European Experiences

10/12/2024

Bonsoir from Colmar! Our group arrived here in Alsace (France) this afternoon for the last four-night stop of our European Christmas Experience. The colors, decorations, and lights here are very exciting.

We saw something of the town on a walking tour with our guide Stephane and relaxed over a traditional dinner and some good wine. We enjoyed walking back to our hotel in the quiet evening. And we celebrated the second birthday in our group… Happy Birthday, Susie!

10/12/2024

Monday was our last day in Munich, and our Christmas Experience group headed in different directions based on our interests. We also had some free time before we met up for our last Bavarian meal together.

Three of us spent the morning at the Deutches Museum, the world’s largest science and technology museum, with 20 different exhibitions… something for everyone.

Seven of our group joined Charley to visit Dachau, the former N**i concentration camp, about 30 minutes outside Munch. Over 188,000 people were inmates here— living in inhumane conditions— and 41,500 were killed. Our group had an excellent guide, learned a lot, and were glad they had visited.

The rest enjoyed more of Munich on their own. Several made an afternoon stop back to the Hofbrauhaus.

We met up for a fun dinner at Donisl, walking one last time through the festive Marienplatz. We celebrated Clay’s birthday and have more birthdays the next two days

We’re now on our bus, traveling across Germany. Soon we’ll cross the Rhine River into France for the last stop of our European Christmas Experience… four nights in Colmar, a very special town in Alsace. Stay tuned!

https://european-experiences.com/european-christmas-experience/

09/12/2024

Always a highlight of our European Christmas Experience…. a special evening with Alexander at his kitchen studio Genusswerkstatt in the Haidhausen neighborhood of Munich.

We had a relaxing time in this cozy kitchen/dining room. Alex explained as he prepared each dish, Martin kept our glasses full, some of our group helped cook and serve, and others watched…. and we all enjoyed a delicious and leisurely four-course, gourmet meal of Bavarian and Austrian specialties.

Kudos to our cooks and helpers! And many thanks to Alexander and Martin!

07/12/2024

We traveled 1.5 hours from busy Munich to the lovely village of Oberammergau, at 2750 feet in the foothills of the Alps. The village is known for its painted houses, the longtime craft of woodcarving, and of course the Passion Play. The play was first performed in 1634 and now every 10 years.

We had a village walking tour with our guide Helga… she was born in the village and has been in the Passion Play all her life, three times as Mary Magdalene. We enjoyed lunch at the Hotel Alte Post and then free time to explore and browse the great shops.

https://european-experiences.com/european-christmas-experience/

06/12/2024

Guten Abend from Munich! A little rain doesn’t stop this intrepid group!!

We travelled by train from Salzburg, about 2 hours (a delay), then taxis to our comfortable and well-located hotel. Lunch at the Weisses Bräuhaus across the street and then a guided tour with Ameli. We finished with glühwein at the nearby Viktualienmarkt outdoor food market. And latera traditional dinner at the bustling Der Pschorr restaurant. We’re excited to be here in Munich for four nights!o

05/12/2024

What a perfect day for our day in the countryside outside Salzburg! We first visited the salt mine outside Hallein, where our group wore miners’ clothes to explore deep inside the ancient mine that generated Salzburg’s wealth hundreds of years ago. They ride astride a miners’ train, whooshed down two slides, and slid across an underground lake.

Next we took a twisty road across two mountains and through a canyon to the Salzkammergut region and the farm of Simon and Brigitta. We enjoyed a delicious homemade lunch and learned about their varied activities on their small farm.

Next we visited the lovely lakeside village of St. Gilgen, where their small and friendly Christmas market was set up on their main square. Thanks to Michaela of Salzburg Experience for hosting this special day for us!

We arrived back in Salzburg just in time for the Krampus parade down Linzergasse— right past our hotel!

https://european-experiences.com/european-christmas-experience/

05/12/2024

The bells at 12 noon!

04/12/2024

Our European Christmas Experience group enjoyed another special day in Salzburg. We explored the Dom Quartier, a fascinating complex of five different museums linking the Residenz, the Dom (cathedral), and St. Peter’s Abbey in the baroque center of Salzburg. (Several of the group especially enjoyed the dress-up area!)

We took the funicular up to Hohensalzburg, the Salzburg fortress dating back to 1077… spectacular views and much more to explore.

And later we enjoyed a private concert with two young musicians on saxophone and keyboard… classical music, Christmas music, jazz, and some Sound of Music favorites. Salzburg is a city of music!

04/12/2024

Salzburg is beautiful even in the rain, and our group enjoyed our day exploring this very special city. It was a day of many unique experiences.

We began our day at Mozart’s birthplace. He lived here for 25 of his 35 years and is definitely Salzburg’s favorite son. We next visited the Christmas museum and then had free time to browse the Christmas market and relax over a coffee at a traditional Austrian coffee shop.

After lunch at the Cafe Sacher, most of us went to the Augustiner-Bräu, an immense beer hall in a nearby neighborhood. A real Salzburg experience! And for a contrasting experience, we finished the day at the Mozart dinner concert, an elegant evening at St. Peter’s Stiftskeller, where a restaurant has operated since 803.

02/12/2024

Our 2024 European Christmas Experience group arrived in Salzburg this afternoon. We’re happy to have four nights here in this beautiful city. We had a walking tour (with a stop for gluhwein), some time at the main Christmas market, and a traditional dinner of wiener schnitzel and apfelstreudel.

We have a fun group and this Experience trip is off to a great start!

02/12/2024

We received this special note from frequent traveler Steve a few days ago: "Kathy, I wanted to take a moment to thank you and Charlie and Kelly and Jennifer for giving Linda and I the opportunity to explore so many places and meet so many wonderful people! I know European Experiences is a business but we have made so many friends along the way it seems like a family."

Steve and Linda (from California) first joined us for The Luberon Experience in September 2014 and have now been on nine European Experiences trips. They're always enthusiastic participants in our annual photo contest. And yes-- they do feel like family!

Thanks Steve for your note... it really meant a lot to us!

(Photo from the Return to the Luberon trip, 2018)

29/11/2024

(A special message from Kathy) Thanksgiving Day is drawing to a close here in the USA, and I've counted my many blessings today!

My team and I are thankful for the 1200+ wonderful people who have traveled with us in 203 groups over the past 18 years and the opportunity to share special places, experiences, and memories together. Each week, in just a day or two, a group of strangers becomes a group of compatible friends. We're especially thankful for the many travelers... now good friends... who have joined us on multiple trips and have told their friends about European Experiences.

We’re also thankful for our partners and friends in France, Italy, and England who always welcome our groups enthusiastically to their hotels, restaurants, neighborhoods, gardens, homes, and small businesses and share the uniqueness of their areas. These relationships are so very special to us.

I'm thankful for my husband Charley-- co-founder of European Experiences-- who isn't usually traveling with me these days, but always offers support and encouragement back at home.

And I'm thankful for my fabulous team of leaders and co-leaders who have enabled us to expand our offerings and provide great support for our travelers. I'm especially thankful for Jennifer, Drew, and Kelly, and also JP, Christian, Charlotte, Zoe, Tommaso, Vincenzo, and Arianna and Alessio and their team.

We’ve never really thought of what we do as a “tour” because we’re always surrounded by friends. All these special people make each trip an incredible experience. Thank you all so much!!

(Photos from five of the 23 groups who have joined us in 2024... we'll be meeting our last group of the year in Salzburg on Monday!)

27/11/2024

The French region of Alsace amazes all year round. With its colorful half-timbered houses, charming villages, delectable white wines, enormous views of vineyards dotted with castles, rich history, surprising cuisine, and welcoming people, Alsace is a must-visit.

In the winter, everything is heightened with the festive atmosphere of the Christmas markets.

We love it so much that we visit in both the summer - for a dedicated week-long Alsace Experience - and in the winter - as part of our 3-stop, 12-night European Christmas Experience.

In 2025 we have openings in both trips - why not come travel with us and see this stunning and vibrant area for yourself? Visit https://european-experiences.com/alsace-france/ or https://european-experiences.com/european-christmas-experience/ for more information about each trip.

25/11/2024

BLACK FRIDAY WEEK SALE on our April 2025 trips! Must book by Saturday, November 30. Escape to the sea in Provence or Cornwall!

$400 discount on The Mediterranean Provence Experience, based in the seafront village of Bandol, between Marseille and Toulon, April 21 - 28 (7 nights).

$500 discount on the Cornwall Experience in southwest England, April 21 - May 1 (10 nights). Eight nights in a seafront hotel in Penzance and two nights on the idyllic Isles of Scilly.

https://european-experiences.com/mediterranean-provence/
https://european-experiences.com/cornwall-england/

Contact us to learn more and to book your spot! Email [email protected]

20/11/2024

Check out our new "Spotlight" feature and learn much more about our exciting 10-night trip in Cornwall. Our two nights on the Isles of Scilly are always a highlight. We have just a few openings in our April 21 - May 1 trip... think about joining us!

Email from European Experiences Adventures on the Cornish Coast   2024 Photo Contest Winner - Cape Cornwall - by Marguerite from California Spotlight on The Cornwall Experience Hi Kathy, We'd like to

19/11/2024

We woke up this morning to news of snow in the Cotswolds... Unfortunately winter in the UK isn’t something we get to see due to our tour schedule, but it does have us dreaming of seeing some snow on our upcoming European Christmas Experience!

The last two years (2022 and 2023) we got to enjoy snow during the Munich portion of the trip. In 2022, we were lucky enough to see snow-dusted mountains, fields, and rooftops as we drove through the Ammergau Alps on our day trip out of Munich.

In 2023, we experienced the most snow the city had seen in 25 years! Snowy Munich was absolutely magical and we felt like we were living in a postcard. Due to the unusually heavy snowfall we had make some adjustments to our schedule, but as you can see, life - and our travels - still went on, and we had a wonderful time experiencing Munich!

19/11/2024

Wow... snow in and around the Cotswolds in mid-November!!

Obligatory snow pic! ❄️🔥❄️

11/11/2024

Our new Inside Lyon trip is offered for the first time in 2025. This is a four-night trip, developed and led by European Experiences team member Drew Fedorka. In this post on the Slow Travel Tours blog, Drew shares how his love of Lyon developed and introduces several of the unique aspects of this less-discovered French city.

Our new Inside Lyon tour will focus on discovering Lyon, one of France's best kept secrets, featuring history, architecture, and gastronomy