8 days / 7 nights · Munich · Salzburg · Passau · Nürnberg

Join award-winning chefs and cookbook authors Jeremy Nolen and Jessica Vogel for a food lover's journey through the most magical Christmas markets of Bavaria and Austria. From Munich's glowing Marienplatz and Nürnberg's world-famous Christkindlesmarkt to baroque Salzburg and riverside Passau, you'll sip Glühwein, nibble Lebkuchen and Bratwurst, and shop for handcrafted gifts at some of the oldest Christmas markets in Europe.

The trip is timed around Krampusnacht in Salzburg and combines guided food and walking tours, market tastings and hearty Bavarian and Austrian meals – including a Christmas goose dinner on the Danube – with plenty of free time to wander the stalls.

Trip highlights:

• Christmas markets in Munich, Salzburg, Passau and Nürnberg

• Krampusnacht, Salzburg's wild St. Nicholas Eve tradition

• Guided food and walking tours with local experts

• A festive Christmas goose dinner on the Danube

• Small group of no more than 17 travelers, hosted throughout by Jeremy and Jessica

Please note: Itinerary subject to change. The final itinerary will be confirmed closer to the travel dates.

After arrival in Munich, we'll meet at the Airport at 11:00AM. From there we will take the train to our hotel. After dropping off your luggage, you will have time to yourself to explore the city or relax in the hotel lounge until check-in. We'll meet in the afternoon in the hotel lobby and our first stroll through the Christmas market on Marienplatz, where stalls of wooden ornaments, candles and nativity figures fill the square beneath the town hall and the air smells of roasted almonds and Glühwein.

In the evening, we'll gather for a welcome dinner of hearty Bavarian winter cooking (think roast pork, dumplings and red cabbage) and get to know the group over a cold beer or a warm mug.

After the welcome dinner, you are free to walk around the Christmas Markets or head back to your hotel.

After breakfast, we'll cross the border into Austria to Salzburg, the baroque city of Mozart and salt merchants, tucked beneath its hilltop fortress. Once we've checked in, we'll take part in a Cookies and Apple Strudel Cooking Class including lunch.

After the class you will have free time until dinner.

In the evening, we'll wander the Christmas market in the shadow of the cathedral, with plenty of time to browse the stalls with a mug of Punsch or Glühwein in hand. Dinner is own your own and we highly recommend eating in the market.

A free day to explore Salzburg at your own pace. Browse the old town's narrow lanes and smaller markets, warm up in a historic coffee house with a slice of cake, or ride up to the fortress for views over the rooftops to the snowy mountains beyond. We're always happy to share our favorite spots.

After dark, we'll experience Krampusnacht, when shaggy, horned Krampus figures, the devilish companions of St. Nicholas, roam the streets with clanging bells in one of the Alps' wildest Advent traditions. It's loud, a little scary and completely unforgettable.

We'll leave Salzburg for the Danube and Landhotel Donaublick in Obernzell, a riverside village just downstream from Passau and our home for the next two nights. The hotel is owned by our good friend, the former manager of Brauhaus Schmitz, the Philadelphia restaurant where we were chefs, so expect a very warm welcome.

Later, we'll head into Passau, where three rivers meet, to explore its Christmas market beneath the cathedral's green domes and wander the old town's lanes before returning to the hotel for the evening.

A slower day on the Danube. Sleep in, take a walk along the river, or head back into Passau for more time at the market and a look inside the cathedral, home to one of the largest church organs in the world.

In the evening, we'll sit down together at the hotel for a festive Christmas goose dinner made from recipes in our cookbook, New German Cooking, with all the traditional trimmings. Included is a signed copy of our cookbook. If you're a couple, you can keep one and give one away - a perfect holiday gift to take home.

We'll travel north to Nürnberg, the old imperial city of Franconia and home to one of the oldest and most famous Christmas markets in Germany. A guided walk through the old town will introduce us to the city's food traditions, from the spiced Lebkuchen baked here for centuries to the little finger-sized Rostbratwurst grilled over beechwood.

In the evening, we'll head to the Christkindlesmarkt to explore: red-and-white striped stalls, handmade ornaments, the little prune figures called Zwetschgenmännle, and plenty of Glühwein to keep you warm.

Dinner is on on your own. We have many recommendations and honestly the market has some amazing food. Highly recommended!

We'll return to Munich for our final day. After dropping off luggage at the hotel, we'll walk to the Viktualienmarkt, for a food tour. Taste the food the market is famous for including Bavarian specialties like Leberkäse, Weißwurst, Pretzels, and cheeses. Afterward, there's time for last-minute gift shopping at the city's many Christmas markets, each with its own character, from a medieval-themed market to the festive courtyard of the royal Residenz.

In the evening, we'll come together for a farewell dinner to toast the season, new friends and a wonderful week of food and markets.

Enjoy one last breakfast together and a quiet morning in Munich, perhaps one final walk through the old town or a coffee and a slice of Stollen before departures. The airport is an easy train ride from the city center, and we'll make sure everyone knows their connection. Frohe Weihnachten!

*Itinerary subject to change. Final itinerary will be confirmed before the trip.