Due to my hubby's schedule, we can only take more than a day or two for vacation in Nov.-Dec. We are planning Eastern Europe next November (Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Krakow), but with all the articles on the Christmas markets it looks like it would be better to push it back a couple of weeks and go early December. Is the trade-off of cold, potentially higher costs, etc., worth it?

Personally I would suggest going in early December.

I don't think you'll find that a few weeks difference means a large fluctuation in temperature; it might be a little colder on average, but it's not like you're deciding between visiting in fall vs. winter.

In terms of the costs for flights, it probably depends on how early in December you are traveling. I've typically found that holiday fare increases don't usually start until the middle of the month, so traveling in the first two weeks of December shouldn't be significantly different than travel in November.

Hotel prices may be a bit higher due to the Christmas markets, but with advance planning I don't think you should see too much of a change in price between Nov and Dec.

Good advice in the previous reply. Chance of a heavy snowfall is quite a bit higher in Dec than in Nov, though, for some cities (e.g. Berlin, Dresden, Prague), less of a problem for BUD or VIE or SZG.

As for christmas markets, the quality and charm varies tremendously by market (sometimes even in the same city). Many have become commercialized, little more than flea markets, with the traditional handmade christmas goods being hard to find (and expensive when you do find them). Big change in the past 5 years (mostly for the worse). But some are still excellent (Rothenburg and Dresden are 2 that come to mind). Salzburg is probably the quintessential december destination.

I just made nearly the same itinerary from 11/10 - 11/25. The weather in PRG was overcast and chilly but acceptable. KRKwas foggy most morning and evenings, but generally clear during the day. The only significant rain was in BUD, but that only lasted one night. Generally, the day temps were in the 50's and the nighttime temps were from the mid 30's - 40's.

I went to the Christmas markets in Vienna and Budapest. Both were extremely disappointing. I was expecting to find a lot of local arts and crafts, but most of what I saw were items you could find in the U.S. at a cheaper price.

Have you visited Christmas markets before and know this is something which would be of enough interest to you to plan your trip around visiting one? Personally I would go in November. Then you will have fewer crowds, lower prices, slightly longer daylight, and a better chance of good weather.