My husband and I just booked a Christmas tour to Munich and Eastern Europe. Anyone else that has been on this trip or is going on it? Any info or advice would be appreciated!

Friends and I went on a Christmas markets tour last year. We arrived in Munich and then went west to Strasbourg, France - stayed in Munich, Strasbourg and Nuremburg. We absolutely loved it. We were there the beginning of December and the weather was fairly warm; the heavy boots were never worn! We were told the year before there was quite a bit of snow so be prepared for anything. We had a great guide and small group - only 13. I cannot tell you anything about the Christmas markets in the cities you will visit, but I am sure, overall, you will have a great trip. If you are at the Holiday Inn in Munich, it is nicely located and there is a small center under the hotel if you want to buy water or snacks. We returned to Munich at the end of our trip and spent our Euros there on chocolate and other goodies. My only warning is not to take the optional tour to the Hofbrauhaus. You are herded upstairs for mediocre food and some entertainment and cannot really get the true feel for it. Instead, go on your own and enjoy a beer and pretzel downstairs with the locals. There are many restaurants around to have dinner in the area. Have a great time!

Hi soonergirl,

Which tour are you taking? I went on one through Globus during Christmas of 2005. It was the Imperial Splendors tour. We started in Munich, went to Prague, Bratislava, Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, then back to Munich. It was amazing. You really can't go wrong with whichever tour you are going on. Have fun!

gen

Thanks for the info.. ..I am going on the exact same on that you did, Gen. Did you have the same experience with the Hoffraus optional tour? What other optional tours did you do?

Actually they didn't offer the Hoffraus optional when I went. We didn't get to do the cruise of the Danube either but it was because we were there during the winter. Some of the tours we did are only available on the Christmas tour. Here is a list of the optionals that we did that I hope will be available to you when you go.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .


[b]Budapest:[/b]
[b]Hungarian Dinner[/b]-I personally did not do this optional but a few members of my group did and they loved it. Other members of the tour all had good things to say about it as well and I have video of some it and it did look like a lot of fun.

[b]Illumination drive[/b]-This is a must!! Budapest at night is something you can not miss out on. Absolutely beautiful and especially so during Christmas. Just wait until you drive down the main street at night! All I can say is wow!! Oh and the hotel you are staying at, if it is the same, is right in the middle of everything!

[b]Parliament Building & Crown Jewels[/b]-This one was okay if you are interested in seeing the inside of the Parliament Building. The tour itself doesn't last very long and you are limited as to where you can go when inside the building. It is a government building so there are a lot of guards and the such around. If I could do it again I would probably skip this one. Use the time to wander around the city. The hotel you will be staying in, if it is the same, it located right in the middle of the city. You are within walking distance of so much. I just loved this city as did pretty everyone else on the tour.

[b]Prague[/b]:
[b]Moldau Cruise with Lunch[/b]-This was a lot of fun and it gives you a great view of the St. Charles bridge, the castle and all the different styles of architecture of Prague. The lunch was pretty good too!

[b]Vienna[/b]:
[b]Schonbrunn Palace[/b]-This is a definate must see. It was built to resemble the Palace of Versaille in Paris but it has its own unique qualities. Full of history and very fascinating. We all enjoyed this one.

[b]Austrian dinner[/b]-this was held at the Marchfelderhoff restaurant just outside of the city of Vienna. Very cool place and the food wasn't bad either.

[b]Munich [/b]-the optionals for Munich didn't happen until the end of the tour when we arrived back into the city. It was called the Silent Night/Holy night excursion and it was probably the best one!! Everyone loved it. It lasted all day and most of the night. We did not get back to our hotel until very late but it was so worth it. They took us up to the Bavarian Alps. We went to Oberammergau and Garmisch. They took us to the Silent Night Chapel and later to the school house where the poem "Silent Night" was written. They took us to the Schloss-Linderhoff Palace and the Ettal Monastery. We ended the night with a dinner in Garmisch before we headed back down to Munich. So much to see and we loved every minute of it.

Our tour guide was Hans and he was the best! Very helpful, very knowledgeable and a lot of fun. I hope you have as much fun as we did. Let me know if you need any more info!

Actually they didn't offer the Hoffraus optional when I went. We didn't get to do the cruise of the Danube either but it was because we were there during the winter. Some of the tours we did are only available on the Christmas tour. Here is a list of the optionals that we did that I hope will be available to you when you go.. .. .. .. .. .

[b]Budapest:[/b]
[b]Hungarian Dinner[/b]-I personally did not do this optional but a few members of my group did and they loved it. Other members of the tour all had good things to say about it as well and I have video of some it and it did look like a lot of fun.

[b]Illumination drive[/b]-This is a must!! Budapest at night is something you can not miss out on. Absolutely beautiful and especially so during Christmas. Just wait until you drive down the main street at night! All I can say is wow!! Oh and the hotel you are staying at, if it is the same, is right in the middle of everything!

[b]Parliament Building & Crown Jewels[/b]-This one was okay if you are interested in seeing the inside of the Parliament Building. The tour itself doesn't last very long and you are limited as to where you can go when inside the building. It is a government building so there are a lot of guards and the such around. If I could do it again I would probably skip this one. Use the time to wander around the city. The hotel you will be staying in, if it is the same, it located right in the middle of the city. You are within walking distance of so much. I just loved this city as did pretty everyone else on the tour.

[b]Prague[/b]:
[b]Moldau Cruise with Lunch[/b]-This was a lot of fun and it gives you a great view of the St. Charles bridge, the castle and all the different styles of architecture of Prague. The lunch was pretty good too!

[b]Vienna[/b]:
[b]Schonbrunn Palace[/b]-This is a definate must see. It was built to resemble the Palace of Versaille in Paris but it has its own unique qualities. Full of history and very fascinating. We all enjoyed this one.

[b]Austrian dinner[/b]-this was held at the Marchfelderhoff restaurant just outside of the city of Vienna. Very cool place and the food wasn't bad either.

[b]Munich [/b]-the optionals for Munich didn't happen until the end of the tour when we arrived back into the city. It was called the Silent Night/Holy night excursion and it was probably the best one!! Everyone loved it. It lasted all day and most of the night. We did not get back to our hotel until very late but it was so worth it. They took us up to the Bavarian Alps. We went to Oberammergau and Garmisch. They took us to the Silent Night Chapel and later to the school house where the poem "Silent Night" was written. They took us to the Schloss-Linderhoff Palace and the Ettal Monastery. We ended the night with a dinner in Garmisch before we headed back down to Munich. So much to see and we loved every minute of it.

Our tour guide was Hans and he was the best! Very helpful, very knowledgeable and a lot of fun. I hope you have as much fun as we did. Let me know if you need any more info!