Tour brochures make every trip sound like a week of twinkling lights, but they quote prices on different terms, and only 11 of these 38 tours actually put you at a market after dark. Here they all are side by side, with where you sleep, which markets you only pass through and which dates are already gone.
Cheapest first, with sold-out tours at the end. Prices are per person sharing a room. "Sleeps in" means the tour's hotel is in that city, "Visits" means you see it on a day stop.
Munich to Vienna
Sleeps in Munich, Salzburg, Vienna
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates December, dates not shown
See the tour →
Frankfurt to Munich
Sleeps in Frankfurt, Cologne, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Munich
Visits Heidelberg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber
After dark Nuremberg market at night, Stuttgart light trail, last night in Munich's old town
2026 dates 5 and 12 Dec
See the tour →
Kraków to Berlin
Sleeps in Kraków, Wrocław, Prague, Berlin
Visits Dresden
After dark An evening at the Prague market is in the plan
2026 dates 19 dates 26 Nov to 14 Dec, 3 sold out
The 26 Nov departure (sold out) reaches Kraków on the market's opening day
Every hotel is described as central
See the tour →
Vienna to Budapest
Visits Graz
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates 10 dates 28 Nov to 13 Dec
Graz is a free-time stop, not an overnight
See the tour →
Prague to Budapest
Sleeps in Prague, Bratislava, Budapest
Visits Vienna
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates 10 dates 29 Nov to 12 Dec, 5 sold out
Vienna is an afternoon day trip from Bratislava
See the tour →London St Pancras to London St Pancras
Sleeps in Nuremberg
Visits Regensburg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber
After dark Evenings free in Nuremberg, a short walk from the market
2026 dates November and December, exact dates not shown
All four nights in central Nuremberg, no single supplement
See the tour →London St Pancras to London St Pancras
Markets Wernigerode, Brocken, Quedlinburg, Goslar
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates November and December, exact dates not shown
Wernigerode, Quedlinburg and Goslar don't have CW pages yet
See the tour →
Zagreb to Budapest
After dark Zagreb market walk on night one, Budapest market in the evening
2026 dates 29 Nov, later dates not confirmed
Hotels described as central by the operator
See the tour →Vilnius to Helsinki
Markets Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn, Helsinki
After dark Vilnius afternoon and evening left free for the markets
2026 dates 6 dates 28 Nov to 14 Dec, 1 sold out
Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn and Helsinki don't have CW pages yet
See the tour →Munich to Budapest
Markets Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest
After dark Self-guided, so your evenings are your own
2026 dates Daily from November
Start in early November and you reach Salzburg and Munich before their markets open (19 and 20 Nov)
See the tour →
Budapest to Zagreb
After dark Graz advent projection then the markets, Zagreb's lit Advent walk
2026 dates 28, 29 and 30 Nov, December not captured
See the tour →Munich to Vienna
Sleeps in Munich, Nuremberg, Salzburg, Vienna
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates 20 dates 25 Nov to 15 Dec, 3 sold out
Partly escorted
See the tour →
Edinburgh to Edinburgh
Sleeps in Edinburgh
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates 4 and 17 Dec
See the tour →
Berlin to Munich
Sleeps in Berlin, Dresden, Nuremberg, Munich
Visits Rothenburg ob der Tauber
After dark Dresden evening left free for the market, an evening walk in Berlin
2026 dates 15 dates 26 Nov to 14 Dec
Partly escorted
See the tour →
Basel to Lugano (flight home from Milan)
Visits Colmar, Strasbourg, Zurich
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates 13 dates 28 Nov to 15 Dec
Ends in Lugano, you fly home from Milan
See the tour →Munich to Mainz (flight home from Frankfurt)
Sleeps in Munich, Innsbruck, Strasbourg
Visits Heidelberg
After dark Evening at leisure in Strasbourg after the market tour
2026 dates 10 dates 29 Nov to 12 Dec, 3 sold out
No Christmas market mentioned at the Innsbruck stop
See the tour →Berlin to Munich
Sleeps in Berlin, Dresden, Nuremberg, Munich
Visits Leipzig, Rothenburg ob der Tauber
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates 25, 28 and 30 Nov, Small Group 2 Dec
Small Group version from US$3,850. Insight is moving under Trafalgar for 2027
See the tour →Kraków to Berlin
Sleeps in Kraków, Wrocław, Prague, Berlin
Visits Dresden
After dark After-dinner market walks in Kraków on day 1 and Prague on day 4
2026 dates 30 Nov, 1, 7, 9 and 11 Dec, Small Group 2 Dec
Small Group version from US$2,876. Insight is moving under Trafalgar for 2027
See the tour →Zagreb to Vienna
Sleeps in Bratislava, Vienna
Visits Graz
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates 9 Dec is the only date left
Graz is a stop on the way, the nights are in Zagreb, Ljubljana, Bratislava and Vienna
Insight is moving under Trafalgar for 2027
See the tour →Frankfurt to Berlin
Sleeps in Nuremberg, Dresden, Berlin
Visits Frankfurt, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Leipzig
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates 29 Nov to 13 Dec, at least 3 of 7 sold out
The Frankfurt night is in Offenbach
See the tour →Munich to Budapest
Sleeps in Munich
Visits Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates No dates shown
No 2026 dates on Intrepid's own site, it may have sold out
See the tour →Vienna to Munich
Sleeps in Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Munich
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates 2 and 7 Dec left, 4 others sold out
Insight is moving under Trafalgar for 2027
See the tour →Prague to Budapest
Sleeps in Prague, Vienna, Budapest
Visits Dresden, Bratislava
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates No dates on the page
Same three hotels as Collette's European Christmas Markets, so it looks like Collette's tour sold by AAA
See the tour →Vienna to Zurich
Sleeps in Vienna, Munich, Innsbruck, Lucerne
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates 24 Nov to 4 Dec and later, 3 sold out
Day-by-day hotels come from the reseller Global Journeys, Trafalgar's own page hides them
See the tour →
Innsbruck to Munich
Sleeps in Innsbruck
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates 8 and 13 Dec left, 5 others sold out
Last night at a Munich airport hotel
See the tour →Prague to Budapest
Sleeps in Prague, Vienna, Budapest
Visits Dresden, Bratislava
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates 28 and 29 Nov sold out, December dates not captured
Optional evening at Schönbrunn's market with a concert, US$139
See the tour →Munich to Zurich
Visits Salzburg, Freiburg, Strasbourg, Zurich
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates 24 and 26 Nov, 28 Nov sold out, December not confirmed
Three nights in Lörrach for the Freiburg and Strasbourg days, and the last night is at Zurich airport
Small Group version from US$4,028, 24 people max. Insight is moving under Trafalgar for 2027
See the tour →
Munich Airport to Frankfurt Airport
Sleeps in Nuremberg, Frankfurt
Visits Salzburg, Innsbruck, Rothenburg ob der Tauber
After dark Innsbruck lights in the evening, Frankfurt's markets in the evening
2026 dates 7 Dec, the page says sold out in one place and shows a price in another
The Innsbruck nights are in Thaur, outside the city
See the tour →Berlin to Munich (Vienna with ext)
Sleeps in Berlin, Dresden, Bamberg, Munich
Visits Rothenburg ob der Tauber
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates 27 Nov, 3 Dec, 10 Dec (2 spots left)
The Bamberg night becomes Würzburg, Bayreuth or Coburg on some dates
Guided Striezelmarkt visit in Dresden with mulled wine
See the tour →
Frankfurt (arrival airport) to Vienna
Sleeps in Innsbruck, Munich, Salzburg, Vienna
Visits Heidelberg, Lucerne
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates 8 dates 25 Nov to 8 Dec, 8 Dec waitlisted
See the tour →Munich to Vienna
Markets Munich, Salzburg, Vienna
After dark Self-guided, so your evenings are your own
2026 dates Any dates you choose
See the tour →
Paris to Lucerne
Markets Paris, Strasbourg, Lucerne
After dark Self-guided, so your evenings are your own
2026 dates Any dates you choose
See the tour →Munich to Budapest
Markets Munich, Prague, Vienna, Budapest
After dark Self-guided, so your evenings are your own
2026 dates Any dates you choose
The trip page itself doesn't mention markets
See the tour →
Warsaw to Kraków
Sleeps in Warsaw, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Kraków
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates 29 Nov, sold out
See the tour →
Regensburg to Lucerne
Sleeps in Regensburg, Freiburg, Lucerne
Visits Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Strasbourg, Colmar
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates All four 2026 dates sold out
Optional torch-lit market at Thurn und Taxis castle, US$49
See the tour →Vienna to Munich (airport)
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates 2 Dec only, waitlist
See the tour →Munich to Vienna
Markets Munich, Salzburg, Vienna
After dark No evening at a market in the plan, visits are daytime or untimed
2026 dates 7 dates 22 Nov to 13 Dec, waitlist only
Not a market tour, markets come in free time, season permitting
Hotels described as central by Rick Steves
See the tour →Tauck, Cosmos and Topdeck don't sell a land Christmas market tour for 2026 that we could find, and we couldn't confirm any multi-day market tour on Viator or GetYourGuide. Tauck's market trips are river cruises.
Most operators quote land only, so flights are on you. Gate 1 also sells the same tour with flights from New York, Go Ahead quotes before its optional flight packages, and Great Rail's price includes the Eurostar from London. Then there are sign-up savings and last-minute deals, so the headline "from" price is often a single date.
Insight's Alpine tour does Freiburg and Strasbourg from three nights in Lörrach, Gate 1's Central Europe tour sees Vienna as an afternoon trip from Bratislava, and Collette's Magical tour ends at a Munich airport hotel. The "Sleeps in" line on each tour shows where you actually wake up.
Christmas markets are at their best after dark, but most itineraries say "free time" with no hour or sell the evening as an optional extra. We read every itinerary and marked the tours that put you at a market in the evening as part of the plan.
AAA's European Christmas Markets uses the exact hotels of Collette's tour, resellers like Global Journeys and TourRadar sell operator tours under their own pages, and Insight's tours are moving under the Trafalgar name for 2027.
A tour takes the planning and the luggage off your hands, and that's worth paying for. But the legs most tours drive are short, direct trains, so if you're happy to carry your own bag you can stay in the old town and be at the market every evening.
| Between | Fastest train |
|---|---|
| Munich to Salzburg | 1 h 29 |
| Munich to Nuremberg | 1 h 01 |
| Nuremberg to Regensburg | 51 min |
| Bratislava to Vienna | 56 min |
| Berlin to Leipzig | 1 h 14 |
| Leipzig to Dresden | 1 h 05 |
| Basel to Colmar | 40 min |
| Colmar to Strasbourg | 27 min |
| Basel to Lucerne | 1 h 01 |
| Lucerne to Zurich | 41 min |
| Frankfurt to Heidelberg | 54 min |
| Cologne to Düsseldorf | 20 min |
No tour we found stops at these 25 markets, so a train trip is the only way to see them.
Aachen, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Baden-Baden, Bremen, Brno, Bruges, Brussels, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Esslingen, Geneva, Ghent, Hallstatt, Hamburg, Kaysersberg, Lille, Lübeck, Montreux, Ravenna Gorge, Reims, Riquewihr, Rotterdam, Ulm, Valkenburg
Train times are the fastest direct train on a December weekday, from CW's rail data checked in late October 2026.
| Operator | Style | Max group | Tours here | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gate 1 Travel | Coach, partly escorted | Not stated | 7 | US$1,599 |
| Insight Vacations | Coach, plus Small Group versions | 40, Small Group 24 | 5 | US$2,423 |
| Trafalgar | Coach | 48 | 2 | US$2,546 |
| Collette | Coach | 44 | 3 | US$3,199 |
| EF Go Ahead Tours | Coach | 38 | 3 | US$3,599 before flights |
| G Adventures | Small group by train | 16 to 18 | 3 | US$1,499 |
| Intrepid Travel | Small group by train | 12 | 2 | US$1,976 |
| Contiki | Coach, ages 18 to 39 | 53 | 1 | US$1,381 |
| Globus | Coach, Baltics only | 45 | 1 | US$1,899 |
| Rick Steves' Europe | Small group, not a market tour | 24 to 28 | 1 | US$3,745 plus flights |
| Great Rail Journeys | Rail tour from London | 30 | 2 | £1,299 with Eurostar |
| Railbookers | Trains and hotels on your own | No group | 3 | Call for price |
| Nordic Visitor | Car hire and trains on your own | No group | 1 | About €1,632 |
It depends on what you want from the evenings. Insight's Poland, Prague and Germany tour builds two after-dinner market walks into the plan, Gate 1's Poland, Prague and Berlin tour has central hotels in every city from US$1,599 land only, and G Adventures' Zagreb to Budapest trip keeps the group to 16 and travels by train.
Among tours with confirmed 2026 dates, land-only prices start at US$1,381 with Contiki (ages 18 to 39) and US$1,599 with Gate 1, and run to US$4,299 before flights with Go Ahead. Gate 1 and G Adventures mostly sit between about US$1,500 and US$2,200, while Trafalgar, Insight and Collette sit around US$2,400 to US$3,500 per person sharing.
Mostly not. Gate 1 sells its tours with flights from New York as well, Go Ahead offers optional flight packages, and Great Rail Journeys includes the Eurostar from London. Everyone else quotes land only.
Only 11 of the 38 tours we checked put you at a market after dark as part of the plan. Most give free time with no hour, or sell an evening visit as an optional extra.
From 5 days (Great Rail's Bavarian tour from London) to 14 days (Go Ahead's Germany, Switzerland and Austria), with most between 7 and 9 days.