Tour starts in Brussels, Belgium and ends in Strasbourg, France.

Day 1. We’ll start our holiday adventure at our centrally located hotel in Brussels with an introduction to answer your questions and meet our travel companions. Then we’ll head out for an orientation walk of this quintessential European city known for its tasty cuisine and have dinner together. Sante! (Sleep in Brussels 3 nights)

Day 2. Belgium’s capital has so much to offer, so we’ll start with a historic walk around the city center, then have a free afternoon to choose among the many attractions. Feel like a photogenic electron at the iconic Atomium, learn about the EU and what it’s doing to face the future with a self-guided tour of the Parlamentarium, or pick your favorite among the classic rides and racecars of Autoworld. Or join me for an informal (unguided) visit to the marvelous Royal Museum of Fine Arts. I can show you more of my favorite market stalls, or feel free to go a-wassailing on your own!

Day 3. All of Belgium is at your doorstep, and I can help you coordinate a trip anywhere you like, from the beer capital of Leuven to cinematic Bruges, or join me to visit classy Antwerp. Long known as home of the finer things in life, from diamonds to high fashion, baroque artists like Rubens and photogenic city squares, I fell in love with Antwerp when I lived here. I’ll show you some of my favorite spots, including not only great markets, but a world class fine art museum, indulgent chocolate tasting, and possibly the best gelato north of the Alps.

Day 4. Tot ziens, Belgium! A short drive will take us into Germany, where we’ll stop at a favorite market for in-the-know locals. After free time to wander and grab lunch, we’ll take another hop south to beautiful Trier, where a nearly 500 year old hotel waits to welcome us. The markets are just around the corner, and we will stop for a gluhwein in front of the oldest cathedral in Germany on our way to dinner together. (Sleep in Trier 3 nights)

Day 5. Trier is one of my favorite German towns because it manages to feel like a village, yet has incredible sites to share. We’ll have a guided walking tour to get a sense of them, then you have a free day to explore. Head straight for the ruins of Ancient Rome(!), check out the birthplace of Karl Marx, sip delicious local wine in a medieval wine cellar, or maybe take a boat ride on the beautiful Mosel River?

Day 6. We’ll be a short ride from arguably the best kept secret in Western Europe: Luxembourg. After a relaxing morning, we’ll take a day trip to the city that earned its nickname as The Gibraltar of the North before aging into the elegant world capital it is today. Ride the ferris wheel and look out over the valley whose river flows past the fortifications that shaped European history.

Day 7. We’ll say “auf Wiedersehn” to Germany, but you can keep the language if you like, as we head to the legendary Alsatian city of Strasbourg. We’ll stop along the way to walk in the footsteps of history in a former fortress of the legendary and ill-fated Maginot Line. Then it’s on to the city that deserves its title as The Capital of Christmas. Our locally-owned hotel is just a short walk from the storybook city center where one of the most famous markets in Europe awaits, or more accurately, 10 of them. I’ll show you my favorites on our way to dinner together. (Sleep in Strasbourg 3 nights)

Day 8. Alsace has been swapped back and forth between France and Germany over the centuries, and a walking tour this morning will give us a better appreciation of the stories it has to tell. Then it’s a free afternoon to check out the iconic cathedral, find your favorite pastry in the medieval streets of Petite France, or work your way down the list in this holiday wonderland.

Day 9. Stay to explore beautiful Strasbourg as you please, or come with me for a short ride to the renowned hamlet of Baden Baden. Pick a hot spring spa to soak with the aristocrats, wander the charming lanes, or hunt down any last items on your list, before meeting up back in Strasbourg for our farewell dinner together.

Day 10. Strasbourg has easy rail connections back to Brussels, or onward to Paris, Amsterdam, or pretty much anywhere else you’d like to go. Bon voyage and joyeux Noël!

Tour itinerary subject to change.