Detailed Itinerary:
Day 1: Munich (D)
Arrive and celebrate with an exploration to see the wooden Christmas Market stalls. Before your Bavarian style buffet dinner enjoy a welcome drink in the hotel.
Day 2: The Salzkammergut (B, D)
Travel into Austria and visit the church made famous in the wedding scene of the 'Sound of Music'. Drive into the Lakes District and visit perhaps the most beautiful in Austria. Finally Fuschl. a tiny country village, will be your home for the next two nights. Join in a torch-lit village walk.
Day 3: The Salzkammergut (B, D)
Full day in Salzburg. A walking tour with a guide then you will assemble amongst the fir trees in the small courtyard of the St Peter's Keller, Salzburg's oldest restaurant, for some warm drinks and snacks. The rest of the day is free and you can soak up the atmosphere of the famous Salzburg Christmas Markets.
Day 4: Appenzell (B, D)
Follow the spectacular Inn Valley across the Tyrol to Innsbruck. Explore the old town with its famous Golden Roof and Christmas markets. Then continue past St Anton and through the Arlberg Tunnel into the Appenzell Region of Switzerland. Appenzell is an old fashioned town full of well-preserved16th-C buildings, including some delightfully painted wooden houses.
Day 5: Appenzell (B, D)
Travel to the German border and to the banks of Lake Bodensee (Constance).You stop at the beautifully preserved island town of Lindau, Germany’s southern most city, with medieval lighthouses and cobbled stone streets. Then you go to Neu St Johann to enjoy a delightful horse drawn sleigh ride followed by dinner in your hotel.
Day 6: Leukerbad(B)
At Chur board the famous Glacier Express train that takes you to Brig with reserved Premium seats in the panoramic carriages. Then a drive up the alpine road to the spa town of Leukerbad that is set in high valley and surrounded by towering peaks. Hot, therapeutic thermal water flows here at an astonishing 3.9 million litres per day.
Days 7-8: Leukerbad (B, D)
Christmas as it should be – relaxed. Take in the hotel spa and pampering treatments or ski on the slopes high above town. Breakfasts and dinners are included both days. On Christmas Eve a Gala dinner is included at your hotel and on Christmas Day, another special Christmas dinner.
Day 9: Leukerbad(B)
Drive up to Tasch to catch a cog railway train up to Zermatt. This village is surrounded by a dozen peaks and dominated by the Matterhorn. Petrol-driven vehicles are banned from the village. Relax in the crisp air or take the Gornergrat funicular train to the highest open-air railway station in Europe. At 4.000m the view is beyond belief.
Day 10: Lucern (B, D)
Drive to Montreux where we have included a guided tour through the beautifully-preserved Chateau Chillon. Later you continue to Berne for lunchtime and then in the afternoon on to the lake-side town of Luzern with its covered wooden bridges. Dinner tonight in a local Swiss restaurant where you will enjoy traditional Swiss food and some folkloric entertainment.
Day 11: Depart Luzern (B)
This Christmas tour concludes in Lucern.
Included:
• All sightseeing, scenic drives and excursions described in the itinerary
• Fully escorted tour
• Luxury touring coach
• Tips for Tour Manager,drivers and guides
• 10 nights selected accommodation
• Hotel porterage (1 bag per person)
• Buffet breakfast daily
• Christmas turkey buffet lunch
• 8 dinners including a welcome dinner, a traditional Christmas Eve dinner and a farewell dinner with music and drinks.
• Welcome drink in Munich, mulled wine in Fuschl, hot chocolate and biscuits in Salzburg.
• Tea and coffee with all dinners
• Free use of pools, gym and twice daily aqua aerobics sessions in Leukerbad.
• 1st class Glacier Express train tickets in premium carriage.
• Cog railway train to Zermatt
• Horse-drawn sleigh ride.
