THE TOUR INCLUDES: Top Category seats for 6 performances (as listed) 10 nights deluxe accommodations at the Hotel Bristol Salzburg and the Hotel Sacher Wien (both 5-star; 5 nights at each) Full breakfast daily, 4 lunches and 4 dinners Private guided tours in each city (Old Town Salzburg & Salzkammergut; Old Town Vienna, Hofburg Palace, Upper Belvedere) Private airport-hotel transfers On site Tour Direction by George Kandravy Comprehensive Tour Guidebook, with travel and performance info and a daily itinerary Cost: $7645 US Single Supplement: $1500 US Deposit: $2500 US Balance due: September22, 2009 Optional Die Fledermaus: $300 US

OPTIONS FLIGHTS We will be happy to make any flight arrangements, including reward travel with your preferred carrier, for $75 per person. Inbound flight should be booked to arrive in Salzburg mid-morning on December 22; the outbound flight should depart from Vienna on January 2. AIRPORT-HOTEL TRANSFERS We include airport-hotel transfers (group) on the published tour dates. Transfers are not included for early arrivals or extended stays, although we can easily make these arrangements for you. TOUR ADDITIONS The itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and desires. Please call us to discuss any changes or amendments you wish to make. INSURANCE We strongly recommend that all tour members purchase cancellation insurance upon registration. We can assist you with this, though you are welcome to purchase a policy at your own discretion. If you would like information on the policies offered by our supplier, please contact us for details, or click HERE for an insurance brochure and application.

The Michelin Green Guide claims that "an indefinable charm makes Salzburg, over which hovers the shade of its most famous son, Mozart, a city beloved of the Gods." This “Small Paradise” is lovely in summer, but during the yuletide it is absolutely magical, a veritable snow globe of holiday perfection. The Altstadt (Old Town), on the left bank of the Salzach River, likely has more masterpieces of Baroque architecture per square mile than any other city on Earth, and during this festive season, it is abuzz with Christmas markets (replete with Christmas crafts, mulled wine and chestnuts roasting on open fires). The markets, along with the glorious winter scenery at every turn and, of course, the music, make Salzburg the quintessential Christmas Village. We will enjoy accommodations at the elegant Hotel Bristol, a small family-run property across from the house in which Mozart lived as a boy. We will attend a performance of Mozart’s The Magic Flute at the renowned Marionettentheater, a chamber concert at Mirabell Palace, and we will hear Gruber’s Silent Night as well as the music of Mozart, Handel and Vivaldi. We will also explore the idyllic Salzkammergut lake district on a daytrip outside of the city.

Vienna has long been a major centre for art and thought, exerting its great influence not only in Europe but throughout the world. Beethoven, Mozart, Freud, Schubert, Schiele, Mahler, Klimt, the Strauss family and many more leading lights made their homes here, and all left their indelible cultural stamp on this vital, intelligent, creative city. If the Danube is the city’s blood (though some would say it is coffee instead), music is its heart and soul. Vienna’s centuries-long role as the seat of the Habsburg Empire can be seen in the wealth of its architecture, and in its artistic and musical heritage. There is certainly no paucity of opulence in this grandest of capitals, from the palaces at Schönbrunn and Belvedere, to the Staatsoper and the numerous grand hotels that line the Ringstrasse. Vienna’s museums and galleries provide some of the best visual art experiences to be had anywhere, and countless cafés each have their own charm, history and loyal patrons. We will stay at the renowned Hotel Sacher, steps from the Vienna State Opera and close to the Stephansdom. In addition to Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Staatsoper, we will attend a dress rehearsal of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra’s New Year’s Day Concert at the Musikverein and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at the Konzerthaus, and we will enjoy Holiday Festivities at the numerous Markets and a special New Year’s Dinner at the Sacher.

THE ITINERARY

Tuesday, December 22
Individual departures for Salzburg (via Vienna, Frankfurt, London, Paris, Amsterdam).

Wednesday, December 23
Arrival in Salzburg and transfer (included) to the elegant Hotel Bristol, ideally situated on the Makartplatz beside the Mozarteum and Mirabell Palace. This evening we gather for introductions and a festive Welcome Dinner at the hotel.

Thursday, December 24
This morning join tour director George Kandravy on a leisurely walk through the Old Town to the famous Kristkindlmarkt, Salzburg’s charming Christmas Market. In the afternoon enjoy a chamber concert in the Marble Hall of Mirabell Palace. This evening we gather for a special Christmas Dinner in the famous Stiftskeller St. Peter, the oldest inn in Europe (first mentioned in print by a follower of Charlemagne in 803). Afterward, you may choose to attend a moving Christmas Mass in one of Salzburg’s many churches.

Friday, December 25
After a morning at leisure (ask George about the many morning Masses in the Old Town) we gather to celebrate the day with lunch at the renowned Restaurant Goldener Hirsch. In the early evening we attend a festive Christmas Concert at the Mozarteum, featuring works by Handel, Mozart, Vivaldi and M. Haydn. The remainder of the evening is at leisure.

Saturday, December 26
Today we offer a tour of the Salzkammergut lake district outside of Salzburg. The name Salzkammergut means "possession of the salt chamber" and is so-called because it belonged to the authority charged with running the precious salt mines in the Habsburg empire. For centuries, the emperors and noble families of Austria chose the Salzkammergut as the location for their summer holidays. The idyllic towns and picturesque lakes provide the setting for an unforgettable visit. We will visit Bad Ischl, the town that once played host to the emperors, and stop for lunch (included) in St. Wolfgang. This evening we attend a performance of Mozart’s The Magic Flute at the Marionettentheater.

Sunday, December 27
Today we explore Salzburg in further detail, with a guided tour which inevitably leads us in the footsteps of Mozart– to the houses where his family lived, to his friends, to the guest-houses, to the grave-yards. A walk of this kind becomes our own visionary encounter with Mozart, as our imaginations explore the Salzburg that he also knew. Enjoy the final afternoon and evening in Salzburg at leisure.

Monday, December 28
After breakfast, check out of our hotel and transfer by luxury mini coach to Vienna. We drive east, mostly through the beautiful countryside of the Danube valley. We will stop briefly for lunch at leisure in the Wachau, Austria’s very best wine region, before arriving in Vienna where we check in at the feted Hotel Sacher, across from the Vienna State Opera. Once settled in our rooms, the evening is at leisure.

Tuesday, December 29
After breakfast we meet our excellent guide Peer for a walking tour of Old Town Vienna, with unique insight into the city's rich history and musical past. We visit St. Stephen's Cathedral, Austria's most eminent Gothic edifice and home to a wealth of art treasures, as well as the Imperial crypt and library at the Hofburg Palace. We will also walk in the footsteps of Mozart, who spent his last ten years in Vienna. Following the tour, we enjoy lunch at the landmark Café Central in the heart of Old Town. In the evening we attend a performance of Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Staatsoper (Lopera, Bankl).

Wednesday, December 30
This morning we tour the picture gallery at Upper Belvedere Palace. The former summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy houses a superb collection of Austrian and international art from the last two centuries, including works by Klimt, Schiele, Hundertwasser and many others. This evening we attend a very special concert by the incomparable Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Georges Prętre: a preview of the New Year’s Concert in the Großer Saal of the Musikverein. Following the concert, we walk to the renowned Hotel Imperial for a memorable post-performance dinner.

Thursday, December 31
Enjoy the day at leisure in Vienna. In the early evening, we attend an unforgettable performance of Beethoven's Symphony Number 9 at the famous Konzerthaus, with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra (Bolton; Diener, Karnéus, Kaiser, Miles). We then return to the hotel for a glamorous New Year’s Dinner at the Sacher. Kaiserball available on request.

Friday, January 1
After a well-deserved sleep-in, we meet early afternoon for a Farewell New Year's Luncheon at the Griechenbeisl, the oldest tavern in Vienna. An optional performance of Strauss's Die Fledermaus at the Staatsoper is possible today.

Saturday, January 2
Transfers to the airport for departure flights included.