A date change may be possible subject to availability and provided that the terms of the package and/or suppliers allow it. There may be an additional charge and/or a price difference. Please contact us to verify and for details.
An Early Booking Offer Like This… HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE!
Festive days straight out of a fairy tale! Vienna is a destination you must visit at least once, and the winter holiday season is the perfect time. You’ll see majestic palaces, important museums, exceptional works of art, large, lush parks in the city center, historic cafés, romantic walks, Christmas markets, and you’ll sample unique local flavors, all while immersed in the city’s ever-present festive atmosphere. Drawing on our many years of experience leading tours in Vienna, we’ve put together an itinerary for you that includes the city’s most important sights, as well as to other regions of Austria, so that you can make the most of your time there. We’ve also made sure you’ll have free time so that, with the guidance of your Greek tour guide—who will be with you at all times—you can explore places that interest you personally. Among other things, the local tour guide will introduce you to the lifestyle and daily routines of the Viennese. For this itinerary, we offer guaranteed direct flights with Austria’s national carrier, Austrian Airlines. The hotels have been specially selected to offer good value for money (value for money). Our tour guides are experienced, friendly, and ready to help you enjoy a wonderful trip—and don’t be surprised if the bus driver is Greek! Don’t worry about scheduling visits to attractions, securing tickets, restaurants, concerts, etc.—it’s all taken care of. All you have to do is pack your bags, bring some warm clothes, and discover the stately, cosmopolitan, and festively decorated capital of Europe! There are trips that are simply recorded in your passport, and trips that are etched into your soul. Vienna and Salzburg during the holiday season are the very definition of European elegance. We invite you on a journey to the heart of the former Empire, where the history of the Habsburgs meets Mozart’s musical genius, set against a backdrop of thousands of crystal lights, the aroma of roasted chestnuts, and the warmth of authentic Glühwein.
Only we offer you:
Direct flights to/from Vienna
A new and updated full itinerary
2 city tours so you can see it all!
FREE excursion to the Vienna Woods
Option for additional visits to Salzburg, Graz, Belvedere, and the Vienna Zoo
Join us on this trip to Vienna because we offer:
Direct flights to/from Vienna, guaranteed by Austrian Airlines
FREE excursion to the Vienna Woods
2 city tours so you can see it all!
Guaranteed accommodations at select 4* & 5* hotels exclusively in the city center, so everything is within walking distance
An experienced Greek tour leader and guide, an expert on the destination, who will be by your side every step of the way
Forget about making reservations! We’ve pre-booked tickets for palaces, museums, and the city’s best concerts.
The best value for your money, guaranteed by the Athos team, which has been organizing your trips since 1988
We don’t just stick to the tourist spots! We’ll show you the hidden gems and the favorite hangouts of the locals in Vienna.”
Transportation in modern, luxurious, state-of-the-art buses for maximum comfort and safety.”
Option to visit Mozart’s birthplace, the beautiful city of Salzburg
Option to visit Graz, a city that is both modern and steeped in Renaissance history
Ample time at Schönbrunn Palace to explore the interior, the imperial gardens, the Schönbrunn Christmas markets, and Europe’s oldest zoo
Thessaloniki "Macedonia" Airport (Google Maps)
Meet at MAKEDONIA Airport and take a direct flight to Vienna. As soon as we arrive, after picking up our luggage, our tour guide will be waiting to meet us and kick off this “festive” trip. On the way to the hotel, we’ll get a first glimpse of Austria’s capital and all the necessary information. We’ll take a brief panoramic tour along the famous Ringstrasse, where we’ll admire the city’s most important landmarks illuminated at night. We’ll stop the bus at Schwedenplatz and begin a walking tour during which we’ll explore hidden corners of the historic center. First, we’ll see the historic Greek neighborhood with the Greek Orthodox churches of St. George and the Holy Trinity, and as we cross the historic center, we’ll arrive at the famous St. Stephen’s Cathedral. We’ll continue on to the Imperial Crypt (Kaisergruft or Kapuzinergruft), the imperial mausoleum of the Habsburg dynasty, and the Capuchin Church (Kapuzinerkirche), before reaching the State Opera House and Kärntner Straße. On our walk, we’ll see the Ethnological Museum, the Hofburg Palace, Heroes’ Square, the beautiful Naglergasse alley, and end up at the Graben and the Kohlmarkt with the legendary – pastry shop Demmel, in one of the city’s most beautiful and cosmopolitan areas. We will then be transferred to the hotel to check into our rooms and spend the night.
We’ll have a good breakfast and then set out on our second tour of the city. On our tour, we’ll see the Kunsthaus, a complex of buildings in an abstract style, and the Baroque Belvedere Palace complex of Prince Eugene of Savoy, which today serves as an art gallery featuring works by modern artists and those of the Modernist movement. We continue on to Charles Square, where the Church of St. Charles Borromeo and the Palace of the Society of Friends of Music are located, and we enter the famous Ringstrasse (the ring road around the historic center). We’ll see the State Opera House, the Hofburg Imperial Winter Palace complex, the twin museums of Art History and Natural History, the Museum Quarter, the Parliament, the former Imperial Theater across from City Hall, the University, and the Votivkirche (Votive Church). You can spend the rest of the day in the city’s festive center and return to the hotel on your own at any time you wish, or join us for an optional (€20 for transportation) to one of Europe’s most important attractions, the famous Schönbrunn Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the famous Belvedere Palace, one of Vienna’s top attractions.
On our first visit to Schönbrunn Palace, you have the following options:
Stroll through the palace’s magnificent gardens—a free walk where you’ll constantly want to stop and take photos!
Step inside the palace to see the Habsburgs’ summer residence from the late 17th century through 1918. According to legend, the entire palace complex has 1,441 rooms and 139 kitchens. Explore the imperial apartments and get a sense of what it was like to live as an emperor. Admission is €40 for adults and €31 for children.
Visit one of Vienna’s most famous Christmas markets, set in a beautiful area in front of the Palace, with a focus on the arts, crafts, and children, featuring an ice rink and more than 90 stalls.
Visit the Vienna Zoo, the impressive Tiergarten Schönbrunn, located next to the Palace, founded in 1752 and the oldest continuously operating zoo in the world, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Admission costs €27 for adults and €15.50 for children.
Next, we’ll visit the Belvedere Palace, which we’ll admire from the outside. It combines Baroque architecture, imperial gardens, and one of the most important art collections in Europe. There’s also its own Christmas market in front of the Upper Belvedere—one of Vienna’s most atmospheric Christmas markets—featuring wooden huts, decorations, music, and treats (Glühwein, chestnuts, Apfelstrudel). The lake in front of the palace reflects the lights, and together with the winter gardens, it creates a truly magical setting. Return to the hotel. Whatever your favorite genre of music may be, when you come to Vienna, you simply can’t miss a wonderful concert featuring music by all these brilliant composers. Today is the perfect day, but be sure to make your reservation in advance! We’ve chosen one of the best concert halls: the Imperial Hall at the Hofburg Palace, featuring the unique Vienna Hofburg Orchestra.
After breakfast at the hotel, you’ll have free time to enjoy the city center in a unique festive atmosphere. Talk to our tour guide to find something that interests you—whether it’s a museum (Natural History Museum, Art History Museum, Museum Quarter, the Treasury Museum, the Imperial Riding School, etc.) to a good café or restaurant, and return to the hotel on your own at the time of your choosing. Alternatively, you can join us on one of two wonderful optional excursions to Salzburg or Graz.
Salzburg: After breakfast, we’ll set off for Mozart’s birthplace, Salzburg. Our route through the Central Alps takes us through four federal states of Austria, offering a variety of rich visual experiences. We’ll traverse the “Alpine Republic” from east to west, ascending from the Danube Valley toward the Alpine region in the idyllic Salzburger Land lake district. Here we see some of the country’s largest lakes. The architecture of the rural landscape and the Alpine hinterland is particularly fascinating. We then arrive at the “Rome of the Alps,” the “Jerusalem of the German-speaking Christian world”—the fairytale city of Salzburg. We walk through the gardens of Mirabell Palace, passing the Mozarteum University of Music on our left, and see the Hora Theater, the Mozart family home, and the birthplace of King Otto of Greece and the Greek-born composer Herbert von Karajan. We cross the Makart Bridge—or the “Locked Hearts” Bridge—over the Salzach River and enter the Old Town, a remnant of the Renaissance and the Middle Ages. Strolling through arcades and narrow alleys, we reach the famous Getreidegasse, home to Mozart’s birthplace and City Hall. We continue to the Palace of the Prince-Archbishops, next to the Renaissance St. Peter’s Cathedral, St. Peter’s Abbey, and the Franciscan Abbey. Free time, followed by the return to Vienna.
Graz: After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll set off for the Austrian border and the fairytale city of Graz, the seat of Emperor Frederick, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is divided in two by the rushing waters of the Mur River and is proud both of its castle-like citadel on Schlossberg Hill and of the fresh, innovative, creative spirit that characterizes its residents. A legacy of the Habsburgs is the beautiful Altstadt (Old Town), which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We’ll tour Hauptplatz, the triangular square in the center of the old town, City Hall, the local Landhaus Parliament, the Cathedral, and the mausoleum of Emperor Frederick. We’ll see how this city perfectly combines modern architecture with the picturesque charm of its Renaissance-era Old Town. Late in the afternoon, we return to our hotel in Vienna.
Breakfast and departure for our excursion to the Vienna Woods, a source of inspiration for many artists (Beethoven, Mozart, Strauss, Schubert, and others). Next, we’ll visit (from the outside) Lichtensteinburg, one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval castles, which served as the ancestral tower of the family that later founded the well-known Principality of Liechtenstein. Next, we will visit the Catholic Monastery of the Holy Cross (Heiligenkreuz). We will pass by the former hunting lodge at Mayerling, known for the tragedy that unfolded on the fateful night of January 29, 1889, when the heir to the Habsburg throne, Rudolf, was found dead alongside his mistress, Maria Vetsera, who was of Greek descent. Finally, via a beautiful route, we’ll arrive in Baden, a former imperial resort that remains one of the most famous spa towns in Central Europe to this day. Free time for lunch, then return to Vienna, to City Hall Square. There are many holiday markets in Austria, especially in Vienna, with the largest one at Rathausplatz. The winter setting is perfect for ice skating! In a fairytale setting, along with other skating enthusiasts, you can try your hand at figure skating—and even somersaults on the ice! Try one of the popular traditional hot drinks, “glühwein” or “punsch,” and savor grilled sausages, chestnuts, or Kaiserschmarrn, one of the imperial desserts. Spend your last night in Austria’s magnificent capital however you like, return to the hotel on your own at whatever time you choose, and create memories, images, and new friendships in a unique festive setting.
Every trip comes to an end, but the memories remain indelible. After breakfast, we’ll have time for one last stroll down Kärntner Straße to pick up some must-have souvenirs (such as the famous Mozartkugeln chocolates). Then, we’ll head to the Vienna airport for our return flight.
Notes:
The 4-day trip does not include the 4th day of the itinerary
The order of the itinerary may vary depending on circumstances, without any omissions.
The possibility of a refund and/or any deductions depends on the terms of the specific package, the time of cancellation, and the respective suppliers. For your specific case, please review the General Terms and Conditions or contact us.
Some packages include travel insurance, or optional coverage may be available, depending on the destination and itinerary. For available options and coverage terms, please contact us or refer to the General Terms and Conditions.
The reservation is finalized in accordance with the procedure set forth in the General Terms and Conditions of Participation (e.g., confirmation and payment of the amount/deposit, where required). For specific steps and deadlines applicable to this particular package, please contact us.
The itinerary is based on available schedules and services; however, changes or adjustments may occur before and/or during the trip for operational reasons and/or due to unforeseen circumstances. In any case, the General Terms and Conditions of Participation apply, and participants will be notified accordingly.