CHRISTMAS MARKETS IN FRANCE, ITALY, & GERMANY in 8 days
Christmas Markets pop up all over Europe during the weeks leading up to Christmas. Each year, we feature several winter wonderland tours during the holiday Christmas season. These outdoor markets feature unique decorations, beautiful, handcrafted arts, and endless opportunities to sample great food and countless varieties of glüwein, punch, and spiced drinks, served piping hot in souvenir mugs. This route features three contrasting cultures and languages. Plus, as a bonus, traveling “off-season” means easy access to the sights and markets in Heidelberg, Strasbourg, Freiburg, Füssen, Bolzano, and Munich.
Your Adventure Starts Here!
| PRICE FROM | DATES | |
|---|---|---|
| $3789 + air | Nov 29-Dec 6, 2026 |  |
Strasbourg – 2 nights
Freiburg – 1 night
Füssen/Reutte – 1 night
Bolzano – 2 nights
Munich – 1 night
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Single Room Additional Cost ~ $680
ITINERARY
Day 1: Alsace and Strasbourg – Meet your Exploring Europe guide and driver at the Frankfurt (FRA) Airport around 10:30-11:00 a.m. Then, we will head across the Rhine River to the Alsatian wine country in France for a tasting and vineyard visit. Strasbourg is known as France’s Capitale de Noël, the Capital of Christmas. The entire old town is an island, surrounded by a tributary of the Rhine and decked out with at least six festive markets in its pedestrian squares. After setting up in our hotel, we’ll take an orientation walk visiting several markets and squares in town. Then, enjoy dinner together at a typical Alsatian restaurant. Driving: 2.5 hours. Walking: moderate. Sleep for 2 nights in Strasbourg. Dinner.
Day 2: Strasbourg – After breakfast, enjoy a guided walk and visit a historic church, the Cathedral, and the canal-laced, Le Petit France neighborhood. Then enjoy the remainder of the day and evening on your own, exploring and shopping in Strasbourg. Walking: light and level.
Day 3: The Black Forest and Freiburg – Heading back across the Rhine, we dive deep into Germany’s Black Forest. Enjoy a scenic drive on the “high road” through charming villages. We’ll make a few stops along the way for cuckoo clocks, beer steins, and Black Forest Cake. Later, arrive in Freiburg in plenty of time to experience the pedestrian town and the Christmas Markets. We’ll give you an orientation walk and set you free for the evening. Driving: 6 hours with stops. Walking: light. Sleep 1 night in Freiburg.
Day 4: Lindau & Schwangau – The Bodensee (Lake Constance in Switzerland) hugs the border between Germany and Switzerland. The little town of Lindau sits on an island in Lake Constance. We’ll stop here to experience this unique village, its harborfront promenade, and the sweeping views of the lake and Swiss Alps. Up the hill, you’ll find Maximillianstrasse, lined with restaurants and the picturesque Gothic Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) with an ornately painted facade. Then, if time and weather permits, visit the village of Schwangau, with views of two famous Wittelsbach castles. Later, we’ll arrive in Breitenwang, a small community near Reutte, Austria. My friend, Hermann, will welcome us to his inn and restaurant for a hearty dinner and a good night’s sleep. Driving: 6 hours with stops. Walking: light. Sleep 1 night near Füssen. Dinner.
Day 5: The Italian Dolomite Mountains – Today, we’ll drive across the mountains into Austria and then through the Alps to Italy. We’ll set up in the beautiful Tyrolean town of Bolzano, which is definitely Italian but with an Austrian influence. The Christmas Markets in and around Piazza Walther are loaded with food, drinks, local crafts, and a festive spirit. After an orientation walk around town, we’ll set you free to experience the town and dinner on your own, including admission to the South Tirol Museum of Archaeology and the 5,000-year-old Ötzi, The Iceman. Driving: 4 hours. Walking: light. Sleep for 2 nights in Bolzano (Bozen, in German).
Day 6: Alpine Villages, Funiculare, and “Snowball Express” Trains – After breakfast, let’s take a cable car up to the little resort village of Oberbozen. At an elevation of 4000 feet, it affords magnificent views of the Alps and Dolomites. Then we’ll board a narrow-gauge train to Klobenstein village. There are shops, stores, restaurants, and cafes to explore. Spend as much time up in the alpine villages as you like and take the train and cable car back to Bolzano at your leisure. Walking: moderate.
Day 7: Munich – Today, enjoy a scenic ride to Munich. Once in the city center, we’ll give you an orientation walk and set you free in Marienplatz, the main square and largest Christmas Market. Later, let’s meet for a grand farewell dinner, celebrating our tour successes and new friendships! Driving: 3.5 hours. Walking: light. Sleep 1 night in Munich. Dinner.
Day 8: Heading Home – Your tour ends today after breakfast at the hotel. The airport and train station are nearby, and your Exploring Europe guide will be happy to help you with your transfers. – Auf Wiedersehen!
Itinerary specifics are subject to change.
INCLUSIONS
Transportation by coach and/or minibus from the airport in Frankfurt to your last hotel in Munich.
Seven night’s accommodation in traditional hotels, guesthouses, and B&B’s. All rooms have private ensuite baths.
Strictly Small Groups with 6-18 travelers.
All tips and gratuities to guides, drivers, restaurant, and hotel staff.
All breakfasts and three of your dinners.
Water is included with all group meals. Sodas, wine, beer, and other drinks are your responsibility.
Traditional dining experiences at some of David’s personal favorite restaurants. Eating well is a priority and you’ll enjoy fine regional fare featuring the best the locale has to offer.
All tours and admissions, at no extra cost, as mentioned in the tour itinerary.
A full-time Exploring Europe guide dedicated to bringing to life the historical and cultural experience of the tour destinations.
David’s tour handouts are delivered electronically and detail each day’s historical and cultural experiences.
Free luggage tags and David’s custom-designed drawstring backpacks.
Our Unconditional Tour Price Guarantee, once locked in, will never change.
$50 Tour Alumni discount for each David McGuffin tour you’ve taken prior to this travel year.
EXCLUSIONS
Comprehensive Trip insurance. We strongly recommend comprehensive insurance for tour.
Fee for passports.
Beer, wine, spirits, and soda during the tour.
Laundry, phone, internet, and personal items
Extras and optional activities.
Anything not mentioned in the itinerary.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
CANCELLATION POLICY
CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS:
Deposits- Deposits for tours are fully refundable for 30 days from your initial application and deposit date, unless otherwise noted. If you book a tour less than 90 days before its departure date, full payment is due immediately, and the entire tour cost becomes non-refundable after seven days. After these dates, deposits are not refundable and will be forfeited if you cancel your tour reservation.
Payments- Tour payments are due in full 90 days before your tour departure date. If you find you must cancel between 90-0 days before your tour departure, please contact us immediately. We will work with you to transfer your payments to another tour departing within 18 months. We strongly recommend that everyone purchase comprehensive travel insurance that covers tour cancellations, emergency medical, and other unexpected events.
Cancellations will be effective when the written notification is received at David McGuffin›s Exploring Europe by mail, e-mail, or fax.
SIGN UP BY EMAIL OR POST
If you do not want to sign up online:
You may download a tour application and send it to us with payment.
-OR-
You may return it by:
- FAX 1-800-570-1351
- Email – info@davidmcguffin.com
- email – take a photo of the form with your smartphone and attach it to an email
- TXT – take a photo with your smartphone and TXT to 904-612-8149
KEY TO WALKING & ACTIVITY
Walking and Physical Activity: We have planned this trip to provide maximum tour experiences. The basic nature of Europe does require some degree of physical activity to get out and see the sights, especially in the big cities. To help you plan, we’ve included a daily projection of physical activity. Here is the key for our walking activity ratings:
Light – Walking done on level surfaces with some hills and elevation gains. Two miles or less of required walking during the day.
Moderate – Walking done on paved and gravel paths and cobbled city sidewalks. To enjoy the full tour experience, some uphill and downhill walking is expected, as is standing while viewing sights or museums. Four to six miles of walking per day.
Strenuous – Walking done on rugged and rocky paths and city-cobbled sidewalks. There will be steps and stairs. Up to three hours standing in museums or experience sites. Up to eight miles of walking per day.
Your Choice – No matter what your walking ability, we will help you find alternative ways to enjoy and experience all Europe has to offer. To get the most out of our tours, you should be able to operate at the light level every day with spurts of moderate and strenuous.
PRE-TOUR RESOURCES
Now that you’ve decided to join this tour, we are sure you’ll have some questions. Don’t worry. We are here to help you through each aspect of your tour from start to finish.
DAVID’S 60 SECONDS DESTINATION VIDEOS
Join David as he shares impromptu moments from his travels in the United Kingdom. Watching these short 60-second segments are a great way to experience David’s travel style and adventures. Watch David Explores Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
David’s TRAVEL TALK TUESDAY almost-weekly broadcast and Video Series Blog.
Every week, when David is not traveling in Europe, he presents a LIVE broadcast on Zoom and Facebook. Check it out on Tuesdays at 7:30 PM Eastern Time.
Each Travel Talk Tuesday session is recorded. Watch them here.
DAVID’S BLOG ARTICLES
David and his team have answered many travel-related questions, and they are all tucked away on his blog. But, no need to go there. Just type in a keyword in the search box at the top or bottom of this page (it’s the gray rectangle with a small magnifying glass icon), and you will get results for your query.
PLEASE SEND US AN EMAIL OR GIVE US A CALL.
We are happy to answer your travel questions and give advice and suggestions. tours@davidmcguffin.com or 800-570-1351.
Testimonials & Reviews of our Tours
Thank you so much for such a lovely trip! I certainly enjoyed your guidance and care. The manner of care that you and Charlotte gave us was outstanding in every way. I, especially, appreciated your patience in my being so slow and tiring easily. After having fallen the week before the trip, I was so nervous that I would fall again.
The tours on our day trips to Florence and the other small towns gave such a wonderful insight into the history and culture of Italy.
My favorite place was Marcampo and meeting Claudia and her mom. The cooking class and the evening wine sharing were a highlight. Volterra had so much history I've never heard before. The views were so dramatic. Your selection of good restaurants took the worry out of finding a decent place to eat which all of my meals were excellent.
Your sharing somewhere special to you made the whole experience a lifetime event for me. I felt like family. You both are so very special in just being you!! Thanking you again for such a unique experience!
First, I would like to say that the Best of Ireland 12-day tour we took from October 12-24, 2025, was really fantastic. The itinerary was perfect for the opportunity to see all the “must see” sights in Ireland. The start of the tour in Belfast is a wise choice; it gave us the opportunity to end the trip in Dublin after seeing to country which gave a better perspective of the history of the island.
The hotels were perfect in that they were located in the cities which made it possible to explore around the towns then have dinner and drinks.
Finally, and most important, our tour guide and driver, David Grey, was absolutely wonderful.
I cannot say enough kind words and accolades about David. The tour would not have been as memorable without his sense of humor, great insights and his general caring of us as guests in his country. It was an honor and a privilege to get to know David. David took the time to get to know all his guests and would ask us what our interests and needs were.
David also stopped at a few places not on the itinerary which allowed us a better insight into the country. It was great to see the bridge from the John Wayne movie, The Quiet Man, and visiting St. Brigid’s Well in Liscannor was memorable.
I mentioned to David in passing how I would like to try some poteen after having a drink in Kilkenny. David went out of his way to obtain some local poteen for all the tour guests to have a toast after our memorable Italian dinner. It was one of the highlights of our trip.
It was our great pleasure to travel with David & Charlotte for the 3rd time. Our tour which began in Budapest, Hungary ended in Dubrovnik, Croatia. This tour was atypical as we began w a bus and boarded a yacht halfway through. Budapest was nice, but the Croatian island ports were stunning. Plitvice National Park and the tour with a ranger was a highlight as well. We absorbed a remarkable amount of history and saw vineyards, a century's old winery and midieval villages. We traveled with a group of 8 friends and family which was an added bonus! It was also wonderful to be hosted on this tour by our new Croatian friends, Kruno & Suzanna! Thanks again, David!
My husband and I toured southern Ireland and Scotland. It was a celebration of our 30th anniversary. I know many have mentioned David Grey but he was amazing His flexbility , knowledge and overall character made the trip. We also enjoyed the Scotland driver- Ian who had a wonderful personality . The group dinner selections did not disappoint. Amazing food . We felt like we saw so much of both countries and enjoyed having it all planned where to go .
This was my first tour with David, likely not my last. We traversed incredible sites in Sicily. David made it easy, with informative dialogue and guides, and an outstanding driver, Paolo.
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