Europe in December

Hey all, Im planning my honeymoon in december this year and despite ppl discouraging me to travel to europe in that season... me and my girl are really keen. We are travel freaks but this will be our first trip to europe. After a lot of reading up and going through these blogs...places like Czech Republic (Prague), Croatia, Southern Italy and Portugal really intrigue me and possibly wont be too cold then.. ( that shud give some hint as to the kind of places we would like to go to)

We have 14 days and would like to stick to 2 countries, to really get the feel of the place. We would like some luxury and a lot of nature... and yes some rail travel as well..

I will really appreciate your suggestions and views... Thanks in advance!

If it's nature in December that you're looking for, then it has to be Southern Italy and Portugal. In most of Croatia and just about all of Czech Republic, all you're gonna find is bitterly cold winds and a large amount of snow.
There are a few budget airlines that do winter flights from Portugal to Italy too, so overspending shouldn't be an issue..

[ Edit: Edited on 29-Jun-2009, at 01:31 by Redpaddy ]

Hi,
Thanks so much fr your suggestion. Since I am not too sure of the specific locations that deserve spending time in, would appreciate if you could even suggest those such as Florence or maybe other unheard of places in southern Italy/Portugal. I have about 2 weeks to finalize and book the tickets.

Please feel free to suggest any other location that i might not have mentioned but is worth a trip. I might not be able to visit Europe again anytime soon.

There are some voices that suggest South Africa and New Zealand in December as well. Any view points there compared to Europe.

Waiting eagerly

I've been to New Zealand and it's absolutely amazing for natural beauty. Nothing else like it. Especially Milford Sound on the South Island. Must go there when it's raining because the waterfalls come out as well as the seals which lie on the rocks. Everywhere else in NZ is amazing for scenery and it's safe and the people are friendly.

One must see place in Italy is Rome- no matter where else you go, if you're in Italy, you have to see Rome. The most beautiful city I have ever see in my entire life. It moved me to tears on the plane back home. The residents there are so lucky to live in a living museum. Just an amazing city. One of the most dangerous places I've been though- you have to have eyes at the back of your head 24/7.

With 14 days at your disposal I would just go to Italy. Cramming in another country at that timeframe would be too much.

Italy during December can be relatively cheap for a Western European country. It will be off-season so you can get some great bargains on hotel deals. Rail travel is cheap too, tickets are about a third of German and maybe half of Austrian prices. But: better be prepared for snow and cold weather north of Rome during that time. The Dolomites can be great for skiing in late December, so don't expect 20 C and sunshine in Venice. (Far more likely are 5 C and rain.)

And unless you are skiing or doing wintersports: All of Europe is more of a "city-to-city" destination during December. If you want nature come during the warm season, April to Oktober.

Thanks T and Nattan,

I have heard grt reviws abt Nzl but its coming out to be a little over budget... its still not out though..

t_maia, oh u think we shud just spend 14 days in italy? I actually like the idea... but since skiing is not my favorite passtime... cud u suggest some locations within italy which wud need our maximum time...(considering its december)... m ok with slight winter (5 to 10 degrees)... and the offseason benefits look really appealing... just wanted sm reassurance...that december wont be a disaster to go to europe... since too many ppl talk against it...

im exploring italy now with my agent... meanwhile... any mediterranean country (including north african areas except italy) u think... could turn out to be amazing?

Since you include North Africa in your list: Early December is perfect for a visit to Egypt. Cairo can get quite cold at night (around freezing and you'll need a warm jacket), but the days will be warm and sunny. Prices are cheap too, only around twice as much as you'd spend in India.

About Italy: For a first time visitor to Italy the cities Venice, Florence and Rome are a must. These cities would take up most of your time in Italy, because you need about 5-7 days for Rome, 4-6 days for Florence and 1-4 days for Venice.

Unfortunately for you all these cities are in Northern Italy. There is no way to predict what the weather will be like, but very likely it won't be as warm as you want. It can be sunny and 5 C but it can also be snowing at -5 C. Temperatures above 5 C are unlikely in Venice at the time, but it might happen in Rome.

Temperatures between 5 and 10 C would be normal during December in Southern Italy, the cities Naples, Catania and Palermo. But these places are usually left to a second visit to Italy - for a good reason.

The main problem is really that you want nature and mild weather yet you try to find that in Europe during December.