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Does Rick offer a December tour of German Christmas Markets?

We are looking at visiting some of the Christmas Markets in Germany this December. It might be easier to do that taking an organized tour. Especially with unpredictable winter weather. Does Rick offer tours? Its not too early to start planning.

Posted by
2461 posts

Look at his Munich Salzberg Vienna tour, there are dates in late November and early December. I went on this tour in December 2019 and loved every minute. You will get your fill of Christmas markets and want to experience more. Such a delightful time to be in Germany and Austria!

Posted by
2461 posts

I just checked the dates in November and December for this tour and they are all waitlisted. I would put your name on the waitlist and I imagine RS will add another tour date if there are enough people interested.

Best tip is to call the RS office and ask how likely it is that you will be able to get on the tour you choose. It is now early April and a lot can happen between now and November.
Good luck, I hope you will be able to take this tour.

Posted by
4614 posts

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/christmas-markets-switzerland-france-germany-2019

I think you could put a trip together on your own. The markets are magical, and definitely worth doing. If you are ready and willing to go, just do it! Perhaps our Trip Report above will offer some helpful tips. We found the weather cold, with some evening rain, but otherwise did not slow us down. The biggest challenge is narrowing down where you will go, as there are so many markets. There is a wealth of info already here, so check out threads on the topic, review posts under Germany, and do a Search of Christmas markets. Mrs Jo lives in Germany and has posted dozens of times here on the Forum , and reviews various markets each season.
If you do plan your own trip, I would encourage you to book accommodations asap. I found some hotels fully booked by June, as I feel many folks return every year to the same lodgings.
Have a magical trip!

Posted by
40 posts

As said by the previous posters, you can sign up for the waitlist if this is the tour you would like to take. We did this tour last December and we loved it. We were on the waitlist in the spring and twice we were contacted for available seats, first time I missed the email and did not get signed up, second time we were notified was in August and we signed up. Several members of our group stated they signed up in November so cancellations can occur close to the trip. While we have traveled independently and with Rick Steves tours, we wanted to go on this tour for the variety of locations, activities, and the fun of another Rick Steves tour. It was well worth it and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

That said, if you know the cities and regions you want to visit at this time of year you can independently travel to a number of Christmas markets. There is a wealth of information on this site alone, plus at the websites of the cities of the markets. We plan to go to different areas this December to experience more markets but traveling independently this time.

Posted by
1216 posts

I have been on the Munich, Salzburg, Vienna tour twice because I love travelling that time of year, have limited vaca days, and appreciate the transportation and accommodation being managed for me. As Judy mentioned, it can't hurt to put your name on a waitlist. I think because the rationale for the MSV tour is not strictly Christmas markets, you end up having lots of time to partake, but are not herded from market to market, which could be overkill, IMO. You get a nice balance and are in interesting places in a lovely wintry, festive time of year. I often try to arrive a few days ahead of the official tour start date to fit in other locations. For instance, I visited Garmisch-Partenkirchen on a day trip from Munich before the tour began.