We meet at the airport at 12.00 (noon) for our KM Malta Airlines flight to Zurich airport departing at 2.25pm. On arrival at 4.50pm we are transferred to our 4-star Hotel Central in Schwenningen. After check-in at the hotel, we are offered a welcome drink and later we will go for a familiarisation walk in the town’s pedestrian area.

On our first day after breakfast, we join the tour leader to accustome more ourselves with the pedestrian area in the centre of Schwenningen. Late morning we will board our coach for an optional excursion heading towards Freiburg, the hub and capital of the Black Forest region. We will walk in the very heart of Freiburg’s historical centre and visit the Gothic Cathedral, dominating the main square. We then walk towards Augustinerplatz for the traditional Christmas Market followed by free time for sightseeing and shopping.

A day of scenic delights awaits us on our full-day optional excursion to the heart of the Black Forest. This region is greatly known for producing and selling traditional cuckoo clocks for more than 260 years. We first head to Triberg Waterfalls (extra), with the possibility of casting a glance at the last cascade of the waterfalls (depending on the limited access due to safety measures caused by weather conditions). We will later have a short drive to admire the world’s largest cuckoo clock in Clock Park Eble which has it spot in the Guinness Book of World Records. Our last stop will be in Colmar in France, a famous romantic place known as ‘Little Venice of Alsace’. Our walking tour takes us right in the heart of the historic town centre, where Colmar’s Christmas markets radiate warmth with an inviting atmosphere where one is sure to encounter some delightful discoveries.

We board the coach and head to Strasbourg in neighbouring France for a full-day optional excursion, passing through the lovely Black Forest’s thick foliage wintry countryside. On the way we stop at Dorotheenhutte’s glass paradise and its unique all-year-round Christmas shop. We proceed to Strasbourg known as the “Capitale de Noel” with over 300 stalls spread around different squares making this city a magical one during Christmas time. We will also visit Petite France and the old medieval town with its impressive Cathedral surrounded by the famous Christmas Market. Strasbourg’s history, charm and beauty are there for everybody to admire.

Today we head south for our full-day optional excursion on Lake Constance, bordering with Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Our first stop will be a short visit to see the fascinating Birnau Church which is a popular pilgrimage site. We then continue our trip to visit Meersburg Castle (extra) situated on the German lake’s shoreline. Here we can wander through more than 30 decorated rooms, the armoury, the dungeons, the torture chamber, and more interesting areas. Time permitting, we will have a coffee break on the castle’s terrace admiring a wonderful lake view. After this visit we proceed towards the ferry wharf to board the ferry (fare included) for a 20-minute trip to Constance, the largest town on the lake’s coast. This historical town is ideal to stroll around the picturesque pedestrian streets leading towards the harbour where we go around the largest Christmas market in the region.

In Stuttgart we visit the most popular Christmas Market in Germany and the largest in Europe with 240 stalls spread on Karlsplatz, Schillerplatz and Schlossplat. We will also stroll along the 1.2km long pedestrian Konigstrasse, a shopping paradise packed with variety of shops for any taste. One may opt to visit on his own the Mercedes-Benz Museum (extra) which takes you through a journey of more than 130 years of fascinating automotive history and on into the future. Arrangements will be done by the tour leader for those interested to visit the Mercedes-Benz Museum on their own.

For the last full-day, it is highly suggested to join the group and spend an optional excursion and indulge ourselves in the Christmas atmosphere at the famous Europa Theme Park (entrance extra). This Christmas Wonderland of adventure guarantees a lot of fun for all ages, with various attractions and spectacular indoor shows, including the sparkling Ferris Wheel, the Circus Revue, with the additional of hundreds of snow-covered Christmas Trees, thousands of lights, glittery baubles all prepared to make our last day a special and memorable one at Germany’s biggest theme park during Yuletide.

After breakfast, there will be some free time until we leave for Zurich Airport for our return KM Malta Airlines flight departing at 5.40pm and arriving in Malta at 7.55pm.