Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Central Europe Christmas Markets: Zagreb, Ljubljana, Graz and Budapest
7 days from Zagreb to Budapest: two nights each in Zagreb and Ljubljana, a day at Lake Bled, then a night each in Graz and Budapest, late November to 23 December.
7 days · Zagreb to Budapest · up to 12 guests
Ljubljana's riverside lit for the festive season, below the Franciscan Church Photo: warpmike, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ljubljana-3855149.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 7 days, 6 nights
- Start and end
- Zagreb to Budapest
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 4 h on day 6No drive day is longer than 4 hours.
- Activity level
Easy
Walking 4 to 8 km a day on cobbles and old-town slopes that can be icy, with stairs in Zagreb's Upper Town and up to Bled Castle, and two to three hours a day standing outdoors at the markets after dark, often near or below freezing. Ljubljana Castle and the Graz Schlossberg are reached by funicular and Sljeme by cable car. Any climb or evening market can be skipped, and the van is never far away.
- Meals included
- 6 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 2 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 675 (estimated price)
- Season
- Christmas markets
Highlights
Why this trip
- Advent in Zagreb at dusk: the Upper Town promenade, Zrinjevac park and the stalls on Ban Jelacic Square, with a guide-led tasting of fritule and mulled wine
- The cable car up Sljeme above Zagreb, where the snow usually comes first
- Ljubljana's riverside lit for the festive season, after the funicular up to the castle
- A day at Lake Bled: Bled Castle on its cliff, a pletna boat to the island when the lake allows, and kremsnita in town
- Graz from the Schlossberg, then the Hauptplatz market and the ice nativity in the Landhaus courtyard
- The Christmas fair on Vorosmarty Square and the Advent market in front of St Stephen's Basilica
- A morning in the outdoor pools of the Szechenyi Thermal Bath, steam rising in the cold, included
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day, and none is longer than 4 hours.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 675 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 4 h, on day 6.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Zagreb
Zagreb Airport to your hotel in central Zagreb, then Ban Jelacic Square
- Dinner
- Stay in Zagreb
- Drive about 24 min
Afternoon
Fly into Zagreb Airport (ZAG), about 17 km south-east of the centre; most connections from North America arrive through a European hub by early afternoon. A driver meets you in arrivals for the drive of about 25 minutes into the city, and your room is ready from mid-afternoon (we hold your bags if you arrive earlier). The hotel is central, a short walk from Ban Jelacic Square, the main square of the Lower Town. At about 4 pm, as the light goes and Advent in Zagreb switches on, your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the week, then walks you to the square, where the big tree stands and the stalls sell gingerbread hearts, sausages and hot drinks.
Evening
We carry on along the lit avenues to the bandstand in Zrinjevac park, then sit down together to a welcome dinner of Croatian dishes at a restaurant in the centre. The evening ends early on purpose, since most of you will have flown overnight.
Included
- Pick-up at Zagreb Airport (ZAG)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Evening walk through Advent in Zagreb: Ban Jelacic Square and Zrinjevac park
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the 4 pm briefing
Activity: Plan to land by early afternoon to join the evening walk.
Zagreb's Upper Town and Sljeme
Zagreb Upper Town on foot, then the cable car up Sljeme and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Zagreb
- Drive about 30 min
We start at 9:30 am with a local guide in the Upper Town, Gornji Grad, before the market crowds. Walk up through the Stone Gate, where candles burn at a shrine to the Virgin, to St. Mark's Square and the church with the Croatian and Zagreb coats of arms on its tiled roof, then along the Strossmayer promenade, where the Advent stalls and lights look out over the Lower Town. If you are there at noon you hear the cannon fired from the Lotrscak Tower. The cathedral is still under restoration after the 2020 earthquake, so we see it from outside.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in the old town, with strukli, Zagreb's baked cheese pastry, on the table. Early in the afternoon the van takes us to the cable car up Sljeme, the summit of Medvednica above the city, where snow often lies when Zagreb has none, for a short walk and views back over the city.
Evening
Back down by dusk, your guide leads a tasting of fritule and mulled wine at the stalls, and the evening is yours.
Included
- Upper Town walk with a local guide: the Stone Gate, St. Mark's Square, the Strossmayer promenade and the Lotrscak Tower
- Sit-down lunch in the old town
- Sljeme cable car up Medvednica and back, with a short walk at the top
- Guide-led tasting of fritule and mulled wine at the Advent stalls
Optional experiences
- The Museum of Broken Relationships in the Upper Town
Easier option: Stay in town instead of going up Sljeme: a café in the Upper Town and a slow walk back through the Lower Town.
More active option: Walk a forest trail at the top of Sljeme with your guide, conditions permitting, before the cable car down.
Free time: Evening free at the markets
Activity: Steep lanes and stairs in the Upper Town; the cable car does not run in high wind, and then we stay in the city.
Ljubljana and the riverside lights
Zagreb to Ljubljana, then the castle by funicular and the Ljubljanica at dusk
- Breakfast
- Stay in Ljubljana
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
After breakfast we drive about 140 km west to Ljubljana, under two hours on the motorway, crossing from Croatia into Slovenia with no border stop.
Afternoon
We check in close to the river and have lunch on our own near the Central Market. In the early afternoon the funicular climbs to Ljubljana Castle: walk the ramparts and look out over the red roofs to the Kamnik Alps, often white by December.
Evening
We come back down on foot as the light fades, because dusk is the moment for Ljubljana. The Ljubljanica is lined with lit trees and lights strung between the houses, and the festive stalls run along the embankments from Presernov trg past the Triple Bridge. Your guide walks you through the works of the architect Joze Plecnik, now on the UNESCO list: the bridges, the riverside colonnade of the market and the embankments themselves. Then the evening is free, with the stalls a few minutes from the hotel.
Included
- Drive from Zagreb to Ljubljana with your guide
- Funicular up to Ljubljana Castle and the castle ramparts
- Dusk walk along the Ljubljanica: Presernov trg, the Triple Bridge and Plecnik's riverside
Easier option: Ride the funicular down instead of walking.
Free time: Lunch on your own; evening free
Lake Bled in winter
Ljubljana to Lake Bled and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Ljubljana
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
An early breakfast, then about 45 minutes north-west to Lake Bled, at the edge of the Julian Alps. We go up to Bled Castle as it opens, before the day visitors: the castle stands on a cliff about 130 m above the water, first written about in 1011, and from its terraces you look down on the island church and across to the mountains. Back at the shore, if the weather and the lake allow, a pletna, the wooden boat rowed standing up, takes us out to Bled Island to climb the 99 steps to the Church of the Assumption and ring its bell. If the boats are not running we walk part of the lakeside path instead.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in Bled, and afterwards it is time for kremsnita, the vanilla and cream cake the town is known for. On Advent weekends there are stalls by the lake.
Evening
We are back in Ljubljana in the late afternoon, and the evening is yours.
Included
- Bled Castle entry
- Pletna boat to Bled Island, weather and lake permitting
- Sit-down lunch in Bled
- Kremsnita at a café in Bled
Optional experiences
- Entry to the Church of the Assumption on Bled Island (paid on the island)
Easier option: Stay by the shore after the castle: a café on the promenade while the others go out to the island.
More active option: Walk the full path around the lake, about 6 km, with your guide in place of the free hour after lunch.
Free time: Evening free in Ljubljana
Activity: Steep paths up to the castle (the van can take you to the top); 99 steps on the island.
Ljubljana's market, then Graz
Ljubljana to Graz by way of Maribor, then the Schlossberg and the old-town markets
- Breakfast
- Stay in Graz
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
A slow morning in Ljubljana. Walk with your guide to the Central Market, Plecnik's long colonnade by the river, where farmers set out cabbages, apples and honey on the open square from Monday to Saturday (not on Sundays), and pick up a coffee on the embankment.
Afternoon
We leave at about 10:30 am and drive about 200 km north-east past Maribor into Austria, around two and a quarter hours, reaching Graz for a late lunch on your own. The historic centre and Schloss Eggenberg are on the UNESCO list together. In the afternoon the Schlossbergbahn funicular takes us up to the Schlossberg and the Clock Tower for the view over the roofs as the light goes. Then we walk down into the old town for the markets: the main one on Hauptplatz in front of the town hall, the smaller one by the Franciscan church, and in the courtyard of the Landhaus, a nativity carved each year from blocks of ice.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- Morning walk to Ljubljana's Central Market
- Drive from Ljubljana to Graz with your guide
- Schlossbergbahn funicular up the Schlossberg, with the Clock Tower
- Evening walk through the Graz markets: Hauptplatz, the Franciscan quarter and the ice nativity in the Landhaus courtyard
Easier option: Take the funicular back down instead of walking.
More active option: Walk down the Schlossberg steps past the Clock Tower to Schlossbergplatz.
Free time: Lunch and evening on your own
Activity: The Central Market's open-air stalls run Monday to Saturday, not on Sundays; on a Sunday we walk the embankments instead.
Across Hungary to Budapest
Graz to Budapest through western Hungary, then the Castle District and the Basilica market
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Budapest
- Drive about 4 h
The longest day: about 360 km and four hours of driving, about six hours door to door with the stops, which is why we do it in our own van rather than on the six-hour train other trips use.
Afternoon
We leave Graz at 8 am, cross into Hungary and stop mid-morning for coffee, then for a sit-down lunch at a country inn (csarda) in western Hungary, roughly halfway. We drive straight up to the Castle District in Buda at about 2 pm, part of the UNESCO-listed Danube banks, and walk the lanes to the Fisherman's Bastion for the view over the river and the Parliament as the sun goes down, a little before 4 pm. After check-in your guide walks you to St. Stephen's Basilica, where the Advent market fills the square and, on many evenings, light plays across the facade, then on to Vorosmarty Square for the city's best-known Christmas fair: huts of handmade toys, ceramics and leather, chimney cake (kurtoskalacs) turning over the coals, langos and goulash.
Evening
A farewell dinner near the river ends the day.
Included
- Drive from Graz to Budapest with your guide
- Sit-down lunch at a country inn in western Hungary
- The Castle District and the Fisherman's Bastion with your guide
- Evening walk to the Advent market at St. Stephen's Basilica and the Christmas fair on Vorosmarty Square
- Farewell dinner
Easier option: Stay in the van at the Castle District and ride to the hotel early for a rest before the evening walk.
Activity: Four hours of driving in about six hours elapsed, broken by a coffee stop and lunch.
The Szechenyi baths and home
Budapest: the Szechenyi baths, then Budapest Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 48 min
Morning
A slower last morning. We go to the Szechenyi Thermal Bath in City Park at about 8:30 am, before the late-morning crowd. Its outdoor pools are fed by thermal spring water all year, so you sit in water at about 26 to 38°C, depending on the pool, with steam rising into the cold air and, if you are lucky, chess players at the stone boards. Stay about two hours; your ticket includes a locker, so bring a towel or hire one there.
Afternoon
Afterwards there is time to pack, walk along the Danube embankment or have an early lunch on your own near the hotel. At about 1:30 pm the van leaves for Budapest Airport (BUD), about 25 km and 40 minutes in daytime traffic, and your guide sees you to the terminal before saying goodbye. Book a flight leaving after about 4:30 pm; if you are staying on in Budapest, we drop you at your hotel instead.
Included
- Szechenyi Thermal Bath entry with locker
- Drop-off at Budapest Airport (BUD)
Easier option: Skip the baths and have a slow breakfast and a walk along the Danube embankment instead.
Free time: Late morning free; lunch on your own
Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 4:30 pm to fit in the baths.
- Zagreb2 nights
- Ljubljana2 nights
- Graz1 night
- Budapest1 night
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: December days are short and cold, often near freezing, with rain, sleet or snow possible in every city; snow is most likely on Sljeme and at Bled. Pletna boats on Lake Bled only run when the weather and the lake allow.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want four Christmas-market cities without carrying bags on trains
- A mix of guided sights by day and free market evenings
- First-time visitors to Croatia, Slovenia and Hungary who like a walkable old town
- Solo travellers who want company at the markets in the evenings
Not for you if you want
- Travellers who want snow guaranteed: December can be grey and wet in the cities
- Step-free access: cobbles, old-town slopes and island steps
- Travellers who dislike one-night stops: Graz and Budapest are one night each, on back-to-back driving days
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
6 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Zagreb2 nights
- Ljubljana2 nights
- Graz1 night
- Budapest1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 6 nights in central hotels of at least a 3-star-plus standard, within walking distance of each main market: 2 in Zagreb, 2 in Ljubljana, 1 in Graz, 1 in Budapest
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
- We name each hotel when we confirm your dates
Transport
- Pick-up at Zagreb Airport (ZAG) on day 1 and drop-off at Budapest Airport (BUD) on day 7
- Our own vehicle and driver for the group on every transfer, including the Bled day and the Sljeme cable car station
- Sljeme cable car, the Ljubljana Castle funicular and the Graz Schlossbergbahn funicular
- Pletna boat to Bled Island, weather and lake permitting
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip
- A local guide for the Zagreb Upper Town walk
Activities
- Zagreb: Advent evening walk, the Upper Town with a local guide, Sljeme, a market tasting of fritule and mulled wine
- Ljubljana: the castle, the riverside and Plecnik's works at dusk, the Central Market
- Lake Bled: Bled Castle entry, the pletna boat, kremsnita
- Graz: the Schlossberg and Clock Tower, the Hauptplatz and Franciscan markets, the Landhaus ice nativity
- Budapest: the St. Stephen's Basilica Advent market, the Vorosmarty Square Christmas fair, the Szechenyi Thermal Bath, the Castle District and Fisherman's Bastion
Meals
- Breakfast daily (6)
- 3 sit-down lunches: Zagreb, Bled and western Hungary
- 2 dinners: welcome dinner in Zagreb, farewell dinner in Budapest
- A guide-led market tasting in Zagreb and kremsnita at Bled
Not included
- International flights to Zagreb and from Budapest
- Travel insurance
- ETIAS travel authorisation, if it applies to your dates
- Lunches and dinners not listed
- Drinks, including at the markets
- Tips
- Optional activities, such as the Museum of Broken Relationships and the church on Bled Island
- Personal shopping at the markets
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 675 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
Prices in these answers apply from Jan 1, 2027. Black Friday offer: 15% off the small-group price for requests received by Dec 1, 2026. From CAD 3,310 per person. Dec 2 to Dec 31: from CAD 3,585. From Jan 1, 2027: from CAD 3,895.
What does the price include?
Six nights in central hotels, breakfast daily, 3 sit-down lunches and 2 dinners, airport transfers in Zagreb and Budapest, our own vehicle and driver throughout, your See Sight Tours guide, a local guide in Zagreb, and every visit in the day plan, including the Szechenyi baths, Bled Castle, a pletna boat, the Sljeme cable car and two funiculars.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. That is small enough to stay together at a busy market stall in the dark, fit in one van with the luggage and sit around one table at lunch.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the Zagreb airport pick-up to the Budapest airport drop-off. A local guide joins us for the Upper Town walk in Zagreb, and we name your guide when we confirm your departure.
How fit do I need to be?
Fairly easy. Expect 4 to 8 km of walking a day on cobbles that can be icy, some stairs in Zagreb's Upper Town and on Bled Island, and two to three hours standing outdoors in the cold each evening. Castles are reached by funicular, and any climb or market can be skipped.
I'm travelling solo. What does a single room cost?
A room of your own is from CAD 675 more, shown before you book, with no surprise at checkout. Solo guests get the same table, seats and guide as everyone else, and the evening market walks mean you are never left to find your way alone.
When do the Christmas markets open?
Departures run from about the last weekend of November to a last return on 23 December. Advent in Zagreb usually opens in late November, and Graz's markets close on 23 or 24 December. Opening dates change each year, so we set departures only once every city has announced its dates.
Will there be snow?
Possibly, but not reliably. Zagreb, Ljubljana and Budapest are often grey, wet and near freezing in December. Snow is most likely on Sljeme above Zagreb and around Bled in the Julian Alps, which is one reason we go up both.
Why drive instead of taking the train?
Our own van means no lifting bags onto trains or buses, door-to-door hotel drop-offs and shorter days. Budapest to Graz is about six hours by train; we drive Graz to Budapest in about four hours, with a coffee stop and a sit-down lunch. No day drives more than about four hours.
Do I need a visa?
Canadian and US citizens do not need a visa for short stays in Croatia, Slovenia, Austria or Hungary, all Schengen countries with no border checks between them. The EU's ETIAS travel authorisation is not yet in operation; we confirm the position when you book.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 7,010 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we quote the hotels and transfers separately.
Why only one night in Graz and Budapest?
To keep the trip to 7 days, we spend two nights each in Zagreb and Ljubljana and one each in Graz and Budapest. In Budapest you still get the Castle District, two markets and the baths across two days. If you want more time there, ask us to add a Budapest night before or after the trip.
How does booking work?
Pick your start date and send a request to book; no payment is taken at that point. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request. The small group starts from CAD 3,895 per person sharing, taxes included.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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