Christmas Markets

December 7-15, 2024

Saturday 7 December

  • (Arrive in Stuttgart, Freiburg)

We gather at the Stuttgart Airport and board our chauffeured coach for the nearby Mercedes Benz Museum.  From there we drive into the Black Forest toward Freiburg im Breisgau, a historic town along the Rhine River and Germany’s border with France.  We end the night at a 19th century 4-star hotel in the heart of the old town Hotel Victoria.

Monday 9 December

  • (Black Forest)   B

This is a day set aside to explore Freiburg and the surrounding Black Forest. If the weather is nice, take the funicular to the top of the Schlossberg, climb the tower, and view the city below, France to the west, Switzerland to the south, and the Black Forest all around you. If you aren’t too tired after exploring, go downstairs to our hotel’s Hemingway Bar. Located in the old wine cellar, it is rated among Germany’s best bars. View the full itinerary for more attractions to visit.

What is Included :

  • Hotel/Lodging

  • Transportation

  • Guided Coach Tour throughout

  • Guided Tours of: Mercedes Benz Museum, Night Watchman’s Tour, Weltenburg Abbey

  • Alsatian Wine Tasting

  • Select Meals (Buffet Breakfast, Select Lunches and Dinners)

  • Tips for Select Meals

  • Tips/Gratuities for Drivers and Meals

Wednesday 11 December

  • (Nuremberg Christkindlmarkt)   B

We drive to Nuremberg to spend the day at the world’s most famous Christmas market. Enjoy the famous Nuremberg Lebkuchen sold in decorative tins great for gift giving. Tour Nuremberg’s Altstadt, sip gluhwein, and eat authentic Nuremberg sausages. Visit the beautiful High Gothic St. Lorenz Church. There is so much to see and do there that it will take all day. For dinner we can stay in Nuremberg or return to Rothenburg.

Friday 13 December

  • (Salzburg, Austria)   B, D

This is a day set aside to tour the beautiful mountain city of Salzburg Austria.  The Christmas market here is one of Austria’s best.  For dinner, we gather at the Augustiner Bräustüberl, a 400-year-old monastery brewery.

Tuesday 10 December

  • (Rothenburg ob der Tauber)   B, D

We say goodbye to Freiburg and drive to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a walled city which looks nearly as it did 400 years ago.  For a unique perspective of Rothenburg, we get to experience the Night Watchman’s tour and learn about the city’s history.  At our hotel Villa Mittermeier we get to enjoy a 5-course dinner in its Michelin-rated restaurant.

Sunday 8 December

  • (Alsace France)  B, L

After an early Sunday breakfast in our hotel, we drive to Strasbourg, and its massive Christmas market.  After lunch we depart for Colmar, a quaint town of half-timbered buildings and especially famous as a wine town.  There we attend a wine tasting at Domaine Karcher and resume our Christmas market excursions at Colmar’s beautiful market.  At the end of the day, we return to Freiburg. 

Thursday 12 December

  • (Kloster Weltenburg, Salzburg)   B, L

It’s goodbye to Germany and hello to Austria. We stop at a Benedictine Abbey and second oldest brewery in the world, Kloster Weltenburg, where we will get a tour of the Abbey.  Then it is off to Salzburg - Mozart’s Birthplace.  For the next two nights we stay at a 4-star, family-owned hotel in the center of old town Hotel Elefant.

Saturday 14 December

  • (Munich)  B, D

We depart Salzburg and head to Bavaria’s capital of Munich.  Tour the Marienplatz, where there is a Christmas market in the town square at the foot of city hall. We conclude the last night of our trip with dinner together at the world famous Hofbräuhaus.  Our lodging for the night is in a highly-rated, 4-star, family-run hotel, Hotel Torbräu which has been serving Munich’s visitors since 1490.

Sunday 15 December

  • (Depart Munich)   B

After breakfast, it is time to say goodbye to Germany and leave via Munich’s international airport.  Hope you have plenty of extra bags to carry all your gifts home.  Frohe Weihnachten und Eine Gutes Neues Jahr!

B – Breakfast Included,   L – Lunch Included,   D – Dinner  Included

What is NOT Included :

  • Flights (Allows guests to find best deals, use points, or add additional travel time if they like)

  • Some Lunches and Dinners

  • Baggage Fees

  • Laundry/Dry Cleaning

  • Shopping

  • Travel Insurance (We HIGHLY encourage this and will provide options)

  • Anything else not included in the INCLUSIONS in the full package.