Meet your tour manager at the airport and transfer to your hotel.

Dependent upon your arrival time, you may wish to head out and enjoy a first exploration of the ‘twin city’ that straddles the Danube. There are a host of bars, cafés and restaurants to suit all tastes and pockets, all exuding traditional Christmastime warmth and welcome.

Dinner will then be served back at the hotel’s restaurant this evening.

After breakfast, you’ll join your tour manager for a guided city tour of Budapest by coach and foot. This introduction will bring to life the major sights, including Buda’s Castle Hill, home to the former Royal Palace, the Castle district’s maze of winding streets, Mátyás church, and the Fisherman’s Bastion, with its views across to Pest on the opposite shore.

Bustling, stylish Pest, with its sweeping boulevards, elegant stores, and the Belváros old town, is a hive of designer stores, coffee houses, patisseries, and restaurants, many found along Váci utca, the pedestrianised main shopping street.

Lunch can be enjoyed at your leisure with some free time afterwards to traverse the traditional Christmas markets on Vörösmarty tér, the central square, and in front of St Stephen’s Basilica. Wooden pavilions offer handcrafted gifts, and the aromas of mulled wine, roasted chestnuts and traditional Hungarian pastries hang in the air.

In the evening, you’ll have a festive dinner at a local restaurant.

Merry Christmas! Embrace a free morning after breakfast at your own pace, perhaps soaking up the joyous atmosphere by taking a leisurely stroll in City Park or Heroes’ Square, close to your hotel. 

In the afternoon, you’ll gain a different perspective of the city by taking to the Danube for a river cruise. You’ll make the short walk from the hotel to the boat, then sit back and enjoy the ride along one of Europe’s most iconic waterways. A very memorable Christmas feast will be served onboard as you pass by some of Budapest’s best-known sights, including the imposing Gothic Revival-style parliament and Castle Hill.

Later in the day, you’ll relax back on land, with the option of returning to Vörösmarty tér to take in the scents and delights of Budapest’s Christmas markets while picking up a final souvenir.

A Christmas dinner will then be enjoyed back at the hotel alongside your fellow travellers.

Have breakfast and another day at leisure or join an optional visit to Szentendre, a town located just north of Budapest on the Danube River. Striking baroque architecture, multi-coloured houses, and cobbled streets make this pretty town, with an artistic community, a delightful place to visit. You can wander around its main square, Fő Tér, and the numerous art galleries, museums, and workshops. The 18th-century Greek Orthodox Blagovestenska Church is another highlight, boasting an ornate façade.

After some free time exploring and lunch, you’ll return to Budapest and visit the Pálinka Museum. Inside, an interactive display showcases the history of this Hungarian fruit brandy, which you can sample for yourself during your time here.

This evening will be at your leisure, and you can find somewhere for your last dinner.