Winter Wonderland (Self-Launched): Frankfurt to Frankfurt via Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein & Switzerland

Land at Frankfurt Airport and take the S8 S-Bahn straight to Mainz Hauptbahnhof (~30 min, €5.30 single, no need to go into Frankfurt city first). Drop bags at a hostel or budget hotel near the station or in the Altstadt. Spend the afternoon walking the Cathedral Quarter: Mainz Dom (St Martin's) is free to enter, and the Gutenberg Museum (€5-8, closed Mondays) is well worth an hour for the printing-press demonstrations. In winter the market square next to the cathedral hosts a Christmas market (late Nov to 23 Dec) with Glühwein and Riesling stands — cheaper and less mobbed than the big-city markets. Eat at a Weinstube in the Altstadt (Winzerkeller or similar, mains €12-18).

🚌S-Bahn S8 from Frankfurt Airport to Mainz Hbf, ~30 min, ~£5

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Mainz Altstadt/near Hauptbahnhof (dorm €25-32, private budget double from €70)

• →Mainz Cathedral (Dom) — free entry
• →Gutenberg Museum ~£6
• →Cathedral Quarter & Christmas market wander
• →Riverside walk along the Rhine

This is a long travel day, but easy on regional and ICE trains. Take an early train Mainz → Würzburg → Steinach → Rothenburg ob der Tauber (roughly 2h30 total with one or two changes; a Bayern-Ticket or a Deutschland-Ticket day pass makes it cheap). Rothenburg is genuinely the postcard: walk the full circuit of the medieval town walls (free), climb the Town Hall tower (€2) for the view, and — in season — hit the Reiterlesmarkt Christmas market and the year-round Christmas shop (Käthe Wohlfahrt). If you want Tilman Riemenschneider's Holy Blood altarpiece, St Jakob's Church is €2.50 and 10 minutes from the market square. Continue Rothenburg → Ansbach → Munich by regional train, arriving evening (~3h). Check into a hostel around Hauptbahnhof or in Haidhausen.

🚌Regional/ICE rail Mainz–Rothenburg–Munich, ~5h total with changes, ~£30-40 (Deutschland-Ticket or Bayern-Ticket brings it down)

🛏Hostel in Munich (Hauptbahnhof or Haidhausen; dorm €30-40, private from €85)

• →Rothenburg town walls circuit — free
• →Town Hall tower climb ~£2
• →St Jakob's Church Holy Blood altarpiece ~£2.50
• →Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas shop

Do the guided orientation yourself with a free self-guided walking route: start at Siegestor, walk down Ludwigstrasse past LMU, into Odeonsplatz and the Feldherrnhalle, then to Marienplatz for the Neues Rathaus Glockenspiel (daily at 11:00 and 12:00, plus 17:00 in summer). Climb St Peter's tower (€5) for the best old-town view. In Advent, the Marienplatz Christkindlmarkt is free to browse; for quieter local markets try the Mittelaltermarkt or the Schwabing market. For the 'lost Advent traditions' angle, the Münchner Stadtmuseum and the Volkskundemuseum run small winter-customs exhibits (€5-7). Evening: Hofbräuhaus or — better value — a locals' beer hall like Augustiner-Großgaststätte (beer €5.50, plates €13-18). Dachau Memorial is free to enter; the €3 site fee for the audio guide and the MVV day ticket (~€9) are the only costs if you add it — allow 4 hours.

🚌MVV day ticket ~£8; everything in the Altstadt is walkable

🛏Hostel in Munich (as Day 2)

• →Self-guided Siegestor–Ludwigstrasse–Marienplatz walk — free
• →Glockenspiel at 11:00/12:00
• →St Peter's tower ~£4.50
• →Optional Dachau Memorial (free entry, ~£3 audio guide)

Take a direct ÖBB Railjet or Meridian train Munich → Salzburg, 1h30, booked in advance from ~€15-20 (or free-ish with a Deutschland-Ticket to the border). Ditch the coach-park hotels and stay in the Schallmoos or Elisabeth-Vorstadt area, or a hostel near the station. Afternoon: Mirabell Gardens with Hohensalzburg Fortress looming above (fortress itself optional, €13.30 with funicular — viewable for free from the gardens), then cross the Salzach into the Altstadt. Mozart's Geburtshaus on Getreidegasse (€13, includes the pianoforte collection) and the Mozart-Wohnhaus across the river (€12, or €19 combined) — pick one if you're watching the budget. The Christkindlmarkt on Domplatz and Residenzplatz runs to 26 December and is one of Europe's best; a Lebkuchen and Glühwein will set you back about €8. Walk the Old Town lanes and step into the cathedral (free).

🚌Railjet/Meridian Munich–Salzburg ~1h30, ~£16-22

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Salzburg (dorm €28-35, private from €80)

• →Mirabell Gardens — free
• →Mozart's Geburtshaus ~£11 (or combined ticket ~£16)
• →Salzburg Cathedral — free
• →Domplatz Christkindlmarkt & Old Town lanes

Morning train Salzburg → Innsbruck (ÖBB, ~2h, changes at Wörgl or direct depending on service, ~€25-35). The route via Kufstein and the Inn valley is the scenic bit the coach tour raves about — sit on the left. In the afternoon walk the Altstadt to the Goldenes Dachl (free to view; the museum inside is €8 if you care), and browse the Maria-Theresien-Platz Christmas markets with the Nordkette mountains as backdrop. Swarovski Kristallwelten in Wattens is 20 minutes out by shuttle bus (Swarovski runs a paid shuttle from Innsbruck Hbf, or take the regional bus to Wattens and walk 10 min); entry €23, book on the website or Klook. If you'd rather not spend that, the Nordkette cable car (Hungerburgbahn + Seegrube, ~€44 return to Seegrube) gives you the alpine panorama instead — pick one, not both, to stay in budget.

🚌Rail Salzburg–Innsbruck ~2h, ~£25; bus/shuttle to Wattens ~£6-10

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Innsbruck (dorm €28-35, private from €85)

• →Scenic Inn valley rail journey
• →Goldenes Dachl & Altstadt — free
• →Christmas markets, Maria-Theresien-Platz
• →Swarovski Kristallwelten ~£20 (or Nordkette cable car ~£38)

A proper travel day, but the cheapest and most interesting route: Innsbruck → Feldkirch → Buchs SG → Sargans → Zurich → Lucerne with a Swiss Travel Pass or Saver Day Pass. Better still, break it at Sargans and take the bus (12E, ~30 min, CHF 6-8) to Vaduz, Liechtenstein's capital. Vaduz Castle is the Prince's working residence — you can't go in, but the walk up to the viewpoint above it gives you the classic photo and views over the Rhine valley (free). The Liechtenstein National Museum is CHF 10 if it's raining. Back on the train, continue to Zurich and then Lucerne (~2h45 from Sargans). In Lucerne, walk to the Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke) and the Lion Monument — both free and best at dusk when the lights come on. Stay in a hostel near the station or the Neustadt.

🚌Rail Innsbruck–Sargans–Lucerne plus bus to Vaduz, ~£45-55 total (Swiss Saver Day Pass ~CHF 52 if booked ahead)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Lucerne (dorm CHF 40-50, private from CHF 110)

• →Vaduz Castle viewpoint walk — free
• →Liechtenstein National Museum ~£9 (optional)
• →Chapel Bridge & Lion Monument — free
• →Lake Lucerne waterfront stroll

In winter, the Mount Pilatus round trip runs from Kriens: bus 1 from Lucerne station to Kriens Zentrum, then the Panorama Gondola and aerial cableway to Pilatus Kulm (CHF 72 return, roughly half-price with a Swiss Travel Pass — check winter operation dates, the full cogwheel railway is seasonal). Expect snow, cloud inversions and views to the Alps; bring proper boots and a windproof layer. Alternative if the mountain is closed or the weather is grim: the Dietschiberg or Gütsch funicular for a cheap panorama, and the Bourbaki Panorama (CHF 15) plus the Glacier Garden (CHF 22). Afternoon: walk the medieval ramparts and Musegg Wall towers (free), poke into the baroque Jesuit Church (free), and just sit by the lake with a coffee. If you want a boat, winter cruises run on a reduced schedule (CHF 30-49 for a short round trip — skip the drinks package and buy a supermarket beer instead).

🚌Bus 1 to Kriens ~£4 each way; Pilatus cable car ~£65 (or ~£33 with Swiss Travel Pass)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Lucerne (as Day 6)

• →Mount Pilatus cable car round trip
• →Musegg Wall & watchtowers — free
• →Jesuit Church — free
• →Optional Bourbaki Panorama ~£13 / Glacier Garden ~£19

Train Lucerne → Zurich → Schaffhausen (about 1h45). From Schaffhausen station take bus 1 or the S33 to Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall; the Rhine Falls are free to view from the platforms, and the boat to the central rock is CHF 10-12 (winter service is limited — check dates). Next, the Black Forest: rather than a coach tour, take the rail route Schaffhausen → Basel or Waldshut → Freiburg im Breisgau, then the Höllentalbahn or the Dreiseenbahn up to Titisee for a proper Black Forest village, frozen lake and cuckoo-clock country (allow 2-3 hours). If that's too much for one day, cut Titisee and head straight to Heidelberg via Freiburg or Mannheim (~4h total). Evening: currywurst or a Brauhaus meal in Heidelberg's Altstadt, then the walk up to the castle terrace after dark (the courtyard and terrace are free after opening hours via the Schlosshof steps; the guided castle interior is €9).

🚌Rail Lucerne–Schaffhausen–Freiburg/Titisee–Heidelberg, ~£45-55; local buses ~£6

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Heidelberg Altstadt/Bergheim (dorm €30-38, private from €85)

• →Rhine Falls from Schloss Laufen — free (boat ~£9)
• →Titisee / Black Forest rail leg
• →Heidelberg Altstadt & castle terrace at night

Morning in Heidelberg: walk the Hauptstrasse and the Old Bridge (Alte Brücke) for the classic castle-over-the-river shot, and visit the Studentenkarzer (student prison) inside the university — €5, tiny, and oddly one of the best small sights in Germany. The Kurpfälzisches Museum (€8) is a good rain plan. If you haven't done the castle interior, the guided visit with the Great Barrel is €9 and worth it. Then a direct regional train or ICE Heidelberg → Frankfurt Hbf (1h, ~€20-25 booked ahead; the slower regional via Mannheim is cheaper with a Länder-Ticket). Allow 45 min from Frankfurt Hbf to the airport by S8/S9 (~€5.30). If your flight is late, drop bags at the station lockers and do the Römerberg and the Main riverbank for an hour.

🚌Rail Heidelberg–Frankfurt ~1h, ~£18-22; S-Bahn to airport ~£5

🛏— (departure day; or one final night near Frankfurt Hbf ~£45 if your flight is early)

• →Old Bridge & Hauptstrasse — free
• →Studentenkarzer student prison ~£4.50
• →Heidelberg Castle guided interior ~£8 (optional)
• →Römerberg, Frankfurt (if time)