So, after some soul searching about Christmas (and C's birthday in Nov, M's in February, DH in Jan) have decided that I am sick of this big 'family' thing that my family can't be bothered with... They are all in Melb, DH's in NZ and none of them even sent DD1 a birthday card this year. I am furious.
Instead of getting any madder, I have decided to think about what we actually want and looking at all the money we spend over this time of year, we have decided that it would be so much cooler to take the girls somewhere special over Christmas every year, to spend it somewhere new and exciting and different.
The two places we are looking at for next year is Rome or Stockholm. So has anyone got any insight for me?
Flights are cheaper to Stockholm, and we do know one person over there, and his family, so that would be good. But accom is a bigger problem.
Rome, we know nobody, flights are a bit more exxy, but accom is cheaper, easier and I am learning Italian for uni anyway. Plus lots to see and do...
Would love them to have a white Christmas - pretty much guaranteed in Stockholm I would think, maybe not so much Rome...
Anyone travelled to either, or, both, in winter or not? Need some help to decide!
I've never been to Stockholm but have visited Rome in March. There is so much to see and do but it is very busy. I loved it it has a real buzz about it. Also not very far away is beautiful Italian countryside you could do day trips or short overnighters as well. My fave Italian city is Florence (swoon just beautiful). Anyway I digress, could you do both? When I was travelling I used skyscanner dot net as an engine to find cheap flights between European cities. It was great.
You may be able to do a white Christmas in Stockholm and then enjoy Roma for the remainder of your holiday. Depending on how much flights home are it may be cheaper leaving from Rome otherwise just book a cheap return flight to Stockholm in order to come home. OR do Rome before Xmas then fly to Stockholm and back for Xmas.
Depending on your priorities and time, you may be able to train it down to Italy making a few stopovers on the way and see more of Europe. You get to see a lot of countryside on the train and have less pesky preparation that you get at airports (ie security checks and checkins) But then of course that makes it more of a European holiday than a Sweden/Rome one. Can you tell I love travelling? Lol.
Good luck and how exciting for you. I think it's a wonderful idea.
We went to Rome in December 07, supposed to be for eight days. It was cold, but not freezing. Some of the days were blue skies, but I mostly wore a beanie, jacket and scarf. We found by day 5 we'd done everything we wanted to do and were looking to travel elsewhere in Italy (but family circumstances brought us home early). We found that things are in close proximity, so you can knock over a few touristy things in the one day. We dedicated one entire day to the Vatican, and one to the Colosseum, but everything else fit into the other couple of days. Being winter, it's very quiet, so you can get around quicker without the crowds. I didn't recognise the Spanish Steps to begin with because there wasn't thousands of people sitting on them!
If you go to Rome, a tour of the Colosseum is a must - it's awesome to do it with a guide. The Sistine Chapel runs on short hours during winter, so if that's on your list of things to do, find out when it's actually open. We got there 15 minutes after the doors had closed for the day and we weren't able to return
We found it to be cold and dirty, but my mum went in summer and found it dirty too, so may not be just a winter thing. There are lots of homeless people and stray animals. The locals are friendly enough and willing to help and do well with English too (DH's background is Italian so we could communicate either way). We were caught off guard a couple of times with ordering dinners - the meals don't come with sides. If you were to order a parma for example, that's all that would be on your plate. A salad or vegies to go with it are regarded as extra dishes and charged accordingly. We stayed in a 3 star rated apartment, which fitted into our very small travel budget, was clean but had paper thin walls and the guy singing opera in the room next door at 3am got a bit much
I think if you were going for any longer than a week, I'd be inclined to get a car/rail pass and travel out to stay in the regions. We saw Venice and Florence and adored both, wishing we had spent a lot longer in Florence than we did in Rome.
I've been to Rome a couple of times. It's wonderful. I haven't been in Winter though. I've not been to Stockholm. I get sick in northern winters, so not sure I will ever have a white Xmas.
Anyway. Rome is great with so much to do. Like Dantri, I adore Florence. It's one of my favourite places in the world. Venice is great to but I wouldn't go in Winter. You end up dealing with aqua alta which makes everything smell.
Otherwise, maybe a small town in Umbria or Tuscany?
Just note it is high season for flights, but many places close in Winter. Sights may not be open or they will have restricted hours, especially the Basilica at Xmas time. I'd research if places will be open for meals Christmas day. The Italians are extremely family oriented, so many things close for traditional family times (like Sunday). Rome is an international city though, so you'll find something.
Also include the cost of very warm clothes & research baggage restrictions.
Oh yeah - going off what L&B said, everything other than the touristy things pretty much close in the middle of the day due to 'siesta'. Also during December, the Pope officially 'opens' Christmas so there are celebrations relating to that. We saw tradesmen setting up stands and displays in Vatican City.
I've been to both, although only Rome in Winter, and I would probably choose Stockholm out of the two. I found Rome dirty and loved Stockholm. Mind you, I was in Stockholm in Summer and it is a city with lots of outdoor stuff to do. As one of the PP said, why not do both? I would probably say that there is more to do for kids in Rome, although like the others have said I would stray away from Rome a bit as well. I'm another that LOVED Florence and I actually visited Venice in Jan and didn't notice any smell at all.
It all sounds so exciting!!! And such a great plan for Christmas each year!! You're prob more likely to get snow in Stockholm and the Scandinavians do Christmas beautifully!! Oh, you've got my itchy feet going!!
If you want a white Christmas do Stockholm (whether you do both depends on length of time) - very unlikely to get snow in Rome at all never mind Christmas (in 2010 they had snow for first time in 25 years in Rome - so at Christmas as well is highly unlikely). I have been to both places (from UK) and only Stockholm says Christmas to me (as PP said Scandinavians do Christmas beautifully), going with two little ones and with the benefit of knowing someone there I think Stockholm would work better (maybe do a trip to Lapland while you are there?) If I was you that is what I would do. My DH has picked up the saying "Local knowledge is da bomb!" from somewhere but is so true -in my opinion you will get far more out of a trip if you have a local that can inform you and maybe show you the ropes. My memories of Stockholm seem to include more kid friendly places than Rome (both pre-kids) and Rome is a dirty city IMO. The VASA is an old ship in a museum that was dredged up from harbor and preserved - fascinating, and there is a lovely zoo/nature park called Skansen, as Stockholm is a collection of islands just going between them can be fascinating and I imagine quite beautiful if there with snow on ground and ice(I was there in summer). Someone I met via this site, has just moved back to Stockholm - I will direct her to this thread - she might be able to contribute with why is good (or not) place to go at Christmas (although she is back in Mel for Christmas holiday).
I must admit, I am leaning toward Stockholm. Purely because I do that the magical Scandinavian Christmas picture in my head. Perhaps I read too many storybooks as a child? lol
We do have about a month up our sleeves though, so perhaps 2 weeks in Sweeden for Chrissie, then a few weeks covering Italy. I have some people I know in Tuscany, they also have an apartment at their house they lease out, so that could be an option to do both.
Thanks everyone for your replies! I am getting kind of excited now!
Last edited by LimeSlice; January 3rd, 2012 at 04:15 PM.
: sp
A guy I used to work for had a Swedish wife and they went back to Stockholm one Christmas. He's done an enormous amount of world travel and said he would never again go there at that time of year - said it was -40 odd and just so very bitterly cold that it was unpleasant to do much outside for any length of time. Don't know if that was a particularly cold winter, or just the norm.
My SIL is in Austria at the moment and says its fantastic. I know its not on your list but it may be far enough south that its a little more pleasant weatherwise, but still absolute guarantee of a white Christmas.
I'd love to do one too. Something pretty magical about snow at Christmas - at least it looks that way in the pictures!!
I think Lulu has made a good point. At the winter solstice you'll be looking at very few daylight hours each day whereas a bit further south you would get more daylight and in the Alps you would get snow too.
I've done Rome in winter a few times, less people around. I spent a month in Italy in Dec/Jan and it was great, wasn't too cold (but I had just been in Austria/Switzerland skiing for 6 weeks). We also continued through South of France, Spain, Portugal, Andorra (for more skiing) before heading back to Amsterdam. We had the car so it wasn't that bad to get around (except I loathe driving where there is black ice, left that for my BF).
I'd probably not do Stockholm in Winter, you'd not get to see a lot with the cold and dark weather. I'd rather save that trip for spring/summer/autumn.
Have nothing practical to add other than to say what a fabulous idea! Having a white christmas is definitely on my bucket list - how amazing would that be!
I live in Stockholm with my family and I think it is one of the most beautiful cities ever, extremely child friendly (eg bus trips are free if you have a pram, there are heaps of great museums for kids) and in particular December is a lovely month, with gorgeous traditions such as Lucia (google it) and people putting lights in their windows to counter the dark.
Here are some points for you to think about:
it is dark - the winter solstice around December 23 is the shortest day of the year with only a couple of hours of light. When I pick up my son from preschool at 3, we have to rush to the park as it gets dark at 3.30pm
in Stockholm, snow is not guaranteed at Christmas - it just started snowing yesterday - it may or may not be below zero, it has been freakish weather this year and +10 a few days ago. If you wanted guaranteed snow, try Åre or one of the other snow-holiday destinations
one of the tough things you will need to keep in mind re: cold weather is that getting out the door with kids is even harder.
if you are contemplating going for more than a week, i suggest you consider sub-letting someone's place to save on accomodation costs, given that half of sweden migrate to Thailand for Christmas anyway
it is exxy when travelling there - keep an eye on coupon sites for tour, restaurants or attractions discounts. Even if you don't speak swedish you try groupon.se, with the help of google translate, you could usually tell what the service/product is
Having said all that - I would warmly recommend you visit, providing you are mentally prepared for the dark. (Infact, the winter lights up north are beautiful). I heart sweden!
We will be back there on Monday the 9th - so if you have any more questions, I can answer them for you from there!
We have decided on Stockholm. Mainly because we know someone there, will most likely get snow, and I would prefer to do the whole of Italy at once. (My 30th Birthday).
Thanks for your reply Tanyaya! May be picking your brain a bit Have found The Stockholm Card, which I think will be the best value for us as it gives the free transport and entry to most of the museums and things. We can get one that lasts for 5 days, and the girls are covered by it so it is super cheap.
We are thinking of taking the train to Gothenburg for a few days, but aside from that, were just going to stay in the city. I don't fancy renting a car, and have totally zip experience driving on icey/snow roads. Plus really don't want to take the car seats if we can avoid it.
Do you know of any websites I can search for apartments? At the moment I am looking at the Rica Talk Hotel, purely because of their child-friendly focus... and I know Charlotte will get a kick out of having her very own breakfast buffet! Plus, for the few weeks we will be there, it is fairly well priced, breakfast is included every day.
I had a look into Lucia and I am so looking forward to it, it just seems magical!
I must say I was amused to read that smoking almost everywhere is banned, even at the bus stop, but that restaurant's need only provide a non-smoking area! lol
Anyway, having a lot of fun researching and planning already!
Rome... Stockholm...at Christmas
I am furious.
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lol 
Have found The Stockholm Card, which I think will be the best value for us as it gives the free transport and entry to most of the museums and things. We can get one that lasts for 5 days, and the girls are covered by it so it is super cheap. 
Plus, for the few weeks we will be there, it is fairly well priced, breakfast is included every day.
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