Interesting insights from Insight Vacations today: The tour operator is reporting that it has noticed increased interest in their Winter Christmas Markets tours compared to last year.
President Marc Kazlauskas credits the surge to improved value: “Prices are up to 33 percent lower than summer prices, the airfare isn’t significantly less, and the summer crowds are long gone.”
Insight’s 2012/13 Winter Europe brochure contains three itineraries featuring European Christmas Markets:
German Christmas Market (nine days): Explore the Christmas Markets in Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden, Nuremberg, Rothenburg and Munich. Rothenburg'ss 500-year-old Reiterlesmarkt gives a festive air to the cobbled streets and medieval buildings. Enjoy a Celebration Dinner with wine in the Bavarian capital of Munich.
Winter Wonderland with Christmas Markets (10 days): This tour includes two-night stays in Munich and Lucerne, allowing plenty of time to explore the Christmas Markets in each of these towns. Visit Rothenburg to see its animated town clock and ride by cable-car to the summit of a Swiss mountain for stunning views over Lucerne. Guests can also drive along part of Germany's Romantic Road, visit Munich's Marienplatz and see the Olympic Stadium, Victory Arch and university. Visit Salzburg's Old Town and see Mozart's birthplace. Visit Innsbruck's Wilten Basilica and see the Golden Roof. Drive through the Arlberg Tunnel and stop in Vaduz to see the Castle. View the Jesuit Church and Chapel Bridge in Lucerne, visit the Rhine Falls and enjoy a scenic Black Forest drive, and see Heidelberg's ruined castle and visit the Old Town.
Vienna, Prague & Budapest with Christmas Markets (eight days): Take a private tour through the courtyards of Prague Castle, and then walk through snow-covered lanes and the medieval old town square of Cesky Krumlov. Visit Matthias Church and gaze out over the Danube and domed Parliament from the Fisherman’s Bastion. Relax with a glass of wine over dinner at an atmospheric restaurant in Budapest.
For more information on these tours, visit www.insightvacations.com.