Experience Europe’s Pre-Christmas Magic: Markets & Classical Music Tour 2024
Enjoy the world-famous Christmas Markets and Classical Music tradition of Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. One performance - orchestral, opera or ballet - is included at each stop.
Visit Munich, Nuremberg, Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest, Dresden, Leipzig, Berlin: 21 days
‘Book with Confidence’ Guarantee
Also see: Dreaming of a White Christmas? Post-tour add-on ›
Europe’s Winter Wonderland with White Christmas ›
And also: 2023 Pre-Christmas Magic Tour ›
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Book with Confidence Guarantee:
Our European inbound operators have guaranteed that, should there be travel restrictions imposed by our government, the deposits paid will be rolled over to the same tour the following year, with guaranteed seats.
Munich [D]
Day 1, Saturday, Nov 30th
The tour commences today in our 4 star boutique hotel in the heart of Munich. Get to know your fellow travellers at Welcome Drinks and Dinner. [D]
Munich [B]
Day 2, Sunday, Dec 1st
A sightseeing tour this morning of this thousand year old city. Munich is the capital of Bavaria with strong Wagner, Carl Orff and Richard Strauss associations. Munich is home to the Bavarian State Opera, the Bavarian State Ballet, and the Bavarian State Radio Orchestra. Details of our Classical Music performance will be provided closer to departure. The afternoon is free for the Christmas markets.
Munich (Visit Nuremberg Markets) [B]
Day 3, Monday, Dec 2nd
Ask any German which city has the very best Christmas markets and the unequivocal answer will be ‘Nuremberg’. Following a morning in the shops or museums of Munich we have an early afternoon departure for the one hour train journey to Nuremberg, Bavaria’s second city. The markets come alive as the lights come on. Back to our Munich hotel this evening.
Munich & King Ludwig’s Castle [B]
Day 4, Tuesday, Dec 3rd
An excursion by local rail today into the foothills of the Bavarian Alps to visit the fairy tale Neuschwannstein Castle, built by ‘mad’ King Ludwig. Back to our Munich hotel. Will this be the night for a classical concert or an opera?
Salzburg [B][D]
Day 5, Wednesday, Dec 4th ^ Top ^
Our luggage is taken on ahead as we join Austria’s flagship train, the Railjet, to Salzburg the city of Mozart and Maria von Trapp. On arrival we enjoy a walking tour through the Old City, and a funicular ride to the Hohensalzburg Fortress for a panoramic view across the city. Then some of the major Mozart sights and Christmas markets before our included dinner.
Salzburg [B]
Day 6, Thursday, Dec 5th
A day for Sound of Music fans, as we join a tour of the main locations used in the film. Another bash at the Christmas markets.
Salzburg [B]
Day 7, Friday, Dec 6th
How about a day in the Austrian Alps? We take the Railjet again to the Hapsburgs Winter Capital, Innsbruck where after a short walking tour, we take a cable car up the Alps for lunch with a view across the city from 7,000 feet. Back to Salzburg, her markets, and our hotel.
Vienna [B][D]
Day 8, Saturday, Dec 7th
Again today we join Austrian Rail’s Railjet to Vienna, the Imperial Capital of the Hapsburgs and still - after more than two centuries – still the world capital of Classical music. It was home to Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Brahms, Schubert, Bruckner, Korngold, Gluck and Strauss. Not a bad roll call! We settle into our city-centre hotel, where our luggage awaits. Vienna’s fine buildings look magnificent by night, as do her Christmas markets.
Vienna [B]
Day 9, Sunday, Dec 8th
Our morning city sightseeing programme introduces us to this stately city - the Ring, the Hofburg and St Stephen’s (setting of Mozart’s wedding and his funeral). Watch the fountains and listen to the music.
Vienna [B]
Day 10, Monday, Dec 9th ^ Top ^
A free day in Vienna. Her Christkindlmarkt (Christmas markets) are world famous, as are her opera companies and orchestras. Will this be the night for our classical music performance? We will be advised as programmes are released.
Vienna [B]
Day 11, Tuesday, Dec 10th
After a short rail journey we arrive in the Hapsburg’s second capital - and home to Franz Liszt, Dohnányi, Kodály and Béla Bartók - Budapest. Our city sightseeing includes the Chain Bridge, Buda Castle, the Gothic St Matthew’s Church, and the Fisherman’s Bastion. Visit one of the famous historic coffee houses and the Christmas markets before re-joining our train to our hotel in Vienna.
Prague [B][D]
Day 12, Wednesday, Dec 11th
Today’s rail journey brings us in the early afternoon to magical Prague. Our afternoon stroll includes the nearby Old Town Square which has buildings from the fourteenth to the twentieth century. Enjoy the view over coffee in an outdoor café.
Prague [B]
Day 13, Thursday, Dec 12th
This morning we begin to discover this magnificent city. Prague was never bombed, and much of the Old City is untouched from the fourteenth century. The Castle, the Charles Bridge, Wenceslas Square, and the Jewish Quarter feature in our sightseeing. Classical music opportunities abound. Mozart loved Prague, and his love was reciprocated.
Prague [B]
Day 14, Friday, Dec 13th
Enjoy your free day in this beautiful city, shopping or enjoying the music and the markets. Prague is the centre for world famous Bohemian crystal.
Leipzig [B][D]
Day 15, Saturday, Dec 14th ^ Top ^
Our luggage is taken on ahead as we join Deutsche Bahn (German Rail) for a panoramic rail journey down the gorges of the Vlatava River and on to the city of Bach, Mendelssohn and the Schumanns - Leipzig. Enjoy the markets before our included dinner.
Leipzig [B]
Day 16, Sunday, Dec 15th
This morning’s city sightseeing includes the Thomas Church where we pay homage at Bach’s grave, the University of Leipzig which counts both Bach and Goethe among its alumni, and the Nicholas Church – famous for its role in the end of Communism. The afternoon is free for the Christmas markets.
Leipzig (Visit to Dresden)[B]
Day 17, Monday, Dec 16th
While Leipzig was the cultural capital of the Kingdom of Saxony, its princes ruled from the palace in their capital Dresden. Today we visit this stately city which is still being rebuilt from its near-total destruction one night in February 1945. Sensational museums, the Semper Opera House and plenty of Christmas markets. Back to Leipzig tonight.
Berlin [B]
Day 18, Tuesday, Dec 17th
Our short rail journey today has us in Berlin before lunch time. Our afternoon’s sightseeing introduces us to the city which divided Europe for 45 years - the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, Unter den Linden. Tonight’s classical music performance, if available, will be chosen from some of the world’s finest orchestras and opera companies.
Berlin [B]
Day 19, Wednesday, Dec 18th
More sightseeing today in the city with a greater concentration of museums than London, and one of the world’s great zoos. Will the Berlin Philharmonic be in town?
Berlin [B][D]
Day 20, Thursday, Dec 19th ^ Top ^
A final day for that last minute Christmas shopping. Couldn’t find it in the markets? Visit the greatest department store in the world [in your Tour Director’s humble opinion] – KaDeWe, a short walk from our hotel. Our farewell dinner tonight.
Auf Wiedersehen
Day 21, Friday, Dec 20th
Our tour ends after breakfast. Thank you for your company on the Great Trains of Europe.
Tour costs:
$AUD 11,900 per person, twin share or single.
Land Content only (i.e. join the tour in Munich, leave in Berlin)
Note solo travellers are guaranteed their own room without paying a single room supplement.
Enquire about our very competitive airfares and travel insurance.
Deposit:
$2,500 with booking, final payment 3 months before travel.
Book with Confidence Guarantee:
Our European inbound operators have guaranteed that, should there be travel restrictions imposed by our government, the deposits paid will be rolled over to the same tour the following year, with guaranteed seats.
What’s included? Top
- All stops 3 or 4 nights
- First Class rail travel in reserved seats
- 4 Star Hotels with buffet breakfasts
- 6 dinners, sightseeing and entrances as indicated
- Tips for local guides
- Full luggage handling between cities
- 1 Classical Music/Opera/Ballet performance in each of the cities where we stay. Details will be advised when programmes are finalised
- Full time Tour Leader who is the Tour Company Principal
Tour Director: Your Tour Director, Mr Stan Klan of Toowoomba, Qld, is a published Australian historian and the Principal of Great Trains of Europe Tours. Stan has more than 30 years’ experience in history teaching and tour guiding.
The TOUR COST does NOT include:
- Hotel incidentals (eg. mini-bars, telephone calls, laundry),
- Airport and departure taxes, local transport in any city,
- Optional excursions listed or meals other than breakfast and the one restaurant dinner in each city - the first night in each new city, except Berlin where it takes the form of a farewell dinner.
Dreaming of a White Christmas? Top
Commences December 20th, 2024
Why not enjoy a White Christmas in a beautiful Swiss Alpine village (with opportunities to visit Christmas markets) before embarking on the Winter Wonderland Tour?
At the end of the Pre-Christmas Magic Tour - Christmas Markets and Classical Music - in Berlin on Dec 20th, there is an included transfer to the picturesque Swiss Alpine village of Grindelwald, nestled under the north face of the Eiger.
Settle in to the traditional chalet-style hotel which has been run by the same family for generations. Your hostess, current manager Gabriella, has been taking care of the Great Trains of Europe White Christmas Tour members for a number of years now. All have spoken very highly of her warm welcome, personal care and attention to detail.
The hotel is rated 3 stars and oozes Swiss charm. There are breathtaking Alpine views and a roaring log fire. We have reserved superior standard rooms with private facilities for our tour members. Every morning there is a buffet breakfast, and every evening a four course dinner is provided for our tour members. This includes the festivities of a special Christmas Dinner, as Swiss tradition dictates, on the night of Christmas Eve.
There is a beautiful church 50 metres away with a midnight service on Christmas Eve, should you wish to attend (pictured right).
Grindelwald is a snow sports fan’s heaven. But if you are not a snow bunny, there are a million other things to do. Grindelwald is a hub for the Swiss mountain train networks, and there are many gondolas and cable cars to the Alpine peaks all around. It is an easy train ride to the cities of Berne, Basel and Zurich with their Christmas markets. The village itself offers excellent shopping and a wide variety of restaurants and coffee shops for lingering lazy lunches, before returning to the hotel to read or snooze in front of the log fire.
White Christmas Add-On Cost: $AUD$3,000 per person twin share. Single supplement $AUD750
INCLUDES:
- 8 nights’ accommodation in a superior standard room with private facilities in a 3 star hotel in the Swiss village of Grindelwald.
- 8 buffet breakfasts, 7 four course dinners including a Special Christmas Dinner on Christmas Eve. We dine before arrival on December 20th.
- Escorted transfer from Berlin at the end of the Christmas Markets & Classical Music Tour.