CHRISTMAS MARKETS IN CENTRAL EUROPE in 8 days
Christmas Markets pop up all over Europe during the weeks leading up to Christmas. Each year, we feature several winter wonderland tours during the holiday Christmas season. These outdoor markets feature unique decorations, beautiful, handcrafted arts, and endless opportunities to sample great food and countless varieties of glüwein, punch, and spiced drinks, served piping hot in souvenir mugs. This route features four contrasting cultures and languages. This tour visits Nürnberg, Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest.
Your Adventure Starts Here!
| PRICE FROM | DATES | |
|---|---|---|
| $3789 + air | Nov 30-Dec 7, 2025 |  |
Nürnberg – 1 night
Prague – 2 nights
Vienna – 2 nights
Budapest – 2 nights
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Single Room Additional Cost ~ $680
ITINERARY
Sunday, Day 1: Munich to Nürnberg – Join your Exploring Europe guide at Munich’s Central Train Station by 12:00 noon. Then, let’s hop on a fast train. In an hour, we will be in Nürnberg, home of Germany’s most famous Christmas Market. The town square has over 180 wooden stalls loaded with homemade crafts, local food, mulled wine, and Christmas cheer. Each stall is decorated with red and white cloth and has become the model for all other European Christmas markets. Enjoy a free afternoon. We will reconvene for dinner this evening to celebrate your winter holiday adventures. Sleep 1 night in Nürnberg. Dinner. NOTE: Transportation from the Munich Airport to the central train station is easy via taxi or local train. We will help and provide instructions.
Monday, Day 2: Prague – We will get an early start on our journey to Prague, making a stop or two along the way. Once in Prague, we’ll embark on an ambling walking tour through Prague’s historic old town. We’ll end our day with a traditional dinner in an authentic pub. Sleep for 2 nights in Prague. Dinner.
Tuesday, Day 3: Prague Castle – After breakfast, join your guide on a local tram crossing the Vltava River and up the hill to the largest castle complex in Europe. You’ll visit St. Vitus Cathedral, the Royal Palace (when available), St. George’s Basilica, and the “Golden Lane.” Enjoy lunch and the remainder of the day and evening on your own to experience more of Prague and its Christmas Markets. Your guide will be available to help plan activities, such as a concert, dinner, or a performance at the unique Black Light Theatre.
Wednesday, Day 4: Vienna – Enjoy a scenic ride through the Czech countryside. Later, you’ll arrive in Vienna, the capital city of Austria. Join an orientation walk with your guide and spend some free time exploring the Christmas Markets before dinner. Sleep for 2 nights in Vienna. Dinner.
Thursday, Day 5: Vienna – After breakfast, we will begin a walking tour concentrating on the royal Habsburgs and their importance to this city. You will visit the Opera House (when open), the Hofburg Palace, the Imperial Apartments, and the Royal Treasury. The remainder of the day and evening is free to explore another museum or a palace or slow down and enjoy the coffee café culture.
Friday, Day 6: Bratislava and Budapest – Bratislava, on the banks of the Danube River, is the capital of Slovakia. We’ll stop here to experience the pedestrian-only 18th-century town known for its cheery cafes and Christmas Market vibe. Then it is on to Budapest, the capital city of Hungary. Enjoy a walking tour and a panoramic cruise on the Danube River. See the massive Parliament Building, several outdoor Christmas Markets, and the Great Indoor Market Hall. Sleep for 2 nights in Budapest.
Saturday, Day 7: Budapest – We will visit Castle Hill for a panoramic view of the city and countryside. You’ll have the afternoon free to enjoy more of Budapest and perhaps take a relaxing plunge in a traditional public bath (swimming suit required). Later, we will meet for dinner to celebrate our final evening in Budapest. Dinner.
Sunday, Day 8: Your tour ends this morning – Have breakfast at our hotel. Your Exploring Europe tour leader will be available to assist with your exit plans if needed. Merry Christmas!
Itinerary specifics are subject to change.
INCLUSIONS
Transportation by coach or minivan from the Munich Airport to your last hotel in Budapest.
Seven night’s accommodation in traditional hotels, guesthouses, and B&B’s. All rooms have private en-suite baths.
A guaranteed Small group with 6-18 travelers.
All tips and gratuities to guides, drivers, restaurant, and hotel staff.
Seven traditional breakfasts.
Four dinner dining experiences at some of David’s personal favorite restaurants. Eating well is a priority and you’ll enjoy fine regional fare featuring the best the locale has to offer.
Water is included with all group meals. Sodas, wine, beer, and other drinks are your responsibility.
All tours and admissions at no extra cost: Walking orientation tours in Budapest, Bratislava, Prague, and Nurnberg. Public transportation tickets where needed. opportunity to have a traditional public bath in Budapest. Guided tour of the Vienna Opera (when possible). Entrance and audio-guided tour of the Hofberg palace in Vienna. Visit Christmas Markets in Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, and Nurnberg, and much more (itinerary specifics are subject to change).
A full-time Exploring Europe guide and local experts dedicated to bringing to life the historical and cultural experience of the tour destinations.
David’s digital e-printed tour handouts detailing each day’s itinerary and experiences.
Free luggage tags and David’s custom-designed drawstring backpacks.
Our Unconditional Tour Price Guarantee that once locked in, with your deposit, will never cha
$50 Tour Alumni discount for each David McGuffin tour you’ve taken prior to this travel year.
EXCLUSIONS
Comprehensive Trip insurance. We strongly recommend comprehensive insurance for tour.
Fee for passports.
Beer, wine, spirits, and soda during the tour.
Laundry, phone, internet, and personal items
Extras and optional activities.
Anything not mentioned in the itinerary.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
CANCELLATION POLICY
CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS:
Deposits- Deposits for tours are fully refundable for 30 days from your initial application and deposit date, unless otherwise noted. If you book a tour less than 90 days before its departure date, full payment is due immediately, and the entire tour cost becomes non-refundable after seven days. After these dates, deposits are not refundable and will be forfeited if you cancel your tour reservation.
Payments- Tour payments are due in full 90 days before your tour departure date. If you find you must cancel between 90-0 days before your tour departure, please contact us immediately. We will work with you to transfer your payments to another tour departing within 18 months. We strongly recommend that everyone purchase comprehensive travel insurance that covers tour cancellations, emergency medical, and other unexpected events.
Cancellations will be effective when the written notification is received at David McGuffin›s Exploring Europe by mail, e-mail, or fax.
SIGN UP BY EMAIL OR POST
If you do not want to sign up online:
You may download a tour application and send it to us with payment.
-OR-
You may return it by:
- FAX 1-800-570-1351
- Email – info@davidmcguffin.com
- email – take a photo of the form with your smartphone and attach it to an email
- TXT – take a photo with your smartphone and TXT to 904-612-8149
KEY TO WALKING & ACTIVITY
Walking and Physical Activity: We have planned this trip to provide maximum tour experiences. The basic nature of Europe does require some degree of physical activity to get out and see the sights, especially in the big cities. To help you plan, we’ve included a daily projection of physical activity. Here is the key for our walking activity ratings:
Light – Walking done on level surfaces with some hills and elevation gains. Two miles or less of required walking during the day.
Moderate – Walking done on paved and gravel paths and cobbled city sidewalks. To enjoy the full tour experience, some uphill and downhill walking is expected, as is standing while viewing sights or museums. Four to six miles of walking per day.
Strenuous – Walking done on rugged and rocky paths and city-cobbled sidewalks. There will be steps and stairs. Up to three hours standing in museums or experience sites. Up to eight miles of walking per day.
Your Choice – No matter what your walking ability, we will help you find alternative ways to enjoy and experience all Europe has to offer. To get the most out of our tours, you should be able to operate at the light level every day with spurts of moderate and strenuous.
PRE-TOUR RESOURCES
Now that you’ve decided to join this tour, we are sure you’ll have some questions. Don’t worry. We are here to help you through each aspect of your tour from start to finish.
DAVID’S 60 SECONDS DESTINATION VIDEOS
Join David as he shares impromptu moments from his travels in the United Kingdom. Watching these short 60-second segments are a great way to experience David’s travel style and adventures. Watch David Explores Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
David’s TRAVEL TALK TUESDAY almost-weekly broadcast and Video Series Blog.
Every week, when David is not traveling in Europe, he presents a LIVE broadcast on Zoom and Facebook. Check it out on Tuesdays at 7:30 PM Eastern Time.
Each Travel Talk Tuesday session is recorded. Watch them here.
DAVID’S BLOG ARTICLES
David and his team have answered many travel-related questions, and they are all tucked away on his blog. But, no need to go there. Just type in a keyword in the search box at the top or bottom of this page (it’s the gray rectangle with a small magnifying glass icon), and you will get results for your query.
PLEASE SEND US AN EMAIL OR GIVE US A CALL.
We are happy to answer your travel questions and give advice and suggestions. tours@davidmcguffin.com or 800-570-1351.
Testimonials & Reviews of our Tours
My best friend and I just returned from the Best of Greece + Santorini tour in October 2024. First, it was the perfect time to go--much less crowed and we had perfect weather! Charlotte, our guide, was so kind and fun to travel with. We loved all the historical sites (and the site licensed guides were all phenomenal! We learned so much and they told great stories), and all the beaches/towns we went to were gorgeous. Delphi was unbelievable, I never would have thought to go to Nafplio on my own but it was a gem, and Hydra was adorable. The catamaran trip at the end in Santorini had to be postponed one day due to winds but when we went the next day, it was an unforgettable experience. From the local places for dinners to cute hotels, we wouldn't have wanted to travel any other way!
Best of Italy 15 days for our 50th wedding anniversary ! Our first McGuffin tour. More to plan next trip. ! We were well taken care of and teamed up with 5 folks from the Denver area, Great small group.
Our guide Ilaria was excellent, well organized and detailed. Great personality and took extra good care of us by avoiding the tourist traps, selecting great restaurants off the beaten path.
Rome was overwhelming and breathtaking, hard to comprehend the history, we were glad to get out of the city and tour the smaller towns.
The hotels were first class and close enough to transportation but off the beaten path. Group dining was fun and educational as Ilaria explained the local cuisine and customs.
The wow moment was the Vatican and Basilica and seeing The David. So much to take in.
David's tour information prepared us well and by the time we departed we felt confident and well informed. We also had many daily PDF downloads to brief us on the days activities.
It was a lot of walking but we came home in great shape, exhausted but in a good way. Did not get to hear a lot of music which we wanted , there were opportunities on our free days but i did not plan ahead well for that,. We did find a couple of laundries which helped.
All in all we would go again in a heartbeat ! The preparation, the planning, guides, hotels, were well worth the cost and a trip of a lifetime. Booking and finding the flights was a bit challenging but we minimized our hops and traveled well with Delta. Security lines and checkpoints were numerous and lengthy at times.
One night we were booked into a penthouse suite in the LIDO ! overlooking Venice ! Many thanks for a wonderful trip and making new friends along the way. Thank you David,. ! Germany is next !
Castles, Trefriw mill, slate mine, ferries, trains, wine & cheese bar Scotland & Wales had it all and did not disappoint, plus we made a friend - Shout out to Evelyn. We had David all to ourselves for this trip, lucky us! Lets start.......
Edinburgh is a city but small and quite in the area we stayed in, loved the atmosphere of the restaurants and shops plus how many people can say the have been to a still lived in Royal Castle - Holyrood Palace.
Seeing my husbands face as he gazed upon St Andrews golf course in all it's beauty made me so happy for him, along with the cathedral to visit St Andrews is a quaint little town with very friendly people.
This tour is not only fun and entertaining but also a history lesson for all.
The little town of Pitlochery was one of my favorites, so clean, friendly, great shopping! Culloden Battlefield is historically haunting as you walk the grounds and visit the museum you get a true sense of how loyal the Jacobites were to their cause.
I never thought a giant catapult (Urquhart Castle) would hold my attention for so long but the thought of how genius it was to have built such a massive structure the way they did back in the day truly had me in awe, not to mention the castle is still so intact for the time period.
We unfortunately didn't see Nessie while on Loch Ness either but we ate and drank some fabulous seafood.
How many people can say they have walked in an 800 yr old Abbey, as a Christian I felt honored to see where the Book of Kells was written and speak with a nun who still lives in Iona. Iona was breath taking it it's self, I could have easily retreated to this island for a couple of weeks, I feel like to have to have visited here to know what that means. So remote and removed from today's world.
Our last few nights we stayed at Groes Inn in Northern Wales, while remote it doesn't disappoint in any way. Great wine selection and beautiful rooms help make this small inn fell homey and welcoming.
My husband and I both were extremely fascinated with visiting the Trefriw woolen mill seeing how they step by step make blankets, pillow covers etc....I truly appreciate the hard work that goes into making these now.
We got to travel on a steam engine train, first time for both of us and visit a slate mine. When you think your job is hard just research working in a slate mine and you will understand the hard dangerous work men put into their jobs trying to support their families.
Our last night with David we ate at an old church that had been renovated into a restuarant but they had left the pipe organs hanging, so beautiful and the food was great too. I could continue and go on and on about more but really you need to book this trip for yourself to see exactly what Scotland and Wales have to offer you. Stop hesitating and do it.
Saint Johns Festival Band UK tour, 30 June - 8 July 2024.
From Glasgow to Edinburgh, the Scottish Highlands to the Lake District, and onto Liverpool (and Wales!) for our performance, this was an absolute grand tour of the UK. With a group of 51 students, parents, and band leadership, this was by all means a major event. David and his team executed with flawless precision! If you are thinking about a custom event, David McGuffin's Exploring Europe is your solution!! David puts you where you want to be, coordinates movement, lodging, food, experiences, and even schedules private events; this was an absolutely amazing turnkey experience that will never be forgotten!
Thank you to David and all the Exploring Europe staff who made this happen!!
Charlie, Carly, Grant, and Reid
Our whole family went on the trip including four of us who had never been before. We are planning another trip soon.
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