Old World Christmas Markets

Passengers who purchase flights will depart 1 day before the tour starts and return on the same day as the tour ends.

For flight details, see Before You Depart.

Welcome to Croatia’s historic, elegant capital, listed on UNESCO’s Register of World Architectural Heritage. Travelers who purchased our air-inclusive package will be greeted at the airport and escorted to our downtown hotel. Along the way, we'll enjoy a first look at this prospering city and country, where visitors from around the world are warmly welcomed. Tonight, we'll enjoy a briefing with our Tour Director, followed by a get-acquainted dinner at the hotel.

Our morning guided tour covers the highlights of Zagreb: Upper Old Town with its monumental walls and iconic 13th-century St. Mark’s Church; colorful Jelacic Square and charming alleyways nearby; and beautiful Mirogoj Park Cemetery, which looks more like an open-air art gallery than a final resting place. On this and all upcoming city tours, we'll learn about the local market before we explore it further. Today, we'll dive into our first colorful Christmas Market offering a variety of gifts and goods often connected to local traditions.

After breakfast, we’ll travel through the countryside and across the border to Slovenia’s thriving capital, Ljubljana. Here, we'll have a city tour and walk across the famous Dragon Bridge, through the city's festive squares and streets. Next is the funicular railway up to Ljubljana Castle where we'll enjoy a great view of the city. We'll have some free time, and then continue to Presernov Trg Square at the heart of the city for some fun at the Christmas Market which is filled with lively music, street food, and more.

We'll spend the morning getting to know one of the most beautiful natural lakes in the world with a visit to the iconic Bled Castle, which sits on a cliff overlooking the picturesque Lake Bled. Next, we'll drive to Radovljica, a medieval town with a spirit so festive Coca-Cola filmed a Christmas TV commercial here! We'll learn about the history and tradition of gingerbread at the Lectar Museum from a Slovenian family that strives to preserve the culture and tradition, and we'll make our own "lect" from gingerbread in the workshop. Late this afternoon, we'll return to Ljubljana to enjoy more time in this beautiful festive city. Tonight we'll enjoy dinner together at a local restaurant.

This morning we bid Slovenia farewell and continue to Salzburg, the city of Mozart. Besides the well-known sites like Getreidegasse, the Cathedrale, and the festival house. We'll also view Mozart’s birthplace and the famous "Silent Night" chapel. This afternoon, we'll have free time to stroll around the Christmas markets here, some of the world's oldest, before we continue to Munich.

Today we take a city tour of Munich – the capital of the state of Bavaria. We'll view Nymphenburg Castle, a baroque palace that served as the residence of the monarchs of Bavaria. Next will be the Rezidence, Maximilian Avenue, Leopold Street, the Opera, the Olympic grounds, the Marienplatz with the city hall and famous Carillon, church of St. Peter, the Viktualienmarkt (an enormous market), and more. This afternoon is dedicated to visiting the oldest and most traditional markets in Munich, Christkindlmarkt at Marienplatz (main square) where we'll find a huge (and real) Christmas tree beautifully lit and decorated at the heart of the market.

Today is free to explore Munich and its Christmas Markets at leisure. Or consider joining our optional tour. This evening, we'll rejoin our fellow travelers for a farewell dinner at the famous Hofbräuhaus.

Our tour comes to an end today after breakfast. Travelers who purchased our air-inclusive package will transfer to the airport for our return flight back to the U.S.