Itinerary
- Day 1
Budapest
You'll arrive in Budapest and head to your hotel, where there's a welcome meeting at 6 pm. If you get in early, the afternoon is yours to use however you'd like. Many people take a walk around to see the city's architecture, head up to Fishermen's Bastion for views across the Danube, or check out some of the local ruin pubs. After the meeting wraps up, you might join your tour leader and the group for dinner, then take a night walk along the Danube with all the lights reflecting off the water.
Optional Activities
- Afternoon stroll through Budapest's historic city center
- Visit to Fishermen's Bastion for panoramic views
- Exploration of Budapest's ruin pubs
- Dinner with tour leader and travel group
- Night walk along the Danube River
Landmarks Fishermen's Bastion Danube River - Day 2
Budapest
This morning starts with an orientation walk led by your tour leader, then you'll head to the Budapest Christmas Fair at Vorosmarty Square, which is one of Europe's oldest and most beautiful Christmas markets. You'll get to try local food like chimney cakes, goulash, and grilled sausage, plus mulled wine comes with the tour. Your afternoon is free, so you can wander through smaller markets, try ice skating at City Park, relax in one of the thermal baths, or just rest. By evening, there's festival music happening at different spots around town that you can catch.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Leader-led orientation walk
- Visit to Budapest Christmas Fair at Vorosmarty Square
- Christmas snacks and mulled wine tasting
Optional Activities
- Exploration of Deak Ferenc Street (Fashion Street)
- Visit to Varoshaza Park markets
- Visit to St. Stephen's Basilica
- Visit to Erzsebet Square markets
- Visit to Gozsdu Udvar markets
- Outdoor ice skating at City Park in front of Vajdahunyad Castle
- Soak in the Budapest baths
- Festival music at various venues
Landmarks Vorosmarty Square Deak Ferenc Street St. Stephen's Basilica Erzsebet Square Gozsdu Udvar City Park Vajdahunyad Castle - Day 3
Budapest to Graz
A 6-hour train ride takes you to Graz, Austria's second largest city. Once there, you'll visit the main Christmas market at Hauptplatz square with traditional Austrian crafts and festive food. The highlight is a funicular ride up to Schlosberg Castle where there are Christmas markets at the top, and coming down you can walk, go through a WW2 tunnel, or try an optional indoor slide (64 meters tall, over 170 meters long). Later on, the town hall projects an advent calendar onto its building, and the city has 14 Christmas markets total to explore.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit to main Christmas market at Hauptplatz square
- Funicular ride to Schlosberg Castle
- Visit to Schlosberg Castle and high-altitude Christmas Markets
Optional Activities
- Tallest indoor slide in the world (64m tall, over 170m long)
- Exploration of additional Christmas markets throughout the city
Landmarks Hauptplatz Square Schlosberg Castle 
- Day 4
Graz to Ljubljana
You'll take roughly a 3.5-hour train to Ljubljana, Slovenia's capital, surrounded by lakes and mountains. Your tour leader will walk you through the city, and you'll visit the main Christmas market along the Ljubljanica river. That evening, head to Metelkova Mesto to experience what the local nightlife scene is all about.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Leader-led exploration of Ljubljana town center
- Visit to main Christmas market on Ljubljanica river banks
Optional Activities
- Visit to Metelkova Mesto for local nightlife
Landmarks Ljubljanica River Metelkova Mesto 
- Day 5
Ljubljana to Bled and return
A one-hour bus ride gets you to Bled, a lakeside town known for its alpine setting. You've got options here, so pick what sounds good: visit Bled Castle sitting on a cliff, join a 6-kilometre walk around the lake with your leader, or hike up to Ojstrica viewpoint. Before heading back to Ljubljana by public bus, grab coffee or hot chocolate and try kremsnita, which is the local cream cake Bled is famous for.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Day trip to Lake Bled
Optional Activities
- Visit to Bled Castle
- 6-kilometre/4-mile walk around the lake with tour leader
- Climb to Ojstrica viewpoint
- Coffee, hot chocolate and kremsnita cake
Landmarks Bled Castle Lake Bled Ojstrica Viewpoint - Day 6
Ljubljana to Zagreb
This morning you'll take about a 2.5-hour train to Zagreb, Croatia's capital. The whole city is lit up for Christmas with fairy lights, decorated trees, nativity scenes, and ice rinks everywhere. The Christmas market here is considered one of Europe's best. In the evening, a local guide will take you on a walking tour to see everything lit up and explain Croatian Christmas traditions.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Evening walking tour of Zagreb Christmas markets with local guide
Optional Activities
- Exploration of Advent festival markets and attractions
- Ice skating at temporary rinks
- Sampling traditional rakija
Landmarks Mt Medvednica - Day 7
Zagreb
You'll ride a cable car up to Sljeme on Medvednica mountain, and if conditions are right, you'll see a proper snow-covered winter landscape. A short walk with your tour leader lets you take in the views, then you'll have a traditional Croatian lunch with local dishes like soup, stew, and sarma (cabbage rolls stuffed with meat). After that, it's back to Zagreb for your last night.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Traditional Croatian lunch featuring local specialties like soup, meat stew or sarma (cabbage rolls stuffed with meat))
Included Activities
- Cable car ride to Sljeme summit
- Short walk on Medvednica mountain with tour leader
- Traditional Croatian lunch
Landmarks Sljeme Medvednica Mountain - Day 8
Zagreb
After breakfast, your trip ends here. There are no scheduled activities, so you have time to do any final exploring around the city or prepare for your departure.
- Meals
- Breakfast
