The Christmas Markets of Austria

About this trip

In this carefully curated tour I will lead you on a unique tour of Austria’s Advent and Christmas markets. Special foods (from seasonal lebkuchen to savory snacks) and unique gift shopping await the traveler at entrancing advent markets in both vibrant city and charming rural markets, with a magnificent castle thrown into the mix. 

Add a generous helping of art and music (not to mention warming drinks, spiked or not), and you have the perfect recipe for a pre-holiday trip. Throughout your journey, don’t forget to collect each market’s specially decorated mug as a memento. 

We’ll participate in a Krampus Parade in a mountain village, a uniquely Austrian tradition. This is not your average Christmas market tour, and you will return loaded down with singular gifts for friends and family (and yourself)!

Please find terms and conditions here.

Hotels:

Hotel Indigo Naschmarkt

Hotel Goldener Ochs

NH Collection Salzburg

DATES:
December 1-10, 2026

COST:
$5,490 per person sharing
$6,380 per person in a single room

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Sample Itinerary

Day 1: Vienna (D)

Upon arrival in beautiful Vienna, perhaps the ultimate European capital for savoring the holiday season, check into the centrally located Hotel Indigo Naschmarkt.  Tonight we’ll enjoy a dinner at a nearby local favorite restaurant. 

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Day 2: Vienna (B, L)

We will explore Vienna’s diverse history in the old city center and see the main highlights of the city: The Vienna State Opera, Parts of Vienna’s Ringstrasse, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, The Graben and “Plague Column”stopping at the Christmas Market at St Stephen’s Square (with a short tour of the Stephansdom Cathedral).

 Lunch will be at a special restaurant serving Austrian “tapas” which provide a unique panorama of Austrian delicacies. Afterwards we will continue to two historic markets in the squares of Am Hof and the Freyung.  From there it is a short walk to the Rathaus, a large and lively marketplace with its own ice rink. 

Dinner at leisure.

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Day 3: Vienna (B, L)

Today we’ll visit the Leopold Museum in the center of Vienna’s Museum Quarter. During a private guided tour, we’ll see the most eminent Egon Schiele collection and major works by Gustav Klimt, including his beautiful square-shaped landscape paintings.

Lunch begins with a cooking class - Austrian favorites of course! The best Schnitzel you will ever eat is always someone's grandmother's. In this workshop, you will learn the art of the perfect Schnitzel — golden, crispy, and light — and the secrets behind it so that you can make it at home. Served with parsley potatoes or homemade potato salad, its natural companions. The workshop rounds off with a classic Apple Strudel — because no Austrian table is complete without something sweet.

The rest of the afternoon and evening is at leisure.

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Day 4: Vienna (B, D)

After breakfast, proceed to Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum for a food-in-art themed tour. The collection is full of remarkable food-related artworks. The Flemish and Dutch masters painted peasant feasts, bustling markets, and laden tables with extraordinary detail and wit. Still life paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries turn humble loaves, game, and fruit into meditations on ingredients. This tour traces food through the museum's collection, revealing what people ate, how they celebrated, and what they valued.

After lunch we’ll make our way to Karlsplatz to explore the city’s great artisanal market. We will also visit the adjacent Wien Museum, Vienna's city museum, home to a wonderful collection that spans the city's history from prehistoric times to the present day. Dinner follows at the museum's own restaurant, Trude.

The highlight of the evening is a performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons inside Karlskirche — St. Charles' Church — one of the finest examples of Baroque architecture in the world. Built in the early 18th century. Vivaldi moved to Vienna three years after the church was completed and sadly died the following year.

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Day 5: Vienna → Bad Ischl (B, D)

Today, we depart Vienna and travel to Bad Ischl. En route, we’ll visit a small traditional market in Lower Austria at Castle Grafenegg. Only open for four days a year, Advent at Grafenegg creates a special kind of Christmas magic only found in rural communities. It unfolds in a variety of experiences: a rich selection of exquisite handicrafts - from the winter-proof knitted vest to the fine Christmas tree ball. The "Tastes of Lower Austria" delicacies delight with regional specialties ranging from rustic to delicately melting. Round off your visit to Advent with one of our Christmas concerts.

Then we continue to Bad Ischl, traveling through the Salzkammergut region, the location of some of Austria’s most captivating villages, with local traditions galore, and never more so than before Christmas. Bad Ischl, was the summer home to the Imperial Court, which will be our base for two nights. There we will see their indoor market and experience the unique Krampusaulf where St. Nicholas and his demon minions’ parade through town, perhaps spanking those of you who have been naughty (and hand out candy for the rest). A local dinner will be had at our inn, the Goldener Ochs. Advent is the most atmospheric time in Upper Austria, where customs are writ large. Here you will find all the events of the Advent season: Advent markets, Krampus parades, nativity scene displays, and carol singing.

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Day 6: The Salzkammergut: Austria’s Lake District (B, D)

This morning visit the Trinkhalle, the main indoor market (there is a museum of Nativity scenes nearby), and then enjoy some free town in Bad Ischl. There are a large number of family-run businesses in Ischl offer a unique shopping experience - including an artisanal button shop, jewelry and art galleries, and of course, a folk dress store.

After lunch, we’ll drive up to three villages in the Lake District to visit Strobl, St. Wolfgang and St. Gilgen. Devoutly Catholic, the Salzkammergut region in Austria has a long tradition of detailed, hand-carved nativity scenes, depicting not just the manger, but often local landscapes and the lives of people in the region

Our next stop is St. Gilgen to see the delightful Baroque interpretations of the St. Nicholas story on the church square. Hopefully, we will catch the traditional bellringers showcase (the time varies every year). We will enjoy dinner in St Gilgen and then return to Bad Ischl.

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Day 8: Baking in the Mountains (B, L)

This morning we make our way to Elixhausen for a baking class at Bleib am Boden. Under the guidance of an experienced local chef, we'll prepare apple strudel — stretching the dough by hand — and bake a batch of vanilla Kipferl, the buttery, crumbly crescent cookies that are a staple of the Austrian Christmas table.

A light lunch of homemade soup is included. By the time we're done, the whole room will be filled with Christmas fragrance. We then make the return journey to Bad Ischl for our third and final night, with the evening at leisure.

Return to Bad Ischl for the rest of the afternoon and evening at leisure.

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Day 8: Bad Ischl → Salzburg (B, L)

After breakfast, we depart for Salzburg. Few Christmas markets in the world can claim a history stretching back to the 15th century. Salzburg's Christkindlmarkt, in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage Old Town, is one of them. Upon arrival in Salzburg, enjoy a city tour, beginning in the Getreidegasse, Salzburg's most famous street. Pass Mozart's birthplace at No. 9 before arriving at the Alter Markt, the city's historic marketplace. Lunch will be at the St Peter’s Stiftung restaurant.

After lunch, enjoy the rest of the afternoon and evening at leisure. Your city transport card (included) can take you back to the Mirabel Palace and its market, and perhaps up to the Fortress above the city to check out the views and its own little market. There is an optional dinner and concert you can enjoy there before returning back to the city center. The evening is at leisure.

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Day 9: Salzburg

Today is yours to explore Salzburg, but let’s convene for coffee and cake at Café Schatzi, founded in 1877 before we make our way to the Mirabel Palace and then the Salzburg Fortress for the views (tour not included).

The afternoon is yours to explore at leisure — the city transport card (included) can take you to the Mirabell Palace and its own festive market, or back up to the fortress for those who missed the concert the night before. This evening we gather one last time for a farewell dinner, raising a glass to new friends and to Austria.

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Day 10: Departure

This morning, after check out, say goodbye to your new friends and to Austria as you head to the airport for your flight home, presents and packages in hand.

Departure will be from Salzburg Airport (30 minutes) or Munich Airport (2 hours). Transfer to the airport is INCLUDED. There are no direct flights from Salzburg to the US, however from Salzburg Airport you can fly to Frankfurt or London and connect to your onward flight back to the US those airports.

It is recommended that you buy a multi-city ticket based on the following: arrival in Vienna on or before December 1 and departure from Munich or Salzburg on December 10. You can do this from the website of many airlines.

Merry Christmas!

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