Central Western Daily

European Christmas market magic

The magical Christmas markets of Austria and Germany ensure travellers will be spoilt for choice and able to stock-up on gifts to bring home to surprise loved ones.
The magical Christmas markets of Austria and Germany ensure travellers will be spoilt for choice and able to stock-up on gifts to bring home to surprise loved ones.

This is sponsored content for Collette.

FANCY some Christmas shopping with a difference? How about picking up the perfect gifts for family and friends at some of Europe's best Christmas markets?

The Senior, in conjunction with tour operator Collette, will take you there on its Magical Christmas Markets of Austria and Germany tour in December.

The seven-day tour visits Innsbruck, Salzburg, Oberammergau and Munich, with plenty of time for sightseeing and, of course, shopping.

Settle in Innsbruck

If you're not enamoured of the constant packing and unpacking associated with touring, you'll love this holiday as it features five nights' accommodation in Innsbruck.

After settling in and enjoying a welcome dinner the touring gets under way: and it's your choice.

Travellers can either take a guided walking tour of Innsbruck or join a tour to see the city's architectural structures.

Later in the day it's all aboard for a train trip to the idyllic village of Seefeld, one of the world's great ski resorts blessed with beautiful lakes and trails.

There'll be time for schnapps and a ride in a horse-drawn carriage before learning how to make - and eat - traditional strudel.

Beautiful Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau in Bavaria, Germany.
Beautiful Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau in Bavaria, Germany.

The sound of Salzburg

Travelling through the woods of the Austrian countryside, the group will head to Mirabell Gardens and the "Do-Re-Mi steps" from The Sound of Music in Salzburg.

In the afternoon there's free time to meet the locals and do some treasure hunting at any of six Christmas markets.

For the perfect end to the day, it's off to St Peter's Skiftskeller, the oldest continuously-serving restaurant in Europe.

There's a full day in Innsbruck to do whatever you want: perhaps stocking up on gifts at the Christmas markets, listening to brass bands play from the towers, and trying some gluhwein and stollen while chestnuts roast on open fires.

Nothing says Christmas time better than a ride in a horse-drawn carriage in the snow around beautiful Seefeld.
Nothing says Christmas time better than a ride in a horse-drawn carriage in the snow around beautiful Seefeld.

Shopping, restaurants and beer

The following day there's a photo stop at the magnificent Neuschwanstein Castle before continuing to the picture-perfect Bavarian village of Oberammergau and dinner at a family-owned restaurant.

The final day's touring takes in the delights of Munich, beginning with a city tour before enjoying a bier at the famous Hofbrauhaus and heading off to a farewell lunch.

The remainder of the day is free to shop 'til you drop at the largest Christmas market of the tour.

The seven-day tour runs from December 8-14.

For more information phone 1300-027-204, or go to www.gocollette.com/en-au and search Magical Christmas markets of Austria and Germany.

This is sponsored content for tour operator Collette.