My friend and I (both 60ish females in good shape can walk all day, both married to men with no interest in this trip) are planning to visit the 2024 Christmas markets in Mainz, Strasbourg, and Cologne, with a two-night stop mid-trip at the Auf Schoenburg castle in Oberwesel. Looking for any/all suggestions, especially at stops 3, 4, & 7 below. Friend is a club member with Best Western so we are staying there as close as possible to the markets unless otherwise noted. I’m a bit familiar with Strasbourg and Cologne after a 2016 fall river cruise. We will both have small carry-ons, and will probably buy a duffle in Cologne to fill with our dirty laundry and check that, putting our Christmas market treasures in our carry-ons for the trip home. Our interests include architecture, history, gardens, castles, wine, casual food, meeting fellow travelers, and jigsaw puzzles/scavenger hunts! We run a monthly free jigsaw puzzle exchange at home in Costa Mesa Calif., and are planning to do app-based scavenger hunts in Strasbourg and Mainz.
Our itinerary so far is:
- Sun Dec 1: arrive FRA around noon after Sat red-eye from LAX. Train to Mainz, stay in the old town and go to the Christmas market in the afternoon/evening.
- Mon Dec 2: Morning train to Strasbourg. Self tour around in the morning, Christmas market in the afternoon/evening – this will be our MO most days. Sleep in Strasbourg.
- Tue Dec 3: Day 2 in Strasbourg – should we go to Colmar or Gengenbach this day? Train or small tour? Overnight in Strasbourg again, or stay at Colmar or Gengenbach?
- Wed Dec 4: This is a question day – is it worth a stop in Heidelberg and/or Worms as we travel back to Mainz from Strasbourg (or Colmar/Gengenbach)? Or should we stay overnight at Heidelberg or Worms instead of Mainz? We are Lutherans, so both places have a lot of historical interest for us, and we’d like to cram them both in if possible.
- Thu Dec 5: Swoon, we take the train from wherever we stay Wed night (Heidelberg, Worms, or Mainz) to the Auf Schoenburg castle in Oberwesel. Can anyone clarify for me if Half Board means breakfast and dinner? I understand that’s the usual meaning, but it’s not clear to me from the castle website if dinner is included, because one room rate option includes an additional charge for dinner.
- Fri Dec 6: Another day and overnight at the castle in Oberwesel, any suggestions on what to see/do?
- Sat Dec 7: Another question day – should we pick another city/town along the Rhine (ie Koblenz or ?) for this night, or head straight to Cologne? If Koblenz, is Stolzenfels Castle worth visiting?
- Sun Dec 8: Either Day 2 in Cologne, or train there from a location between Oberwesel & Cologne (ie Koblenz).
- Mon Dec 9: At some point take the train from Cologne to either Frankfurt or Mainz for a final day.
- Tue Dec 10: Train to the airport. Depart FRA to LAX around 10 am
Does it make sense to buy some sort of train pass for this? I haven’t run across one so far, but admit I haven’t done as much research on that yet. Thank you for your wonderful insights!