Doesn't summer always come to mind when you say holiday? Yet exploring in winter the cities we visit in summer is a very different pleasure. Seeing cities under snow, warming up with a hot coffee while exploring, is something else... Plus, since it's off-season, museum queues are shorter and hotel and flight prices more economical. Since there will be relatively few tourists, you can also get more care and attention from businesses. Our Central Europe tour begins..
While we were thinking about all this, winter's good prices combined with Pegasus's 10th anniversary campaign. Buy one ticket, get one free! Flying into Budapest and back from Stuttgart, and with a return for two coming to 440 TL, what more could we want!
Quickly putting together a route, I wanted to see in winter, and explore with Berna, cities I'd been to before but couldn't get enough of. As soon as we bought the tickets for the end of January 2016, I started detailing the leave, the route and the places to visit.
You have to make very good use of time; as you know, in working life you can't be as free as when you were a student. Closing the week with leave, we crowned a 9-day holiday with 5 lovely Central European cities. Here are our posts, late but detailed city by city:
BUDAPEST
On Saturday we set off from Istanbul to Budapest on the 10.15 morning flight and reached the airport around 12.00. The hotel was in the city centre; we dropped off our things and then went off to explore Budapest. We say take a look before you set off: Budapest City Guide
The sun was coyly showing itself now and then. But still, I can say it was almost impossible to get around Budapest in January without thermals 🙂 Places to Visit in Budapest: click!
VIENNA
Budapest and Vienna are very close. On Sunday evening we head to the bus stop and set off towards Vienna. Vienna City Guide : this way!
There's a snowstorm in Vienna! But we couldn't get enough of exploring: Places to Visit in Vienna
SALZBURG
Among the tiny European cities, Salzburg is one of the places we were most curious about. And it's the perfect time to come, because in memory of Mozart's birthday on 21 January, the city hosts Mozart Week, full of events from today until early February.
Salzburg City Guide and, with our most special notes, Places to Visit in Salzburg are our posts. Please come here in winter! 😍
PRAGUE
And Prague! With its wonderful architecture, the white effect of winter makes it even more enchanting. The places to visit in Prague are endless to list; it's our number 1 among cities with a river running through them.
Places to Visit in Prague Part 1 Places to Visit in Prague Part 2 Petřín Hill : you can reach these posts of ours through the links.
Made even more special for us by a surprise marriage proposal, the City Guide written from our romantic Prague trip is here.
STUTTGART
We finish in Stuttgart thanks to good-value return tickets. One of Central Europe's lovely German cities, its places to visit may have been overshadowed because it's a big industrial city. But we won't allow it: here you go, read our Stuttgart City Guide and Places to Visit posts and decide for yourself..I hope it guides your winter plans and that you too come back with unforgettable memories like us. 🙏😇
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