Day 1 - Arrival Hungary

Upon arrival at Budapest airport you are welcomed to Hungary by your local Guardian Angel and transferred to your hotel where you are assisted with check-in procedures.

On arrival you enjoy a festive and warming glass of mulled wine or hot chocolate.

Overnight: Four Seasons Gresham Palace

Day 2 - Pest Tour & Christmas Markets

Explore the highlights of the Pest side of the Danube on today’s tour. Start off with a private tour (subject to theatre scheduling) of the palatial Opera House. Built between 1875 and 1884, the Opera House was painstakingly restored after being severely damaged during the siege of the city in 1944-5. Continue discovering more of Pest with a visit to the ornate Synagogue, believed to be the largest in Europe, and its Jewish Museum, which stands at the exact location where the founder of modern Zionism, Theodor Herzl, was born. Witness Heroes' Square with its impressive Millennial Monument, and St Stephen's Basilica, the largest church in the city. Time permitting, you may wish to round off your tour by heading to the market hall to witness the wonderful array of provisions and craft wares on sale.

After lunch, your private guide takes you on a tour of the Budapest Christmas market which is laid out before the city's famous 'Advent Calendar' building. Each day a decorated window of the building is opened to mark the countdown to Christmas. At the end of November Vörösmarty Square turns into a festive and unique market place. You experience a Christmas Market with a distinctly Hungarian flavour. In addition to the many stalls which offer typical regional food, honey cookies and strudel, as well as craft and art, you can enjoy traditional folk dance and music performances.

Overnight: Four Seasons Gresham Palace

Meal Plan: B

Day 3 - Buda Tour

Embark on an exploration of the Buda side of the city. Cross over the Danube to Castle Hill, where the former Royal Palace gracefully towers over the famous river. Explore the cobbled and colourful streets of this ancient district and take the opportunity to discover Matthias Church, which has witnessed the coronations of Hungarian kings over the centuries. Enjoy stunning panoramas of the city and river from the Fishermen's Bastion and nearby Gellért Hill before returning to your hotel.

Enjoy the afternoon at your leisure.

Optional Extra: 
In the early evening you are privately transfer to Buda Castle to enjoy a private wine tasting in the historic Faust Wine Cellar. Once the Buda Hills were well known for their wines as the whole area was covered with grapevines; cultivating grapes for the production of wine has always been an essential part of Hungarian life. Spend the evening tasting some of the country’s best wines in an amazing vaulted stone cellar. Depending on your taste you are offered either white or red wine, or a special combination of Hungarian curiosities.

Overnight:  Four Seasons Gresham Palace

Meal Plan: B

Day 4 - Budapest - Pannonhalma - Vienna

Enjoy exploring the scenery of the Hungarian countryside as you leave Budapest for Austria today. Before crossing the border, enjoy a stop at Pannonhalma, where your guide shows you around the 1000-year-old Benedictine Abbey. Still inhabited by monks today, the abbey played a significant role in the diffusion of Christianity in medieval Central Europe, and was also home to the country’s first documents written in Hungarian.

Afterwards you proceed to Vienna, where you are met by your Guardian Angel and assisted with check-in

Overnight: Hotel Sacher Wien

Meal Plan: B

Day 5 - Vienna City Tour & Christmas Markets

Explore the imperial delights of Vienna today during a half-day walking tour. Begin with a visit to the splendid Hofburg Palace complex, the famous winter residence of the Habsburg family who ruled the Austro-Hungarian Empire until 1918. In the oldest part of the Palace, take in the extraordinary collection of Austrian Crown Jewels (closed on Tuesdays but other options are available), worn by the Emperors on the occasion of their coronation. The 15^th-century Burgundian Treasury and impressive Treasury of the Order of the Golden Fleece are just a couple of the highlights also on display here. Afterwards, wander through the charming streets and hidden alleyways of the old town until you reach the gothic St Stephen's Cathedral, whose soaring structure enshrines the heart of Vienna.

In the afternoon enjoy a tour of the beautiful Christmas Markets of Vienna with your local guide. Start with the ‘Christkindlmarkt’ on the square in front of the Town Hall. This is Vienna’s most classic and best known market, dating back over 700 years. One of its specialities is the ice rink, which is built every year for the winter period. You may wish to go ice skating whilst surrounded by Christmas decorations and lights and the lovely smell of mulled wine and freshly baked cookies. The park surrounding the market is full of trees decorated with lights shaped like hearts or gingerbread men.

Unlike other Christmas markets in Vienna, the ‘Spittelberg market’ is not based on a large square or open area, but winds its way through narrow streets, alleyways and courtyards. This market is dedicated to an eclectic and extensive collection of arts and craft - from exotic wares from the Far East to locally-produced beeswax candles.

As it is situated next to the Fine Arts Museum (closed on Mondays) you may wish to use the opportunity and visit the museum where you can see many pictures that show scenes of the Nativity.

Overnight: Hotel Sacher Wien

Meal Plan: B

Day 6 - Schönbrunn Palace

Meet your local guide today and travel outside the city center by private vehicle for a full-day excursion to the magnificent Schönbrunn Palace with its beautiful grounds. Schönbrunn Palace was the vast summer residence of the Habsburgs and takes its name from a beautiful spring found on the estate. The spectacular setting of the Palace and the gardens are a prime example of Baroque planning. The beauty of the strict architectural symmetry is further enhanced by its gardens with fountains, trees and alleyways. Your guide  accompanies you through many of the palace staterooms, including the 'Hall of Mirrors' in which Mozart performed for the Empress Maria Theresa when he was only six years old.

Schönbrunn Palace has its own little Christmas Market and provides a magnificent setting for this romantic Advent village. You can see crafted Austrian artifacts, which range from wooden Christmas tree decorations, felt, glass and stone, to handmade pottery, tin toys, clay products and hand-carved mangers. Moreover, you can enjoy wines from all over Austria, different punches and tea specialities. Christmas music is provided by national and international choirs, brass bands and groups.

Optional Extra: Baking Class 
In the late afternoon you experience the festive atmosphere in a traditional Christmas bakery. Enjoy a private cookie-baking and gingerbread-decorating class in the palace bakery of Schönbrunn, which is located in the vaults of the Residenz Café. Your private confectioner shows you how to make traditional Austrian Christmas cookies and let you decorate typical star- or bell-shaped gingerbread. After all your efforts you can of course enjoy tasting your own cookies or take them home with you as a gift for family or friends.

Overnight: Hotel Sacher Wien

Meal Plan: B

Day 7 - Danube Valley - Salzburg

Depart Vienna this morning with your driver-guide and transfer by private vehicle through the beautiful Danube Valley to Salzburg. Stop in Krems, with its 14th-century former cloister, and the town of Dürnstein, arguably the most beautiful of the region's villages and home to the ruins of a castle fortress. The town is situated in the heart of the wine-producing area of the Wachau. You may wish to visit the Wine College, established in a three hundred-year-old church, where you can sample from more than 150 Austrian wines.

Continue to Melk to visit the Benedictine Abbey, a fortress-like structure that is one of Europe's most fabulous Baroque monuments. From the library take a short walk for a spectacular view of the Danube and Wachau Valley, before continuing your journey to Salzburg.

Overnight: Hotel Sacher Salzburg

Meal Plan: B

Day 8 - Salzburg City Tour & Winter Wonderland of Bavaria

Take in the highlights of the city of Mozart during a walking tour. Accompanied by your knowledgeable guide, stroll along the inviting Getreidegasse, probably Salzburg's most famous shopping street. Here you see Mozart’s birthplace; known as the ‘Hagenauer House’, Mozart lived at no. 9 Getreidegasse from 1756 until 1773. Continue to Herbert-von-Karajan-Platz, named after Salzburg's second-greatest musical son. Next it’s time for a refreshment stop at one of the many local coffeehouses that were once part of the aristocratic imperial era, during which this unique café culture flourished and attracted artists, poets and writers from across the globe. Later, stroll along to Peter's Abbey to see its lavish Rococo interior before taking the funicular railway up to visit the Hohensalzburg Fortress, the largest fully-preserved fortress in Central Europe. Explore the lavish staterooms and enjoy marvellous views of Salzburg and the surrounding countryside. Your tour finishes at the Mirabell Palace and Gardens, best known for being part of the background in 'The Sound of Music'.

In the afternoon your private driver-guide takes you for an excursion to the Winter Wonderland of Bavaria in Germany. Head out along the Old Town of Salzburg, following the Salzach out of the city, past the legendary and mythical Untersberg Mountain and to the old border crossing into Germany. Continue alongside the King’s Lake River on your drive through the striking Bavarian alpine valley, with its picturesque farms and villages, until you reach your destination of Bischofswiesen, where your sleigh ride through the winter paradise begins. Snuggle up under warm blankets and experience the picturesque scenery. Mulled wine will be served during your hour-long ride.

Time permitting, you either visit the beautiful village of Berchtesgaden or drive to the King’s Lake (Königssee), nestled among the steep and imposing mountains of the Bavarian Alps for a stroll.

Overnight: Hotel Sacher Salzburg

Meal Plan: B

Day 9 - Salzkammergut Lake District

Enjoy a half-day sightseeing tour with your driver-guide and private vehicle to the beautiful Salzkammergut lake district, east of Salzburg. Stop at Lake Fuschl, a small lake renowned for its pure blue deep waters.

Continue to nearby St. Gilgen and take a public boat cruise on one of Austria's most beautiful lakes to St. Wolfgang. St. Wolfgang is set against a dramatic backdrop of mountains and is home to the famous 'White Horse Inn', setting for the operetta and film musical of the same name. You may wish to savour a coffee and apple strudel with cream on the terrace before returning to Salzburg.

Overnight: Hotel Sacher Salzburg

Meal Plan: B

Day 10 - Departure Salzburg

Today you are privately transferred to Salzburg airport with the assistance of your Guardian Angel.

Meal Plan: B