Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Bavaria and Austria: the Christmas Markets from Nuremberg to Innsbruck
8 days from Munich: two nights each in Munich, Nuremberg and Salzburg, a full day in Rothenburg ob der Tauber and a last night in Innsbruck, running late November to 23 December.
8 days · Round trip from Munich · up to 12 guests
The Imperial Hall of the Munich Residenz, on the morning visit on day 2 Photo: Wilfredor, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Imperial_Hall,_Residenz_Munich,_Germany.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 8 days, 7 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Munich
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
Walking 5 to 10 km a day on cobbles and old-town slopes that can be icy, with stairs at Nuremberg's castle tower and on Rothenburg's wall walk, and two to three hours a day standing outdoors at the markets after dark, often below freezing. Hohensalzburg is reached by funicular. Any tower, wall walk or evening market can be skipped, and the van is never far away.
- Meals included
- 7 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 695 (estimated price)
- Season
- Christmas markets
Highlights
Why this trip
- The Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt at dusk, with a guide-led tasting of Rostbratwurst and Lebkuchen at the stalls
- A whole day in Rothenburg ob der Tauber: a local guide before the day-trip coaches arrive, then its Reiterlesmarkt as the light goes
- The Munich Residenz at opening, then the medieval market and the nativity-figure market after dark
- Hohensalzburg Fortress by funicular in the morning and the Advent market at Hellbrunn Palace in the evening
- Ambras Castle's Renaissance Spanish Hall, then the Christmas market under Innsbruck's Golden Roof
- Two nights in Munich, Nuremberg and Salzburg, so you change hotels three times in eight days
- Sights by day and markets by evening, the order the short December light asks for
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 695 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Munich
Munich Airport to your hotel in central Munich, then Marienplatz
- Dinner
- Stay in Munich
- Drive about 45 min
Morning
Fly into Munich Airport (MUC); most overnight flights from North America land in the morning.
Afternoon
A driver meets you in arrivals for the drive of about 40 minutes into the city, and your room is ready from mid-afternoon (we hold your bags if you arrive earlier). Rest, or walk out on your own: the hotel is central, within walking distance of Marienplatz. At about 4 pm, as daylight goes and the Christmas lights come on, your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the week, then walks you into the Christkindlmarkt on Marienplatz, set beneath the neo-Gothic New Town Hall, with a tall tree in the square and stalls selling carved figures, glass ornaments and hot drinks.
Evening
We stay long enough to get our bearings and spot the stalls worth coming back to, then sit down together to a welcome dinner of Bavarian dishes at a traditional restaurant in the old town. The evening ends early on purpose, since most of you will have flown overnight.
Included
- Pick-up at Munich Airport (MUC)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Evening walk to the Christkindlmarkt on Marienplatz
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the 4 pm briefing
Activity: Plan to land by early afternoon to join the evening walk.
Munich: the Residenz and the old markets
Munich Residenz, Frauenkirche and Viktualienmarkt, then Wittelsbacherplatz and Rindermarkt
- Breakfast
- Stay in Munich
We are at the Munich Residenz when it opens at 10 am, before the tour groups build. For four centuries this was the palace of the Wittelsbach dukes, electors and kings of Bavaria, and the museum route runs through the long Renaissance Antiquarium, the Imperial Hall with its gilded coffered ceiling and chandeliers, and the court chapels.
Afternoon
Your guide takes you through the highlights in about two hours, then leads the short walk past the twin domed towers of the Frauenkirche to the Viktualienmarkt, the open-air food market, where lunch is your choice from the stands and the small restaurants around it. The afternoon is free: the Deutsches Museum of science and technology, the tower of St. Peter's Church for the view over the roofs, or a slow coffee out of the cold. At about 5 pm we meet again for Munich's smaller markets after dark: the medieval market on Wittelsbacherplatz, with traders in costume and food cooked over open fires, and the Kripperlmarkt on Rindermarkt, given over to nativity figures.
Evening
Dinner tonight is your own.
Included
- Munich Residenz Museum with your guide, including the Antiquarium and the Imperial Hall
- Walk past the Frauenkirche to the Viktualienmarkt
- Evening walk to the medieval market on Wittelsbacherplatz and the Kripperlmarkt
Optional experiences
- Deutsches Museum
- Dinner at a Munich beer hall
Easier option: Skip the evening walk and return to the market on Marienplatz, a few minutes from the hotel.
More active option: Climb the tower of St. Peter's Church in the free afternoon.
Free time: Free afternoon and dinner
Nuremberg: the Imperial Castle and the Christkindlesmarkt
Munich to Nuremberg, then the Imperial Castle and the Hauptmarkt
- Breakfast
- Stay in Nuremberg
- Drive about 2 h
We leave Munich at about 9:30 am for the drive north on the A9 to Nuremberg, about 170 km and under two hours, through the hop country of the Hallertau.
Afternoon
We check in first, so the afternoon is spent walking rather than waiting, and lunch is your choice in the old town. At about 1:30 pm we climb to the Imperial Castle (Kaiserburg) on its sandstone ridge above the roofs, where the Holy Roman emperors stayed when they held court here. Inside are the imperial hall and chapel, the Deep Well cut into the rock, and the Sinwell Tower, with a view across the whole walled city.
Evening
We walk down past Albrecht Dürer's house as the light fades, timed to reach the Hauptmarkt at dusk, when the red-and-white striped roofs of the Christkindlesmarkt stalls are lit. Your guide leads a tasting at the stalls: Nürnberger Rostbratwurst, three in a bun, Nuremberg Lebkuchen, and a mug of mulled wine or children's punch. Then the evening is yours, with the sister-cities market, where Nuremberg's twin towns run their own stalls, a short walk away.
Included
- Nuremberg Imperial Castle (Kaiserburg), with the Deep Well and the Sinwell Tower
- Old-town walk past Albrecht Dürer's house to the Hauptmarkt
- Guide-led tasting at the Christkindlesmarkt: Rostbratwurst, Lebkuchen and a hot drink
Easier option: Skip the Sinwell Tower stairs and wait in the castle courtyard.
Free time: Free lunch and evening
A day in Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Nuremberg to Rothenburg ob der Tauber and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Nuremberg
- Drive about 2.5 h
We leave Nuremberg at 9 am for Rothenburg ob der Tauber, about 85 km and a little over an hour west. Arriving ahead of the day-trip coaches, we meet a local guide in the Market Square for a two-hour walk: the Town Hall, the clock on the Councillors' Tavern, the half-timbered corner of the Plönlein, and the Castle Garden, where the town drops away to the Tauber valley. We finish in St. Jakob's Church at Tilman Riemenschneider's carved Holy Blood Altar.
Afternoon
Lunch is together, a sit-down meal of Franconian cooking in the old town. The afternoon is free, and the town is small enough to roam on your own: walk the covered parapet of the town wall, browse the Christmas shops and the German Christmas Museum, or try a Schneeball, the local fried pastry. At about 3:30 pm, as the light drops, the Reiterlesmarkt fills the squares around the Town Hall.
Evening
We leave at about 5 pm and are back in Nuremberg by about 6:15 pm, with the evening free.
Included
- Rothenburg old-town walk with a local guide
- St. Jakob's Church and the Holy Blood Altar
- The Reiterlesmarkt at dusk
Optional experiences
- German Christmas Museum
Easier option: Stay in Nuremberg for a slow day; the Germanisches Nationalmuseum and the market are a short walk from the hotel.
More active option: Walk the covered town wall from the Röder Gate in the free afternoon.
Free time: Free afternoon in Rothenburg and a free evening in Nuremberg
Lake Chiemsee to Salzburg
Nuremberg to Lake Chiemsee, then Salzburg
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Salzburg
- Drive about 3.5 h
This is the longest drive of the trip, about 320 km and a little over three hours on the road, broken in the middle.
Afternoon
We leave Nuremberg at 9 am and take the motorway south around Munich to Lake Chiemsee, the largest lake entirely within Bavaria, where we stop at about 12 pm, after roughly two and a half hours, for a sit-down lunch by the water. From there it is under an hour to the Austrian border and Salzburg, arriving by about 3 pm with time to settle in. At 4 pm your guide walks you through the old town on the left bank of the Salzach: the narrow Getreidegasse with its wrought-iron shop signs, Mozart's birthplace at number 9, and the squares around the cathedral, where the Salzburg Christkindlmarkt spreads across Domplatz and Residenzplatz beneath the fortress.
Evening
The evening is yours. The stalls stay open into the evening, and the old town is small enough to find your way back to the hotel on foot.
Included
- Sit-down lunch at Lake Chiemsee
- Salzburg old-town walk with your guide: Getreidegasse, Mozart's birthplace and the cathedral squares
- The Christkindlmarkt on Domplatz and Residenzplatz
Free time: Free evening
Activity: The only drive over three hours, with a lunch stop at the halfway point.
Salzburg: Hohensalzburg and Hellbrunn
Hohensalzburg Fortress, then Hellbrunn Palace in the evening
- Breakfast
- Stay in Salzburg
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
We ride the FestungsBahn funicular up to Hohensalzburg Fortress when it opens in the morning, ahead of the crowds. The fortress has stood over the city since the 11th century, and from its walls you look south to the Alps and down over the domes and spires of the old town. Your guide takes you through the princes' state rooms and along the ramparts, and we come down by funicular before noon.
Evening
Lunch and the afternoon are free: Mozart's birthplace, the cathedral, a coffee in one of the old cafés, or an optional trip to the Silent Night Chapel in Oberndorf, built on the site of the church where the carol was first sung in 1818. At about 4 pm our van takes us 15 minutes south to Hellbrunn Palace, where an Advent market fills the courtyard and the palace windows are lit as a giant Advent calendar. The Hellbrunn market runs on set days through the season, confirmed when we book your dates. We are back in town by about 7 pm, with the evening free.
Included
- FestungsBahn funicular, up and down
- Hohensalzburg Fortress with your guide
- Evening at the Hellbrunn Palace Advent market, with van transfer
Optional experiences
- Silent Night Chapel in Oberndorf
- Mozart's Birthplace museum
- Salzburg Advent Singing at the Grosses Festspielhaus, on the dates it is performed
Easier option: Skip Hellbrunn and stay with the market on Domplatz, a short walk from the hotel.
More active option: Walk down from the fortress on the footpath instead of taking the funicular.
Free time: Free lunch, afternoon and dinner
Activity: If the Hellbrunn market is closed on your date, we go to the Christmas market on Mirabellplatz instead.
Innsbruck: Ambras Castle and the Golden Roof
Salzburg to Innsbruck, then Ambras Castle and the old town
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Innsbruck
- Drive about 2.5 h
We leave Salzburg at about 9:30 am. The quickest road to Innsbruck runs briefly back through Bavaria and into the Inn valley at Kufstein, about 185 km and two hours with mountains on both sides.
Afternoon
After a free lunch in Innsbruck's old town we drive about 10 minutes up to Ambras Castle, the Renaissance residence of Archduke Ferdinand II. Its Spanish Hall is a long banqueting hall under a carved wooden ceiling, its walls painted with full-length portraits of the rulers of Tyrol; the castle also holds a chamber of art and curiosities and an armoury. Ambras closes every November, one reason our departures are timed so this day falls in December. We are back in the old town by about 4 pm for the Golden Roof, the balcony roofed in gilded copper tiles for Emperor Maximilian I around 1500, with the Christmas market crowded in below it.
Evening
The farewell dinner is Tyrolean cooking at a restaurant in the old town. Innsbruck is the trip's only single night, so we keep this day unhurried.
Included
- Ambras Castle with the Spanish Hall
- Old-town walk to the Golden Roof and the Christmas market below it
- Farewell dinner
Optional experiences
- Nordkette cable car from the city centre to Seegrube
More active option: Take the Nordkette cable car up to Seegrube for the view over the city instead of Ambras Castle.
Free time: Free lunch
Innsbruck to Munich Airport
Innsbruck to Munich Airport (MUC)
- Breakfast
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
Breakfast in Innsbruck, and a last walk through the old town if you are up early, while the alleys are quiet and the mountains show above the roofs. At 9 am we load the van for Munich Airport (MUC), about 200 km and two and a quarter hours back down the Inn valley and past Rosenheim, arriving at about 11:30 am. Book a flight leaving after about 2 pm. Your guide travels with you and sees you to the right terminal before saying goodbye. If you would rather fly from Innsbruck Airport (INN), about 10 minutes from the old town, or stay on in the Alps for a few days, tell us when you book and we drop you at that airport or leave you at the hotel instead. Before you pack: glass ornaments travel best wrapped in clothing in your checked bag, and jars of jam, honey or schnapps over 100 ml must go in checked luggage too, not in your carry-on.
Included
- Drop-off at Munich Airport (MUC), or Innsbruck Airport (INN) on request
Activity: Book a flight from Munich leaving after about 2 pm.
- Munich2 nights
- Nuremberg2 nights
- Salzburg2 nights
- Innsbruck1 night
- Munichend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Expect daytime highs around 0 to 5 °C and nights below freezing, with snow possible anywhere and most likely around Innsbruck. Daylight lasts about eight hours, which is why the sights fill the mornings and the markets fill the evenings.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want the German and Austrian Christmas markets at their best, after dark, without long bus days
- A first trip to Bavaria and Salzburg, with the main sights included
- Solo travellers and couples who prefer 12 guests to a full coach
- Anyone who likes a free afternoon or evening in each place
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: cobbles, castle stairs and icy streets are part of every day
- Travellers who dislike the cold or standing outdoors in the evening
- Vienna, Prague or Switzerland, which this trip does not visit
- Christmas Eve or Christmas Day in Europe: the last departure ends on 23 December
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
7 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Munich2 nights
- Nuremberg2 nights
- Salzburg2 nights
- Innsbruck1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 7 nights in central hotels of at least a 3-star-plus standard, within walking distance of each old town and market: 2 in Munich, 2 in Nuremberg, 2 in Salzburg, 1 in Innsbruck
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
- We name each hotel when we confirm your dates
Transport
- Pick-up at Munich Airport (MUC) on day 1 and drop-off there (or at Innsbruck Airport) on day 8
- Our own vehicle and driver for the group on every transfer, including the Rothenburg day and the evening at Hellbrunn
- FestungsBahn funicular to Hohensalzburg Fortress, up and down
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip
- A local guide for the Rothenburg old-town walk
Activities
- Munich: the Christkindlmarkt on Marienplatz, the Residenz Museum, the medieval market and the Kripperlmarkt
- Nuremberg: the Imperial Castle with the Deep Well and Sinwell Tower, the Christkindlesmarkt with a tasting
- Rothenburg ob der Tauber: guided old-town walk, St. Jakob's Church and the Reiterlesmarkt
- Salzburg: old-town walk, the Christkindlmarkt, Hohensalzburg Fortress, the Hellbrunn Palace Advent market
- Innsbruck: Ambras Castle with the Spanish Hall, the Golden Roof and the old-town Christmas market
Meals
- Breakfast daily (7)
- 2 sit-down lunches: Rothenburg and Lake Chiemsee
- 2 dinners: welcome dinner in Munich, farewell dinner in Innsbruck
- A guide-led tasting at the Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt
Not included
- International flights to and from Munich
- Travel insurance
- ETIAS or other entry fees, where they apply
- Meals not listed, including dinners on market nights
- Drinks, apart from the hot drink at the Nuremberg tasting
- Mug deposits at the market stalls
- Tips
- Optional activities: Salzburg Advent Singing, the Silent Night Chapel trip, the Nordkette cable car, the German Christmas Museum, Mozart's Birthplace
- Personal expenses and market shopping
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 695 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Seven nights in central hotels, breakfast daily, two lunches, a welcome and a farewell dinner, a tasting at the Nuremberg market, airport transfers, our own vehicle and driver, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, and every visit in the day plan: the Residenz, Nuremberg's Imperial Castle, guided Rothenburg, Hohensalzburg with the funicular, Hellbrunn's Advent market and Ambras Castle.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. That is small enough to stand around one market stall together, hear the guide in a crowded square, and fit at one table for the welcome and farewell dinners.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group for all eight days, from the airport on arrival to the airport on departure. A local guide joins us for the walk in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Our own driver and vehicle handle every transfer, so there are no changes of coach or handovers along the way.
How fit do I need to be for a Christmas markets tour?
You should be comfortable walking 5 to 10 km a day on cobbles, sometimes icy, and standing outdoors for two or three hours in the evening cold. There are stairs at Nuremberg's castle tower and on Rothenburg's wall walk, both optional. Hohensalzburg is reached by funicular, and you can skip any walk or evening.
I'm travelling solo. Do I pay a single supplement?
Your own room costs a supplement of about CAD 695 (indicative), shown before you request to book, with no surprise later. Otherwise solo travellers pay the same price and get the same trip, and on a group of twelve at most nobody ends up eating alone at the markets unless they want to.
When does this trip run?
Only in the Christmas market season, from late November to 23 December. The first departures are timed so Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt has opened (27 November in 2026) and Ambras Castle has reopened after its November closure; the last ends on 23 December, before the markets close on Christmas Eve. Exact dates are set each year.
How does booking work?
You request to book on a departure date and we confirm within 24 hours. No payment is taken when you send the request. Once we confirm your place, we send the hotels, the payment schedule and the booking terms for you to accept before anything is charged.
Can I do this trip on my own dates?
Yes, as a private trip for your party only on a date you choose within the market season, with your own guide and vehicle. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we can quote the same hotels, transfers and entries without a guide.
Do I need a visa for Germany and Austria?
Canadian and US passport holders do not need a visa for a short stay in the Schengen area, which covers both countries. The EU's Entry/Exit System records your fingerprints and photo at the first border, and the ETIAS travel authorisation is due to start in late 2026. We confirm what applies to your passport when you book.
How cold is it at the Christmas markets?
Expect daytime highs around 0 to 5 °C and evenings below freezing, with snow possible and most likely around Innsbruck. The sun sets at about 4:20 pm, so the markets are at their best in the cold. Bring a warm coat, hat, gloves, thermal layers and waterproof shoes with good grip.
Do Christmas market stalls take credit cards?
Many do, but not all, so carry some euros, especially for small purchases like a sausage or a mug of mulled wine. Hot drinks are served in a mug with a deposit of a few euros. Keep the mug as a souvenir, or hand it back at any stall of the same market for your deposit.
Why only one night in Innsbruck?
Eight days gives seven nights, and we spend two in each of Munich, Nuremberg and Salzburg so the main markets get unhurried evenings. Innsbruck closes the trip with one night: an afternoon at Ambras Castle, the Golden Roof and its market at dusk, and a farewell dinner, two hours from Munich Airport.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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