The trip
Texans don't really do cold, which is half the fun of this one. Early December in Bavaria and Austria is dark by 4:30pm, it's usually somewhere around freezing, and every town square is lit up with wooden stalls selling ornaments, roasted almonds and hot spiced wine. You stand around a barrel table with strangers, your hands wrapped around a mug, and you get why people here look forward to winter.
We start in Munich, swing up into Franconia for Rothenburg and Nuremberg (the most famous market in Germany, and it earns it), then head south to Salzburg and finish in Vienna. Trains and a private coach do the heavy lifting, so nobody is hauling a suitcase down cobblestones longer than they have to.
We keep the days loose on purpose. Mornings are usually guided, afternoons are yours, and evenings are for wandering the markets when they look their best. If you want to go back to the same Glühwein stand three nights in a row because you like the guy, that's allowed.
Highlights
- The Christkindlesmarkt on Nuremberg's main square, and three bratwurst in a roll
- The night watchman's lantern tour through Rothenburg's walls
- The chapel in Oberndorf where "Silent Night" was first sung in 1818
- Vienna's markets at the Rathaus, Schönbrunn Palace and Spittelberg
- Rail travel between Germany and Austria, first class where it counts
Day by day
Leave Texas
Overnight flight to Munich, usually with one connection. Wear layers. You'll want them for the flight and for the jet bridge in Munich.
Munich
We land, drop bags, and go straight to the market on Marienplatz so your body clock gets the message. Your guide explains the mug deposit (the Pfand) before anyone gets confused at the counter. Welcome dinner in a beer hall that's been doing this a lot longer than we have.
Munich
Morning walk through the old town and Viktualienmarkt. The afternoon's free; we'll point you toward the medieval market at Wittelsbacherplatz, where everything is cooked over open fire and the staff stay in character, or the Tollwood winter festival if you'd rather have a big tent and live music.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Private coach up the Romantic Road to the most photographed medieval town in Germany. The Reiterlesmarkt fills the square, the walls are walkable, and after dark we join the night watchman for his tour. You'll be offered a Schneeball, a fried pastry ball covered in sugar. It's a bit dry, honestly. Everyone buys one anyway.
Nuremberg
The big one. The Christkindlesmarkt has been held in some form for centuries and it shows: no plastic, no piped music, just wooden stalls and gingerbread. Lunch is "drei im Weggla," three little Nuremberg sausages in a roll. In the evening we try Feuerzangenbowle, where a rum-soaked sugar cone is set on fire over a bowl of mulled wine. Yes, really.
To Salzburg
Train south to Salzburg. The market fills the cathedral square, with the fortress lit up on the hill above it. Take the funicular up before dark if the weather's clear.
Oberndorf & the lake country
A short drive to the Silent Night Chapel in Oberndorf, then on to Hallstatt, the lakeside village that looks fake in photos and somehow looks more fake in person. Back in Salzburg for a free evening.
Vienna
Railjet train to Vienna, about two and a half hours. Evening at the huge market in front of the Rathaus, where they swap Glühwein for Punsch and the trees in the park are hung with giant lit ornaments.
Vienna
Morning at the Schönbrunn market, afternoon at Spittelberg's narrow lanes of craft stalls. Then the cake question: Sacher or Demel? We take you to both and you settle it yourself. Farewell dinner.
Home
Flights from Vienna back to Texas, landing the same day.
What's included
✅ Included
- Round-trip economy airfare from DFW or IAH, with taxes
- 8 nights in centrally located 4-star hotels, double occupancy
- Breakfast daily, a welcome dinner and a farewell dinner
- Private coach and rail tickets between all cities
- Local English-speaking guides in each city, plus your WeSellATour leader for the whole trip
- Rothenburg night watchman tour, Salzburg funicular, Hallstatt excursion
➖ Not included
- Most lunches and 6 dinners (the markets will feed you well for about €20)
- Glühwein, gifts, and the ornaments you swore you wouldn't buy
- Tips for guides and drivers
- Single supplement (from $890) and travel insurance
Good to know
Pack for cold, not "Texas cold." Think a warm coat, a hat that covers your ears, gloves, and waterproof shoes with grip. Cobblestones get slick. The mug deposit is usually a few euros: return the mug and get it back, or keep it as a souvenir. Most of our group ends up with a little collection.
Market stalls often prefer cash, so carry some euros. Cards work almost everywhere else.
