Traveling With Torie

A German Winter

Ever heard of the European Christmas markets? Once I began planning my trip to Munich in 2019, the number one recommended thing was to visit the Christmas markets. It was truly an experience like no other. Imagine a place with nothing but handmade arts and crafts, hot chocolate, glühwein, and sausages. Need I say more?

This is hands down a must-see in Munich when visiting. It isn’t hard to miss though, being that the markets are right in the middle of the busiest parts of Munich. The Marienplatz Christmas market is the center of it all during Christmastime. While I found many items to be comparable to Christmas markets elsewhere in Germany or Austria, I would visit them all to take in the Christmas spirit and find what makes each unique.

The largest Christmas market I visited was in Regensburg, located in the courtyard of Thurn and Taxis Palace. It was beautiful! My most favorite booths were the wine-tasting and potato sampling booths.

Schloss Neuschwanstein

While I only had a few days to explore Bavaria, visiting the Schloss Neuschwanstein (or Neuschwanstein Castle) is one of my top 2 favorite things on my trip. Little did I know I would be in for an hour or two hike up the mountain to see this beautiful and famous castle. I am so happy that I decided to take the hike on foot, though there is an option to take a bus or horse carriage up the mountain. There are so many interesting historical facts and theories surrounding the mystery of this landmark, but taking a walking tour provides the best way to learn about it. Not only was my tour guide amazing, but I booked my tour through Trip Advisor with SANDEMANs NEW Europe tour company which made the process smooth and easy.

The most worth-while experience was climbing all the way to the Marienbrücke, or Mary’s Bridge, to get the view of the Neuschwanstein castle which is the picture above on the right. The bridge was packed full of people, so not exactly easing my nerves, but the feeling of standing on that bridge after a long hike up the mountain was like no other. I even FaceTimed my mom and dad from the bridge because I was in awe and wanted to share the view with them!

Regensberg

WOW. This little town blew me away. Though my feet were tired, I walked through the whole town. It was the most beautiful city I had seen. This was a breath of fresh air compared to Munich. While Munich is nice, it was great to get out to a bit smaller town with that old-town feel. The town of Regensberg is a UNESCO World Heritage site, which I found out after visiting. Regensberg in December is surrounded by beautiful Christmas markets. Some were free to browse through and the large one I visited cost about 5 euros to enter. I could not get over the colorful buildings, that was perhaps my favorite part. I took a walking tour to find all the main sites and then was given free time to explore on my own. I also booked this tour on Trip Advisor with Radius Tours, another wonderful tour company! When I make my way back to this area of Germany, I WILL be visiting the beautiful town of Regensberg. There few hours I got to spend there just weren’t enough.