Europe Christmas Markets: Budapest to Zagreb

8 days
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Small Group Tour
It’s the most wonderful time of year, particularly when its set in some of Central Europe’s prettiest and most historic cities. Get in the Christmas spirit exploring festive markets in cities decorated in full Christmas splendour, browsing local handicrafts from traditional wooden stalls, sampling delicious regional specialties and taking in endless winter sc...
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Overview

Trip type
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Highlights

    • This trip takes you to a variety of Christmas markets across central Europe. Contrast the various traditions, cuisines and of course, mulled wine, in several amazing cities.
    • Hungary’s intoxicating capital becomes even more magical when draped in fairy-lights and dusted with snow at Christmastime. Try delicious local specialties like chimney cakes and potato dumplings at its main market at Vorosmarty Square.
    • Why settle for one Christmas market when you could have 14? Visit Graz’s main market at Hauptplatz Square, then make your way through as many as you wish.
    • Bled’s fairy tale-like scenery – which includes an 11th-century cliff-top castle, a stunning lake and a picturesque island topped with a church – is a dream to explore. See it for yourself.
    • Zagreb transforms into a glorious illuminated winter wonderland during its month-long Advent Festival. Spend two days savouring the sights, taking in acres of fairy-lights, huge Christmas trees, nativity scenes, ice-rinks, mulled wine stalls and igloo-shaped rakija (a potent local drop) bars.

What's this trip about?

    It’s the most wonderful time of year, particularly when its set in some of Central Europe’s prettiest and most historic cities. Get in the Christmas spirit exploring festive markets in cities decorated in full Christmas splendour, browsing local handicrafts from traditional wooden stalls, sampling delicious regional specialties and taking in endless winter scenes along the way. Indulge your senses in intoxicating Budapest, browse Austrian handicrafts hopping between Graz’s 14 charming markets, and be immersed in spectacular winter scenery in Ljubljana and fairy-tale like Lake Bled. Finish up in Zagreb, which transforms into a magical illuminated wonderland for its month-long Advent festival.

Details

Itinerary focusClassic Highlights
Group sizeIntimate group - max of 12 people
Age range15 years and up
Flights and transportAll internal ground transport included
Start CityBudapest
End CityZagreb

Travel Themes

  • Cultural
  • High Adventure

Destinations

Attractions

  • Budapest
  • Ljubljana
  • Zagreb

Max Group Size

  • Max Group Size: 12

Trip includes

    • Budapest - Christmas Snacks and Mulled Wine Tasting
    • Budapest - Leader-led orientation walk
    • Budapest - Christmas Market
    • Graz - Christmas Market Visit
    • Graz - Schlosberg Castle Visit and Funicular Ride
    • Ljubljana - Christmas Market
    • Bled - Day Trip to Lake Bled
    • Zagreb - Walking Tour of Christmas Markets with Local Guide
    • Zagreb - Cable car to Sljeme

Itinerary

Travel Map

Day 1 Budapest

Szia! Welcome to Budapest, Hungary's intoxicating capital. Make your own way to the hotel, where your trip begins with a 6 pm welcome meeting. There are no planned activities for today, but if you arrive early, there is plenty to do and see. This historic city, comple...

Day 2 Budapest

Get acquainted with Budapest on a morning orientation walk with your tour leader, finishing with a visit to the Budapest Christmas Fair at Vorosmarty Square. Not only is this the oldest and biggest Christmas market in Budapest, it is frequently cited as one of the mos...

Day 3 Graz

Travel by train to Graz (about 6 hours). Austria’s second largest city has no less than 14 Christmas markets open over the holiday season. Start off with a visit to the main one at Hauptplatz square in front of the town hall. Find vendors selling a mix of traditional ...

Day 4 Ljubljana

Travel by train to Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana (about 3.5 hours). Set amongst grand lakes and mountains, Slovenia’s picturesque towns offer an idyllic backdrop at any time of year. But in winter, the spectacular scenery becomes even more captivating with a dusting o...

Day 5 Bled / Ljubljana

Today you’ll take a one-hour bus ride to the lakeside town of Bled. Gifted with immense natural beauty, Bled ranks among the most beautiful alpine resorts in the world; its fairy tale-like scenery – which includes an 11th-century cliff-top castle, a stunning lake and ...

Day 6 Zagreb

Travel to Zagreb this morning (about 2.5 hours by train). Nestled below Mt Medvednica, Croatia’s thriving capital is an exciting winter destination. A month-long Advent festival transforms the city into an illuminated winter wonderland, complete with acres of fairy-li...

Day 7 Mt Medvednica / Zagreb

Take in the panoramic view of Zagreb on the cable car ride to Sljeme, the summit of Medvednica mountain. If you weren’t fortunate enough to see snow at previous destinations on this trip, you’ll likely get the chance to experience a true winter wonderland here in the ...

Day 8 Zagreb

Your festive adventure come to an end after breakfast. There are no planned activities for today.

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Dates & Availability

Price From $2,095
Price per day$262
Last Updated: 6/4/2024
Departure Date
Finish Date
Base Price
Availability
26 Nov 2025
03 Dec 2025
$2,140
29 Nov 2025
06 Dec 2025
$2,140
03 Dec 2025
10 Dec 2025
$2,095
06 Dec 2025
13 Dec 2025
$2,180
10 Dec 2025
17 Dec 2025
$2,180
12 Dec 2025
19 Dec 2025
$2,180
13 Dec 2025
20 Dec 2025
$2,260
16 Dec 2025
23 Dec 2025
$2,260
17 Dec 2025
24 Dec 2025
$2,260
25 Nov 2026
02 Dec 2026
$2,200

Check current availability, prices, specials & more.

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

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Logistics

Accommodation

Hotel (7 nights)

Transportation & Flights

Train,Public bus,Taxi,

Transportation & flights

Train,Public bus,Taxi
Guides
All Intrepid group trips in Europe are accompanied by one of our local European group leaders. ’Local’ in this context means a leader who is European or lives in Europe. The aim of the group leader is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced leader however, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your leader is new to a particular region or training other group leaders. Your leader takes care of logistics, will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. At Intrepid we also aim to support local guides in the individual cities or locations we travel to. If you are interested in delving deeper into the local culture at a specific site or location then your leader can recommend an optional local guide service in most of the main destinations of your trip.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is compulsory on all our trips for those travelling internationally. We require that at a minimum you are covered for medical expenses including emergency repatriation. If you are travelling within your home country or region please confirm before travel that you are entitled to access the public medical system easily should an accident occur. We strongly recommend all travellers have a policy that also covers personal liability, cancellation, curtailment and loss of luggage or personal effects. For international trips, you will not be permitted to join the group until evidence of travel insurance and the insurance company's 24-hour emergency contact number has been sighted by your group leader or local representative. If you have credit card insurance your group leader or local representative will require details of the participating insurer/underwriter, the level of coverage, policy number, and emergency contact number rather than the bank's name and your credit card details. Please contact your bank for these details prior to arriving in-country. For travellers who reside within the European Union, Switzerland or USA the requirement to purchase travel insurance cannot be compulsory. However the purchase of travel insurance is still highly recommended, and travellers from these regions who decline travel insurance when travelling outside of their home region must sign a Travel Insurance Waiver Form at the Group Meeting, recognizing personal responsibility for emergency medical and repatriation costs should they arise. For assistance with travel insurance or other services, please visit the link below: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/booking-resources/our-services
Visa requirements
PASSPORT You’ll need a valid passport to travel internationally and most countries require your passport to have a minimum of 6 months validity, so remember to check the expiry date. We need your passport information to get everything ready for your trip so it’s important that the information on your booking matches your passport exactly. Please take care to provide the correct details. We recommend carrying a copy of the photo page of your passport while travelling and leaving a copy at home with family or friends. VISAS & ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Many countries require a visa and obtaining the correct visa for your trip and any countries you may transit through is your responsibility. We recommend you check your visa requirements as soon as you have booked your trip. This will ensure you have time to prepare your documents and for your visa application to be processed. You can check the entry requirements for your nationality on your government's foreign travel advisories, consular websites or on our page here:  www.intrepidtravel.com/visa-entry-requirements Visas for Hungary, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia are not required for passport holders of the European Union, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada. All other nationalities should check with the relevant consulates or embassies in their home country for up to date visa information.
Health & Safety
Most national governments provide regularly updated foreign travel advice on safety issues involved with international travel. We recommend that you check your government's advice for their latest travel information before departure and ensure that your travel insurance covers you for all destinations and activities on your trip. Please refer to our website's safety page for links to major travel advisories and updates on safety issues affecting our trips here: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/travel-alerts We strongly recommend the use of a neck wallet or money belt while travelling, for the safe-keeping of your passport, flight tickets, cash and other valuable items. Leave your jewellery at home - you won't need it while travelling. Many of our hotels have safety deposit boxes, which is the most secure way of storing your valuables. A lock is recommended for securing your luggage. Your group leader or local representative will accompany you on all included activities, however, during your trip you'll have some free time to pursue your own interests or relax and take it easy. While your group leader or local representative will assist you with the available options in a given location, please note that any optional activities you undertake are not part of your Intrepid itinerary, and Intrepid makes no representations about the safety of the activity or the standard of the operators running them. Please use your own good judgement when selecting an activity in your free time. Please also note that your group leader or local representative has the authority to amend or cancel any part of the trip itinerary if it's deemed necessary due to safety concerns. Intrepid's operational safety policies can be viewed on our website at the link below. We recommend that you take a moment to read through this information before travelling, and would appreciate any feedback on how safety is being managed on our trips. https://www.intrepidtravel.com/safety-guidelines FIRE PRECAUTIONS: Please be aware that local laws governing tourism facilities in this region differ from those in your home country and not all the accommodation which we use has a fire exit, fire extinguishers or smoke alarms. TRAFFIC AND DRIVING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD: Depending on where you come from please note that drivers in this part of the world may drive on the opposite side of the road from what you are used to. Look both ways before crossing any road. Traffic can be a little more chaotic than you might be used to at home. Be aware! PETTY THEFT AND PERSONAL SAFETY While travelling there is always the risk of pick-pocketing and petty theft, particularly in the more touristy cities. We recommend that you exercise caution when walking alone at night and encourage you to walk together and only on main, well-lit thoroughfares. Be particularly vigilant on public transport. Simple measures like carrying your day pack on your front, not hanging your bag over the back of your chair or on the floor and wearing a money belt will reduce any chance that your valuables should go missing.
Age Requirements
15 years and up
Additional Information
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Trip ID
intrepid-WMSC

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