Where should I go during a holiday to Europe in December?

April 17, 2026 — 5:00am

I have a plan for three to four weeks in December in Europe. I want to balance interests in food and wine, and see some snow while not being in a freezing place every day.
L. Corbett, Katoomba NSW

In December, I’d steer clear of towns and villages in favour of cities. While towns that are alive and bustling in the summer shut down when the temperature drops, cities maintain their vitality. Cafes and restaurants are open, and less crowded, there are plenty of cultural events, and you can take refuge in some of the world’s greatest museums and galleries if the weather turns bitter.

Start in Venice, and December, when the city is misty and mysterious, is a perfect time to wander about, ride the ferries along the Grand Canal and out to the islands and take in the sights without the crowds. From there, take a train to Verona, it’s a lovely little city that serves up the usual Northern Italian cocktail of medieval and renaissance artistic treasures, fine food and fashionable good taste.

Next stop, Bolzano, the capital of South Tyrol, which fuses Austrian food, wines, language and sensible opening hours with Italian brio. You’re right at the heart of the Dolomites, a stunning region of limestone peaks that erupt from green valleys with tiny villages. Snow guaranteed, take a guided tour of the region or even a short alpine walk if weather allows. Head south to Bologna followed by Rome, Naples and finally Sicily, and spend seven to 10 days exploring the island in relative warmth, although you can only expect daytime temperatures around 14°C.

My grandson is travelling to Europe in May and the family would like to buy him a Eurail pass for the month. Where is the best and safest place to buy it? They all seem to be in US dollars.
P. Kershaw, Melbourne VIC

That’s an excellent idea. A Eurail Pass gives him the flexibility he needs to go when and where he likes and that’s vital for young travellers. You can buy a Eurail Pass from Rail Europe and pay in Australian dollars rather than US. Your grandson needs to simply download the Eurail Rail Planner app and after purchase, the pass will be available on the app. When you buy the pass you will be asked to select how many days of rail travel you want within that month, from four to 15, and this will determine the price.

The most economical way to use the pass is for long-distance journeys. Depending on which pass you buy, you’re paying anything from $50-$80 a day for second-class rail travel. For short journeys, the ticket cost might be significantly lower than that, and therefore it’s best to pay for those journeys in cash or with a card. For a comprehensive overview of the Eurail pass see the excellent Man in Seat 61 website.

My husband and I, in our 60s, visited Spain two years ago and loved Granada particularly. We would like to spend a couple of months there in early winter, but Granada will be too cold. We prefer somewhere not too touristy but not too remote either. I have dodgy knees, and would also like to be close to good medical care. Can you suggest a base close to Granada? M. Krishan, Beecroft NSW

Cordoba might be the answer. It’s about 600 metres lower than Granada and temperatures between September and November are several degrees warmer. Even in November the average daily maximum temperature is 18 degrees. It’s also flat and as a medium-size city, you can expect a high standard medical care. Granada is a 90-minute train trip away. There’s plenty to like about Cordoba, and it sees far fewer tourists than the other great cities of Andalucia. Highlight is the Mezquita, originally a pagan temple, later converted into the great mosque of the Umayyad caliphate and finally a Catholic church. There’s also the Alcazar of the Catholic kings, a Roman bridge spanning the Guadalquivir River and a well-preserved Jewish Quarter, a labyrinth of winding streets that was once a walled city within the city. Since you plan to stay for a couple of months an apartment might be the best option. You can find plenty of choice on Airbnb and Stayz.

As a long-term solo traveller across Asia and world-wide over the past 25 years, I’ve routinely paid single supplements to guarantee a private room on small-group tours. While I accept the principle, I’m increasingly concerned about how these charges are determined. Could you clarify how tour operators calculate single supplement rates, and whether this system is equitable?
J. Ting, Carina QLD

Single supplements are a vexatious issue, but they exist for good reasons. Say the cost of a tour is $10,000 a person on a twin-share basis. Hotel costs might account for about half of that total. Therefore, for two sharing a room, about $5000 from each of their $10,000 is paying for hotel accommodation. Regardless of whether the hotel room is occupied by one or two guests, hotels still charge the same price, although there might be a small discount for a single breakfast if the room is occupied by one instead of two. Therefore, if the tour operator was to charge the solo traveller the same as the twin-share price, their $10,000 payment would go entirely on hotel costs.

If the tour operator was to charge the solo traveller the true cost of the tour – ie hotel costs plus transfers, transportation, meals, entry costs and incidentals while maintaining their profit margin – the charge would probably be close to $15,000. In fact, the operator might charge the solo traveller $12,500. That means those who are sharing a room are subsidising the solo traveller, which cuts into the tour operator’s profit margin, and that’s the reason some tour operators limit the number of single travellers who want a room to themselves.

Travel advice is general; readers should consider their personal circumstances