Christmas Wonderland – Europe Tour

Shall we put aside our studies for a while and go on a Christmas trip to Europe together?

We will take you to see a great part of Europe in the most complete Europe Christmas Tour – Christmas Wonderland .

Today in the afternoon you can visit the main attractions of the city of Madrid. If you have already been to the wonderful Spanish capital or simply prefer to arrive rested for the rest of the trip, we will meet directly in the evening at Atocha, Madrid’s main train station.

After spending the night on the bus crossing Spain from Madrid to Catalonia, we will arrive early in Barcelona to soak up its beauty on the most complete Christmas trip to Europe.

During our visit you will learn why Barcelona has become today’s tourist capital of the world. From La Sagrada Familia to Passeig de Gracia, passing through the mythical Ramblas and the Gothic Quarter with its impressive cathedral, this city has a lot to offer.

In the evening, we will continue our backpacking trip to Europe and go to the port to board a ferry. We’ll spend the night on an elegant ferry with all the necessary facilities to make the journey enjoyable: discotheque, video game room, restaurants, 24-hour cafes, pool, gym, health center, casino… So, have a gin and tonic and let yourself be caressed by the Mediterranean breeze!

After a full day enjoying the Mediterranean breezes we will arrive in Civitavecchia and from there our Eurobus will take us to the ancient Caput Mundi, Rome, to continue our journey through Europe.

Rome is an extensive cosmopolitan city filled with culture, history, art, and architecture, offering a Mediterranean cuisine based on seasonal products, along with shops for everyone

Rome is known as the “Eternal City” and everything has its explanation. In this city time seems to have stopped centuries ago due to the multitude of monuments and remains of imposing buildings. All of this turns strolling through its streets into a journey through time, back to the era of the city’s greatest splendor

*Optional Activity: Rome Pack: Sistine Chapel + Musei Vaticani + Colosseum + Rome Walk + Transfers

Did you know that…

• In St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome, you can find stars in the marble pavement, right in the middle of an aisle that runs along the central nave. What they represent are the length of various Catholic temples in the world.
• The Bocca Della Verità is located in Sta. Maria in Cosmedin, the most famous manhole on the planet. According to legend, whoever puts his hand in his mouth and tells a lie, it will bite him.

We will bid farewell to Rome by going early to the Vatican, especially today which is the day of the Urbi et Orbi blessing. We will receive a blessing from Pope Francis from the largest church in the world, St. Peter’s Church.

Then we will get on our mythical bus and continue our trip through Europe, we will set the GPS towards Florence.

“Buongiorno Principessa” said Benigni, actor from Florence, in the movie “Life is Beautiful”.

Today this super trip for young people is about visiting the cradle of the Renaissance, the city that was the cultural and artistic center of Europe from the fifteenth century. In this city the stars aligned, and thanks to art-sensitive families and generations of incredible artists, works that amaze today began to be created.

Does Giotto, Brunelleschi, Botticelli and the 4 Ninja Turtles (Michelangelo, Raffaello, Leonardo da Vinci, Donatello) ring a bell?

This is where he began his career, and then spread his arts in the rest of Italy, especially in Rome to the court of the Popes.

After admiring this small city with more works of art per square meter than anywhere else in the world, we will continue our Christmas journey through Europe and set course for another Italian architectural gem: Venice. But before that, we will make a mandatory stop in Pisa and take the iconic photo Prepare your camera.

*Optional Activity

• Venice Pack

Did you know that…

• The last bridge built in Venice was by a Spanish architect, Calatrava.
• In Venice there is the “Acqua Alta”, a phenomenon that causes the water level to rise sharply. It takes place in the Venice lagoon and usually lasts 3 to 4 hours. It all depends on the intensity with which it occurs, it can even flood Venice with only a rise of half a meter of water, that is, most of the historic center.

We will have the whole day to get to know Venice, the first European city to become an open-air museum and to attract so many tourists that it almost doesn’t fit. So don’t miss the opportunity to visit it on this Christmas Wonderland trip for young people in Europe.

Take out your camera and look for the best angle to take the best pictures of its bridges, Vaporettos and Gondolas.

We will enjoy the Byzantine influenced art that characterizes the Basilica of San Marco, we will also discover how Murano glass is made.

Day 9

Today in this incredible opportunity to travel in Christmas in Europe, is the day when we will enjoy the mountains and the snow (if the weather is good). In winter, this area dresses in white and dazzles with its beauty. We will pass through the Italian mountain range known as the Dolomite Mountains and cross a new country: Austria. Here you are sure to be amazed by the pure water lakes, snow-capped mountains and Heidi’s green valleys.

After a full day taking pictures in the mountains, we will continue our Christmas Wonderland trip and continue through Austria until we reach Bavaria, the southernmost region of Germany, famous for its automobile manufacturers (BMW, Mercedes), its beer, and its capital: Munich.

Munich is not only a rich and modern city, it has a lot of history. “That’s why, if time permits, we will stop to visit its cathedral and the Marienplatz with its famous Gothic clock-carrillon, which features 43 bells and 32 animated figures that dance every morning at 12 o’clock.”

*Optional Activity

• Snow activities

Guten Morgen!

Today, on this amazing journey across Europe for young people, you can choose to stay at the accommodation or venture with us to discover another hidden corner of Europe: Neuschwanstein Castle, also known as the ‘Castle of the Mad King.‘” In addition, we will have the opportunity to visit a ski resort where you can enjoy some snow.

Prefer to stay at the hostel and venture into the city on your own? Would you like to see how they surf in an almost frozen artificial river in the center of the city? Ask us and we will tell you all the little secrets that the city of Munich has to offer!

*Optional Activity

• Visit to the Mad King’s Castle

Did you know that…

• The literal English translation of Neuschwanstein Castle is “The New Stone Swan”.
• The Mad King’s castle was built at a time when castles and fortresses were no longer necessary from a strategic point of view. It was born in the imagination of Louis II as a pure romantic fantasy of an idealized medieval castle.
• Its design is not functional, but aesthetic, being largely the product of the mind of a theatrical set designer.

This morning in the most complete trip to Europe for Christmas you will have the option to visit the Dachau concentration camp, one of the few camps that remind us of the atrocity of World War II and the German Nazi era. However, if you prefer, you will have some free time in the historic center of Munich to enjoy those places you have missed.

After that, we will get back on the bus and continue our Christmas trip through Europe. This time in the direction of:Prague!

Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic and the largest city in the Bohemian region. It is known for being one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, and rightfully so. Its exceptionally privileged location in the heart of Europe and excellent connectivity with neighboring countries make it one of the most visited destinations in the European continent. Throughout its history, this city has been given many names, such as ‘The Golden City,’ ‘The City of a Hundred Spires,’ and ‘The Heart of Europe.

This city was born from the union of five ancient cities and the waters of the Vltava River flow through it. It has traditionally been the political, economic and cultural center of the Czech Republic.

*Optional Activity:

• Visit to Dachau Concentration Camp (Munich)

Put on your coat, have a hot drink, the golden city awaits us!

Before enjoying the New Year, we will continue our Christmas Wonderland tour and you will be able to visit the Old Town, the New Town also of medieval origin, and the old Jewish Quarter.

You can go from Republic Square, with the Powder Tower and the beautiful Art Nouveau Municipal House, to Wenceslas Square. The square is universally known for being the scene of the “Prague Spring”.

Visit the Theater of the States, where several of Mozart’s operas were premiered, and the Jewish Quarter. Afterwards you can stroll through the Clementinum, the former Jesuit College, and then reach the famous Charles Bridge, with its 30 famous baroque sculptures. If there is time we can stop by the old market square, the “Old Town Square” with its outstanding and attractive Astronomical Clock.

We hope you didn’t get too tired today, because there are still the New Year’s celebrations. Every year, people from all over the world come to Prague to celebrate it, because of the city’s charm and the low price of its beers. Are you going to miss it?

Today in our amazing opportunity to travel in Europe for Christmas we offer you two options: you can stay in the city recharging all the energy you lost last night, or we give you the opportunity to visit another jewel of the Czech Republic: Kutna Hora. World Heritage City, for its historic center and its peculiar bone church, which is located in the cemetery of the town.

Do you prefer to sleep all day? Don’t do it! Prague has a lot to offer, from its Castle and the Golden Alley where Kafka lived, to buildings that are both quirky and modern, such as the dancing house.

*Optional activity:

• Excursion to Kutna Hora

Did you know that…

• One of the most outstanding jewels of the city of Kutna Hora are the religious temples which are considered among the best churches in the Czech Republic, therefore, knowing them will be a subject that you can not overlook.

Kutna Hora has a somewhat macabre touch, as it is nothing less than a built and decorated with the bones of 40,000 people who wanted to be buried there.

We continue our super trip for young people and again we will head to Germany . If time permits we will stop in Nuremberg, the city that hosted the trial of the Nazi generals after World War II, known as the Nuremberg Trials. Many books have been written about this process, collecting the statements of those who survived the concentration camps.

After crossing the entire region of Bavaria, we will arrive late in the afternoon in Frankfurt, one of the most important urban centers in Germany, and the financial capital of the country, where the headquarters of the European Bank is located, and where we will spend the night.

Good morning! Are your batteries charged? Today in the most complete of Christmas trips to Europe will be a day full of new places to discover.

We continue traveling through Europe to get to know the last German city of the tour: Cologne. We will see the most important places of this city located at the foot of the Rhine River, characterized by its more than 2,000 years of history, its cultural and architectural heritage, and for its world-famous events. We will see and walk around this city, we will visit its Cathedral, which took more than 600 years to build and is one of the most visited monuments. When you see it you’ll know why!

This city is also known for its museums, which house all kinds of art: from the process of making chocolate to works by Picasso and Dalí. In the afternoon we will set off again to reach the free city of Amsterdam.

Upon arrival, we will leave our luggage and go directly to the city’s famous Red Light District in the afternoon and evening. The night is young and life is short, so enjoy friends!

Did you know that…

• Cologne Cathedral is one of the largest and most spectacular cathedrals in the world.
• In front of the cathedral, there is a statue that would occupy about three human bodies high and that is exactly the same as the two peaks that rule the two towers of the cathedral. It’s great to see them up close.
• Inside the cathedral is a curious stained glass window in the form of colored pixels.
• At Christmas, a Nöel market full of fantasy, lights, stalls, singers, skating rinks and mulled wine bars make the center of Cologne a real fairy tale.

Liberal culture and politics have made Amsterdam a world reference for advocates of liberalism, especially those who defend the legalization of light drugs (marijuana and hashish) and the regularization of prostitution.

But Amsterdam is not only the coffee shops and the red light district, there are many canals to get lost in.

Take a walk through the Van Gogh Museum , the Rembrandt Museum, the MOCO or the Rijksmuseum. A visit to Anne Frank’s house is a must , as an extra of the trip. And if you feel like having a beer, we have the answer, Heineken beer is your star choice.

Good morning!

Today we will visit one of the most beautiful Flemish cities: Bruges, which is the most visited city in Belgium, ahead of the capital. On the way back we will also stop at the Atomium to take some pictures.

Here you will be delighted to see how well preserved this medieval town is, where the Northern European architectural style has been left intact!

After getting to know Brussels we will continue our Christmas Wonderland trip.

We get back on our Unitrips bus and head for one of the most awaited destinations, Paris, “The City of Love”. There’s always a reason to visit Paris, whether it’s your first time or your fifteenth. It is a city that throughout history has accumulated such a wealth of artistic and architectural works that you never end up discovering something new. It must be for a reason that it is the capital that receives the most tourists in the world.

We will visit the monumental area, the most famous gothic cathedral in the world, Notre Dame. Unfortunately you will not know it in its best shape, having recently caught fire during its structural renovation.

We will follow the Seine River to see the wonders of this city, visiting the Louvre area, the largest and most famous museum in the world, and after passing by “le jardin des tuileries” we will go to the top of the Eiffel Tower to reach its feet.

Did you know that…

• The Eiffel Tower is 18 cm higher in summer due to iron expansion.
• Do you know why Paris is called the City of Light? Because there were many robberies in it, then its mayor had candles put in the windows until gas lamps were placed, being the first city illuminated in this way.
• There is a so-called “Paris Syndrome” that affects Japanese who arrive in the city and are disappointed when they do not achieve the prospects they expected. There is even a 24-hour hotline for those affected.

An intense day in the “Ville Lumiere” awaits us, so wear comfortable shoes as there is a lot of walking to do today. It is the best way to get to know all European cities.

Today you can admire other areas of Paris, such as the Opera or the Lafayette galleries, see if you manage to climb all the steps leading to the basilica running, at the end awaits a breathtaking view of Paris.

In the evening we offer you the opportunity to tour around the center of Paris by bus to enjoy all the most emblematic places, where you can stop to take some pictures while you discover more about the magical city.

• Paris by Night

Today in our great Europe Christmas travels will be your free day in Paris, as we are in everything, we will give you the time you need to see some of the places you left pending. Of course, we will give you some tips on what to do.

If you want, this is your time to go to the Louvre and enjoy its kilometer-long exhibitions and of course, observe the wonderful Mona Lisa. If you prefer, you can enjoy the modern architecture and futuristic skyscrapers in the La Defense district.

If you want to see a piece of Italy in Paris, don’t miss a visit to the Luxembourg Gardens, commissioned by Maria dei Medici, and on your way to see the Pantheon, or the Sorbonne (the best university in France) and stroll through the Latin Quarter and its thousands of bars.

Don’t forget to buy your souvenirs, and in the afternoon/evening we will get back on the bus to Madrid.

In the morning we will cross the Pyrenees, passing near San Sebastian, Vitoria and Burgos to finish this great trip through Europe at Christmas.

Our trip came to an end. But you will make memories in the most beautiful corners of the old continent with your new friends from halfway around the world.