Austrian White Christmas

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 – the Schönbrunn Palace. Later 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.

Joining the Danube at Melk, we have included entrance and a privately guided tour through the enormous Melk Monastery – an astonishing baroque creation. Later we continue to the Salzkammergut – a land of clear alpine air and blue mountain lakes which formed the stunning back drop to the famous film ‘The Sound of Music’. Before we reach our hotel we will stop in the village of Mondsee, on Lake Mondsee, to visit the film’s ‘wedding church’. Location, location, location! Imagine spending your next Christmas, over 6 delightful days and nights, in this very special, first-class, chalet style hotel gorgeously located directly on Lake Wolfgangsee, in the heart of magical St Wolfgang. Family Run, the 'Romantik White Horse Hotel' has been offering outstanding hospitality for over 500 years, and in their branding, they present themselves as a "Fine piece of Austria". Made internationally famous in a classical opera, its reputation for quality and style is renowned throughout the whole Lakes District region. Built within a series of connected historic townhouses, The 'White Horse' sits next to the church and little town square, right on the pretty lake shore. The view from the hotel across the lake to the mountains is stunning. This is a spa hotel, and it even has a heated pool and steaming spa located on a pontoon, floating out on the lake. The atmosphere is charming with traditional Austrian wooden decor, and the dining is excellent! Staying here over Christmas will create memories to last you a lifetime. Before dinner, enjoy mulled wine or hot chocolate and cookies. Throughout your stay we have included daily hot and cold buffet breakfast and 4 course dinners with a choice of menu. Highlight of your stay will be a traditional Christmas Eve Celebration dinner and a Christmas Day Turkey lunch.

There is nothing quite like a day in the mountains! This morning in Bad Ischl we take a cable car to the top of Katrin Mountain to enjoy the sweeping views of the mountains and valleys of the Salzkammergut. Driving deeper into the lakes district we enjoy lunchtime in Hallstatt. Set on a rocky terrace jutting into the quiet dark water of the lake surrounded by towering peaks, this is perhaps the most beautiful town in Austria. We will also enjoy an afternoon stop in the village of St Gilgen on the northern end of Lake Wolfgangsee.

Heading deep into the Bavarian mountains we visit what is perhaps the most beautiful Alpine lake of all, Königssee –famous the world over for its steep cliffs and fjord like lake. Lunchtime will be enjoyed in Berchtesgaden, then later we enjoy a fun filled ride which takes us deep into the old Salt Mines near Berchtesgaden. After dressing up in a salt miner’s uniform, we ride on a small train deep underground, take wooden slides (or steps) and then float on a barge across a crystal clear underground lake, beautifully illuminated by a light show.

Today we visit Salzburg – the baroque city of Mozart sitting beneath its enormous Festung (Fortress). A walking tour with an expert local guide will introduce you to this enchanting city, including several locations used in the film ‘The Sound of Music’. As a finale you will gather amongst the fir trees in the small stone courtyard of the St Peter’s Keller, dating back to the 1500’s and Salzburg’s oldest restaurant, for a hot drink and biscuits. Afterwards, you will have ‘My Time’ to enjoy the city. The huge castle makes a fascinating visit and don’t forget to soak up the atmosphere of the famous Salzburg Christmas Markets. Later, we stop in the nearby village of Oberndorf where we visit the famous Silent Night Chapel on the site where the Christmas carol was first performed.  Tonight, enjoy a festive traditional Christmas Eve celebration dinner in our hotel.  

Christmas Day as it should be….in a wonderful location – at leisure, relaxing and enjoying the delights of your hotel. Maybe pamper yourself in the hotel spa, or swim in the heated pool or relax in the steaming spa set in a pontoon on the lake? The views are incredible. A turkey lunch has been included, and the highlight of today will be your ride in a horse drawn carriage through the stunning local countryside.

Boxing Day! Your morning is at leisure to enjoy your hotel’s excellent wellness facilities, explore the village or go on a winter walk along the picturesque lakeside. In the afternoon we will take a cruise across the lake to the village of Strobl. Tonight, in our White Horse Inn, we enjoy a ‘Farewell to St Wolfgang’ dinner, to bring this amazing week to a close.

Entering Germany, we stop in the town of Prien on Lake Chiemsee. Here we board a boat to cross over to the island of Herreninsel where we enjoy a guided tour through ‘Mad’ King Ludwig’s Royal Palace of Herrenchiemsee. Utterly extravagant, the State Rooms were modelled on the Palace of Versailles. Later, we continue to Munich for our final evening together. Before checking into our hotel, we will enjoy a panoramic drive around the city. Tonight, we celebrate with a Farewell dinner.

Your Christmas tour is now complete, and it is time to say farewell.