It’s that time of year again and we are starting to plot and plan to create the best European Christmas vacation.  This time we are looking for a little input from you as well.  We will share our circumstances and requirements with you, as well as what is currently on the table for choices.  Feel free to comment on our choices or add more to the list for us!

We will be meeting up in some fabulous location in Europe for our Christmas vacation and have too many places to choose from.  As we do our research and try and nail down the exact location, we thought we’d let you in on the fun and perhaps you will shed a new light on something for us.

Our requirements for our European Christmas Vacation

• We want to see some of the best Christmas markets in Europe.
• It needs to feel like Christmas, so that means decorations, cooler temperatures, traditions, lights, the works!
• The location needs to be easy access for us from Spain, preferably non-stop flights.
• We would prefer a non-stop flight from New York, so it is easy for Grandma Linda.
• Ideally it is a city location with great public transportation and apartments for rent.
• It would be great if it was a new country or city for us to visit, but not a requirement.
• We want to experience winter magic with ice skating, hot chocolate or mulled wine.

Sources of Travel Inspiration

Where do you get your ideas for your next travel spots?  We us various resources for our inspiration:

• Why not watch some of these top travel movies.
• Use Pinterest or Instagram for photo inspiration
• We also use various blogs and internet searches.

We’ve Had The Best European Christmas Vacations In…

• Paris Christmas 2012

  We’ve met up with Grandma Linda in Paris for Christmas as well, and that is where we became addicted to the European Christmas magic!
  

• Spain Christmas 2013

  We spent about 8 days for Christmas in Estepona Spain for a housesit for and it was absolutely wonderful.

• Vietnam Christmas 2014

  I know it isn’t Europe, but we had an amazing time with Grandma Bev for Christmas in Hoi An Vietnam.  It was our first Christmas as a family spent with Grandma Bev.
  

• Ireland Christmas 2015

  2 weeks in Ireland, with one week for Christmas in Cork and the other week for New Years in Dublin on a housesit.
  

• Edinburgh Christmas 2016

  Last year, we have a fantastic dream Christmas vacation in Edinburgh with Grandma Linda.  We’d highly recommend this to you for sure, but we want a new experience this year.
  

• Christmas 2017 Amsterdam won the prize!

Our itinerary for an Amsterdam Christmas with teens, was an interesting and fun experience for sure!  As you know we have visited Amsterdam several times and it is certainly a top family destination, but this Christmas vacation was one of best!

• Paris for Christmas 2018

  Paris with teenagers is an entirely different experience and I have to say quite enjoyable.  This was our second Christmas in Paris with Grandma Linda, but this time with teens.  We experienced Paris Christmas markets, dazzling lights, museums, food, shops and more!
  

• New York Christmas 2019

  It was Christmas in New York with teens this year!  Each year we meet up with Grandma Linda somewhere in the world for Christmas.  This time we went to visit her!  It’s been nearly 8 years since we’ve been to New York and we knew we were going to be in for a great time!

  

• Where should we go next Christmas?

2020 was supposed to be a meet up in Brussels.  At the moment it doesn’t seem like that will be possible.  Fingers crossed and we will see what we can do. 

Current Possibilities for Christmas 

So we have put quite a bit of thought and research to our plans and of course do have a budget to deal with as well.  Here are some of our current contenders and it is even possible for us to visit two of them.  Grandma Linda would likely meet us for a week over Christmas.  It is also desired for the Wagoner family to check out a second destination over the New Year Holiday, so we would need easy access from the first location.

• Prague
• Budapest – We heard so much about the Christmas markets in Budapest, this may need to go up high on the list.
• Belgium – Without a doubt, these markets look amazing!  We’ve been to Brussels for New Year’s but need to get back for the amazing Christmas markets.
• Austria
• Iceland
• Germany (Berlin or Munich)
• Poland (Krakow or Warsaw)

Okay that is our current list, with hopes to narrow it down in the next couple of weeks.  Feel free to chime in on any of the locations in the comments below on why we should go there and what we should do.  Of course you can always add a new destination to the list as well.  Worst case scenario, we have an amazing list of places to go for future Christmas Vacations in Europe!

Additional information for Christmas trips for families

• 11 Tips For Taking Christmas Family Vacations
• Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree…And A Little Creativity!

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Getting Around Europe

• Train – If you are wanting to explore Europe via train, Click here for Europe Rail deals.
• Bus – There are many options for comfort levels and bus options,  you may click here to Discover Europe by Bus

Using public transportation in Europe

It is very easy to make your way around Europe using trains, planes and buses. There are several different options for each mode of transportation.  The best way to view all options is to check with Go Euro.  They will seek out the best way for you to get from one place to another and then you may filter, but fastest, cheapest, shortest, and so on.  You can look between the different modes of transportation and see which works best for your schedule.  Click the image to begin your search.