Christmas in Europe

Day 1 – Madrid 

Shall we leave our studies aside for a while and go on a Christmas trip to Europe together? Unitrips takes you to know a great part of Europe in the most complete Christmas trip in Europe, welcome to Madrid!

You will know the main attractions from the capital of Europe

Would you like someone to accompany you on this tour? Encourage her with a GIFT CARD Unitrips gift for this Christmas

Day 2 – Madrid 

Full day to discover this wonderful city. We will offer you the best activities to make your experience unforgettable. Maybe a trip to Toledo?

Day 3 – Madrid – Night on Bus

Third day of this Christmas trip in Europe and today you will leave for a new city. You will have the day off to discover what you missed in Madrid and in the evening we will get on the bus to go to Barcelona.

Día 4 – Bus – Barcelona – Ferry

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 tour of Europe.

During our visit you will learn why Barcelona has become the tourist capital of the world today. From La Sagrada Familia, to Passeig de Gracia, to 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 will spend the night on an elegant ship with all the necessary facilities to make the tour very enjoyable: disco, video game room, restaurants, 24h cafes, swimming pool, gym, health center, casino … So have a gin and tonic, and let yourself be caressed by the Mediterranean breeze!

Day 5 – Ferry – Rome

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 a vast cosmopolitan city full of culture, history, art and architecture with a Mediterranean cuisine based on seasonal products, as well as stores for everyone.

Day 6 – Rome

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. This makes walking through its streets becomes a journey back in time, to the era of maximum splendor of the capital.

*Optional activity: Rome Pack: Sistine Chapel + Musei Vaticani + Colosseum + Rome Sightseeing Tour + Transfers

Do you know…

• In St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome, you can find stars on 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.
• There is the Bocca Della Verità, in Sta. Maria in Cosmedin, the most famous manhole in the world. According to legend, whoever puts his hand in the mouth and tells a lie, it will bite him.

Day 7 – Rome

We continue to discover Rome.

The capital of Italy and ancient “Caput Mundi” awaits us with its thousands of years of history. There are plenty of reasons to visit Rome, be captivated by the city and wish to return to it, as the gastronomy and its lively atmosphere are some of them. Before going to bed, stroll through its streets and savor Italian cuisine in a typical Roman “osteria” or have a gelato.

Today is also Christmas Eve, will you join us for dinner with your new Unitrips family?

 

Day 8 – Rome – Florence

We will say goodbye to Rome by going early to the Vatican, especially today which is the day of the Urbi et Orbi blessing. Blessing that we will receive from the hands of Pope Francis from the largest church in the world, St. Peter.

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

Día 9 – Florence – Pisa – Venice

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

Today in this super trip for young people we will visit the cradle of the Renaissance, the city that was the cultural and artistic center of Europe from the fifteenth century onwards. In this city the stars aligned, and thanks to families sensitive to art and generations of incredible artists began to create works that amaze today.

Are you familiar with Giotto, Brunelleschi, Botticelli and the 4 Ninja turtles (Michelangelo, Raffaello, Leonardo da Vinci, Donatello)?

Well, this is where they started their wanderings, to later spread their arts in the rest of Italy, especially in Rome to the court of the Popes.

After admiring this small city with the most works of art per square meter in the whole world, we will continue our Christmas travel in Europe and head to another jewel of Italian architecture: Venice, but first we will make a mandatory stop in Pisa and take the iconic photo. Get your camera ready.

Day 10 – Venice

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 trip 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 art with Byzantine influence that characterizes the Basilica of San Marco, we will also discover how Murano glass is made.

*Optional Activity

• Venice Pack

Do you know…

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

Day 11 – Venice – Alps – Munich 

Today in this incredible opportunity to travel in Christmas in Europe, is the day when we will enjoy the mountains and snow (if the weather accompanies us). This area in winter 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 will surely be amazed by the pure water lakes, the snow-capped mountains and the green valleys of Heidi.

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

Munich is not only a rich and modern city, it has a lot of history. Therefore, if time permits, we will stop to visit its cathedral and the Marienplatz with its famous gothic clock-clock, which has 43 bells and 32 animated figures that dance every morning at 12h.

*Optional activities

• Snow activities 

Día 12 – Munich – The Mad King Castle* – Munich

Guten Morgen!

Today on this super trip through Europe for young people, you can decide whether to stay in the accommodation or venture with us to discover another hidden corner of Europe: the castle of Neuschwanstein, also called the castle of the Mad King. In addition, we will have the opportunity to visit a ski resort where you can enjoy some snow.

Would you 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’ll tell you all the little secrets that the city of Munich has to offer!

*Optional activity

• Visit to the Mad King Castle

Do you know…

• The literal English translation of Neuschwanstein Castle is “The New Stone Swan”.
• The castle of the Mad King 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 scenographer.

Do you want to know the Mad King legend?

Why is worthy to visit Munich?

Day 13 – Munich – Dachau – Prague

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. Although if you prefer you will have free time in the historic center of Munich to enjoy those corners that you have left pending.

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 most important city in the Bohemian region. It is known for being one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and it is not for less, besides its privileged location in the center of Europe and its good communication with neighboring countries, makes it one of the most visited destinations on the European continent. During its history, this city has received many names, such as “The Golden City”, “The City of a Hundred Towers” 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.

Click here to discover places to see in Prague

*Optional activity:

• Visit to Dachau, the concentration camp (Munich)

Day 14 – Prague (New Years Party)

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

Before enjoying the New Year, we will continue our Christmas in Europe trip and you can 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. Wenceslas Square is universally known for being the scene of the “Prague Spring”.

Visit the Theater of the States, where several operas by Mozart were premiered, and the Jewish Quarter. Then you can stroll through the Clementinum, a former Jesuit College, and then reach the famous Charles Bridge, with its 30 famous baroque sculptures. If there is time we can pass 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 charm of the city and the low price of its beers. Are you going to miss it?

Day 15 – Prague – Frankfurt

Happy New Year Unitrippers!

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 town cemetery.

If you prefer to sleep all day, don’t! Prague has a lot to offer, from its Castle and the Golden Alley where Kafka lived, to buildings that are both peculiar and modern, such as the dancing house.

*Optional Activity:

• Excursion to Kutna Hora

Do you know…

• 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 more and 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 for Germany. If time permits we will make a stop in Nuremberg, the city that hosted the trial carried out against the Nazi generals after World War II, known as the Nuremberg Trials. Many books have been written about this trial, 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 of Germany, and financial capital of the country, where the headquarters of the European Bank is located, and where we will spend the night.

Day 16 – Frankfurt – Koln – Amsterdam

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

We continue traveling through Europe to know the last German city of the tour: Koln. 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 its events known worldwide. We will see and walk around this city, we will visit its Cathedral, which took more than 600 years to be built and is one of the most visited monuments, when you see it you will 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 Dali. In the afternoon we will set off again to reach the free city of Amsterdam.

Upon arrival, we’ll drop our bags and head out for the evening to explore the city’s famous Red Light District – the night is young and life is short, so enjoy, my friends!

Do you know…

• Koln Cathedral is one of the largest and most spectacular cathedrals in the world.
• In front of the cathedral, there is a statue that would be about three human bodies high and is exactly the same as the two peaks that rule the two towers of the cathedral. It’s a blast to glimpse 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.

Day 17 – Amsterdam

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

But Amsterdam is not only 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.

*Optional activity:

• Boat trip to the Amsterdam canals

Do you know…

• The facades of the multitude of houses that populate Amsterdam are turned forward. What is said to explain this is that their architects created them thinking that, due to their narrowness, the only way to get furniture into the house could be from the windows. For that reason they have a hook on the roof and are slightly inclined forward from top to bottom, to prevent the furniture from colliding with the facade.
• Amsterdam is the most liberal city in the world. Or so it is considered. It was the first city in the world to accept gay marriage, marijuana and prostitution are legal.
•  The Dutch are very tall. Men measure an average of 184 cm and women 170 cm.

More info about the Coffee-Shops:

The best Amsterdam Coffee Shops

Day 18 – Amsterdam – Bruges – Brussels

Good morning Unitrippers!

For 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 city is, where the Northern European architectural style has remained intact!

Day 19 – Brussels – Paris 

After meeting Brussels, we will keep going with our Christmas trip in Europe

We get back on our Unitrips bus and head to one of the most awaited destinations, Paris, “The City of Love”. There is always a reason to visit Paris, whether it is the first time or the fifteenth time you go. It is a city that throughout history has accumulated so many artistic and architectural works that you never end up discovering something new. There is a reason why 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 see it at its best, having recently burned down 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 be guided to the top of the Eiffel Tower to reach its feet.

Do you know…

• 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 the 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.

Day 20 – Paris

An intense day in the “Ville Lumiere” awaits us, so wear comfortable shoes because today we have to walk a lot. This is the best way to get to know all the 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 a breathtaking view of Paris awaits you.

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

*Optional activity:

• París by Night

Day 21 – Paris – Bus

Today in our great Christmas travels in Europe 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 kilometers of exhibitions and of course, observe the wonderful Mona Lisa. If you prefer, you can enjoy the modern architecture and its futuristic skyscrapers in the neighborhood of La Defense.

If you want to see a piece of Italy in Paris, do not miss the Luxembourg Gardens, commissioned by Maria dei Medici, and on the way appreciate 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 by the evening/night we keep going again to Madrid by bus.

Day 22 – Bus – Madrid

In the morning we will cross the Pyrenees, pass near San Sebastian, Vitoria and Burgos to finish this great Christmas trip through Europe. We will return to Madrid for a last night.

Día 23 – Madrid

Our trip has come to an end. But you will have memories in the most beautiful corners of the old continent with your new friends from half the world. We hope you enjoyed it and see you in a new adventure!

Includes:

• Travel by comfortable private bus to the destinations mentioned in the program.
• 23 days and 22 nights
• Accommodation in the best hotels, hostels and bungalow houses all over Europe:
• 2 Nights in Madrid
• 1 Night in bus (Madrid-Barcelona)
• 1 Night on Ferry (Barcelona-Rome)
• 3 Nights in Rome
• 1 Night in Florence (or surroundings)
• 2 Nights in Venice
• 2 Nights in Munich
• 2 Nights in Prague
• 1 Night in Frankfurt
• 2 Nights in Amsterdam
• 1 Night in Brussels
• 2 Nights in Paris
• 1 Night in bus (Paris-Madrid)
• 1 Night in Madrid
• 19 breakfasts
• Multiple rooms (double or single on request)
• All transportation, parking and tolls expenses
• Group leader during the whole trip
• Assistance throughout the trip
• Guided tours in the mentioned cities with tour leader
• Arrival transfer from the airport
• Welcome KIT
• SIM card valid in all Europe
• And more surprises…

Not included:

• Everything not mentioned in “What’s included”.
• Transportation to the departure point
• Travel or cancellation insurance
• Air tickets
• Optional activities
• Entrance fees to monuments, parks, attractions
• Visa or administrative fees
• Public transportation tickets in the cities: subway, bus, streetcar, train or cab in the cities

Optional activities, extras:

• Supplement extra night in Madrid + Train Madrid – Barcelona
• Rome Pack: Guided tour of Rome Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums and Colosseum
• Christmas Dinner
• Italian Alps: Snow Activities
• Tour Alps + Mad King’s Castle
• Excursion to Dachau: Visit to the Concentration Camp
• Excursion to Kutna Hora
• Canal Boat Amsterdam: Canal Boat Tour
• Paris by Night
• Paris Pack: Visit to Versailles, guided tour pot Montmarte and boat trip on the Senna bauteau mouches.
• Excursion to Cinque Terre
• Venice Pack: Access ticket, 2 train tickets, guided tour of the city, visit to the Murano Glass Master, gondola ride along the canals of Venice
• And much more

(You will be able to book your extras once you have booked your trip, through an App to which we will give you access).

Each optional activity requires a minimum of 30 participants.