Austria, Slovenia & Christmas in Croatia

Your tour commences this evening in the Imperial city of Vienna. If you have arrived today on your international flight, experience tells us it is best to keep active through this afternoon and Vienna is such a wonderful city at this time of year with so much to see and do. Dinner tonight is included, but first enjoy a welcome drink. This is an ideal opportunity to meet your fellow Christmas travellers.

This morning we are joined by a local guide for a panoramic city drive past all the sights, gardens and monuments of this Imperial City, from the State Opera House to the Hofburg Palace. We have included entrance and a guided tour through the State Apartments of the magnificent Royal summer residence –  Schönbrunn Palace. Afterwards you have time to explore the Christmas Markets in the Palace courtyard.

Your afternoon is completely free. Relax and enjoy this enchanting city of museums and style. You simply must indulge in the world of the traditional Viennese coffee houses. How about a tall aromatic coffee and a calorie-busting apfel strudel? Maybe a rich chocolate torten cake? Mmmm! The Christmas shopping is excellent under the beautiful illuminations of the broad, pedestrian mall. Try the excellent Christmas Markets outside the Town Hall where you will find mulled wine, ginger biscuits, music, stunningly decorated trees and folklore displays.

Arriving into Graz, capital of Styria, late morning we have included a funicular ride to the castle complex on top of the Schlossberg Hill. This was once the most formidable fortress in Europe, before being razed by Napoleon. The views from the Stallbastei bastion down over the medieval city are tremendous. The Bell Tower dates from the 16th century, the Türkenbrunnen (Turkish well) is 94 metres deep.

Your beautiful Schloss Hotel is in the heart of this UNESCO World heritage listed city, and your afternoon is at leisure in the medieval town. The Christmas Markets, rated as one of the very best in Austria, are in the Hauptplatz (main square) surrounding the Archduke Johann fountain. Dinner is included tonight.

A highlight of today will be a visit to the astonishing Pyramidenkogel viewing observation tower. Situated on top of the 850-metres-high Pyramidenkogel mountain, near Klagenfurt in Carinthia, it is the highest wooden tower in the world. 100 metres high this wonderfully designed, helix-shaped tower is an amazing feat of structural engineering. Yes, there is a lift, and the views are second to none – from the Hohe Tauern in the north, across picturesque lake valleys, to the neighbouring countries of Italy and Slovenia in the south. For those wanting to descend quickly, there is also Europe’s longest covered slide which, with a total length of 120 metres, wraps around the tower’s central core! Most will opt to take the lift!

In the afternoon we enter the Julian Alps and arrive at the natural wonder of Lake Bled, in Slovenia, where the tranquil waters are surrounded by impressive snow-covered peaks and overlooked by the imposing castle. On arrival we will visit the cliff top, medieval Bled Castle dramatically perched 130 metres above the lake. Dating back 1,000 years it is a symbol of Bled and Slovenia. We stay here in Bled in Lake View rooms, right beside the lake, in the heart of town for the next 3 nights. Dinner is included tonight in the hotel.

First activity of the day will be a relaxing horse and carriage ride along the shores of Lake Bled. Next, we board a traditional ‘Pletna’ boat to cross the placid lake waters to the picturesque Church of the Assumption on the small island. Then it is time at leisure - ‘My Time’ - to relax and savour the beauty of Lake Bled. Mid-afternoon we visit the nearby quaint, walled town of Radovljica. After time to explore we enjoy a gingerbread baking demonstration, before settling in for a dinner of regional specialties in a historic restaurant right in the heart of town.

There is nothing quite like a day playing in the mountains! After a leisurely start, driving into the Bohinj Valley, which stretches through the Triglav National Park, we reach the beautiful Lake Bohinj. Following the pretty shore to the far end we board a cable car which whisks us up the mountain to the ski resort of Vogel. Time to relax and enjoy lunch in one of the mountain restaurants and marinate yourself in the views down across the lake and across the snowy peaks.

Later, back in Bled, in the classic, lakeside Kavarna Café, we have included a coffee and cake - Kremna Rezina – known simply as 'Bled Cake'. It is like a vanilla slice, but the way they make it... mmm... delicious! Your evening is at leisure. Make sure you wander through the lively, colourful Bled Christmas Markets romantically set on your doorstep, along the lakeside, with a backdrop of Bled Castle strikingly illuminated high on the cliffs.

This morning we are joined by a local guide to visit Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana, which means ‘beloved’ in Slovene. Retaining the charm and warmth of a small town, it is filled with baroque churches, palaces, museums, and quaint bridges traversing the canals and rivers. Afterwards, you will have ‘My Time’ to explore the pedestrian areas in the historic Old Town filled with cafes and the fantastic Christmas Markets.

Later we reach Croatia’s capital, Zagreb, where we stay the next 2 nights. Our hotel is in the heart of town on the main square filled with Christmas trees, entertainment and Christmas Markets that spin off into the smaller back streets. Dinner tonight is included.

This morning we are joined by a local guide who will take us on a walking tour through this vibrant city. Yor afternoon and evening will be free. ‘My Time’ to explore. The shopping is excellent, and Zagreb’s Christmas Markets have consistently been voted Europe’s very best! You see, it is not just the mass of markets in the main square, nearby there are also 3 giant town squares set in a line, each with its own Christmas Market theme and style. One with entertainment, one devoted to food and drink and one which is a monstrous ice rink. All within easy walking distance.

On our way to Plitvice today, we first visit a truffle shop, and then also stop briefly in Rastoke where the little village houses are split and surrounded by numerous tiers of small waterfalls spilling and tumbling right through town. Later we arrive at Plitvice, famous for its majestic, grand cascades and enormous waterfalls set in a stunning, scenic gorge. Your afternoon is at leisure walking along the riverside boardwalks, in and amongst the pretty cascades. Depending on the weather, quite often the cascades and waterfalls are frozen in motion. Spectacular! Your hotel is located in the National Park and dinner tonight is included.

A leisurely start. Heading to the coast we reach Rijeka where we enjoy time at leisure for some last-minute Christmas shopping over lunchtime. Later, high above Opatija, we will make a stop at Trsat Castle, a 13th century fortress which overlooks the city. The whole castle has been magically draped by a 12-kilometre chain of half a million lights, and it feels like the scene of a fairy tale.

Next stop, Opatija, where we stay 3 magical nights over Christmas. In the 19th century Opatija evolved as a fashionable riviera where the elite of the Habsburg Empire and Russia partied. Opatija’s ‘Belle Époque’ (Beautiful Age) is attested by its seaside parks and promenade gardens, and its grand style architecture dotted with Habsburg-era villas. Along the boardwalk is an enchanting 12 km sea front promenade called the Lungomare, which snakes its way past little inlets and coves. Your excellent 5-star hotel is set in a brilliant location right in the heart of town, beside the Lungomare and the small Christmas Markets. With the seafront promenade directly in front, the extensive parklands on one side are gorgeously illuminated with Christmas decorations and displays, brightly lit trees and even an old-style bandstand with live music and entertainment. Make sure you follow the meandering pathways through the woods filled with red and white ‘Gonks’ – gnome like Christmas decorated characters hiding amongst the trees and bushes. A surreal Christmas World luring you for romantic evening walks. Dinner tonight is included.

Make sure you take your cameras to breakfast! Displayed in a white walled, grand style palatial room with painted ceilings, the usually extensive 5-star buffet breakfast is extravagantly enhanced over the next 2 mornings with tables of Christmas cakes, Christmas snacks, Christmas flans and puddings, and yummy Christmassy sweets. To start, maybe help yourself to a glass of champagne laced with pomegranate seeds. Take your time as today is mostly free - ‘My Time’ to relax, walk along the promenade and do some last-minute shopping. Late afternoon we will gather at Gastro World for you to see exhibits of what can actually be created out of chocolate! You will have a demonstration of chocolate making, chocolate art, and of course an extensive tasting. This is Christmas Eve and tonight we have included a special dinner in your grand hotel.

A leisurely start before jumping on the coach and travelling across the Istrian peninsula to the Adriatic Sea. Our destination is the gorgeous fishing port and old town of Rovinj. Standing on a headland, the cobbled streets and alleys wind their way up to the hilltop church of St Euphema. Lunchtime will be at leisure here in this delightful, picturesque harbour town. Back in Opatija your evening is free.

An early start today as we have an incredible day planned for you! Crossing back into Slovenia we reach Postojna where we enjoy a mesmerizing train ride deep into to a stupendous labyrinth of massive caves. Our guided walking tour will then take us along easy, winding walkways amongst gorgeously illuminated, enormous caverns, stalagmites and stalactites. World renowned, the Postojna Caves are an astonishing experience. Afterwards we also visit one of the most extraordinary castles in the world. Predjama Castle is set dramatically in the gaping mouth of a cavern halfway up a 123m cliff, is listed as the world’s largest cave castle. Dating back 800 years, most of what you will see is 500 years old and its armory, halls, living quarters and dungeons take you back to the 16th century.  Later we reach the coastal city of Trieste, and we enjoy an orientation drive, including a stop on San Giusto Hill. The first inhabitants here go back as far as prehistoric times, and here you will see the medieval castle and ruins of an ancient Roman basilica sitting next to a 14th century cathedral. Inside, the Byzantine inspired mosaics are exquisite.

We stay our last two nights in Trieste in a grand old-style hotel right on Trieste’s waterfront. The main city square of Piazza Unità d'Italia (the Unity of Italy Square) is just one block away and the remainder of your afternoon and evening is here at leisure. This huge square overlooking the sea is surrounded by truly grand buildings and cafes and in the evenings, it is gorgeously illuminated. Connected to the square, Trieste’s large Christmas Markets are still alive and bustling and the wide canal that cuts through the pedestrian streets is lined with numerous Italian restaurants.

A leisurely start as we travel just outside of Trieste to visit the delightful Castello di Miramare. Set in a spectacular location on a rocky spur jutting out into the Gulf of Trieste, Miramare (meaning “look at the sea”) was built in the mid-19th century for the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian (House of Habsburg) and his wife, Charlotte of Belgium. They later became the Emperor and Empress of Mexico. Miramare is not really a castle, but rather a fantastic example of a magnificent, princely residence of the 19th century. ‘Maximilian’s Rooms’ include the archduke’s bedroom designed and furnished like a ship’s cabin, and the ‘Throne Room’. The ‘castle’ is set in a large Italian- English-style garden, with sculptures and plants and trees collected by Maximillian on his travels.  Your afternoon will be free back in Trieste, and this evening we have arranged a farewell dinner.

Sadly, your Christmas tour is complete. This morning we will take you to Venice to arrive late in the morning. We will make stops at Venice Marco Polo airport and Mestre railway station. We recommend that you book flights or trains that depart Venice after 2pm today.