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Germany's Christmas markets may get all the attention, but if you want extra old-world charm and historic city squares then Austria may be a better choice for you. Austria's Christmas markets bring festive lights, seasonal treats, and locally-made goods to town squares. On Collette’s European Christmas Markets tour, travelers visit Vienna during the holiday season to experience seasonal traditions.
While German is the official language in Austria, English is commonly spoken in hotels, restaurants, and major visitor areas. It’s still helpful to know a few basic German phrases like “Guten Morgen,” “Bitte,” and “Vielen Dank” as a way to connect with locals.
Many shops and businesses in Austria close on Sundays. Plan ahead for essentials, souvenirs, or pharmacy needs, and use Sundays as a chance relax or explore Austria’s historic streets.
Tour Design Manager
When I travel, I’m inspired by the stories that shape a destination — its history, people, traditions, and everyday rhythms. That’s why I create tours that include authentic local experiences. I want my tours to feel engaging, purposeful, and memorable, so you go home with a deeper understanding of the places you’ve been.
Want to learn more about our Tour Managers and Designers?
Learn MoreFrom handpicked hotels, restaurants, and cultural experiences to thoughtfully integrated free time, our on-the-ground team in Austria crafts journeys they'd want to take themselves.
Travelers always tell us that Tour Managers make the journey. It's like traveling with a friend who's got the inside scoop. They live in the destination and share hidden gems that only the locals know.
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Absolutely loved this trip. It was great having 3 days in each location. The hotels were top notch. Our tour guide was the best. My favorite location was Budapest and the night cruise on the Danube was beautiful.
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Budapest evening cruise making are own dinner with new tour buddies with chef walking tours, but it was so hot which may have tainted
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Loved the Alps. Everywhere you turned, there were mountains. Loved the cities of Bern, Innsbruck and Vienna. Easy to get around.
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This was a most amazing trip from the pick up at my door to drop off back at home. The tour is one of the best I’ve ever been on. So much beauty and special experiences don’t know if I could pick just one. Collette has this one planned to perfection. Would definitely use them again.
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All sites visited were historical, impressive, memorable. Our tour guide’s knowledge of these sites was extensive and he relayed all history in a manner we could easily understand. We also visited an Ossuary near Prague, catacombs under St. Stephen’s Chapel in Vienna, The Shoes on the Danube in Budapest, along with the Hospital In The Rock, The House of Houdini. Saw the Vienna Boys Choir after a mass delivered in German and Latin, that we understood not a word of, in Vienna. The entire experience was wonderful, very worthwhile!!!
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It was fabulous! We saw amazing sites and it was a good balance between tours and free time.
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I enjoyed the trip very much and the scenery was beautiful!
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From the excellent hotels with views of the Alps, great shopping opportunities and great meals included as well as by our discovery, I thoroughly enjoyed this trip. I especially was impressed with Mauro Ciummo who was truly born to be a tour guide. He was personable, took time with everyone to get to know them and was generally very jolly and entertaining. There was time between sites to enjoy on our own which was well planned. It was difficult staying awake on the longer bus rides and although we all needed the rest, I wanted to keep my eyes on the beautiful views! Seeing fields of strange wildflowers, soaring peaks, oodles of giant snails feeding at the base of an Olympic ski jump, sheep and Great Pyrenees guarddogs outside our first room and cows being herded up the main street below another room with bells clanging...great memories. And the St Bernards were wonderful. We were very happy with British Airways also, except for the excessive charge to pick our seats. Nice trip.
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Our Alpine trip was wonderful. We Love Collette and have a new favorite air carrier, British Airlines. Their food is as bad as anyone's but the planes and service are great. I had heard some less than positive comments about Brit Air, mostly that some of the employees can be surly, and while we did have a surly check-in agent at Venice's Marco Polo Airport, for the most part they were quite nice. We don't usually check bags when we fly because of lost bag problems in the past, we needed to this time because we needed heavier cold-weather clothing. This agent insisted (rather impolitely) that we check one of our 2 carry-ons, saying it was a full flight & there wouldn't be enough room. Upon boarding they announced that their planes now had expanded overhead compartments, and we then noticed there were many empty compartments. Unnecessary issue. BUT... baggage was handled perfectly and our checked bags in both directions, even through the flight transfers, went perfectly. I still don't like airports, but Brit Air's terminals do seem superior. We have traveled with Collette 7 times now and have been delighted every time with every aspect of travel with them. We had a little more free time on this trip, which we appreciated, and Mauro Ciummo was hands down the best tour manager we've had. And we've had some great ones. Give that man a raise! :) Collette is very efficient, any problems that come up are handled properly, efficiently and in a timely manner. On a previous trip our tour manager tripped on a curb in Amsterdam and had to be treated at a hospital, and there just happened to be another tour manager in the same train station who saw immediately that we were properly directed until our assigned tour manager was back on tour, bloodied but OK. Less so on our first Collette tour. Our manager was a bit of a disciplinarian and scolded one handicapped passenger for walking too slowly and making us late for one destination (we actually got there 20 minutes early... we happened to meet that passenger's son months later & she was apparently unphased) and Van got scolded for having to use the toilet after we “starred” in a play-like presentation at Bunratty Castle. Again we were not delayed because of that. But overall that tour was as excellent as any of the others. The limo service this time was very appreciated, although we did have a communication issue upon returning to Pittsburgh. My phone for some reason didn't send my confirmation that we were at the pick-up point, so the driver called us to be sure that we were there, much appreciated. However we got a text from (apparently) a different driver the next day who had seen the delayed text notice that we were waiting to be picked up and came to pick us up a day later. I don't know how that happened but it was, sadly, an unnecessary trip for them. We expected the latter parts of this tour to be anti-climactic after being so high in the Alps but that was not so. The entire tour was just wonderful. Again, though, much of that enjoyment was because Mauro was so wonderfully entertaining and well-informed. Big kudos to Mauro! While this was our first Collette tour without our friend Doug Oster and local gardeners, our group was very nice, and we did enjoy meeting people from all over our country. We hope to enjoy many more Collette tours, and along with the help of Travel Junction, hope to have a long future relationship.
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The Alps, the Alps, the Alps! Loved Chamonix! Montreaux, Lucerne! Our tour manager was the best ever!
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We loved every minute of our trip and every town, mountain, farm, city and peak that we visited. We would highly recommend!
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Such an amazing experience! I loved how we got to spend so much time in each city with fun activities to do! Not much travel time on the bus was nice as well which meant we got to spend more time at our destinations. Tour manager and our driver were OUTSTANDING! This was another amazing trip with collete and can't recommend it enough!
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Each of the cities and sites we visited was exceptional. The opportunity to sail on the Danube River a couple of times both day and evening made the trip most beautiful and exciting.
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Mount Pilatis…
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Swiss alps view from the top
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Enjoyed everything about the Tour> The Tour Manager, the itinerary & the accommodations were each outstanding.
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All great
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Our trip was incredible from start to finish. Definitely more then we ever imagined!! We started with the walking tours and learned such about the area. Our day trips were amazing, the Elkhorn and yodeling was so fun, the beautiful architecture, churches, Mansions and Castle, the Monastery/Brewery, the snow capped Swiss Alps, the food, our extra excursions to Mount Pilatus and Seefeld were fantastic!! We so enjoyed the folklore show, Wow, it was spectacular. We definitely need to acknowledge our tour guide Javier was so amazing, always there to help if needed and so knowledgeable, as well as Patty and Michael❤️ We did so much in the time we were there and yet still had time to ourselves. It was a very unforgettable trip and a perfect way to celebrate our anniversary which gave us so many memories that we will cherish forever❤️
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One of my favorite things was seeing the ski jump in Innsbrook.
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Javier made the tour with knowledge of the area and his personality.
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Experience the holiday spirit in Austria and Germany, where the tradition of the Christkindlesmarkt began over 600 years ago.
View 8-Day ItineraryCollette’s Austria tour packages include Tour Manager services 24/7, in-country transportation, admission to included attractions, and meals as outlined in the tour itinerary. Some tours include cultural experiences in places like Innsbruck, Salzburg, Seefeld, or Vienna. Check the Austria tour itineraries to find a tour that’s right for you.
Austria is part of the Schengen Area. Visa requirements depend on your nationality and passport, so travelers should review current entry requirements before departure.
The best time to visit Austria depends on what you want to experience. Winter is ideal for Christmas markets in places like Vienna and Salzburg, while warmer months are better for Alpine scenery, city touring, and outdoor walks. Pack layers year-round, since temperatures can change with elevation and weather can shift quickly.
Austria tours can be a good fit for senior travelers who are comfortable with walking on cobblestones, uneven streets, and through historic areas. Activity levels vary by tour. For example, some Innsbruck walking tours require walking for about 30 minutes at a time. You can see included activities and the overall tour activity level on the tour itinerary before you book.
Pack comfortable walking shoes, light layers, and rain gear such as a raincoat or umbrella. In the Alpine region, temperatures can change with altitude, so bring a sweater or light jacket. If your tour travels in winter or visits Christmas markets, warm layers, gloves, and weather-proof footwear are especially helpful.
Austria uses the euro. Credit cards, especially Visa and Mastercard, are widely accepted, and contactless payments are common. It is still useful to carry some cash or coins for cafés, small vendors, public restrooms, and gratuities. If paying by card, choosing the local currency usually gives a better exchange rate.
English is commonly spoken in hotels, restaurants, and major visitor areas in Austria. Learning a few simple German phrases, such as “Guten Morgen,” “Bitte,” and “Vielen Dank,” is a respectful way to connect with locals during your trip.
Yes, select Collette tours feature Austria during Christmas market season. Depending on the tour, travelers may spend time at markets in Vienna or Salzburg, where festive lights, artisan stalls, seasonal foods, music, and historic squares create a classic holiday atmosphere.
Austria is known for comforting Alpine cuisine and classic sweets. Look for dishes like Rindsuppe, Tafelspitz, goulash, Liptauer, Selchfleisch, Kaiserschmarrn, Germknödel, and apple strudel. On tour, included meals are chosen to reflect regional flavors, and your Tour Manager can recommend local restaurants during free time.
