Day 01: Tuesday (December 2) or Saturday (December 6)
Arrive Frankfurt self transfer to hotel (Intercontinental Frankfurt). Balance of the day is free for exploring Frankfurt or just resting up after your flight.

Day 02: Wednesday (December 3) or Sunday (December 7)
Frankfurt - Erfurt - Leipzig
Depart from Frankfurt in the morning and drive eastward to our first stop Eisenach. Visit Wartburg Castle, one of Germanys most important national heritage sites and see the room where Luther lived for many years. Continue via Weimar to Leipzig, where after checking into your hotel, we will visit one of Germany’s largest Christmas markets. The main attractions are located on the historical market square in front of the ancient town hall. Marvel at the fairytale forest of Christmas trees with thousands of lights and the immense free standing Advent calendar then stroll through the many stalls with handcrafted Christmas gifts from the region. We invite you to a very informal German style snack of bratwurst and mulled wine at one of the numerous food stalls. Overnight at Hotel Mercure.

Day 03: Thursday (December 4) or Monday (December 8)
Leipzig - Meißen - Dresden
In the morning we continue towards Meissen, where we visit one of Germany’s oldest porcelain manufactories. Founded in the 18th century and continuously in operation since then, the delicate, handcrafted products are found in royal courts and celebrities’ homes all around the world. Meissen is proud to be able to restore or remanufacture on demand every one of its designs, as the negative plaster models for each have been preserved throughout the centuries. See the exhibition hall and the demonstration workshops where all steps of the painting and glazing process is explained to you. Afterwards we continue to Dresden where, after a city tour highlighting major sights like Zwinger, Frauenkirche, Semper Opera House and more, we check into our hotel. In the evening we will visit the Christmas market in Dresden, which is named “Striezelmarkt” after the local cake speciality. Not to be missed is the 45-foot tall Christmas pyramid and the many stalls where you can sample the “Strietzel”. Overnight at Steigenberger Parkhotel.

Day 04: Friday (December 5) or Tuesday (December 9)
Dresden - Annaberg - Schneeberg - Plauen
Today after breakfast we travel along country roads to visit two ancient mining villages - Schneeberg and Annaberg. These villages are typical ofthe Erzgebirge (ore-mountains) and are the home to the German traditions of woodcarving and Christmas pyramids. In olden times, light - represented by candles - was an important symbol of life and safety for the miners working in the dark tunnels digging ore and coal. Thus the woodcarvers combined their deep religious beliefs and used candles to illuminate the pyramids with saints and symbols from the holy night like oxen, mules and shepehrds. The Christmas market in Annaberg dates back as far as 1510. In Schneeberg the main attraction, aside of the Christmas market, is St. Wolfgang Church with an altar from carved in 1539 by Lucas Cranach, the elder. In the afternoon we continue towards Plauen, a city famous for its handcrafted lace. Plauen was founded in the 11th century and since the 1600’s has been an important place for cotton manufacturing. Tonight we will enjoy a farewell dinner at the hotel. Overnight at Hotel Alexandra.

Day 05: Saturday (December 6) or Wednesday (December 10)
Plauen - Bamberg - Frankfurt
On the last day of the road tour we are travel through the Franconian forest to the imperial city of Bamberg. The city, founded in the 9th century, also has a nicely preserved old-town which was declared a UNESCO world heritage site. We will walk through the old town and see the cathedral and the St. Benedict’s abbey Michaelsberg. The last impression of German Christmas markets can be seen on the pedestrian zone around the cathedral at the Bamberg Christmas market where you can do some last-minute shopping. On we go through rolling hills of Franconia until reaching Frankfurt in the late afternoon. Overnight Intercontinental Hotel Frankfurt.

Day 06: Sunday (December 7) or Thursday (December 11)
After a leisurely breakfast at your hotel, say a fond farewell to Frankfurt and self transfer to the airport for your flight home.