All highlights in 5 days
In the run up to Christmas, Saxony is a particular charming destination, with unique century-old traditions and customs that are still a part of people’s lifes. Enjoy romantic Christmas markets and Christmas all-year-round in show workshops and museums.
| Route | Herrnhut – Weissenberg – Pulsnitz – Freiberg – Grünhainichen – Seiffen – Annaberg-Buchholz – Dresden |
| Distance | 385 km (with car) |
| Duration | 5 days on tour |
| What to expect | Explore Herrnhut stars, Pulsnitz gingerbread, and Dresden’s historic Striezelmarkt. |
| Best time to visit | Advent season, from late November until the end of December. |
| Suitable for | Cultural travellers, families, and fans of authentic Christmas traditions. |
Christmas traditions in Saxony
Upper Lusatia
Visit the show workshop of Herrnhuter Sterne GmbH. During the festive season, Moravian Stars illuminate homes, churches, squares and streets in Saxony and beyond. Short stop in Weissenberg with a visit to the “Alte Pfefferküchlerei” museum, once a gingerbread bakery, now the only such building in Europe used as a museum to celebrate gingerbread.
Herrnhut - Weissenberg: 27 km
Weissenberg - Pulsnitz: 50 km
Upper Lusatia
Pulsnitz
Trip to Pulsnitz, the town of gingerbread: In nine gingerbread bakeries the centuries-old tradition of producing these tasty pastries is kept alive until this day. Visit the Pulsnitz gingerbread factory with tasting and insights into the production. Visit the municipal and gingerbread museum with show workshop.
Ore Mountains
Freiberg
Guided tour of the historic centre, including cathedral featuring two Silbermann organs. Visit the world’s biggest minerals exhibition “terra mineralia” at Freudenstein Castle.
Freiberg - Grünhainichen: 68 km
Ore Mountains
Trip to Grünhainichen and visit of the “Wendt & Kühn” world (exhibition days with a "look behind the scenes" in the show workshops: www.wendt-kuehn.de), manufacturer of well-known Christmas decorations, e.g. the famous “Elf-Punkte-Engel” (angel figurines with 11 dots on their wings), the “Blumenkinder” (figurines holding flowers) and seasonal decorations.
Grünhainichen - Seiffen: 37 km
Ore Mountains
Trip to Seiffen, centre of traditional Ore Mountains wooden art: Visit the museum of toys and the show workshops of Seiffener Volkskunst eG and Erzgebirgische Volkskunst Richard Glässer GmbH. Tour of the famous mountain church with organ play.
Seiffen - Annaberg-Buchholz: 48 km
Ore Mountains
Trip to Annaberg-Buchholz: Visit “Manufaktur der Träume” (Factory of Dreams), a unique collection of 1,000 objects of folk art and craftsmanship of historical value that originated in the Saxon and Bohemian Ore Mountains or in the Vogtland. Tour of the St. Mary’s Church and St. Anne’s Church with its many colourful paintings of biblical scenes and the famous Annaberg mountain altarpiece. Visit the Adam Ries Museum.
Annaberg-Buchholz - Dresden: 130 km
State capital of Saxony
Dresden
When travelling in the festive season, visit the region's Christmas markets, e.g. "Striezelmarkt" in Dresden, and scenic markets at palaces and castles, witness miners parades and “Mettenschichten” (last shift below ground before Christmas Eve) in the Ore Mountains. Join a Stollen baking course with selected Stollen bakers, try a “Neinerlaa” Christmas meal mealsand enjoy performances of the Christmas Oratorio by J. S. Bach or similar Christmas concerts.
Don't miss this magical season
Gourmet events and more in Saxony
Relax in Saxony
Tips and inspiration
