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
The Sicily tour was incredible! After touring with David, I felt that I had truly seen all that this special island has to offer: terrific historical sights, vibrant cities, incredible museums, majestic land and seascapes, as well as a delectable cuisine. Throughout the tour David was informative, hospitable and open to suggestions and adjustments. He has a very pleasant and accommodating persona and we were fortunate to have him as our escort. The guides he hires are excellent and really enhanced our experience. The only recommendation I have is to have a guide for EVERY excursion! Our driver, Paolo, was exceptional.
I have longed to go on safari since I was a teenager! When I learned about David's explorations BEYOND Europe, I couldn't wait to secure my spot! The Serengeti Safari was the first trip on my retirement agenda! I had high expectations, and this trip EXCEEDED every one of them. David has a network of skilled professionals at every bend in the road. I highly recommend this trip for anyone hoping to experience the beauty of Tanzania, its abundant wildlife, its rich cultural heritage, and its beautiful people!
This trip truly was a trip of a lifetime. The ability to see all of the animals in their natural habitat was really something so hard to describe in words. In so many ways it seemed surreal. I have visited over 50 of our US National Parks, so being able to visit and stay inside the Serengeti National Park made the trip even more special to me. Our guides were simply outstanding. They were knowledgeable and always made sure we had the best experience possible. Our accommodations were top of the line- even our safari tents were exceptional. If going on an African Safari is on your bucket list I highly recommend traveling with David!
This was our first of what I hope are many tours with David McGuffin’s Exploring Europe. We chose The Best of Scotland and Wales in 11 Days tour from 9/24/25 - 10/4/25. Our tour guide, David Gray, made this tour very special. He is very knowledgeable about the destinations on the tour but was also very personable……which made for a very relaxing tour experience. He’s just a nice man! Our driver, Ian, has a beautiful coach and really made us comfortable. He and David make a good team. We were able to go to places that I never thought I’d see because of them. The drive through The Highlands was breathtaking and something we will never forget. All of our hotels were very comfortable and close to the town centers they were in. We really liked our travel mates which also made for a very positive experience. This tour is very well thought out and planned. There was ample free time as well. My husband and I had a very memorable trip and we highly recommend David McGuffin’s Exploring Europe.
I have traveled with David for over a quarter of a century on 22 trips soon to be 23. I’ve traveled with as few as 3 total people and as many as an entire high school marching band. No matter where the destination or the adventure David has researched it and will have all the details taken care of before you ever get there. I often joke that on his trips all I ever worry about is getting to the airport on time- he takes care of all of the rest! I highly recommend David McGuffin’s Exploring Europe— I trust him explicitly and would never consider traveling abroad with anyone else. Knowing David and his wife Charlotte is a blessing in my life and traveling with them is always a pleasure.
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