Winter Holidays in Europe

Monique Rubin lives in the Netherlands and blogs about family and expat life. She has done so many fun things around Europe with her kids it makes my head spin! She has so much to share, I’ve invited Monique to become a regular contributor on Ciao Bambino. Welcome to CB Monique!

Tourists travel to Europe in droves in spring and summer resulting in crowds, queues and cantankerous attitudes. Why not travel to Europe during the winter months instead? There’s still plenty to do and see that is fun for kids of all ages.

Here’s my round up of favorite wintertime activities across Europe.

A reindeer sleigh ride

Winter Sports

With mountains of snow from the Alps to the Dolomites, Europe is the perfect place to enjoy winter sports. Ski resorts in France, Switzerland, Italy and Austria offer perfectly manicured ski routes for skiers of all levels. For those who don’t ski, there are plenty of other snow-filled activities to keep everyone busy. Enjoy a sleigh ride pulled by horses in Salzburg or Zermatt, reindeer in Finnish or Swedish Lapland or huskies in Norway.

Grab your toboggan and zoom down Europe’s longest sledding run. The 10 mile long run is located near the Swiss town of Grindelwald, but Harry Potter fans be warned, it’s nowhere near Hogwarts.

Snow tubing is just like tobogganing but with no steering or stopping mechanism. While Switzerland has the most snow tubing runs in Europe with close to 30, there are also several in Germany, Austria and Finland.

Lace up your ice skates and take a spin around the outdoor ice rinks in some of Europe’s coolest capitals like the Rathaus (city hall) in Vienna, Somerset House in London, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz or Museumplein in Amsterdam.

Performing Arts

Performing arts are in full bloom during the winter months, presenting the perfect opportunity to attend a ballet, opera or theater performance in one of Europe’s culture capitals. Experience this grand European tradition by seeing a performance by the Paris Opera Ballet or an opera at the Vienna Opera House.

Museums

Museums offer the perfect refuge on a cold winter’s day, providing both warmth and education. Natural history and military museums like London’s Royal Artillery Museum, museums dedicated to science like Paris’Cite des Sciences et de l’Industrie or specifically aimed toward children like the CORPUS near Amsterdam or museums celebrating the fabulous things in life, like Museu de la Xocolato (Chocolate Museum) in Barcelona are among my family favorites.

Castles

The castles in Europe are the stuff that make dreams and fairytales come alive for kids. Visit Neuschwanstein, Germany’s most famous castle (the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s castle at Disneyland), the Tower of London, home of the Crown Jewels and the Beefeaters who protect them, and the world’s largest castle complex, Prague Castle.

Amusement Parks

Not all amusement parks in Europe hibernate for the winter. For some, that’s when the fun begins. Hunderfossen Winterpark is in Lillehammer, Norway, home of the 1994 Winter Olympics, so they know a thing or two about winter fun and games. Enjoy winter at The Netherlands’ Efteling Amusement Park with sleigh rides, ice-skating and a snow slide and what could be more heartwarming than the parades and live stage shows at Mickey’s Winter Wonderland at Disneyland Paris?

Carnival in The Netherlands

Carnival

Carnival is major winter festival celebrated widely throughout Europe. While celebrations in southern European countries like Italy and Spain are renowned, carnival merriment and madness occurs in the northern countries of Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands too. Since everybody loves a parade, consider visiting the Karneval in Koeln (Cologne) during carnival for costumes, candy and craziness.

Shopping

Winter is the time for Europe’s semi-annual sales, and with discounts starting between 25-30% and often reaching as high as 75% by the end of the sale period.  It is — in my opinion — one of the best winter activities around. Add visits to legendary European department stores Galleries Lafayette and Printemps in France, Harrod’s in London and Berlin’s KaDeWe to your travel itinerary.

Winter Food

Be sure to indulge in the hearty winter fare of whichever European region you visit. Erwtensoep, the pea soup from the Netherlands made with slices of rookworst (smoked sausage), Fondue, the Swiss/French favorite, Swedish meatballs or if you’re feeling brave, the Scottish delight, haggis. A shot of Scandinavian Schnapps or Russian Vodka will undoubtedly warm your insides as well.

Photos courtesy of Monique Rubin

Relevant Links:

Winter kid-friendly things to do in London

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2 Comments
  • Fabulous summary of winter activities in Europe! This winter in particular must be so beautiful with all that snow everywhere. A reindeer sleigh ride would thrill just about any kid, I think!

  • Great contribution! We often have families arrive at les Limornieres in high summer with a list of must do and must sees for during their stay…..Only to find they collapse under a tree with a glass of wine, a book, the sunset etc. While the kids get stuck in with playing and running free in the garden/pool/trampoline with the chickens, rabbits etc. A great holiday is had by all but often not many of the must sees get seen.
    We rate visiting the Loire Valley to see and experience the historic towns, vineyards, markets, chateaux and countryside during the Spring or the Autumn.
    The weather tends to be soft and sunny in April, May, Sept and Oct and even March & November are often still fine enough for outdoor walks, chateaux and their gardens, markets and pavement cafes.
    For me, when you want to visit and see and explore many places the weather being a little more crisp encourages activity in all the family, it also allows for indulgent hot chocolate or crepe stops to create a mid afternoon burst of energy for the next stop 😀
    The Loire Valley is open for visitors all year round, the level of congestion, queues and parking problems are a breath of fresh air for those arriving from 24/7 congested cities & suburbs for most of the year but certainly outside of the peak coach party season/school holiday of June July and August.

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