Originally Posted by
chollie
We went on a week-long 'market tour' last December. Started/ended in FRA, included Mainz, Wurzburg, Rotenburg, Nuremberg, Munich, Salzburg, Triberg (? - Black Forest). I told my sister at the time that we were really in 'Bavaria', not Germany (according to some people).
Well, except for Munich everything else isn't really 'Bavaria', even though Wurzburg, Rotenburg and Nuremberg all lie in the state of Bavaria, they are part of Franconia and the locals will be insulted if you call them 'Bavarians'
Originally Posted by
chollie
If the dates work out, we may try to be in Frankfurt for the bells - they were magical.
Yes, the "Große Stadtgeläut" is really great, especially on Paulsplatz or directly in front of the cathedral.
Originally Posted by
chollie
Our trip isn't just about the markets, and this time we really did want to include Berlin and Salzburg and we are probably (lot of reasons) likely to fly into FRA.
Since you've already done Frankfurt and Mainz last year, you should ignore my suggestions here
It's good to know, that you're not just going for the Christmas markets, because then I would recommend to skip Nuremberg on your easterly route (because you know it already and because that leaves you more time for other places). You should definitely keep Dresden, Leipzig and Bamberg though. Definitely worth visiting (and not just because of Christmas markets).