eve as the German ones do :-(

Does anyone know when Christmas is?

Christmas?? What's christmas?

I just have to put in my 2cents... I liked salzberg, and maybe it's different over the holidays, but I'm not a big enough fan that I would go there for a weekend or holiday. Be aware, we and most other guests we've taken to Salzberg find it a very sleepy town. If you and your girlfriend are the type that like to go out to dinner around 8ish, have a few cocktails at a cute or fun bar after, etc.- this isnt the town.

With the xmas market, maybe you can add a couple extra hours, but we only do it as a day trip with out-of-towners and most are done 'seeing the sites' within 3 hours. I know loads of others that love Salzberg though- mozart fans, someone above mentioned concerts, etc. So this is JUST my opinion.

Besides, if you're going there with your girlfriend, maybe evenings out/nightlife isnt what you're up for and you'd like a quiet overnight in a pretty town with a good xmas market. The best 'out and about' place you'll find there though, will likely be your hotel bar. And really, I dont recommend you stay longer than 1 night.

This is really quirky, and I haven't done it myself yet, but if you both are from the NW and like winter-outdoor activities, why not do something totally novel in the alps: Stay overnight in an Igloo. I know, a bit crazy, but if adventure is your thing, could be fun! And she certainly wont find this opportunity in the cascades.

We've been to Rothenburg and Nurnberg, and both were pretty and worth visiting. Nurnberg had almost the exact same xmas market as the one in Marienplatz though (but if you've never been to an xmas market, then they're all fun). Wish I had better ideas, we always go for warm holidays. If she's coming to visit, hanging out with you is what will be most important to her.

Good luck!

In thinking more about this, why not prague? We loved it, but were not there over xmas. I can imagine it's just as pretty, if not more so, with a blanket of snow over it though. And it was pretty cheap - you all can splurge on massages, pedicures, a super nice xmas dinner out, a cute hotel in the old town, etc.

Also if you're interested in 'whisking her away', airberlin was having great deals (about 40-50 euros roundtrip) to paris or london from munich. Why not take her to paris for 2 nights over xmas? Much pricier than prague, but wow!

I just gotta say, I love Salzburg, I really do...and I love showing people Salzburg (as I do tours there regularly)...however, I will NOT be doing any tours of Salzburg in December for a reason.

Salzburg, during their Christmas market, is absolute HELL. Last year I had many tourists that when I asked them how their day was in Salzburg, they said they had to leave the altstadt immediately as it was impossible to even breathe!
...and as far as kitsch, it's the most kitsch Christmas market there is. In my opinion during the Christmas market is the worst possible time of the year to go to Salzburg.

Wait until just after Christmas, the crowds die down and you can see the real beauty of Salzburg.

Other days trips I highly recommend: Landshut, Regensburg, and of course Neuschwanstein.

My personal opinion about christmas markets - and I have been to a lot of them - is that the Munich one is the best. It's the largest, it's the one being most focused on christmas accessories instead of every second stands selling Wuerstel and Gluehwein. I have to admit that the Nuernberg one is ok as well. The rest weren't quite impressive (I was extremly disappointed by the Regensburg one).

No for the question where to go ... I think Wien is a good recommendation. Mostly because it's large enough by itself that should you get into a christmas paddy, there is lots of other things to discover (just like Munich ...). Seriously, I would just hang around in Munich, but if it has to be somewhere else, go to Wien.

For Christmas Eve ... Go to a (catholic) church. Seriously. Even if you are not religious, best way to develop a sound christmas spirit is to become a church-goer just for that day.

London is crap compared to places like Salzburg, Nuremberg or Munich for Christmas stuff. You'll most likely get drizzle and mild temperatures in London compared to the possibility of snow out this way. I haven't been to Paris around Christmas, but snow there would also be quite unlikely.

Prague is a better suggestion. I've been there around Christmas time, and there are lots of markets and it's a nice medieval town. Here's a picture of the market in the main town square, but there are others.

[img]http://www.hutcho.org/91Prague/DSC04374.jpg[/img]

More pictures of Prague around Christmas

Agree with Hutcho; Christmas in London is grey and tacky. I always fly back home on the afternoon of the 24th to minimise the amount of time I have to tolerate it for. Paris also doesn't strike me as particularly Christmassy.

The Marienplatz Christmas market in Munich certainly is quite nice, but it's not the largest by any stretch of the imagination. The Landshut Christmas market is considered to be one of the nicest in Bavaria, and the town is highly worthy of a day trip at any time of the year. The markets in smaller places tend to be less commercial than the ones in Munich or Nürnberg.

Depending on what you're looking for, I still think staying in Salzburg is the best idea. Yes, it's busy during the day, but the daytrippers are all gone by 5pm and then it's much quieter. Considering the side trips you can do, such as Berchtesgaden, two or three nights would not be too long, in my opinion. I certainly wouldn't spend three weeks moping around Munich, as was suggested above.

I've been looking out for a Christmas market that carries on after Christmas for some time now, but to no avail. If anyone knows of any... Unlikely that there are any though.

We definitely want a place with snow on the ground, so I'd say London is out. She's already been to Paris. Yes she is from Portland and we usually do nordic skiing or snow shoeing in the winter months so if those things are accessible in Salzburg, we'll probably go there. Neither of us are religious but she was raised catholic so she'd probably like to go to a catholic church for christmas eve since she usually goes with her family, good recommendation there.

Our anniversary is Jan 1st so I'll have to find something again special to do then. Probably a night downtown Munich. I've already got the shiny present for her.

If the last 3 years are anything to go by, I wouldn't bet on snow here or in Salzburg.

There's cross-country skiing around Berchtesgaden. Link.

No snow in Salzburg or Munich over Christmas? I really get conflicting reports from people on the weather around here

Year to year my friend. Last year there wasn't much snow, but the year before was great.

...great, but no snow then either (wasn't til Jan that it stayed on the ground for more than 10 min). I love no snow, that's another reason I moved here, to get away from the snow!

Salzburg is closer to the Alps than Munich and so more likely to have snow, but it's certainly not guaranteed.

Really , really beautiful for a day trip is Bad Töltz when they have the christmas market on. I think you may be able to get there on the train (BOB).

In 2005 there was snow in Munich from November onwards.. your point is valid though, I wouldn't count on snow in Salzburg for the Christmas markets. Snow would be more unlikely than likely there. Saying that, you can always drive into the alps for a bit - there will be snow there.

Does anyone know of a Christmas market in the Alps? Anything over 1000m should have a pretty good chance of having snow around Christmas..

Mittenwald is at 900m and has a small one.

Yikes- london sounds like seattle at christmastime. Had no idea. Well, if you're off to Salzberg, I second both Berchtesgaden and Bad Tolz as nice day-trips. Both small pretty towns, although I wasnt at either during winter. Just remember not to plan your day-trips on a sunday... esp. to these small towns.

Maybe if you look up some ski towns, you might find some cute places to visit for an overnight or day-trip from Salzberg. Unfortunately, we have yet to find a whistler-esk equivalent.

Maybe someone on TT can recommend a cute ski village in the alps?? One that has a small walking village at the base of the slopes with shops- both boutique and ski gear type items, a few good bars and restaurants, and nice hotels? I'd love recommendations.

It's a bit off topic, but try St Anton/Lech for a kind of Whistler experience. It's still not as convenient as being able to access two mountains from the village so easily, but it's also not a place that was constructed in such a "purpose built" manner. Skiing in St Anton is easily as good as Whistler (if you like off piste it's probably better), and both Lech and St Anton/St Christoph are nice traditional villages, but obviously adapted to suit the huge winter crowds.

Ever looked at Regensburg?
Usually not snowed under and a VERY picturesque medieval town. So driving there shouldn't be a problem.