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9 nights | 10 days | $5895 | Limit 8 women | 6 women minimum
How exciting to begin the holidays with a fabulous trip to shop in the Christmas Markets of Eastern Europe! On this Women Only Tour, we will arrive in Budapest and stroll through Europe’s popular and festive Christmas Markets. But this tour is much more than just the shopping! Historic sites, gastronomy and entertainment, too!
This Christmas Market trip will be filled with holiday cheer, new friends and festive moments. Stall to Stall, city to city, we will drink mulled wine and shop for heartfelt, handmade crafts in three different cities.
How perfect will these gifts be for everyone on your list...especially chosen by you while on a Dream Vacation?
When we are not shopping, we will explore the cobblestone streets of ancient Buda and modern Pest. Then we will board a train for Vienna where we will be get a taste for the Viennese cafe culture, the music, and the arts before we travel to the amazing city of Prague. You begin your travel in Budapest and end in Prague.
The festive Christmas markets offer a unique look into local cultures and allow you to immerse yourself into the true holiday spirit! Puppet theaters, folk dancing, museums, cathedrals, music, art, architecture, cookies, chestnuts, Austrian wine, Czech beer….take care of YOU and get into the holiday spirit!
Day 1 - Welcome to Hungary: Budapest!
You will be met at the airport by a private driver and brought to your lovely city boutique hotel.
The evening will be spent getting to know your surroundings and the other women in our traveling group. We will meet for a festive welcome dinner at local Hungarian restaurant where we will taste Hungary’s national drink, Unicum liqueur. This liqueur is a secret formula of more than 40 herbs. A great story of a Hungarian family, a turbulent history and a legacy of an apertif.
Do not give in to jet lag! Let’s celebrate our arrival and experience a Hungarian wine pairings dinner with local sommelier.
*Welcome Dinner
Day 2 - Budapest and Sightseeing
After breakfast, we will gather for a sightseeing tour of Budapest, the city that straddles both the east and the west. Our guide will lead us to the major landmarks of both Buda and Pest, where we will learn about this country’s history through the middle ages until today.
After a leisurely lunch we will visit the medieval Matthias Church, once the site of the the very opulent Hapsburg coronations.
The afternoon will be spent with a visit to the beautifully holiday-decorated Parliament Building before we cross the Danube and climb to Castle Hill. We will take in the breathtaking views of Fisherman’s Bastion and the all the glory of Budapest and the Christmas season.
From Fisherman’s Bastion, let’s sip a glass of mulled wine as we watch the sun set over Pest. Later, as we make our way back to our hotel, we will wander through the old cobble-stone streets filled with Christmas Markets. The view, the markets, and the sunset will all be breathtaking!
*Breakfast
Day 3 - Budapest
After breakfast, we will take in one of the many museums in Budapest, deciding upon either the Ethnographical Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts or the Hungarian National Gallery.
After a traditional Hungarian lunch, the afternoon will be spent in the Jewish district, where celebrations of Hanukkah will be observed.
The Dohány Street Synagogue is the largest in Europe and is in close proximity to the more humble Rumbach Synagogue.
A visit to the Central Market Hall, decorated in all its Christmas glory, will not only be a good place to pick up gifts and souvenirs, but will be a Christmas culinary adventure. We will sample the usual fare delicacies of kürtös kalács/Sekler cake, strudels and flódni (a traditional Jewish cake layered cake with walnut, poppy seed and plum preserve filling). You can also try some bread pizza baked in clay oven, roasted chestnuts, and sample the traditional Hungarian Christmas dishes of stuffed cabbage, roasted goose thigh, roasted pork knuckle, grilled sausages and meat.
And, of course, more mulled wine!
*Breakfast
Day 4 - Vienna by Train
Today we will continue on our trip to Vienna via train. In approximately three hours, we will be in Vienna and will be met at the train station by our guide, who will then escort us to our lovely boutique hotel.
Let’s savor the true essence of Vienna in a chandelier-lit, Christmas decorated kaffeehaus. There is a daily ritual of 3:00 pm coffee and pastry, and this will be our holiday welcome to the city of music, cafes, waltzes, pastries, and Baroque palaces.
Afterwards, we will stroll the amazing cobblestone streets and, as night falls, we will take a traditional horse-drawn Fiaker carriage ride. From Stephansplatz, we will clip-clop through the formal Innerestad before dining on Viennese classics like wiener schnitzel or Tafelspitz (boiled beef with horseradish) and the legendary Sachertorte, a rich chocolate cake with a layer of apricot jam.
*Breakfast, Lunch
Day 5 - Vienna
We will wake up early today and after breakfast head for St. Stephan’s Cathedral, Vienna’s 12th century Gothic basilica, crowned by a 450 foot steeple. Let’s climb the spiral steps for an amazing panoramic view of the city.
Following our private tour of the Cathedral, we will stroll up the pedestrian-only Kärntnerstrasse, and window-shop through the beautifully dressed Christmas windows before we visit the Hofburg Palace, the winter palace of the Habsburgs.
Hofburg Palace is the home of the famed Habsburg jewels, including the crowns of the Holy Roman and Austrian empires as well as its greatest treasure: the Imperial Crown, which dates back from the year 962.
Surrounded by jewels, Christmas decor and the opulence of a bygone era, how can it not be Merry Christmas?
*Breakfast
Day 6 - Vienna: The Christmas Markets
After breakfast, we will enjoy a day of shopping in the many Christmas markets on our Christmas Market Tour.
Led by a guide we will visit the infamous markets….stall-by-stall filled with seasonal gifts and mouth watering treats. We may not visit all 20, but we will visit a few of the best!
On our final night in Vienna, we will dress up and head to the Staatsoper for a musical evening accompanied by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
*Breakfast
Day 7 - Prague
Welcome to Prague! After a five-hour train ride, we will arrive and transfer to our hotel. The city of a thousand spires awaits us!
We will begin our visit in the Old Town (Staré Mesto). Old Town Square is the historical heart of Prague and it will be dressed in all of its Christmas glory! It is here we will find the Old Town Hall and its famous Astronomical Clock, dating from the 14th century.
We will stroll through the market, with its brightly decorated wooden huts. How will you resist the stalls that sell traditional handicrafts: glassware, jewelry, embroidered lace, wooden toys, metal ware, ceramics, scented candles, Christmas tree ornaments, hats, gloves and scarves, and puppets and dolls beautifully dressed in traditional costumes? And how lucky will your family and friends be?!
Following our time of shopping, we will have a welcome dinner of traditional goulash (roast pork knee with cabbage, dumplings) served with local Pilsner beer!
*Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8 - Prague
Let’s wake up early today and head for Charles Bridge to gaze upon its many statues and touch the Cross of St. Jan of Nepomuk. Make a wish and touch the falling priest on the plaque. It is supposed to bring good luck and ensure your return to Prague.
After lunch, we will visit the baroque Church of St. Nicholas as well as the Church of Our Lady Victorious, home to the famous Infant Jesus of Prague.
Our guide will then lead us from Mala Strana to the beautiful cloisters of Strahov Monastery, before we visit the Prague Loreto, Castle Square and Prague Castle.
Prague Castle was founded in the 9th century, and it is here that we will find another must-do Christmas market! After a busy day of sightseeing and shopping we will have a free evening to do as we choose. Maybe a performance at the famous Estates’ Theatre where Mozart’s Don Giovanni was first staged? Or more shopping in the Christmas markets?
*Breakfast
Day 9 - Prague - The Last Day
Today is our last day of our Christmas Market Tour in Eastern Europe.
We will begin our day exploring Wenceslas Square, the busiest and liveliest part of the city. More great dining and shopping, especially on Na Prikope Street. Yes, another Christmas market!
In the early afternoon, we will visit the National Museum. This museum is the former Baroque Church of Mary Magdalene. It's a magical place, transformed over time, where over 400 historical musical instruments of extraordinary value are on display.
Following a holiday concert, we will return to our hotel to pack before we have our farewell dinner river cruise. What an amazing holiday journey!
*Breakfast, Dinner
Day 10 - Depart Prague
With sadness, we say goodbye as we depart on our own to the airport. There is an opportunity to extend your stay. Please inquire.
Thank you for traveling with Her Dream Vacation.
*Breakfast
Trip Inclusions
Meet and Greet Arrival
Private transfer to city center hotel
8 nights in boutique hotels/single accommodation
Breakfast daily
3 dinners/3 lunches
First Class Train transportation between cities Budapest-->Vienna-->Prague
Licensed Tour Guides in each city
City Tours including admissions to palaces, cathedrals and major sites
Budapest night tour on the water with dinner
Christmas Concerts
Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna
and so much more!
Not Included
International flight or mandatory all-inclusive "cancel for any reason" travel insurance
Tips for guides, drivers; meals not indicated; drinks and personal spending or taxes (we will suggest appropriate tipping on your arrival)
Other Things To Know
Itinerary is subject to change based on weather and unknown events
Final itinerary with listed hotel accommodations, contact information transfer schedule, etc., will be sent prior to departure
Our small group tours include many extras that you may not be expecting. Because we are small women's group tour, we have the luxury of flexibility, including necessary changes. We stop when we want to, we add in an extra site, and we start our day when it makes sense.
Some days are easier than others, but you do have some free time built in. It is important to us that you take care of YOU! Do you want to get a massage? Go shopping? Or just chill in your room with a good book? No problem! Just be mindful of, and respectful to, your tour companions and traveling concierge.
We have expert guides and drivers who answer questions one-on-one, with transportation that is typically a luxurious touring van.
We immerse with the locals and there is a lot of serendipity. We visit the "planned by us," but unknown to you are little surprises along the way that are built in. Please join us!
Join Us!
Early reservations are advised and a non-refundable deposit of $800.00 is required
Guests will receive an invoice for the balance due
Full payment is required 120 days prior to commencement of trip
If you are making your reservation fewer than 90 days of departure, the entire amount of the trip must be paid in full at the time of reservation
Please note that this tour is limited to 8 women
Safety and sanitary precautions are implemented for your protection by all vendors
In the event that we do not meet the minimum capacity for travel, you will have the option to pay a supplemental fee for a private, customized tour. This decision will be made with your approval
Please read our Terms & Conditions before registering for your Dream Vacation
Your Total Cost
$5895.00
Includes private single rooms in boutique hotels, meals (where indicated), private transportation, entrance fees, where applicable.