We enjoyed two fantastic days of touring with Julian. He picked us up from our Viking River cruise promptly, and kept us entertained with many stops, picture opportunities, a delicious lunch of raclette, and lots of information about the area. After he dropped us off at our hotel in Lucerne, he still provided suggestions for our meals and activities for the days we were on our own. He then picked us up for our second day of touring, and again provided a wonderful day of exploring and a fun picnic lunch where he also brought us homemade baked goods that he prepared himself. Delicious!
Julian was professional, engaging and very accommodating to our needs. I would highly recommend using this company and Julian for any touring needs in Switzerland.
5 Days Switzerland
Christmas Market
Tour from Zurich
A Private Christmas Market Tour
5 Days · 4 Nights | Private & Guided | Zurich, Basel, Lucerne & the Alps
Glowing markets, mulled wine and snow-dusted villages
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- 5 Days
- Winter
- Zurich
Overview
Highlights
There is no season in which Switzerland casts its spell more completely than Advent. Cobbled old towns glow with a thousand lights, the air is sweet with cinnamon and roasting chestnuts, and every square hides a market of little wooden chalets.
This five-day private Switzerland Christmas market tour gathers the finest of them, from the grand markets of Zurich and Basel to a mountain-town monastery and a lakeside castle. The whole journey is wrapped in the comfort of The Dolder Grand, the fairytale palace above Zurich that is your home for every night.
With your own private guide leading the way, you taste your path through it all. Raclette scraped over crackling potatoes, mulled wine cupped against the cold, gingerbread with a soft almond heart, and the famous Basel Chäsbängel, a crusty loaf filled with molten fondue.
Between the markets there is a fairytale day in the Swiss Alps, a snowy mountain lake and an open-air barbecue in the crisp winter air. And always, at the end of the day, the warmth of a grand hotel and a spa to melt into.
Schedule
Afternoon
A private chauffeur meets you at the airport and whisks you to The Dolder Grand, the turreted palace on the hill above Zurich.
After the flight, you unwind with a restorative massage in the hotel’s celebrated spa, ready to step into the festive evening feeling wonderful.
Evening Glow
As night falls and the lights come on, your private guide leads you from Christmas market to market through the glowing city. You begin at the contemporary stalls of Europaallee, then move to the Christkindlimarkt beneath the great decorated tree in Zurich’s main railway station.
From there you wander the medieval lanes of the charming Niederdörfli, and finish by the Opera House on Sechseläutenplatz. Along the way you taste as your heart desires: raclette melted over potatoes, a cup of steaming mulled wine, gingerbread with a soft almond filling, and so much more.
Overnight
The Dolder Grand, Zurich
Leisurely Start
A scenic drive to the Swiss mountain town of Einsiedeln, gathered around its vast baroque abbey, for one of the most atmospheric Christmas markets in the country.
Your guide leads you to a favourite bakery, one of the finest in all of Switzerland, for a warm and sweet pause.
Afternoon
On to lakeside Rapperswil, the town of roses, where you visit the romantic lakeside Christmas market, the hilltop castle and, across the shimmering water, the home of tennis legend Roger Federer.
There is time to linger over a mulled wine before, if the day allows, a final stop in handsome Winterthur, one of our favourite Christmas markets near Zurich. Quieter than the city markets, full of charm, and turning beneath its own great Ferris wheel.
Evening Glow
Return to Zurich and the comfort of The Dolder Grand, with the evening at leisure.
Overnight
The Dolder Grand, Zurich
Leisurely Start
A comfortable scenic first-class train journey with your guide to Basel, Switzerland’s city on the Rhine. First to the Dreiländereck, the three-country corner, where Switzerland, Germany and France meet and you can stand in all three at once.
Afternoon
Then into Basel’s celebrated Christmas markets: the Kaserne near the river, the great Messeplatz, and the beloved Barfüsserplatz, aglow beneath the old town.
Last of all, our favourite: the market at the university on Petersplatz, where you try the famous Chäsbängel, a crusty loaf filled with molten fondue. A train carries you back to Zurich as night falls.
Evening Glow
Dinner at leisure and a nightcap at The Dolder Grand.
Overnight
The Dolder Grand, Zurich
Leisurely Start
A fairytale day into the Swiss Alps. In the little-known Canton of Uri, a farmer cable car lifts you to a beautiful frozen mountain lake, deep in snow and far from the crowds.
There is time for a gentle winter walk before an unforgettable open-air mountain barbecue prepared by your private guide. Bratwurst and Cervelas sausages, chicken, beef and more, grilled in the crisp alpine air.
Afternoon
Winding back down, you pause in a beautiful lakeside town on the shore of Lake Lucerne, before continuing to Lucerne itself.
Here you find the last, and one of the loveliest, Christmas markets of your journey, set against the medieval old town and the lake.
Evening Glow
A scenic drive back to The Dolder Grand and a well-earned evening of rest.
Overnight
The Dolder Grand, Zurich
Leisurely Start
A slow, indulgent final morning: the Dolder spa and pool, and time for boutique shopping along Zurich’s elegant streets, a last chance to gather gifts and gingerbread to take home.
Afternoon
A private transfer to the airport, the glow of a Swiss winter fairytale going home with you.
Overnight
Journey concludes
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Quick Facts About This Swiss Tour
Zurich’s Christkindlimarkt in the main railway station is one of Europe’s largest indoor Christmas markets, built around a towering illuminated tree that changes its dazzling display each year.
Basel’s Christmas market is regularly voted among the very best in Switzerland and all of Europe.
At the Dreiländereck in Basel you can stand in Switzerland, Germany and France at the same moment.
Einsiedeln’s abbey is one of the most important baroque monasteries in Europe and a great place of pilgrimage.
Rapperswil Castle was built in the early 13th century by the Counts of Rapperswil and has stood above the lake ever since. Since 1870 it has housed the Polish National Museum, founded by exiles who restored the castle at their own expense.
5 Days of Swiss Christmas Markets Photos
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Best Time to Visit the Swiss Christmas Markets & Who This Itinerary Is For
Best season
Late November to 23 December, when the towns are at their most magical. The first three weeks of December are the sweet spot, snow-dusted and glittering, with the markets in full swing. Einsiedeln's market runs for a short window of around ten days, so we build your dates around it.
Ideal for
Travellers who love the romance of a European Christmas, the lights, the flavours and the old-town charm, paired with the warmth of a grand hotel each night. Gentle underfoot, endlessly festive, and a joy for friends and families alike.
Why Book With Us?
1. 100% local expertise, tested first-hand
Every market, bakery and delicacy on this journey is one we know and love ourselves.
2. Exclusive, top-rated Swiss guides
Your private guide is a Swiss insider and storyteller, leading you straight to the best stalls and the tastiest bites.
3. Hidden gems beyond the tourist routes
A favourite mountain bakery, a frozen alpine lake, the Chäsbängel at the university market, the Switzerland the guidebooks miss.
4. Special access through trusted networks
A grande-dame base, the finest tables and a seamless, unhurried festive journey, arranged down to the last detail.
Our Reviews
We have over 500 five star reviews across Viator, Tripadvisor and Google.
Frequently Asked Questions
Swiss Christmas markets generally open in late November and run until 24 December. The first three weeks of December are the sweet spot, when every market on this itinerary is in full swing and the old towns are at their most festive.
If snow on the alpine day matters most to you, later dates in December tend to be the safer bet.
Five destinations across five days: Zurich (Europaallee, the Christkindlimarkt in the main station, the Niederdörfli and the market by the Opera House), Einsiedeln, Rapperswil, Basel (Kaserne, Messeplatz, Barfüsserplatz and Petersplatz) and Lucerne.
Winterthur is added as a bonus stop on day two if the day allows.
No. You stay at The Dolder Grand above Zurich for all four nights, so there is no packing and repacking. Every market day and excursion runs out and back from the same base.
Yes. The pace is deliberately gentle and most of the walking is on flat old-town streets and market squares.
The alpine day involves a cable car and an easy winter walk, both of which your guide adapts to your group. And we stay completely flexible on the day itself. If your group wants a slower morning or a longer sit by the fire, your guide simply adapts. We regularly host multi-generational families and travellers well into their nineties.
Each market day is built around short, unhurried stretches of walking between squares, with plenty of pauses for food, mulled wine and warmth.
Private transfers and first-class trains cover every distance between towns, so you are never walking further than you want to.
Your guide watches the forecast and reshapes the day around it. If we see that another day in your week looks considerably better in the mountains, we can swap the alpine day with a market day so you get the Alps at their finest. Pre-booked elements such as reserved tables cannot be moved at the last minute, but on guided days we adapt on the fly, whether that means a different valley, a longer market afternoon or more time at the spa.
Raclette melted over potatoes, mulled wine, gingerbread with a soft almond filling, roasted chestnuts and the famous Basel Chäsbängel, a crusty loaf filled with molten fondue. These are a few of our favourites, and the markets hold far more. You are free to browse the stalls and choose whatever catches your eye.
On the alpine day there is an open-air mountain barbecue with Bratwurst and Cervelas sausages, chicken, beef and more. Your guide leads the tasting and tells you what is worth queueing for.
Always. This is a private journey, so the markets, the pace and the hotel are starting points rather than fixed rules. Tell us how you like to travel and we will build the festive details around you.
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