2 independent reviews for Christmas markets vacation, Central Europe
Reviews for Christmas markets vacation, Central Europe
Elise Castelli review 17 Dec 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Connecting with new friends who encouraged me to experience new things (like bike riding! My fellow travelers taught me to ride a bike on this trip and it was so much fun). I was fortunate to have a group of similarly aged and/or like-minded people who were up for new adventures and going off the beaten path, and a guide to help us find our way.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Since you will be out in 0C/32F weather for hours at a time, I would recommend travelers bring some hand and foot warmers to keep the circulation going over long periods of time. Of course, you can also use the authentic local handwarmer: Gluhwein.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Most of the markets we visited were populated with local artists of all stripes (woodcarvers, tanners, potters, felters, cheesemakers, etc) and every purchase at every stall was directly benefiting the local economy and local artisans. The boutique hotel in Vienna was also a hotel with a mission. Magdas was renovated by and staffed by refugees from across the world. The hotel was beautiful and the service was five stars.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Five stars. We had a great guide who showed us not just the tourist markets, but the markets that the locals frequent so we found some truly unique items to bring home. A few recommendations to pass along to make the experience even better: 1) A map of the markets in each town so we can find them without our phones after the orientation tour. 2) Add one more day in Budapest. We only had a half-day and it just wasn't enough time to see this magical city. 3) Connect solo travels with their roommates in advance so they can get to know each other. 4) Offer to connect members of the entire group so travelers can compare schedules and coordinate ground transport on arrival/departure. Many of us had similar schedules but pre-arranged separate ground transport. Think of the carbon footprint reduction if we could coordinate that travel.Jonathan Clarke review 11 Dec 2018
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Lots of memorable times as we visited 4 cities. Our guide -Philip- ensured we had loads to do.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Wear comfy shoes as there is quite a lot of street walking. Ensure you are on "Whats App" as this was very usefull for passing information between the group and helped a lot to find unusual things to do.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Company was keen to promote local shops/hotels/resturants rather than international chains.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Excellent.Holiday Reviews
You can trust Responsible Travel reviews because, unlike many other schemes, reviews can ONLY be written by people who we have verified have been on the holidays. In addition, we don't run these holidays ourselves - our only interest is giving you the best independent advice.
