Included excursions
- St. Gilgen and St. Wolfgang Christmas markets
- Cruise on Lake Wolfgang
- Guided tour of Salzburg
- Guided tour of Salzburg Cathedral with organ recital
- Guided tour of St. Johann im Pongau with cathedral tour and optional worship
- Sleigh ride in Filzmoos with dinner at the Hofalm
- Oberndorf – Silent Night village, chapel and museum
- Arnsdorf – Optional worship in the church of the Silent Night composer Franz Xaver Gruber
- Lake Gosau and Hallstatt
- Cruise on Lake Hallstatt
Optional excursions
None! – all excursions and extras as listed above and below are included!
Included extras
- Hotel Porterage
- Personal audio guiding system
- Krampuslauf (two horned devil parade) and a visit from St. Nicholas
- Tea/coffee and stollen on one afternoon
- Services of our resident and knowledgeable Tour Manager
- Optional worship from our accompanying faith leader
Included meals & drinks
Meals: a full buffet breakfast each morning, two lunches and all evening meals. Five three-course dinners and a traditional Austrian buffet evening in the hotel. On one evening you will take a horse-drawn carriage ride to an alpine hut for a traditional dinner. On one afternoon we also include traditional Christmas stollen with bubbling gluhwein.
Drinks: welcome and farewell drinks. Beer, wine or soft drink and tea or coffee with all evening meals and both lunches.
Our team in Austria
Our dedicated and knowledgeable McCabe Tour Manager is there solely for our guests. They will escort all excursions and be available in the hotel for any queries and offer local advice, hints and tips for you to get maximum enjoyment of your time with us. A faith leader will also escort this experience and offer optional worship on some occasions, for those who wish.
Your journey
The flight is direct to Salzburg with easyJet from London Gatwick. Regional flights to Gatwick from some UK airports can be arranged at a supplement. An overnight stop at Gatwick may be required which we can assist you with. Please enquire at time of booking.
Outbound Flight
Flight departs Gatwick : 12:40 Arrives Salzburg: 15:35
Return Flight
Flight departs Salzburg : 14:05 Arrives Gatwick: 15:10
Length of flight to Salzburg: two hours
Flight times maybe subject to change and are confirmed with your final paperwork.
Your resort
The well-known Pongau Cathedral is a two-towered parish church with Gothic woodwork and is the landmark of Sankt Johann overlooking the Salzach Valley. It was first mentioned in 924. After the market fire of 1855, the church was rebuilt from the ground up (1855-1861). The Neo-Gothic altars feature a number of late Gothic figures.
The resort of St. Johann im Pongau has a wide range of shops, unique gift boutiques and coffee houses as well as a bank and a supermarket. During December there is also a small number of traditional Christmas market stalls. There is a small mountain gondola up from the heart of town to gain great views of the area and free buses operate to the nearby selection of ski-lifts for further magnificent vistas.
Your hotel: Hotel Bruckenwirt
Seven nights’ accommodation in the four-star, family-run Brückenwirt Hotel in St. Johann im Pongau in a double or twin room based on two sharing. Double rooms for sole use are available for a supplement.
The Nocker family pride themselves on offering a home-from-home, with a personal welcome where they regale the history of the hotel, local area and family traditions during Advent and Christmas.
Hotel facilities: a year-round outdoor heated pool (30 degrees Celsius), which is entered from the warmth of indoors, sauna, steam room, gym and an aroma therapy spa. There is a lounge area and cosy stube for socialising after dinner. Complimentary WiFi is available throughout the hotel.
Your hotel room: double or Austria twin bedded rooms furnished in the local style. Most rooms have balconies. There will be a bathrobe for your use during your stay.
Hotel bathrooms: most bathrooms have a walk-in shower. There are only four rooms with a bath which may be available on request. All bathrooms are equipped with a hairdryer, bathrobe, soap, shampoo and shower gel. Ample towels for both bathroom and the hotel pool will be provided.
A note about twin Austrian beds: the distinction between double bedded and twin-bedded rooms in Austria is sometimes not clear. A traditional twin-bedded room consists of one bed frame with two separate mattresses and separate duvets and the beds will not necessarily be separated.
Single rooms available (limited availability)
Double rooms for single use for a supplement of £299
Single rooms (one single bed) for a supplement of £149
Entry requirements
British Citizen and EU Citizen Passport holders can currently enter Austria freely with no restrictions or other documentation required. Stays within the EU can be up to 90 days (can be spread over multiple visits) within any 180-day period.
Please note your passport must be valid for six months after your return from Austria.
Full details of entry requirements and any required vaccinations will be detailed in your final paperwork 14 days before departure.
For the latest and most up to date travel advice including entry requirements please consult the Foreign & Commonwealth Development Office travel advice website.
www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
Health & wellbeing
For travel within the EU you should ensure that you have the Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) which is free of charge. You can apply for the GHIC card by calling 0191 218 1999 or applying on line at…
www.nhs.uk/ghic
The level of cover offered by the GHIC card varies by country visited and is only applicable in state-run health facilities. In some countries coverage may just be a partial contribution.
Adequate insurance cover will be required for all hospital emergencies and doctors’ visits.
Climate
In Austria the average temperature during your stay should be around -5 to +4 degrees centigrade. It is advisable to bring some warm clothes and layers for the days as well as a winter hat, gloves and a scarf. In the mountains weather can change rapidly for worse or better and a misty start often leads to a glorious afternoon. We never can see what is the other side of the mountain and the weather is often difficult to predict so please be prepared.
Clothing
Dress is casual throughout the holiday. You may wish to take one or two smarter items for the evenings. Warm casual clothing is recommended in the day time with evenings being smart/casual. As the sightseeing visits require a certain amount of walking, we suggest you take a pair of warm lined shoes or boots with decent grip to walk in the snow or the occasional icy surface are a must. Austrians often wear real fur which are family heirlooms handed down from generation to generation and not seen as taboo as they are in the U.K.
Please bring a hat, scarf and gloves to keep warm as well as a pair of sunglasses as the glare of sunshine (hopefully) on snow can be quite strong.
Mobility
There is a certain amount of walking (and stairs) involved on a daily basis on this holiday so please make sure you pack comfy footwear for this so that you are prepared. Your Tour Manager will keep you updated on a daily basis with what to expect the following day. If you are finding it difficult to keep up then please make sure you tell your Tour Manager who can help you to find places to rest and relax and then you can re-join the group at a later stage.
Some streets in towns and villages that you will visit will be cobbled. We suggest you take a pair of comfortable shoes with good grips or trainers. For your guided walking tours in Salzburg and Oberndorf you must be prepared to be on your feet for up to 90 minutes.
The McCabe Educational Trust
The McCabe Educational Trust is an independent registered charity with the aim of helping inspiring people we meet on some of our pilgrimages. As ‘the haves’ encounter the ‘have nots’ the Trust has become a practical tool for one to help the other.
McCabe Pilgrimages invite all travellers to become partners in this work. A £20 voluntary donation to the Trust’s work is added to every pilgrim’s invoice and all money raised in this way is given in full to the projects the Trust supports. This scheme is voluntary and confidential with nobody put under any pressure to participate.
Travel insurance
Ensuring that your holidays are appropriately protected is one of our main priorities. That’s why we have specifically chosen Holiday Extras as our *preferred travel insurance provider to ensure that you are protected before and whilst you are travelling. Holiday Extras offer McCabe Travel guests favourable rates for single trip, multi-trip and annual policies.
For more information or to obtain a quote click below for their website
https://www.holidayextras.com/travel-insurance
Or call them on 0800 083 3551 to speak to a friendly advisor.
Please quote AG628 upon calling to receive the best rates
Full financial security
All money paid to McCabe is fully secure. Holidays including flights are covered by our ATOL license from the Civil Aviation Authority, and holidays without flights are protected by our membership of the ABTOT bonding scheme. If a pilgrimage is cancelled, for instance through lack of numbers or for political considerations, McCabe will promptly refund all monies paid.
AITO Quality Statement
McCabe Pilgrimages is a member of the Association of Independent Tour Operators. The Association represents Britain’s leading independent tour operators and encourages high standards of quality and service. McCabe abides by the Association’s Code of Conduct and adheres to the AITO Quality Charter.
You can read McCabe reviews on the AITO website here
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