Hi All,

I please need some advice.

We are 4 people travelling together to Amsterdam on 21 December 2011. On 22 December we will all 4 be going down (by train) to Bruges to spend Christmas and will be returning to Amsterdam on 26 December.

We will all 4 remain in Amsterdam until 3 January (to see the New Year in together).

Between 4 and 9 January we are separating, to each go and explore another corner of Europe. Then we meet again in Amsterdam on 10 January and depart for home on 12 January.

One is going off to Prague, One is going off to Venice, one is going off to Istanbul.

It is just me without a plan yet ...

I have the following options in mind:
1. Copenhagen
2. Oslo
3. Tallinn, with a side trip to Helsinki
4. Basel, with easy access to the Alps/Black Forest

I am a 52 year old female, I will be travelling alone and have had my fill of museums and history.

I am looking for scenery, people-watching and access to to quaint small towns, but want to be stationed in a city for the sake of easy transport.

I am from Cape Town and would love to be fairly sure (I know there are no guarantees) of being able to see snow. However, I just want to enjoy the weather, not ski on/in it!

Also, photography is a serious hobby.

Any thoughts regarding my options or any other options?

Any information will be appreciated.

Thanks.

In this case, I would vote for the Alps. There is a very high probability of snow and lots of incredible scenery. Switzerland has a great train/bus system to allow you to get to small towns.

I would also recommend the area around Bern. Plus, Gimmelwald/Interlaken has incredible scenery

I would cross out Copenhagen. The chances of seeing snow there are quite low (its more or less on sea level and no mountains in the surrounding).

Oslo is surounded by mountains (more hills actually) with the famous Holmenkollen Ski Stadium visible form the city centre. A train ride to Bergen can bring you even deeper into the mountains. But as Oslo is located closer to the pole the days are quite short, so this will limit daylight activities.

I would skip the black-forest in Winter. Due to the global warming snow is not always guaranteed there even on higher altitude. Switzerland would be the better option. I would also recommend rather Bern or Luzern as a base than Basel.

Thanks for the suggestions so far!

Any ideas other than the ones I mentioned? Something I am perhaps not thinking of?

Copenhagen is ruled out then, because of the low chance of snow!

And, Ruhul, thanks for your information, this is my 6th trip to Amsterdam, this time I am showing it to friends! I will, however, certainly check the website.

It's a slight hike from Amsterdam, but Chamonix in France has things like the Aiguille du Midi tram which on a clear day is spectacular, with Mont Blanc nearby. The train ride would eat up a day; you could fly from Amsterdam to Geneva and back, and then take a bus or train to Chamonix.

Yeah, the Alps in January are really neat. I was there in 08' and loved it. You will be able to get some really good shots.

I would actually suggest the Black Forest. Beginning of January would basically guarantee you snow around the Feldberg.
And if you're fed up with snow as it can be rather bland if you're not into skiing or anything, it's close to Freiburg, Strasburg, Basel, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe or any of the cities there worth a daytrip.

But based on past performance, I'd say you'll already get snow in AMS.

Of course, I am hoping for a white Christmas! :-:

Thanks for all the ideas! I note that nobody mentioned the Helsinki and Tallinn idea, making me think that was maybe a rather crazy idea ...

Check out Zurich - a very nice compact town with lots to see and do - and easy access to snow. I also very much like Austria - Salzburg would be nice to combine with a ski resort.

I've been to Helsinki and Tallinn during January. Plenty of snow to go around, not sure it stopped snowing actually come to think of it. But all in all beautiful cities and I made sure to stay in the old town in Tallinn. As another poster mentioned, you're at roughly 60� N latitude so there is limited daylight that time of the year.