A MUSICAL CHRISTMAS:
PRAGUE & VIENNA

• ‍Delight in seven performances of opera, orchestral music and ballet in fine historic venues in Prague and Vienna

• Unpack your bags for long stay-style touring, at only two comfortable hotel bases

• Enjoy the festive atmosphere of central Europe in winter, with Christmas markets, fireworks and Champagne suppers

• Discover sites associated with the musical greats in Vienna, including Beethoven’s tiny apartment in the village of Heiligenstadt

• Enhance your appreciation with pre-performance talks by music educator and tour leader Robert Gay

Performance 1
Venue: Rudolfinum Dvořák Hall
Program: Smetana, Vltava; Rossini, “Una voce poco fa” aria fromThe Barber of Seville; Mozart, Andante in C major K315 for flute and orchestra; Bizet, Carmen; Dvořák, Symphony No.9 in E minor, “From the New World”, Op. 95 B. 178
Performers: Jan Šrámek (conductor), Barbara de Nunes-Cambraia (mezzo-soprano), Žofie Vokálková (flute), Symphony Orchestra of Prague Symphonists

Performance 2
Venue: State Opera, Prague
Program: opera, TBA
Performers: TBA

Performance 3
Venue: National Theatre, Prague
Program: opera, TBA
Performers: TBA

Performance 4
Venue: State Opera, Vienna
Program: Hector Berlioz, La Damnation de Faust
Performers: Bertrand de Billy (musical director), Eve-Maud Hubeaux (Marguerite), John Osborn (Faust), Christian Van Horn (Méphistophélès), Simonas Strazdas (Brander)

Performance 5
Venue: Konzerthaus, Vienna
Program: Beethoven, Symphony No. 9
Performers: Manfred Honeck (conductor), Christina Landshamer (soprano), Catriona Morrison (mezzo-soprano), Maximilian Schmitt (tenor), Andrè Schuen (baritone), Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Singing Academy

Performance 6
Venue: Reduta, Bratislava
Program: TBA
Performers: TBA

Performance 7
Venue: Vienna State Opera
Program: Tchaikovsky, Swan Lake
Performers: Paul Connelly (music director), Rudolf Nureyev (choreography), artists TBA

WEDNESDAY 23 DECEMBER 2026 – ARRIVE PRAGUE (CANAPÉS)

The tour commences at 5.00pm in the lobby of our hotel in Prague. While no arrival transfers are included in the tour price, it is a simple 40-minute taxi ride from the airport to the city centre. We meet tour leader Robert Gay for an orientation stroll, followed by welcome drinks and canapés. Overnight Prague.

THURSDAY 24 DECEMBER – PRAGUE OLD TOWN – CHRISTMAS EVE (B, D)

We commence this special day with a talk in the hotel by tour leader Robert Gay. Afterwards, we explore Prague’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed Old Town with a local guide. The Old Town is one of the most beautiful in Europe and is well preserved, complete with tall, intact burgher houses, splendid city palaces, fine churches and impressive public buildings, all side by side, in a more-or-less continuous architectural flow from the Gothic period to the Art Nouveau. Our walking tour ends in Old Town Square with its celebrated Astronomical Clock. Here we enjoy the view, over coffee and cake, sitting in the elegant Café Mozart. The afternoon is at leisure, before we meet for a European-style festive Christmas Evedinner. Overnight Prague.

FRIDAY 25 DECEMBER – AT LEISURE, PERFORMANCE #1 – CHRISTMAS DAY (B, D)

We meet this morning for an extended talk by Robert on Mozart in Prague. Afterwards, the day is at leisure, and you might like to explore the Christmas Markets, which traditionally come to life from the middle of the day. Later, we meet for an early dinner before attending our first performance, a festive program filled with holiday joy in the Dvořák Hall at Prague’s remarkable Rudolfinum. Overnight Prague.

Performance 1
Venue: Rudolfinum Dvořák Hall
Program: Smetana, Vltava; Rossini, “Una voce poco fa” ariafromThe Barber of Seville; Mozart, Andante in C major K315 for flute and orchestra; Bizet, Carmen; Dvořák, Symphony No.9 in E minor, “From the New World”, Op. 95 B. 178
Performers: Jan Šrámek (conductor), Barbara de Nunes-Cambraia (mezzo-soprano), Žofie Vokálková (flute), Symphony Orchestra of Prague Symphonists

SATURDAY 26 DECEMBER – CASTLE DISTRICT & PERFORMANCE #2 (B)

The complex of buildings that make up Prague Castle reveals the power and magnificence of the various rulers of Bohemia over the centuries, culminating in the great Hapsburg dynasty from the sixteenth century onwards. We explore the fascinating Castle District, including the beautiful St Vitus Cathedral, this morning with a local guide, before visiting the impressive Lobkowicz Palace in the early afternoon. Here, a special collection of musical instruments and composers’ manuscripts confirms Prague’s position as an historical centre of outstanding music-making. The later afternoon is at leisure before we meet for an evening performance in one of Prague’s historic venues. Overnight Prague.

Performance 2
Venue: State Opera, Prague
Program: opera, TBA
Performers: TBA

SUNDAY 27 DECEMBER – ART NOUVEAU PRAGUE & PERFORMANCE #3 (B, L)

This morning, after a talk on this evening’s performance, we familiarise ourselves with Prague’s more modern face, with a visit to the spectacular Art Nouveau Municipal House, where the superbly renovated interiors – including the lovely Smetana Concert Hall – capture the opulence of early twentieth-century interior design. One of the artists working here was Alphonse Mucha, whose work there is the opportunity to appreciate in greater depth at the small but charming museum dedicated to him, after our lunch together. In the evening, we attend our third performance. Overnight Prague.

Performance 3
Venue: National Theatre, Prague
Program: opera, TBA
Performers: TBA

MONDAY 28 DECEMBER – TO VIENNA VIA BRNO (B, D)

We depart this morning for Vienna, travelling via Brno. The capital of Moravia, the lesser of the two historic Czech realms, Brno belonged to the domain of the Kings of Bohemia from the fourteenth to twentieth centuries and its city centre retains many historic buildings. After a guided walking tour through the central district, there is time for lunch at leisure in a restaurant on the main square before we continue on to Vienna. In the evening, we meet for a simple dinner together. Overnight Vienna.

TUESDAY 29 DECEMBER – THE INNER CITY & BELVEDERE & PERFORMANCE #4 (B)

Vienna is one of Europe’s oldest and greatest cultural capitals, with the city having been transformed in the mid-nineteenth century by the construction of a great circular boulevard – the so-called Ringstrasse – which replaced the massive fortifications which had encircled Vienna for centuries. We start with a walking tour of the inner city, engaging with its tangled maze of streets, narrow passageways and irregular-shaped squares, most of them lined with impressive imperial buildings. After lunch at leisure, we continue by tram to the Belvedere Museum. Overlooking a formal section of terraced gardens and fountains, the Upper Belvedere was constructed as a summer palace for Prince Eugene of Savoy, the heroic saviour of the city from the Turkish siege. Today, these spacious rooms contain a significant concentration of paintings by Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele and their friends. We meet this evening for a performance at the beautiful State Opera. Overnight Vienna.

Performance 4
Venue: State Opera, Vienna
Program: Hector Berlioz, La Damnation de Faust
Performers: Bertrand de Billy (musical director), Eve-Maud Hubeaux (Marguerite), John Osborn (Faust), Christian Van Horn (Méphistophélès), Simonas Strazdas (Brander)

WEDNESDAY 30 DECEMBER – LEOPOLD MUSEUM (B, L)

We start the day with a talk by Robert Gay about tonight’s performance, before visiting another of Vienna’s outstanding museums. The Leopold Museum has a particular focus on Austrian art, and those of the Secession and Jugendstil (or Art Nouveau) movements are well represented. We enjoy lunch together in the museum café before an afternoon and evening at leisure. Overnight Vienna.

THURSDAY 31 DECEMBER 2026 – KUNSTHISTORISCHES MUSEUM & PERFORMANCE #5 – NEW YEAR’S EVE (B, D)

We continue our focus on the imperial history of Vienna today with another walking tour, culminating in a guided visit of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Vienna’s Museum of Fine Arts is the country’s largest art museum, and one of the world’s most important collections of Old Masters. The Habsburgs were extraordinary collectors, amassing works by Jan van Eyck, Titian, the Brueghels, Rubens, Rembrandt and countless others. There is time at leisure after our introductory tour for an independent exploration of this priceless collection. After a relaxed afternoon, we meet this evening for a festive performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in the Konzerthaus, before enjoying a buffet dinner together with a view over the city’s New Year’s Eve fireworks. Overnight Vienna.

Performance 5
Venue: Konzerthaus, Vienna
Program: Beethoven, Symphony No. 9
Performers: Manfred Honeck (conductor), Christina Landshamer (soprano), Catriona Morrison (mezzo-soprano), Maximilian Schmitt (tenor), Andrè Schuen (baritone), Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Singing Academy

FRIDAY 01 JANUARY 2027 – BRATISLAVA, PERFORMANCE #6 – NEW YEAR’S DAY (B, D)

After a morning at leisure, we take a private coach transfer to Bratislava, arriving in the mid-afternoon for a guided walking tour. We then enjoy a light dinner before a performance in the lovely Reduta, a concert house built 1913-1919 that blends Neo-Baroque, Rococo and Art Nouveau styles. After the performance, we return to Vienna by coach (ca 90-minute journey). Overnight Vienna.

Performance 6
Venue: Reduta, Bratislava
Program: TBA
Performers: TBA

SATURDAY 02 JANUARY – HEILIGENSTADT & PERFORMANCE #7 (B, L)

After an extended talk by Robert on Beethoven in Vienna, we make the short journey to Heiligenstadt and the house where Beethoven lived during the summer of 1802; here, he wrote his so-called ‘Heiligenstadt Testament’. Today, the house is a museum devoted to the composer. We enjoy a farewell lunch together in a typical village restaurant before returning to Vienna for the later afternoon at leisure. In the evening, we attend our final performance. Overnight Vienna.

Performance 7
Venue: Vienna State Opera
Program: Tchaikovsky, Swan Lake
Performers: Paul Connelly (music director), Rudolf Nureyev (choreography), artists TBA

SUNDAY 03 JANUARY – DEPARTURE (B)

Tour arrangements conclude after breakfast in our hotel. While no departure transfers are included in the tour price, Vienna airport is a simple 30-minute taxi ride from the city centre. Our partners at Mary Rossi Travel would be pleased to assist with this and any other aspect of your travel arrangements, including comprehensive international travel insurance.

Century Old Town 4* Prague, 5 nights

https://all.accor.com/hotel/3440/index.en.shtml

The hotel is part of the MGallery Collection and is well located within walking distance of many Old Town sites, as well as the Vltava River. Our rooms, in the Executive category, are furnished in a modern style and are an average of 20sqm.

Hotel Intercontinental 5* Vienna, 6 nights

https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental/hotels/us/en/vienna/vieha/hoteldetail

Our rooms at this IHG hotel are in the Classic category, ranging from a minimum of 25sqm to a maximum of 35sqm. The hotel is very well located for a performing arts program, within walking distance of the major venues.

NB: hotels of a similar standard may be substituted.

• 11 nights’ accommodation at 4* and 5* hotels

• All breakfasts and 8 lunches or dinners

• All ground transport, guided tours and entrance fees to sites as mentioned in the itinerary, and tipping

• Best available tickets to 7 performances in Prague and Vienna

• Talks by and expertise of an Australian tour leader throughout

A $1,000pp deposit is required at the time of booking to hold your place on tour.

A second deposit of $2,500 is due on 25 August 2026.

We will invoice you for final payment for the tour, due on 09 October 2026.

When you book on one of tours, we ask you to accept our terms and conditions. You can read our terms and conditions here.