European Christmas Markets

Day 1 | Tuesday 8 December
Arrival
We meet in the early afternoon at Zurich Airport, before a private group transfer brings us to our hotel in Bern. After checking in, we embark on an orientation stroll through the festively decorated streets of the UNESCO-listed Old Town. We then enjoy a welcome dinner in a local restaurant, followed by a special gluwein tasting to get us into the Christmas spirit. We return to the hotel, soaking up the festive atmosphere of the city enroute. Overnight Bern (D)

Day 2 | Wednesday 9 December
Festive Bern
The city of Bern, today a UNESCO World-Heritage Site, has retained its historic charm through the centuries, boasting cobblestone streets, timbered buildings and one of the longest weather-sheltered shopping promenades in Europe, known as ‘Lauben’. After a talk in the hotel this morning, we embark on an in-depth exploration of key parts of the town, including its spectacular Gothic-style cathedral, or Bern Münster, which dates back to the 15th century and features the highest steeple in Switzerland. Lunch is then enjoyed in a local restaurant, followed by a visit to the Bern Historical Museum, whose collections tell the story of the history of Bern from prehistoric times to the present. A short walk through the Old Town then takes us to Münsterplatz Christmas markets, where dozens of artisans sell treats and gifts in the shadow of Bern Münster. Here we will indulge in some of the market’s mulled wine, rumoured to be the best in town, after which there will be free time to explore the various stalls at your leisure. Overnight Bern (B, L)

Day 3 | Thursday 10 December
Basel & Strasbourg
We depart by coach this morning for the French leg of our tour, stopping first in the picturesque town of Basel, with its Gothic cathedral and 16th-century town hall, and a tumultuous history spanning almost 2,000 years. Basel is also renowned for its museums, hosting 37 in total, and we will have a chance to explore to the Kunstmuseum, home to the oldest public art collection in the world. There will be free time for lunch and a brief exploration of the town before we continue across the border to Strasbourg and check into our hotel. Strasbourg, the capital city of the Grand Est region, walks the tightrope between France and Germany and has changed hands many times over the centuries, developing a distinct identity all its own. We will take part in a walking tour of the old town, wandering through the cobbled streets which are overlooked by Strasbourg’s iconic timber-framed houses, finishing with a guided tour of its magnificent 15th-century Gothic Cathedral. We complete the day with dinner in one of the city’s famous brasserie-restaurants. Overnight Strasbourg (B, D)

Day 4 | Friday 11 December
Strasbourg & Colmar
After a talk in our hotel, we enjoy a morning visit to Strasbourg’s Fine Arts Museum, housed in the beautiful Baroque Palais Rohan, with an impressive collection of works from Botticelli and Raphael, to Rubens, Van Dyck, Delacroix and Courbet.
We then board our coach bound for Colmar, pausing for a lunch en route before our visit to this quintessential Alsatian town with its labyrinth of laneways, flower-lined canals, and timber-framed houses surrounded by verdant vineyards and medieval castles. We will first embark on a walking tour of the old town, before visiting the Museum Unter Den Linden, or the museum of medieval art, housed in a 13th-century Dominican convent. Its vast collection includes the Isenheim Altarpiece by German Renaissance painter Matthias Grünewald. At this time of year, the festive season transforms Colmar into a spellbinding Christmas wonderland and we devote some of the afternoon to strolling its narrow streets, festooned with lights, and its six individually themed Christmas markets. We return to Strasbourg in the early evening to visit the Alsatian Delicacies Market at Place du Marché-des-Poissons. This idyllic little market along the water features a long line of chalets selling regional favorites like vin chaud, mannele, local wines and craft beer. Overnight Strasbourg (B, L)

Day 5 | Saturday 12 December
Alsace Wine Route
They say the journey is as important as the destination, and today’s travels, tracing the famed Alsatian wine road through majestic terroir, punctuated by medieval castles and villages to visit locally loved and prestigious wineries, certainly proves the saying true. Alsatian white wines are world renowned, in particular their rose-petal-scented Gewurztraminer and complex Rieslings. After our first wine tasting, we stop for lunch in a local restaurant before visiting one of the iconic wineries along the route, Domaine Bott Frères, founded over two centuries ago and now shaped by three generations of vintners. We return to Strasbourg in the late afternoon, where there will be free time to explore the emblematic Christkindelsmärik in Place Broglie. The oldest Christmas markets in France, spanning almost four centuries, we meander through wooden chalets and soak up the fairy-tale atmosphere as it becomes apparent why Strasbourg is called the Capital of Christmas. Overnight Strasbourg (B, L)

Day 6 | Sunday 13 December
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Departing France this morning, we make our way into Germany, arriving in the medieval Bavarian town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in time for a break for lunch. We then proceed to a charming ochre facaded building in the centre where it is Christmas all year round – the Käthe Wohlfahrt German Christmas Museum. The museum showcases the timeline of Christmas decorations from the 19th century through to the 20th, and we will have time to purchase Christmas decorations from their vast range. Among other claims to fame, Rothenburg Ob der Tauber lies on the pilgrim trail of Santiago de Compostela, and we pay a visit to the 15th-century Lutheran Church of St James (or Jakob) which houses the Altar of the Holy Blood, named for the rare relic it is said to hold: a small sample of Christ’s blood. Quite apart from its contents, the intricately carved altar has a profound historical significance and is a sight to behold. We check into our hotel in the early afternoon, followed by dinner in a local restaurant. To round out our first evening in Germany, it is only fitting that we also enjoy a visit to Rothenburg’s Reiterlesmarkt. Dating back to the 15th century, this Christmas market is a testament to the town’s rich history, named after the “Reiterle,” a mythical figure from German folklore. Overnight Rothenburg ob der Tauber (B, D)

Day 7 | Monday 14 December
Würzburg
Today we enjoy a day trip to the Baroque city of Würzburg in Bavaria, at the northern end of the “Romantic Road” with impressive history spanning back to the time of ancient Celtic tribes. Enroute we visit the pilgrimage church Maria Limbach, considered the most beautiful sacred building of architect Balthasar Neumann. Stopping for a lunch break on arrival in Würzburg, we then embark on a guided walking tour of the city, known for its lavish baroque and rococo architecture and pink and yellow pastel facades. The highlight of the tour is undoubtedly our visit to the former residence of the Würzburg prince-bishops, one of the most important baroque palaces in Europe. Also designed by the then young and unknown architect Balthasar Neumann for Prince-Bishop Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn in 1722, its lavish and ornate rooms reflect not only the various German baroque styles but also that of a French château and the traditional Viennese imperial baroque style. It is then a short walk into the town square, where outside the Marienkapelle Chapel the city’s Christmas Markets are on full display, a perfect way to end our day.
We return to Rothenburg where the evening is at leisure. Overnight Rothenburg ob der Tauber (B)

Day 8 | Tuesday 15 December
Nuremberg & Salzburg
We depart Rothenburg this morning for the final leg of our tour as we make our way to the Austrian city of Salzburg. Just before we cross the border, our last destination in Bavaria is Nuremberg, a magnificent, well-preserved medieval town and the birthplace of the German painter and theorist of the Renaissance, Albrecht Dürer. We begin with a visit to the Germanisches National museum, which houses a collection showcasing the history and culture of the entire region, from the dawn of Germanic cultures to the present day. We then embark on a walking tour of the medieval old town, visiting key landmarks such as the Albrecht Dürer House, Saint Lawrence Church and Nuremberg Castle. We will also learn about its history through the ages, from a prosperous medieval walled city, to a centre of the Holy Roman Empire and a cradle of the German Renaissance. No visit to Nuremberg is complete without a stroll through the Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt, one of the oldest and most famous Christmas markets in the world. After free time for lunch, we then depart for our hotel in Salzburg, where after check in we will enjoy dinner in the hotel. Overnight Salzburg (B, D)

Day 9 | Wednesday 16 December
Salzburg’s Music Heritage
Salzburg holds incredible cultural significance for the world of music, and remains a place of musical pilgrimage for thousands of visitors every year as the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart left an indelible mark on the entire region, from the places he lived to the concert halls and courts in which he performed, right down to the bright red wrappers of the Mozartkugeln marzipan chocolates which bear his youthful visage. We begin our day with a walking tour of the medieval/Baroque side of Salzburg, exploring landmarks such as the Mirabell Palace Gardens, the Getreidegasse – the heart of Salzburg’s old town and an iconic shopping street – and the 12th-century Saint Peter Residenz, once the palace of the Prince- Archbishops of Salzburg and now an impressive art gallery. After lunch together, enjoying panoramic views across the city, we visit perhaps the most eye-catching building in the Getreidegasse, the vivid yellow baroque house where Mozart was born in 1756. Now a museum, the Mozarts lived at this so-called “Dance Master’s House” from 1773 to 1787. After our visit, we continue to the historic Salzburg Christkindlmarkt, which stretches from Residenzplatz across the cathedral arches to Domplatz and into the Old Town. A short transfer will then take us to the “Silent Night” Chapel & Museum in Oberndorf, to learn about the origin of the beloved Christmas Carol in the place it was first performed on Christmas Eve in 1818. We return to our hotel, where the remainder of the evening is at leisure. Overnight Salzburg (B, L) 

Day 10 | Thursday 17 December
Salzkammergut Lake District & the Palace of Hellbrun
On our final day we travel to the town of Saint Gilgen, which sits on the shore of Lake Wolfgang in the breathtakingly beautiful Salzkammergut alpine lake district, synonymous with the Sound of Music. Saint Gilgen is also the birthplace of Mozart’s mother, Anna Maria Mozart, and we will have a short tour of the town before continuing through the scenic countryside to visit Saint Wolfgang. The Christmas Market here, located on the shores of Lake Wolfgang and enveloped by the Alps, is one of the most beautiful in the country. After enjoying lunch with fine views over the lake, we return to Salzburg with time to freshen up in our hotel, before reconvening for an evening visit to the 17th-century Hellbrun Palace – a remarkably extravagant and luxurious summer residence built for the prince Archbishops, which was made famous by The Sound of Music. Its grand Renaissance rooms rival the major palaces in Europe, but it is also famous for its Wasserspiele (Water Games), a whimsical water feature and the only one of its kind, originally designed to trick guests of the archbishop. We end the day with a farewell dinner in a local restaurant, before returning to our hotel. Overnight Salzburg (B, L, D)

Day 11 | Friday 18 December
Departure
Our tour ends today after breakfast, and there will be a group transfer arranged to Munich airport to meet departing flights. (B)