Christmas in the Black Forest & New Year in Lake Garda & the Dolomites
On this two tiered coach holiday enjoy a traditional German Christmas in the Black Forest, before we head to Italy, and enjoy spectacular New Year celebrations on the stunning shores of Lake Garda. Experience Christmas the German way, as we spend the holiday period in the beautiful Black Forest region. We see Strasbourg, where you will have the opportunity to partake in some last minute shopping and enjoy a scenic drive through the wonderful winter landscapes of the Black Forest. Enjoy a delicious Christmas dinner and why not join us as we visit Freiburg, the ‘unofficial capital’ of the Black Forest. We cross over into Italy, where we welcome in a New Year, and experience many spectacular sights as we visits Verona, the Brenta Dolomites, Lake Garda and offer the opportunity to see the floating city of Venice. Before we head home, we make a stop in the German city of Cologne, all making for a fabulous festive holiday.
14 days from £1929 pp
We offer flexible payment options
Once you have booked your tour either online, or by telephone ( 01709 787 463 ), you have the flexibility of how you pay off the remainder of your balance. You can:
Our contact and online banking payment details will be on your confirmation invoice to remind you of your choices.
Local departure by coach or Door-to-Door service, then to northern France for an overnight stay.
After breakfast we continue our journey into Germany and towards the dramatic scenery of the Black Forest for a four-night stay. En route we pause at the beautiful city of Strasbourg. Strasbourg is a vibrant multicultural city and capital of the Alsace region. There will be free time for you to explore before we continue to our hotel.
The Black Forest is one of the most visited and best-known holiday regions of Germany. People are attracted by the outstanding natural beauty of its varied landscapes; from deep forests, rolling hills, lush meadows and pretty villages with decorated wooden houses.
On our optional excursion we visit the university city of Freiburg im Breisgau, one of the most attractive of South Germany and generally regarded as being the “unofficial capital” of the Black Forest. The charming old town is dominated by its Gothic Munster the towering spire of which is the landmark of the city. Completed in 1330, the tower stands at an impressive 116 meters in height. The city has lots to offer. Perhaps take a stroll through the historic old town to learn about the culture and history of the city, or spend time in one of the cosy cafés. The town centre is noted for its pretty squares and romantic lanes and alongside some of the cobbled streets run a series of narrow streams called the Bachle.
Optional Excursions
Our optional excursions are a great addition to enhance your holiday experience and are highly recommended.
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Merry Christmas! This morning, enjoy an included scenic drive through the winter countryside of the Black Forest to the pretty lakeside village of Titisee to admire the crystal-clear waters and take in the fresh mountain air. Afterwards, marvel at the majesty of the beautiful countryside with its rolling mountains and snow-covered evergreen forests as we travel back to our hotel for our traditional dinner and music.
Our included excursion takes us to the beautiful town of Freudenstadt, which over the centuries has been ravaged by war, plague and fire, yet restored beautifully. Freudenstadt has the biggest market square in Germany, framed by pretty arcaded houses and shops. Listen to the carillon of bells in Martin Luther Square (on the hour at 11am, 3pm, and 5pm) or admire the ornamental water jets in the lower market place.
From Freudenstadt we continue to Triberg, home to Germany’s highest waterfalls, and to the pilgrimage church of ‘Maria in der Tanne’. Triberg is also well-known for its cuckoo clock tradition – carvers, clock makers and clock shops are characteristic of the town. The German Clock Route also passes through Triberg!
We leave Germany and travel south into Italy to Lake Garda for a six-night stay.
Morning at leisure in the resort of Riva del Garda, then an optional visit to a local wine cantina. Enjoy a tasting of the red and white wines and sample some of the local produce of the area including ham, house bread, cheese and salami.
Today, why not join our wonderful optional excursion to the unique city of Venice, the largest city in the Veneto area. Venice is one of the most interesting cities in the world. It mixes Byzantine and Renaissance architecture throughout the 118 islands, and the magnificent buildings, surrounded by bridges and canals, are a sign of the city's former wealth. It has remained virtually the same for 600 years, which adds to its fascinating character and retains its romantic charm. Venice is the world’s only pedestrian city, which makes it easy to explore on foot.
Be sure to see some of the famous sights such as the Doge’s Palace, the symbolic seat of Venetian power and the enclosed Bridge of Sighs. The bridge passes over the Rio di Palazzo and connects the New Prison to the interrogation rooms in the Doge’s Palace. The bridges name comes from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of Venice before being taken down to their cells. A local legend says that lovers will be granted eternal love and bliss if they kiss on a gondola at sunset under the Bridge of Sighs! A visit to St. Mark’s Square, the principle public square of Venice, is also a must. It is dominated at it’s eastern end by the magnificent St. Mark’s Basilica, a superb example of the Romanesque-Byzantine style. It was built in the 10th century to house the body of the St. Mark the Evangelist.
Optional Excursions
Our optional excursions are a great addition to enhance your holiday experience and are highly recommended.
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After breakfast, we have an included excursion to the second largest city in the Veneto region, Verona. Why not make the most of your time here by joining our optional guided walking tour? Verona is a beautiful city and famed as the setting for Shakespeare's romantic tragedy ‘Romeo and Juliet’. The many charms of the city will be brought to life as you walk through its streets accompanied by a local guide. Admire the 1st century Arena, home to the prestigious Verona Opera Festival, which dominates the main square (entrance not included). Verona boasts an abundance of fine palaces, churches and monuments, which adorn its alleyways and squares. Our informative guide will reveal many of the fascinating stories behind the history of the buildings and personalities that will allow you to appreciate to the full the charming nature of this fine old historic town. You will have free time during the afternoon to explore at leisure the many historic buildings, browse amongst the shops or take a coffee break in one of the many cafés in Piazza Bra overlooking the Arena.
Included Highlights
Optional Excursions
Our optional excursions are a great addition to enhance your holiday experience and are highly recommended.
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Join us today as we take a drive through the majestic Brenta Dolomites (weather permitting) on our included tour. Don’t forget your camera to capture some spectacular scenery as we pass through this beautiful alpine region, visiting the ski resort of Madonna di Campiglio. We return to the hotel for a five-course gala dinner with music and dancing.
Leisurely morning before an optional boat trip on Lake Garda.
Optional Excursions
Our optional excursions are a great addition to enhance your holiday experience and are highly recommended.
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TBC |
We leave Lake Garda and travel to Germany for an overnight stay.
Today we visit the majestic city of Cologne; this stylish and attractive city stands on the banks of the Romantic River Rhine. Here you can enjoy some free time to explore the many shops and boutiques. During the Second World War around 90 percent of Cologne’s inner city was reduced to rubble. Today the Rhine metropolis is the fourth largest town and one of the most outstanding travel destinations in Germany and Europe. The Cologne cathedral, famous around the world, dominates the panorama of the city and is still today the second highest building in Cologne after the telecommunications tower. Maybe take time to visit the famous Gothic Cathedral, with its most celebrated work the Sarcophagus of the Magi, thought to hold the remains of the three wise men. The local cuisine, with its many traditional pubs and restaurants, is highly varied and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Whether it’s relaxing on the Rhine promenade of drinking a Kolsch in one of the typical breweries – a visit to Cologne is always worthwhile! We continue to our overnight hotel in Belgium.
Return home.
Book online OR call our friendly travel advisers on:
01709 787 463
If you prefer, then you can join the tour at the hotel. To do this, we will require a copy of your passport for identification purposes and you must advise us at the time of booking.
No reduction will be given if you should choose to do this.
We are unable to guarantee that the hotel will be able to meet your dietary requirements. We find that the majority of European countries do not generally cater for vegetarians and that the meal supplied may well be what everyone else is having minus the meat.
We will of course endeavour to arrange for a vegetarian meal at the hotel. We do however suggest that you advise us of your dietary requests at the time of booking and recommend that you speak to the receptionist on arrival with regard to your request.
You will stay for four nights at a 4-star hotel, such as the Schwanen Resort Hotel in the resort of Baiersbronn, in the Black Forest. You will then spend six nights in Lake Garda at a 4-star hotel, such as the Hotel Sole in Riva del Garda. The hotel has a restaurant and bar. Overnight stays in northern France, Germany and Belgium will be in city-style hotels.
Front row seats can be reserved for £15pp (up to 6 days duration), £25pp (7 and 8 days duration), £30pp (9 to 11 days) or £35pp (12 days or more) on all European tours. This offer is only available for bookings of two or four persons on our Executive and Silver Service coaches and for one or two persons on our Luxuria coaches and is subject to availability. In addition to this, seats on the second row can be reserved for a supplement of £8pp (up to 6 days duration), £15pp (7 and 8 days duration), £18pp (9 to 11 days) or £22pp (12 days or more).
Guaranteed front or second row seats cannot be reserved on transfer journeys to/from the UK port. Occasionally, front and second row seats may be on a request only basis.
Please note: children under 15 years of age are not permitted to sit in the front seats of any coach.
On some coaches the legroom on front seats, central view seats and seats directly in front of the washroom may be slightly less than that available on other seats due to the presence of a modesty board in front.
If your tour is cancelled or merged for any reason and front or second row seats or central view seats or table seats are not available on your tour, you will be refunded any supplement paid. No other compensation will be payable.
Alternatively, we can take seating requests on your booking. However, requests are not guaranteed. All seat numbers are confirmed on travel documents approximately 7-10 days prior to departure.
Central View Seats are available to pre-book free of charge.
Table Seats are available to pre-book free of charge on our Luxuria coaches.
Transfer coaches are routed approximately 2-3 weeks before departure. The route taken depends on where paassengers are booked to travel from on any particular date as to which route is taken. If you require further detailed information regarding the route to the port you can contact our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333 two weeks before you are due to travel.
With regard to the route taken by the main tour coach, this is determined by the driver.
When it comes to getting you to your destination, Leger Holidays make it easy, with a selection of travel options for you to choose from.
We have hundreds of coach joining points throughout England, Scotland and Wales. To find your nearest joining point, search using your postcode below.
*Please note joining points are subject to availability.
Why not go the night before your tour for a relaxing start?
You can park for FREE for up to nine days at the Holiday Inn Ashford North and enjoy an overnight stay with English breakfast from just £41.50 per person (Based on 2 sharing a twin/double room on a B&B basis, subject to availability. Single supplements and terms and conditions apply.) We’ll then collect you from the hotel on the day of departure and return you there at the end of your holiday.
To book this package, please call the hotel on 01233 713333, select option 1, quoting ‘Leger Holidays’ and your booking reference. If your holiday is longer than seven days you can pay for additional days’ parking. Ask one of our friendly reservations team for more details when you book your holiday
On most holidays if you’d prefer to join your tour coach at Stop 24 services, you can park your car in the car park which is accredited by the Park Mark safer parking scheme and is monitored 24 hours a day by CCTV. Payment for the parking is made on arrival using the self-service machines. Excludes holidays to Ireland and the U.K. and tours travelling via Brittany Ferries.
To book this tour, just give our friendly team a call on 01709 787 463 or book online at www.leger.co.uk