This £12 travel tip can help you see two European Christmas markets in one day

Torn betwixt the magic of 2 beauteous cities, each boasting a Christmas marketplace in an unforgetable festive setting?

Well, present you don’t request to choose, due to the fact that an amazingly inexpensive bid whisks you betwixt Prague and Vienna – giving you the alteration to shop, sightsee and bask some – successful the aforesaid time if you choose.

These accepted large hitters connected the Christmas marketplace country are present linked by 2 caller sister hotels from Almanac – already large successful Barcelona – and a four-hour bid thrust done beautiful Czech and Austrian countryside that volition acceptable you backmost the princely sum of conscionable £12, arsenic prices connected Trainline EU show.

And you couldn’t adjacent bargain a takeaway sandwich to instrumentality connected committee with you for that (not that you’d privation to erstwhile there’s a dinky small edifice car serving up due blistery lunches connected plates and everything connected board).

We commencement successful Prague, the fairytale superior of the Czech Republic, wherever the wood of palace, castle and religion spires looks similar thing retired of a Disney movie (though obviously, it’s the opposite: these are the inspiration for those Disney movies).

Little cobbled streets rattle with retro trams and the castle connected the elevation and the country astir it are truthful beauteous they’ve been slapped with a Unesco World Heritage bid (a bully thing!).

The River Vltava provides a cleanable Sunday locomotion – particularly present you tin sojourn Prague Eyes, an arty small agelong of waterside arches turned into cafés and restaurants for immoderate of that celebrated Czech beer. You tin adjacent bash a brew pilgrimage if your emotion is strong.

Our edifice is the Almanac X Alcron Prague, conscionable disconnected Wenceslas Square (you’ve heard of Good King Wenceslas who past looked retired connected the feast of Stephen. It’s a Christmas classic) and it’s a delicious modern upgrade of a celebrated 1930s edifice that has hosted everyone from Charlie Chaplin to Winston Churchill.

So you person the past and the creation deco staircase and the comic small barroom wherever they tin shingle up a fantastic martini close connected the spot and past you person rooms that are chic and modern and mirrored and sexy. And the Old Town and its markets are a hop and a skip away.

And erstwhile you’ve done your Prague – whether it’s medieval squares and decorator boutiques oregon funky caller nutrient destinations specified arsenic the Manifesto Market, a postulation of outdoor nutrient stalls astir a small paddling excavation that takes disconnected successful the summertime – you conscionable locomotion to the presumption and caput disconnected to metropolis fig two.

Take your ain vessel of wine, marque definite you reserve a spot due to the fact that it gets busy, and past beryllium backmost and relax.

Vienna is conscionable arsenic beauteous arsenic Prague but successful a wholly antithetic way. Where Prague is quaint and pretty, Vienna is expansive and handsome.

We’re staying astatine Almanac Palais Vienna, close connected the Parkring, 1 of the smartest addresses successful Europe, conscionable crossed from the parkland wherever the celebrated aureate statue of Strauss is.

On a much lavish standard than Almanac X Alcron Prague, this is the grandest of backstage palaces made into Vienna’s hottest edifice with a immense basement spa and Vienna’s biggest indoor pool, rooms that are stylish, astir 1970s-inspired, and a big-name edifice called Donnersmarkt, wherever the decor and the gastronomy conflict it retired to beryllium the astir talked-about feature.

With a immense mural, colours that are beauteous and funky, and nutrient that is modern and inventive (they did america a peculiar vegan tasting menu, which was beauteous overmuch the champion we’d ever had), it’s a magnet for tourists and locals alike, truthful marque definite of your reservation.

And outside, you’re successful the heavy of it, with Vienna’s top hits each wrong walking distance: the palace, opera house, cathedral, municipality hall, creation museums – some classical and modern (we particularly loved the turn-of-the-century Secession Building with its dome of aureate leaves), a earthy past depository that looks similar Versailles palace, a parliament gathering that could person been shipped successful from past Greece (only this is bigger!)… conscionable thoroughfare aft thoroughfare of grandeur everyplace you look.

The lone happening you mightiness request transport for is the Belvedere, 1 of Europe’s grandest creation museums – 2 Baroque mansions facing each different – with the champion postulation of section artists Klimt and Schiele (you’ll cognize them erstwhile you spot them) successful the world.

And of course, there’s the Christkindlmarkt connected Rathausplatz successful beforehand of the gorgeous municipality hall, possibly Vienna’s astir fashionable Christmas marketplace with a immense histrion astatine its centre, portion the Schönbrunn marketplace successful the palace grounds is next-level successful presumption of elegance and conscionable a abbreviated locomotion away.

If you’ve had your capable ofglühwein, don’t hide Vienna’s celebrated java houses and each that delicious Sacher torte.

Yes, it whitethorn beryllium greedy to instrumentality successful 
two of Europe’s loveliest cities successful 1 travel but it’s Christmas and with a bargainous bid fare similar that – and your connected edifice concern – you’d beryllium silly not to.

This portion was primitively published connected November 28, 2023.

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