Good Morning Dear Reader:
I do not usually post to my blog on the weekend, but I am so excited about this upcoming trip that I cannot wait one minute longer to tell you about it. Every year I take a group to Europe, usually a combination of couples and singles, but this year I have something very special planned, just for the ladies! The First Annual European Christmas Market Tour will be December 1-9 and I am hoping you and your friends will join me!!! It will be so much fun and what great photo opportunities! We have a very short window to fill this trip. Our deadline is August 13, so we have to hurry. Please share will all your friends who may want to go. And what a great idea for husbands to give to their wives–no Christmas shopping agony!
Join Kingwood Travel and Lipstick Digest for the
First Annual Girlfriends’European Christmas Market Tour of Austria, Germany & Switzerland
December 1-9, 2010
$2650, per person, includes airfare, hotels, travel insurance, 7 buffet breakfasts, 3-three course dinners plus Farewell dinner with wine in Lucerne, plus pre-trip party to meet, greet and swap packing ideas
Yes, there will be dancing!
Call up your gal pals and experience a Christmas shopping experience like no other. Visit the traditional Christmas markets of Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, Innsbruck, Zurich and Lucerne. See Europe decked out for the holidays in picture postcard splendor. Camera bugs will have a field day! Yes, this is your chance to wear that fur in your closet!
We will fly British Airways to Vienna (returning from Zurich) to begin our adventure with the services of a full-time Trafalgar guide and multi-lingual speaker traveling on a luxury coach with 30+ fun-loving women. Diane Blanco, author of Lipstick Digest.com and frequent European travel host, will be our tour director. In addition to shopping in the traditional Christmas markets and shops, we will see some of the most amazing scenery, landmarks and highlights of each city. King Ludwig’s castle in Neuschwanstein will literally take your breath away.
We will possibly overdose on laughter and fun, but that is the price of traveling with friends. This tour will fill quickly so if you wish to join us, and believe me, you do, sign up ASAP. Our deadline for this amazing price is August 13, 2010. To sign up, call Ann Chamberlain at Kingwood Travel, 281-359-5464 or e-mail diane@lipstickdigest.com.
You'll make new friends & enjoy great good
Our Itinerary:
Day 1 – Depart USA
Overnight flight to Vienna.
Day 2 – Arrive Vienna (2 nights)
Welcome to the Austrian capital city, Vienna, at this festive time. There is time to relax before enjoying a Welcome Drink with our Tour Director and fellow travelers.
Hotel: Hilton Danube (SF)
Day 3 – Vienna sightseeing and Christmas markets
Our sightseeing tour with a local guide includes a drive along the Ringstrasse with views of the Hofburg, the Parliament, City Hall and the State Opera House. Then there is time to visit Vienna’s ‘Christkindlmarkt’ in traditional decorated wooden huts which display handmade wooden toys, local gingerbread and warming ‘Glühwein’. (Buffet Breakfast)
Day 4 – Vienna – Salzburg – Munich (2 nights)
A scenic drive along the Danube Valley brings us to Mozart’s Salzburg, where the Christmas markets are held in and around the ancient Cathedral. Our guided walking tour shows us the Mirabell Gardens, Mozart’s birthplace and the Old City. Then we drive through fairy-tale Christmas landscapes to the Bavarian capital of Munich, with its festive Christmas markets and bustling beer-halls. (Buffet Breakfast / Dinner)
We can always nap on our deluxe motorcoach
Hotel: Hilton Munich City (SF)
Day 5 – Munich orientation and at leisure
Our orientation shows us the Hofbräuhaus, the Marienplatz and the ornate Glockenspiel on the impressive town hall. Then time at leisure to browse through the stalls at the Christmas market and maybe visit one of the famous beer halls of this hospitable and charming city. (Buffet Breakfast)
Day 6 – Munich – Neuschwanstein Castle – Oberammergau – Innsbruck
This morning, with views of snowcapped mountains, we drive to visit Neuschwanstein, the most extravagant of King Ludwig’s castles. Then to Oberammergau, where the Passion Play was performed in 2010, and on to Innsbruck, where, after an orientation tour, we have time to enjoy the Christmas Market in the Old Town Square. (Buffet Breakfast / Dinner)
Hotel: Grauer Bär (F)
Day 7 – Innsbruck – Liechtenstein – Zurich Christmas market – Lucerne (2 nights)
We head westwards to Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, before entering Switzerland and reaching Zurich the financial capital. Time to visit the lively indoor Christmas market before continuing on to lakeside Lucerne in central Switzerland where we spend the next two nights. (Buffet Breakfast / Dinner)
We will always stop for coffee & chocolate!
Hotel: Schiller (F)
Day 8 – Lucerne orientation and at leisure
This morning our Tour Director shows us the poignant Lion Monument, the covered wooden Chapel Bridge and the Jesuit Church, before there is time to shop for Swiss watches and chocolate. Tonight, we all enjoy a festive Farewell Dinner with wine together with our Tour Director and new found friends. (Buffet Breakfast / Farewell Dinner)
Day 9 – Lucerne – Zurich – USA
Morning transfer to Zurich airport. (Buffet Breakfast)