Christmas in the Italian Dolomites
6days from
£1,242*per person
Overview
Festive Alpine Italy
Itinerary
- Fly to Italy, meet your tour manager and transfer to your hotel. Settle in and unwind, before an included welcome drink before dinner brings the opportunity to meet with fellow guests, no doubt looking forward to a wonderful break ahead.
- Today’s included tour begins with a visit to the former Roman settlement of Trento, the principal town of Italian Trentino, with its wonderful mountain-backed setting looking all the more special during the festive season. Wander the colourful streets and visit the Christmas market, which is held in two places: the Piazza Fiera square and Piazza Cesare Battisti square. The foodstuffs on offer, at the market and in the surrounding restaurants, fuse the flavours of the north with the tastes of the Mediterranean south. If you have time, don’t miss the chance to visit the ancient Duomo cathedral or the vast Buonconsiglio Castle. This afternoon the tour continues to delightful Riva del Garda, nestled on the northern shore of Lake Garda. Its elegant, pastel-painted buildings surround a little port, and its promenade is the perfect place for a wintry afternoon stroll. Visit the traditional Christmas market before returning to your hotel.
- Christmas Eve begins with a morning visit to Merano, a celebrated spa town that was once the favoured refuge of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Here there will be time to enjoy a morning coffee and slice of traditional apfelstrudel in a cafe before the tour continues to Bolzano, a delightful town set amongst slumbering vineyards in the heart of the wine-growing Alto-Adige region, surrounded by the towering, craggy peaks of the scenic Dolomite Mountains. Bolzano is the undisputed ‘Italian Capital of Christmas’, and the wonderful Christmas market on the central Piazza Walther lives up to this reputation. Local crafts folk – including glassblowers and wood-carvers – ply their wares to a wonderfully scenic backdrop. Every inch a wine town, Bolzano offers countless opportunities for sampling the excellent local vintages, and the chance to take a bottle or two home with you. This evening, start your celebrations in earnest back at the hotel with a special Christmas Eve dinner, as is customary in continental Europe.
- Merry Christmas! This morning you’ll head into the dramatic winter landscape of the Dolomites on a wonderful included excursion. As well as the chance to enjoy some of Europe’s most spectacular mountain scenery on the Pordoi and Sella passes, you'll also soak up the warm festive welcome of some Alto-Adige towns and villages, as you stop at Ortisei to visit the Christmas market and traditional wood crib exhibition. Christmas lunch will be served at a restaurant, followed by afternoon tea and cakes when you return to the hotel this afternoon.
- Today you’ll have time to rest and relax at your hotel, perhaps making use of the spa facilities in the hotel wellness centre, or joining the optional excursion to Austrian Innsbruck. With its onion-domed churches and historic old town surrounded by scenic mountains, the city is the perfect winter wonderland. Explore the many stalls of the delightful Christmas market held underneath the famous golden roof, and on elegant Maria-Theresien-Strasse, before returning to the hotel for dinner and a final evening in the Dolomites.
- Transfer to the airport and return to the UK today at the end of a wonderful Christmas in the Dolomites.
What's Included
Holiday Highlights
- Spend a wonderful Christmas in the Italian Dolomites
- Included excursion to Trento and Riva del Garda
- Christmas Eve visit to Merano and Bolzano, followed by a special dinner at the hotel
- Christmas Day tour of the Dolomites, with included Christmas lunch and afternoon tea
- The opportunity to visit Austrian Innsbruck on Boxing Day
Our Price Includes
- Five nights’ half-board accommodation at the four-star Hotel Ancora, Molina di Fiemme
- Three included excursions
- Return flights to Italy
- Welcome drink at the hotel on day one
- Christmas Day lunch at a restaurant
- Afternoon tea and cake on Christmas Day
- Coach travel and transfers throughout
- Fully escorted by a friendly, experienced tour manager, with specialist local guides where applicable
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Dates and Prices
Accommodation
Hotel Ancora, Molina di Fiemme -
This warm and welcoming four-star hotel is located in a historic building in the heart of Molina di Fiemme on the banks of the Avisio River. Rooms are spacious and traditional, and come with tea/coffee-making facilities, TV, hairdryer, fridge and safe. The hotel is also home to a traditional restaurant, which uses local ingredients, together with a spa and wellness centre.
Other Information
Hotel transfer times
The transfer time from the airport to your hotel is approximately three hours.
European closing times
Shops in Europe will generally close from early afternoon on Christmas Eve until 27th December. Included tours and excursions have been chosen for their scenic or historic value.
Combining hotel transfers
We sometimes need to combine transfers to and from your hotel. We always try to keep any wait to a minimum, but you may be asked to wait at the airport for up to an hour, while other incoming flights arrive, before the transfer to your hotel. Similarly, we may need to transfer you back to the airport up to three hours before your flight home departs.
Special requirements
If you have notified us of any special requirements, please check that they have been noted and acknowledged. This is especially important with any dietary needs you may have.
Disabled access
The majority of our tours involve a certain amount of walking, including a short walk from the coach stop to the town, attraction or venue you're visiting. If you are bringing a wheelchair, please let us know at the time of booking so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
Itinerary changes
Occasionally, for operational reasons, we may have to change the order of the excursions on your holiday. The final day-by-day itinerary will be confirmed on your Final Travel Documents, which you'll receive approximately three weeks prior to your departure.
Foreign Office travel advice
Visit www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice to find out the latest Foreign And Commonwealth Office travel advice for your holiday destination, as well as information about passports and visas.
Meals and dining in Italy
Guests on half-board arrangements will be served a three-course evening meal, and can expect a first course of traditional pasta or soup, a main meat or fish course accompanied by one or two types of vegetable, and a simple dessert of fruit, cake or Italian ice cream. Breakfasts will usually consist of bread rolls, jam, cereal, ham, cheese, fruit juice, tea and coffee. Menus will vary from hotel to hotel, but choice will be more limited than in a normal restaurant. In some instances, individual guests who have booked with the hotel independently may be offered a different menu from those who are staying at the hotel as part of a package tour.
An authentic dining experience in Italy can often be a bit different to the Italian food that international tourists might be used to, but it’s one of the best ways to truly appreciate the finer cultural differences of this tourist hotspot. From simpler, but more frequent, courses to regional dishes, here are some points to note when dining in Italy.
The first major difference you’re likely to notice is that the dining experience as a whole is much longer; you’ll enjoy a much more social experience than the average dinner back home with multiple smaller courses spread across a longer period of time. While each meal will be prepared to order, you may notice that dishes are served cooler than you might be used to – Italian dishes are rarely served piping hot to preserve the more delicate flavours of each ingredient and to provide a more enjoyable dining experience. The final thing to bear in mind is that it may be tricky to find Italian classics in the same form as they are at home. For instance, while Spaghetti Carbonara is a staple in historic Rome – and made traditionally using egg yolks rather than cream – you’ll often find it replaced with a wild boar ragù in Tuscany.
Italian hotel room tax
Some regions of Italy have introduced a room tax of between 1€ and 3€ per person per night, payable directly by the guest to the hotel on check-out. You will be advised by your tour manager in resort if a particular hotel is implementing this charge.
Travelling to Europe
Rules may have changed since you last travelled to European Union countries as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The following are useful guidelines which will help you prepare for your next adventure. You do require government issued passport to travel.
Names - It is very important that all passenger names are exactly as per your passport although we do not require middle names.
Passport - Your passport must meet two requirements to travel to an EU country and to Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. It must be: Less than 10 years old on the day you return home (please check the "date of issue") and valid for at least 3 months after the day you return home (please check the "expiry date").
Visa - You do not need a visa for short trips to most EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. You’ll be able to stay for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period.
European Travel Information & Authorisation System (ETIAS) - Commencing in late 2023 or 2024, all citizens of the United Kingdom will require a ETIAS electronic form completed prior to their arrival into the EU and Schengen member countries. The cost for this travel authorisation will be €7.00 per person with exceptions for under 18’s and over 70’s. The latest information and further details can be found at www.etias.com.
Holiday code
N2381Holiday provided by Newmarket Holidays
BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE: This holiday is sold and operated by Newmarket Holidays (ABTOT 5509, ATOL 2325, ABTA V7812), you can be 100% sure that your money is safe.