The Nutcracker Tour
Nov. 26 - Dec. 10, 2010

There is no other Christmas Tour which offer anything remotely the same as what we offer on this tour. If you want a very special Christmas Tour then join us on the Nutcracker Tour.  The pace is leisurely designed to let you experience a destination rather than just get a glimpse of a place. We are not multi-tasking on this tour dashing from town to town cramming several destination into a day, rather you travel leisurely with extended stays in most locations. This special Christmas Market Tour starts in Berlin and ends in the Bavarian Alps.

Helga and Jack van Horn

Posh Journeys

ITINERARY  - 

Nov. 26 - Depart USA for the flight to Berlin.

Nov. 27 - After arrival in Berlin. Transfer to your hotel which is located in the center of Berlin within walking distance of one of the Christmas Markets and just a stones throw from Berlin's famous Ku'dam (Kurfuerstendam) a major shopping street. Since participants will come in on different flights airport transfers are on your own. Dinner this evening is at the chic, ultra modern Restaurant Duke in the hotel.  D

Nov. 28 - After a leisurely and ample breakfast embark on a tour of Berlin to see all the famous sites as well as some that are not normally on the average tourist itinerary. Lunch is in a typical old Berlin brewery inn serving fresh brewed beer and good food. In the evening enjoy the Christmas Market set up around the Kaiser Wilhelm Church, the bombed out church which has been left standing as a symbol of the destruction of war. For dinner snack at the Christmas Market where the smells of grilled Bratwurst, hot wine and spice cakes will entice you to try it all.  B L

Nov. 29 - The day is free to pursue your own interests, visit one of the great museums, another of the many Christmas Markets, or go shopping along the Kurfuerstendam or the elegant Unter den Linden Boulevard. B

Nov. 30 - After breakfast board our coach to drive to the Castle Triestewitz in Saxony. Along the way we visit Potsdam and the Castle Sansoucci, the fabulous summer palace of the Prussian kings. Here too is the Dutch Quarter which the King build for the workers he imported from Holland to lay dry the swampy land on which the castle was to be build. The Quarter is an authentic replica of a Dutch town. Later in the afternoon arrive at the Castle Triestewitz just in time for a coffee break and a slice or two of traditional Christmas Stollen.  Later on our bus will take us to the nearby Renaissance town of Torgau for a stroll through town to the great Hartenstein Castle around which the town was built. Dinner is in a local inn Torgau. B D

Dec. 1 - Today you visit Leipzig where we have a guided walking tour through the historic center of the city center ending at the Christmas Market where you have a few free hours to go shopping and have lunch before returning to the Castle Triestewitz. In the evening dinner is at a nearby country Inn.

Dec. 2 - Today we embark on an excursion to the 1000-year old town of Meissen huddled around a steep hill and towered over by its great Albrechtsburg Castle. Opt to walk up to the castle or visit the Meissen Porcelain factory. Meissen Porcelain was invented in the early 1700's and it was the first hard paste porcelain in the western world, the process which until then was only known to the Chinese. The little picture postcard Christmas Market is set up in the beautiful little town square which seems to have stepped out of a fairytale. On our return drive we make a stop at the stunningly beautiful Mortizburg Castle set on an island in a lake.  Dinner is in a congenial inn on the way home. B D

Dec. 3 - This morning a scenic drive will take us to the Nutcracker town of Seiffen in the Erzgebirge, (Ore Mountains), the home of the original Nutcracker. Your abode for two nights is a pretty country hotel in the very center of Seiffen. After arrival you are free to go out and explore the shops that that abound with Nutcrackers, smokers, angels and miners which have not changed much since the Nutcracker was invented a couple of centuries ago. In the evening dinner is in the cozy dining room of the hotel. B D

Dec 4 - Today you have the day to go shopping.  Since your hotel is in the very center of Seiffen you can return to the hotel to deposit your purchases before going out for more. In the evening we drive to an old stage coach inn to feast on a Neinerla, a traditional Christmas dinner as it has been served in this region for centuries. B D

Dec. 5 - Today we embark on a drive to a medieval castle in Bavaria set high above the Main-Danube Canal which was built in the middle of the 19th century to connect the river Main with the Danube through a series of locks.  After arrival enjoy a hot drink and a visit to the castle's museum. Dinner this evening is in a candle-lit dining room of the castle. B D 

Dec.6  - This morning you will head south to the Alpine resort of Garmisch Partenkirchen.  En route we make a stop at the Monastery of Weltenburg founded by Irish and Scottish monks in the 7^th century. The monastery is romantically set at the mouth to the Danube Gorge the narrowest point of the River Danube. Afterwards we visit the stunningly beautiful Befreiungshalle, a rotunda set high above the Danube in memory of the Battle of the Nations where Napoleon was defeated for the first time and which was the beginning of the end of the French Emperor.  Afterwards continue on to Garmisch Partenkirchen where your abode will be a charming Bavarian Chalet. Dinner this evening in a historic brewery inns in the oldest section of Garmisch. B D

Dec. 7 - This morning we take one of the local buses to Garmisch's new and spectacular Ski Jump which  is one of the most modern in the world. From there we take a carriage to the Partnachklamm, a narrow gorge of glacier stream which is a very safe but breathtaking adventure. The afternoon is on your own to pursue your own interests. In the evening dinner is at the Gasthof Fraundorfer in Partenkirchen where you are entertained with song and dance while feasting on Schweinshaxe with all the trimmings. B D

Dec.8  - A short but scenic drive will bring us to Mad King Ludwig's fairytale castle Neuschwanstein where we overnight in the beautiful Villa Jaegerhaus, the former hunting lodge of the Bavarian royal family. In the afternoon take a horse-drawn carriage up to the castle for the tour of it. In the evening dinner is in the dining room of the adjacent Hotel Lisl from where you have a fabulous view of the lighted castle high above.  B D

Dec.9 -  After a leisurely morning and a good breakfast we drive to Erding near the Munich Airport for an overnight.  After arriving in Erding there is time for a stroll and a visit to the quaint  little Christmas Market set up in the town square with its medieval town gate and southern Baroque architecture. Dinner is at an old brewery inn where you can feast of typical Bavarian fare and wash it down with a stein of the famous Erdinger wheat beer.  B D

Dec. 10 - Transfer to the airport for your return flight.