Where to go for 2-3 weeks in December - Europe or are we mad?

[Jacobsladder]

Me and DP have the first 3 weeks in December off and want to go somewhere. We are from Australia and we’re thinking about Morocco or Egypt but I’d also love to go somewhere in Europe but possibly it will be too cold and miserable. Looking for culture and good food, don’t want to do skiing. Can anyone suggest anything or anywhere in Europe or should we leave Europe until it warms up?

Dress warmly, enjoy the Christmas markets and mulled wine and the ability to see places like the Louvre and Vatican with smaller crowds. I am doing this in December.

Completely depends on where in Europe interests you and what you consider to be cold.
Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy will likely be the warmest places in Europe in December. Probably 10-15c? Something like that?
Germany, France, UK, Belgium will be colder. 3-9c? Could be a little colder.
Scandinavian and Eastern European countries colder still.

Southern Italy or Greece should work weather-wise. Going the other direction, it's the prime season for Northern lights but that might be at odds with your requirements for good food - also it's often done later in the season, February or so, to benefit from the longer days.

We are also from the Southern hemisphere and have often traveled at that time of year when we haven’t been able to go home at Cnas.

Spain, especially the Southern bit can still be quite pleasant and popular tourist spots should a bit quieter than other times of the year.

Other places we have enjoyed at that time are:
Germany - Xmas markets, castles, historic towns etc
Austria
Paris
Belgium

Lots of cities have great Xmas markets and lights and it’s also a good time for museums and galleries. Some places in the mountains also offer opportunities for non skiers to enjoy the scenery with viewing platforms, winter walking on snow, snowshoeing although snow may be hit and miss in early Dec etc.

Always a bit of a lottery with weather - cool and clear is much nicer than rainy and damp but we have enjoyed all our trips at that time of year.

If I could go any where in December it would be Vienna and Salzburg. Beautiful cities so much to see, wonderful markets and lovely coffee shops for hot drinks.
My husband travels to Budapest and he would probably add that in to.
Three weeks you could do several European cities by rail.
This website is really useful for planning European rail trips.

I was in Rome once in December. Lovely weather, I wore a cardigan. The locals looked suave in Camel coats, leather boots and sun glasses.

Thank you so much everyone, all of this sounds fabulous. I think we are going to be travelling to Europe in December!

For information about rail travel in Europe, by far the best site is The Man in Seat 61 - www.seat61.com

European cities are also linked by fast and comfortable coaches such as Flixbus, and local public transport options such as buses and regional trains connect the smaller towns and villages to the main rail networks.

In December a few years ago we flew to Munich then drove around Bavaria seeing the castles, onto Innsbruck and then down into the Dolomites - it was breathtakingly beautiful! With the time you have i'd do that followed by Lake Garda, Venice and ending in Rome or even onto Naples. Perfect blend of culture and good food!