Alpine Christmas Markets (Small Group)

Welcome to Germany.  Meet your Travel Director this afternoon for an orientation of the city that will show you some of the city's major sights, culminating in the Marienplatz, with its soaring Town Hall and Glockenspiel. Here, the Christkindlmarkt will be in full swing, an entrancing festival of light and music.

In the evening, join your Travel Director and fellow guests for a Welcome Dinner with wine. (DW) Stay: Munich Marriott Hotel.

Munich embraces the holiday season with a particular zeal, so the day is all yours to enjoy the vibrant festive markets that abound in this city. On crisp winter days, organ music and carols ring out from the ancient churches. If snow has fallen, the vast English Garden provides lovely winter vistas. Another option is to experience the romantic royal palaces of the Bavarian Alps. (B)

Travel alongside the tranquil waters of Lake Chiemsee on your way to Salzburg in Austria, where the spires and domes of the Old Town are often draped in snow in December. Visit Mozart's birthplace to learn more about his life, and sit down to a musical demonstration on his original pianoforte. Enjoy a visit to Swarovski in the afternoon followed by a highlight dinner. Head through the mountains to your Innsbruck hotel. (B/DW) Stay: AC Hotel Innsbruck.

Enjoy a horse & carriage ride in the morning. Immerse yourself in the festive atmosphere of the Old Town and Christmas Markets, set in front of the Golden Roof, graced by beautifully preserved medieval facades. (B)

Travel through the Alberg tunnel, Austria's longest road tunnel, as you return to Germany and pause in the tiny island-town of Lindau. Walk through the maze of ancient streets down to the harbor. Across the lake, often shrouded in mist, look for the rising silhouette of snow-capped peaks. After time to explore, continue along the shores of the Bodensee to your hotel in the Black Forest. (B/DW) Stay: Hotel Stadt Lörrach, Loerrach.

Visit Freiburg in the morning, a lively university city with a charming Christmas atmosphere. Walk from the medieval Münster through the heart of the historic old quarter, past colorful stalls offering a range of festive goodies from the Black Forest. (B)

Cross the Rhine to the region of Alsace, wedged between the Black Forest and the Vosges Mountains. This area has changed nationality four times since 1870! Arrive in Strasbourg, the City at the Crossroads, where the Christmas Market is the oldest and one of the largest in France. Spend time in a cozy neighborhood of timbered fairy-tale buildings, with Christmas shops and a gingerbread bakery, warm with fragrant promise. Return to Germany and venture to a local restaurant for a delightful dinner of local specialties, accompanied by wine. (B/DW)

Cross the Swiss border and head for Zürich where sightseeing includes the imposing Grossmünster, elegant Fraumünster, and winding alleys of the Old Town alongside the River Limmat. A highlight is Europe's biggest indoor Christmas extravaganza held in the main railway station, with over 160 wooden chalets and a three-storey Christmas tree, draped with Swarovski crystals. Toast to the culmination of your Yuletide journey during a festive Celebration Dinner with wine at a local restaurant with its own microbrewery. (B/DW) Stay: Mövenpick Hotel Zürich-Airport.

Enjoy a relaxed breakfast before checking out. Transfers are available from your hotel to Zürich Airport. (B)