Celebrate the holiday season among Eastern Europe’s joyous markets.
Each winter, the cities of Eastern Europe burst into celebration as artisans, crafters, and other vendors take to the streets with their festive wares. You’ll take in the sparkling atmosphere as you journey along the Danube from the two-sided city of Budapest to Vienna, unrivaled for its beauty and majesty. Then, visit the castles and cathedrals of Prague and explore medieval Kraków before ending in modern Warsaw.
Your tour package includes
13 nights in handpicked hotels
13 breakfasts
5 dinners with beer or wine
1 wine tasting
6 sightseeing tours
Expert Tour Director & local guides
Private deluxe motor coach
Included highlights
Eastern European Christmas markets
Hungarian State Opera House
Matthias Church
Belvedere Palace
Ringstrasse
Prague Castle
Wawel Cathedral
Museum of Warsaw
Itinerary
Overnight Flight1 night
Day 1: Travel day
Board your overnight flight to Budapest today.
Budapest3 nights
Day 2: Arrival in Budapest
Included meal: Welcome dinner
Welcome to Hungary! Meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers at tonight’s welcome dinner.
We handpick every hotel to strike the balance of comfort, location, and local charm. Specific accommodations will vary based on your departure date, but these are frequently used hotels for this tour and we're confident you'll be satisfied.
This elegant, traditional hotel is located in Terézváros. Guests enjoy an indoor swimming pool, laundry services, and a restaurant. Nearby, you'll find Andrássy Avenue, the Hungarian State Opera House, and the Hungarian...
MAXX by Steigenberger Hotel Vienna
This convenient hotel is located in the city center of Vienna, Austria. Guests enjoy the fitness area, on-site bar and restaurant, and spa. Nearby you’ll find the Naschmarkt open-air market, Leopold Museum, and Schönbrunn Palace.
NH Prague City
This modern hotel is located in the Smíchov district of Prague. Guests enjoy a gym and sauna, restaurants with terraces, and a tennis court. Nearby, you’ll find Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, and Petřín Tower.
Qubus Hotel Kraków
This modern hotel is located in the Kazimierz district of Krakow. Guests enjoy a jazz club, Turkish bath, and boat cruises. Nearby, you’ll find the Ghetto Heroes Square, Main Market Square, and Oskar Schindler's Factory.
Mercure Warszawa Grand
This contemporary hotel is located in the city center. Guests enjoy two on-site restaurants, a gym, and free Wi-Fi. Nearby, you’ll find the Fryderyk Chopin Museum, St. Alexander's Church, and the Old Town.
Abba Berlin Hotel
This contemporary hotel is located in Berlin center. Guests enjoy a restaurant, lounge-bar, and fitness room. Nearby, you'll find exclusive boutiques of Kurfürstendamm, Museums, and Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.
Round-trip flights are one more thing we handle to make your journey as smooth as possible. Our team of travel experts will find the best flight itinerary for you at a competitive rate, thanks to our partnerships with top airlines.
Add our airfare and you’ll get:
Round-trip flight for your tour
Airport transfers at your destination
A great price locked in today
24/7 support from our dedicated service team
Options for arriving early, staying longer, or requesting an upgrade
Flexible rebooking options if your tour itinerary changes
This tour visits Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Poland (plus Germany on the tour extension). In order to enter these countries, U.S. and Canadian citizens need a valid passport with an expiration date extending at least six months beyond the date of reentry.
We recommend having at least one blank passport page for entry stamps.
Beginning in 2025, U.S. and Canadian passport holders must register for an ETIAS travel authorization in order to enter many European countries.
Passport holders from over 60 visa-exempt countries (including the U.S. and Canada) will need to apply for an ETIAS travel authorization in order to visit 30 European countries. That means that even if you’ve previously traveled to any of these European countries without a visa, starting in 2025, you’ll need to get ETIAS authorization to visit them again. If you’re traveling to multiple countries with this requirement, you only need to complete the form once. All Go Ahead travelers are responsible for obtaining their own ETIAS travel authorization before departure. For more details, please visit our Help Center.
If you are not a U.S. or Canadian citizen, you must contact each country’s consulate for your specific entry requirements.
You can see the most up-to-date entry requirements for the destination(s) you’ll visit on tour by going to goaheadtours.com/entry-requirements and searching the code EEC.
You will walk for at least 2.5 hours daily across mostly flat terrain, including paved roads and cobblestone streets, with few hills or stairs.
Travelers should be healthy enough to participate in all included walks without assistance. Adding optional excursions may increase the total amount of walking on your tour.
Go Ahead Tours and the Tour Director who accompanies your group are unable to provide special, individual mobility assistance to travelers on tour. The responsibility of the Tour Director is to ensure the group as a whole enjoys a relaxing and informative journey, and he or she cannot be relied upon to provide ongoing, individualized assistance to any one traveler.
If you have any mobility concerns or physical restrictions, please contact our Customer Experience Team.
Round-trip flights booked through Go Ahead Tours arrive in Budapest and depart from Warsaw (or Berlin on the tour extension). A representative from Go Ahead Tours will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel. Please remain in the arrival lounge, as the representative might be escorting one of your fellow travelers to the bus at the time of your arrival.
Transfers to and from the airport at the beginning and end of the tour are included for travelers who purchased their flights through Go Ahead Tours. Travelers who booked their own flights are responsible for securing their own airport transfers.
All other included transportation on this tour is by private motor coach.
Please note that our travelers are limited to one checked bag and one carry-on bag per person due to storage limitations on motor coaches and other transfers, which may include train connections or flights.
Contact your airline(s) for baggage size and weight restrictions for your flights, which may include on-tour flights in addition to your round-trip flights to and from tour. Please note that your included on-tour flights may have more restrictive baggage limits.
Some airlines may impose additional charges if you choose to check any baggage or exceed baggage size and weight restrictions. Be advised that you are responsible for any baggage fees incurred on all flights.
Make sure you label your baggage and keep valuables, medication, and documents in your carry-on bag.
To ensure you’re comfortable for outdoor sightseeing and celebrations, we recommend packing a warm coat, hat, and gloves, as well as rainwear.
We also suggest packing lightweight, loose-fitting clothing that can easily be layered.
A sturdy pair of walking shoes or boots is recommended for sightseeing.
You may want to pack dressier attire if you plan to visit a high-end restaurant or special performance.
At least 60 days prior to departure, check with your doctor or healthcare provider for the latest updates and entry requirements, or visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website at cdc.gov.
If you have medication that you take daily, be sure you have enough for each day of the tour as well as any possible delays encountered.
If you have dietary restrictions and/or food allergies please notify Go Ahead Tours at least 30 days prior to departure by logging in to your account and updating your traveler info. To update this information closer to your departure date, please call our Customer Experience Team.
You can see the most up-to-date entry requirements for the destination(s) you’ll visit on tour by going to goaheadtours.com/entry-requirements and searching the code EEC.
Hungary claims goulash as its national dish, but also is known for excellent salamis, cheeses, nut-flavored pancakes, freshwater fish, and preserved fruits.
Austria is known for its savory Wiener schnitzel and excellent wild trout, carp, and crayfish. Save room for dessert—especially the strudels of fruit and nuts elegant chocolate cakes, such as the world-famous Sachertorte.
Czech food is hearty, and you’ll find large portions of veal, beef, and potato dishes. Some of the world’s finest beers are produced here, including the original Budweiser and Pils.
When in Poland, fill up on favorites like kielbasa and pierogi. Don’t miss out on trying the bagels—they were born here.
German food, on the tour extension, is hearty and substantial. Among the specialties are dumpling stews, sauerkraut, sausages, smoked cheeses, and dark breads. Bavaria produces some of the world’s purest beers and exceptional white wines.
All destinations visited on this tour operate on the European standard 220-240 volts and use Types C, E, or F plugs with two or three small, round pins.
We recommend packing a universal adapter, as well as a voltage converter if you plan on using your own hairdryer or other device without a built-in converter.
Your hotels on this tour may provide hairdryers, irons, and other small appliances. However these amenities cannot be guaranteed.
Wi-Fi is available in most hotels, though some charges may apply.
There is no Wi-Fi on any of the motor coaches.
Please contact your mobile service provider for information on roaming charges.
All destinations visited on this tour are one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and six hours ahead of Eastern Time (ET).
When it’s noon in New York, it’s 6pm on tour.
You will use the Hungarian forint in Hungary, the euro in Austria (and in Germany on the tour extension), the Czech koruna in the Czech Republic, and the Polish złoty in Poland.
Better rates of exchange are usually available overseas, although it’s worth ordering some currency from your local bank to use when you first arrive.
We strongly advise that you take debit/bank cards and credit cards, which can be used to withdraw cash at local banks, as needed.
You can use most debit/credit cards at ATMs on the international networks Cirrus and Plus, but make sure to check with your home bank about withdrawal fees.
Inform your bank and credit card company of your travel plans, so that they won’t confuse your international purchases for fraudulent charges.
International banks and businesses primarily accept debit and credit cards that work with the EMV chip system. If you do not already have at least one debit or credit card with a chip in it, we strongly recommend requesting one from your bank prior to your tour.
At the conclusion of your tour, it is customary to offer your Tour Director and driver a gratuity in local currency. Please keep current exchange rates in mind.
We recommend tipping the equivalent of $10USD to $12USD per person per day for your Tour Director and the equivalent of $4USD per person per day for your driver.
If applicable, we also recommend the equivalent of $2USD per local guide.
Tips can only be paid in cash.
If you are traveling to multiple countries with different currencies and the same Tour Director, ask them what currency they prefer for their tip.
The cost of porterage is included in your tour price, and it is not necessary to tip baggage handlers.
Most optional excursions will be available for purchase while you are on tour.
Your Tour Director will only accept cash (in USD only), Visa, or MasterCard as payment for excursions.
Please be advised that if you pay for an excursion by credit card while on tour, it may take up to three months for your card to be charged.
Some optional excursions may only be purchased in advance. See page four of your tour itinerary for more information.
We had a fabulous trip! We saw several Christmas Markets and the highlights of each city were amazing. The current cultures, history, traditions, and foods of each place were remarkable. Meeting such wonderful people from our Tour Director, Tour Guides, and Drivers to the great...
EF Go Ahead Tours
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience! We are so glad to hear that you had a fabulous trip and enjoyed the Christmas...
Christmas Markets and History of Central Europe
5 out of 5 stars
6th-time traveler Diane, traveled in Dec 2024
This tour starts at a leisurely pace allowing you to acclimate to the time changes. You'll experience Budapest, Hungarian Christmas Markets, travel on to Vienna, more Christmas Markets, do the optional to Bratislava, another Christmas Market, then on to the Czech Republic for...
EF Go Ahead Tours
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience! We are so glad to hear that you enjoyed the festive atmosphere and unique Christmas...
Best trip ever!
5 out of 5 stars
1st-time traveler Renee, traveled in Dec 2023
So glad that we took this trip for our first time to Europe. We were able to experience the cultures of 6 different cities. Spending 3 days in 4 of them gave us a chance to see much more on our own. Our tour guide, Paul, had fantastic suggestions for restaurants, museums,...
EF Go Ahead Tours
Hi Renee,
Thank you for taking a moment to share your experience with us. We are delighted to hear about your wonderful experience on your...
Awesome Christmas Market Tour
5 out of 5 stars
19th-time traveler Melodee Ann, traveled in Dec 2023
I loved this tour & our Tour Director, Paul was amazing he went above & beyond all the time. He was available for any questions any of us had. He arranged many extras that we had the option to take. All the included & extra excursions we took were interesting & had great...
