Fourteen nights, 16–30 December 2026 — the day-by-day, an interactive map of every stop, and where to stay. Tap any pin to see the photos & the plan.
The overview map — the line is your route, the numbered pins are your bases. Tap a city to preview it and jump to its day-by-day below.
You loved Rothenburg & Strasbourg — so here's the variant that gives them their magic hour: an overnight in each, so you shoot them at empty blue hour and sunrise once the day-trippers leave. The trick is making Nuremberg a daytime stop instead of a night — which means Paris (×4) and the Belgian finale don't change at all. Only the Dec 19–22 leg differs.
Below is Plan A (the Grand Plan) in full detail — its maps already show Rothenburg & Strasbourg pins, so tap them there for the photos. Prefer Plan B? Say the word and I'll make it the detailed one.
Pick up in Munich the morning of the Alps day (Dec 17); you need it through Bavaria + Alsace. Drop it in Strasbourg on Dec 22 before the TGV — that's a cross-border (DE→FR) one-way drop, so get a written quote & pre-book early (~€150–300). From Paris onward it's all trains.
Strasbourg→Paris TGV ~1h50 · Paris→Brussels Eurostar ~1h27 · Brussels→Bruges ~1h · Bruges→Ghent ~25 min · Brussels→Airport ~20 min. Book the TGV & Eurostar ~2–3 months ahead for the best fares (they're cheapest early).
Paris shops close early on Dec 24 (~17–19h) and most shut Dec 25 — that's why the 24th is department-store windows + churches and the 25th is empty-street Montmartre. Pre-book Christmas lunch/dinner. German markets you'll have already enjoyed close Dec 23–24.
Neuschwanstein's Marienbrücke (the postcard view) is often iced shut Nov–Mar — plan the Alpsee-shore angle. Winter tyres are standard/legal in German rentals (confirm). Alpine cable cars close in storms — check webcams the morning of the Alps day.
Sunrise ~08:00 (DE) to ~08:45 (FR/BE); sunset ~16:20–16:55. The 16:15–17:15 blue hour is the daily money window — market lights on, sky still blue. Short days mean easy sunrises. Bring a compact tripod, a fast lens for markets/interiors, and spare (cold-drained) batteries.
Neuschwanstein timed ticket · the Arc de Triomphe rooftop · Sainte-Chapelle · Bruges Belfry climb. Paris museum days: Louvre closed Tuesdays, Orsay closed Mondays. Reims (optional Champagne day-trip) needs a cellar booking.
Every Book ฿ button opens Booking.com for your exact nights in Thai Baht (THB) — so you see real, live availability & prices there. The ฿ figures on the cards are indicative (converted at ~฿39/€, rounded); December is festive-peak, so reserve early — the best-located places (right on the canals/squares) sell out first. I can't confirm live 2026 availability from here, so treat the cards as a curated shortlist to check & book.