Christmas & New Year Tours in Austria and Switzerland

Celebrate the festive season with a 12.5-hour Christmas tour through Salzburg's Old Town, visiting the cathedral and Mozart's birthplace decorated for the holidays. Walk through Vienna's atmospheric Christmas markets near St. Stephen's Cathedral and the Hofburg Palace, where vendors sell traditional Austrian crafts. Ring in the New Year with scenic views from Mount Rigi at 1,797 meters, accessible via aerial cable car and cogwheel train, overlooking snow-capped Alps and crystal-clear Lake Lucerne.

Spend the holiday season traveling from Prague Castle through the snow-covered Alps, with stays at Innsbruck's Alphotel and Zurich's Mövenpick Airport (breakfast buffet included at both). Take the Titlis Xpress cable car up to 3,028 meters above sea level at Mount Titlis, walk through the Glacier Cave, and cross Europe's highest suspension bridge at Cliff Walk. Ride the cable car to Grindelwald First, have an included alpine lunch in Lucerne, and check out the Swarovski Crystal Museum in Tyrol.

This trip brings together festive alpine scenery across Zurich, Innsbruck, Salzburg, and Vienna during the Christmas and New Year season. See Rhine Falls dressed up for winter, take cable cars to Mount Titlis' snowy peaks, and walk through the Christmas markets in UNESCO-listed Salzburg Old Town. End in Vienna with holiday displays at Schönbrunn Palace and the decorated Hofburg Imperial Palace, staying in centrally-located 3-star hotels like Holiday Inn Express Zurich Airport.

Ring in the holidays with a cable car ride to Glacier 3000, where you'll walk the suspension bridge connecting two snow-capped peaks and have lunch at 3,000 meters. The UNESCO-listed St. Gallen Abbey Library houses 170,000 volumes in a beautiful baroque hall. Tour the medieval Chillon Castle on the shores of Lake Geneva. The charming walled town of Gruyeres includes a tasting at the Cailler Chocolate Factory. Cruise across Lake Lugano from the lakeside village of Gandria.

This Austria and Switzerland Christmas tour runs December through March, stopping at festive spots like Geneva's English Garden with its flower clock. The walled town of Gruyères is famous for Swiss cheese production. Charming Feldkirch sits near the Austrian border and adds variety to the route. You'll cruise Lake Zurich during the winter months when the landscape is different. The baroque Einsiedeln Abbey serves as an important pilgrimage center. St. Gallen's UNESCO-listed Abbey Library features an ornate baroque hall with seasonal ambiance.

This holiday trip covers Christmas markets in Salzburg's UNESCO-listed Old Town and Munich's Marienplatz, then heads to Neuschwanstein Castle for New Year's celebrations. You'll cruise across Lake Wolfgangsee and take the cogwheel train up to Jungfraujoh at 11,332 feet. The route includes a stop at Rhine Falls, Europe's largest waterfall. Accommodations are at Bristol Hotel in Zurich, Hotel Interlaken, Ibis Innsbruck, and Maritim Hotel München. You'll also visit Swarovski Crystal Worlds and Lake Titisee in the Black Forest.