Immersive Classical Music Austria Tour

What to expect on this itinerary
Handcrafted for classical music lovers, this 10-day Austria tour explores the country that lives and breathes music. Choir songs emanate from a palace chapel, Mozart and Schubert’s pieces ring out through evocative opera houses, and locals reminisce about a time when Beethoven and Haydn composed their scores. Even today it flows from bandstands, cafes, and concert halls. Discover the legacy of Austrian music on this luxury overland journey from Vienna to Salzburg.
Customizable Itinerary
Vienna – Arrival
Vienna is the kind of city you might expect to see in a movie. The central streets will effortlessly transport you to a bygone era, mixing Hapsburg elegance with early Jugendstil. You will touch down in Vienna, where a guide will greet and transfer to your accommodation. After a brief orientation, the day will be at your leisure. There is so much to see on the surrounding streets, such as architectural snippets on the quiet lanes of the Hapsburg capital. Your guide can also point you toward one of Vienna’s classical cafes.
What's Included:
Vienna – Evening at the Opera
Vienna – Choir Song and Art Galleries
Lake Neusiedl – The Vineyards of Burgenland
Krems – A Town of Musical Legends
Krems – Before the Music
Linz – Wagner’s Operas
Salzburg – Mozart and Strauss
Salzburg – A Sound of Music Tour
Salzburg – Departure
Trip Highlights
- Listen to choir song in Vienna’s Imperial Palace Chapel
- Discover the houses where the world’s greatest composers lived and worked, such as Schubert, Johann Strauss, and Haydn
- Experience the opera in Mozart’s Salzburg at a concert in the medieval Hohensalzburg fortress
- Visit the house where Beethoven composed during a tour of Baden
- Explore the Nibelung lands, which were made famous by Wagner’s operas
- Travel back to a time before the music with a day on the Danube River around Krems and the Wachau Valley
- Attend an opera performance at Vienna’s State Opera House, which will be an ode to many of the composers that made Austria the home of classical music
- Enjoy many Austrian delights, such as the vineyards of Burgenland and eating pastries in a Viennese cafe
Detailed Description
Austria breathes classical music. You can hear it in extravagant Viennese cafes, feel it in stately opera houses, and sense it in the houses where operatic scores were composed. This is the country of legends, which is home to so many that it shaped the musical world. Famous Austrian composers include Mozart, Johann Strauss, Haydn, Schubert, Wagner, and Bruckner. Beethoven is not Austrian but composed many of his masterpieces here.
Handcrafted for classical music lovers and the curious, this 10-day Austria tour explores the places and people that defined music and culture throughout the centuries. You will travel from Vienna to Salzburg, go in search of famous composers, such as Mozart and Haydn, and learn of lesser-known tales that hide behind mountains. Although music will be the focal point, you will dive into many aspects of Austria’s culture, including Vienna’s fine art, medieval history, and The Sound of Music in Salzburg.
You will begin with three days in Vienna. The first will be left free so that you can rest and relax after a long flight. You will then spend day two with the music. During your time here, you will visit Schubert, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven’s homes. That evening, you will attend a show at the State Opera House, which is one of the world’s most enchanting venues. The following day, you will visit the Imperial Palace Chapel. The Museum of Fine Arts and a famous Viennese pastry will be two more highlights for the day.
The next day, you will travel to Eisenstadt. Here, a princely dynasty employed Haydn as a court composer. From the palace to the composer’s house and mausoleum, you will have an immersive look at a legend’s history. The surrounding area has superb wine, and you spend the night along the lakeshore in Neusidl. You can then bask in the soothing water of Baden on day five, which is a famous spa town where Beethoven wrote many of his masterpieces. There is a delightful old-world hotel in Austria’s oldest city, which will provide you with a little break from the music to uncover Austria’s medieval past.
Along the shores of the Danube is the land that was popularized by Wagner’s operas. Here, there are various places to explore. You will then continue to Linz, which is home of another Austrian heavyweight: Anton Bruckner. He was known as God’s musician, and St. Florian Abbey is where he worked endlessly on his music. You will now be in the mountains, and by the afternoon, you will be in Salzburg. Here, the music revolved around Mozart.
Even if you are not fond of The Sound of Music, a movie-based tour will afford you a great lens from which to discover the city of Salzburg. You will witness the palace and garden in addition to admiring the alpine views. An evening concert at Hohensalzburg Fortress will provide you with a final tribute to this country of classical music. From Salzburg, you will be transferred to Munich for your flight home.
Starting Price
$3,900 per person (excluding international flights)
Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.
What's Included
The starting price is based on travel during the low season for a minimum of two travelers staying in shared 3-star accommodations. Please inquire for a custom trip quote based on your travel preferences and travel dates.
Verified Traveler Reviews
Based on 87 reviews
Zicasso's travel expert pulled together a great itinerary and was very responsive to all of our questions, regardless of the time or the day of the week. He checked in with us during the tour and arranged for a birthday cake when we were in Vienna.
We were more than pleased with our guide. He was helpful, always on time, and just a pleasure to be with. He was always helpful with restaurant suggestions and always made reservations for us. He was always ready to help us with our luggage and he even carried a backpack for us during one tour. He even played a "Sound of Music" recording for us while we traveled to Salzburg. It was like we were traveling with a new friend. We would highly recommend our travel company and our guide, We are in the process of planning another tour with them.
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Our three-week winter escapade to France, Switzerland, and Austria was nothing short of a magical journey through some of the most enchanting winter wonderlands Europe has to offer. From the romance of horse-drawn carriage rides to the charm of bustling Christmas markets, every moment was incredible.
France: A Parisian Winter Dream
We began our adventure in Paris, the City of Lights, which becomes even more captivating during the winter. The Eiffel Tower sparkled against the night sky and Paris offered a blend of elegance and festive cheer that set the perfect tone for the rest of our trip.
Another highlight was our visit to Colmar, a charming Alsace town that felt like stepping into a storybook. Its cobblestone streets, half-timbered houses, and magical Christmas market made it an unforgettable experience, with festive lights and holiday spirit around every corner.
Switzerland: A Snow-Capped Wonderland
Next, we ventured to Switzerland, where the true magic of winter revealed itself. The highlight was our trip to Jungfraujoch, the "Top of Europe." The journey up was as breathtaking as the destination itself, with panoramic views of snow-draped peaks and charming alpine villages. Once at Jungfraujoch, we were mesmerized by the endless expanse of snow and ice.
Equally unforgettable was our visit to First Mountain. The crisp air, thrilling walk, and ziplining added an adventurous touch. The view from the suspension bridge, with the mountains stretching endlessly into the horizon, was a sight that will forever be etched in our memories.
We also had the thrill of dog sledding near the Matterhorn. Gliding across snowy trails with a team of eager huskies was an exhilarating and unique way to experience the majestic mountain landscapes.
Austria: A Symphony of Tradition and Festivity
Our final stop was Austria, where the Christmas spirit was alive in every corner. The Vienna Christmas Market was a dream come true, with its illuminated stalls offering everything from handcrafted ornaments to mouthwatering strudels and mulled wine. Salzburg, with its Baroque architecture and snow-dusted rooftops, felt like stepping into a fairy tale. We also attended a classical music performance that added a touch of cultural richness to our holiday.
To top it off, we enjoyed a cozy, horse-drawn carriage ride through a picturesque Austrian village. Wrapped in warm blankets, we listened to the rhythmic clopping of hooves as we glided past snow-covered chalets and twinkling lights – a truly enchanting experience!
The entire trip was a seamless blend of natural beauty, cultural richness, and festive joy. Each destination brought its own unique charm, leaving us with unforgettable memories of twinkling lights, snowy peaks, and the warm glow of holiday cheer. Winter in Europe is truly a season to behold and this journey was nothing short of spectacular.
Our Zicasso travel representative made sure every small detail was organized and even double-checked the drivers, tours, etc, in advance. This is the perfect travel company and we will surely use them again! Our agents communicated with us throughout the trip to ensure everything was flawless! Thank you for the most magical holiday ever! We shall cherish these memories forever.
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The planning and organization for our trip to Germany and Austria was expertly handled by Zicasso's travel partner. We could not have asked for a better trip.
We gathered our adult children and friends together to celebrate Christmas and New Year in the Old World. In and around Munich, we saw Neuschwanstein and many of the city's beautifully ornate churches. We also visited the Christmas markets and beer halls, and ate way to much fabulous German food.
Our agent contracted private guides in Munich and Salzburg. These guides were superior. They had detailed knowledge of the area, its history, and people.
We spent Christmas in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It is a lovely, magical town in the shadow of Germany's highest mountain, Zugspitze. On Christmas Day, I took the cable car up the mountain and the sights from the top were tremendous. On the day we were there, we could see 230km in all directions. Of course, when in the Alps, you must ski, so we visited Hintertux for a day of skiing and glacier exploration.
Then we went to Salzburg to explore the sites of Mozart's birthplace, but there is so much more to the town than that. The town has over 1,000 years of history and the people there could not have been more hospitable.
From there, we went back to Munich to celebrate New Year at Tollwood.
Thank you, and a special thanks to our travel team for all the planning that went into the trip. It was pleasantly unforgettable. And I cannot forget our guides. The guides in Munich and Salzburg were excellent – extremely knowledgeable, personable, and always there when needed. I cannot wait to go back, and when I do, I will be planning our trip through your company.
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Austria was spectacular! It really blew us away and the trip and country as a whole exceeded our expectations.
In advance, setting up the itinerary with Zicasso's tour operator was seamless—they were very prompt to change details and move things around to give us the exact trip we had in mind. The interactive itinerary web pages they generated were great—we could look through the timeline and fill in comments with our thoughts/suggestions on each item, making for an easy back-and-forth.
We loved the pace and layout of our trip—it gave us enough time to relax and do some exploring of our own, while at the same time hitting all the highlights of each city we visited. The hotels chosen were exceptional and exactly what we were looking for. All of the guides and drivers chosen by the tour operator did a great job and we liked receiving the information of our guide/driver the night before, with a contact number and confirmation. Throughout the trip, the tour operator checked in multiple times and was readily available to assist with any problems or questions.
Highlights were the city tour in Vienna, seeing an opera in Vienna, Wachau Valley scenery (although in hindsight, we should have spent more time here!), Innsbruck town, and our favorite—a day hike in the Alps.
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Our trip to Austria and Germany was initiated with a desire to see the Christmas markets. And yes, these were magical, but Zicasso’s travel company also included guided trips at each location to fully enjoy our trip. The private ride through Bavaria to Neuschwanstein Castle was Christmas-card picturesque. Walking through Vienna on a guided tour was as if we were visiting Franz Joseph and Sisi. The travel company created an itinerary that balanced the needs of a group with different ages, interests, and budgets, and everyone had a magnificent time.
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