TreeTopTravel

12/03/2024

As our Christmas Markets cruise along the Danube draws to a close we’d like to take a moment to thank our clients for another wonderful group tour. Some are travelling home today, while others are staying on to enjoy more time in Budapest or Prague. We wish you all safe and wonderful travels and would like to extend our sincere gratitude for travelling along with us and allowing us to do what we love every day!

This tour also marks the first time that the entire TreeTopTravel team has been together with one of our groups and we would also like to take a moment to introduce them. We’re thrilled to welcome our newest travel advisor Kelly, along with our founder Stephanie, our research assistant Taylor, and our travel advisor Suzanne. Our team truly loves to bring your travel dreams to life and we look forward to the next magical voyage being crafted! Here’s to many more happy travels!! 🌎🥂

12/03/2024

The final overnight stop on our voyage was spent in the vibrant city of Budapest, Hungary’s capital, which is bisected by the River Danube. Its 19th-century Chain Bridge connects the hilly Buda district with flat Pest. A funicular runs up Castle Hill to Buda’s Old Town, where the Budapest History Museum traces city life from Roman times onward. In this Castle District, Trinity Square plays home to the 13th-century Matthias Church, where Emperor FranzJosef and Empress ‘Sisi’ were crowned in 1867, as well as the turrets of the Fishermen’s Bastion, which offer spectacular, sweeping views of the city below.
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Budapest is a global city with strengths in commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment, with the central area of Budapest along the Danube River being classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here we find several notable monuments of classical architecture, including the highly photographed Hungarian Parliament and the Buda Castle. The city also has around 80 geothermal springs, the largest thermal water cave system, the second largest synagogue and the third largest Parliament in the world, just to name a few. Our guided tour of the city takes us past many of these notable monuments as well as Heroes’ Square, one of the major squares in Budapest noted for its iconic Millennium Monument, and the Shoes on the Danube Bank, a memorial erected in the east bank in 2005 to honour the Jews who were massacred in Budapest during the Second World War.
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With so much to offer it is no wonder that Budapest attracts around 12 million international tourists per year, making it a highly popular destination in Europe!
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12/03/2024

After three fabulous days in the Austrian capital of Vienna we set sail during dinner, making our way towards the Hungarian capital city of Budapest! Gliding past the Slovakian capital of Bratislava, we traverse through the last of eighteen locks navigated during this journey, before sailing through the night to arrive to the stunning view in Budapest as we awake!!
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12/02/2024

Oh Vienna!! An entire weekend was spent here in Austria’s capital city, whose artistic and intellectual legacy was shaped by residents including Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund Freud. Beyond that the city is also known for its impressive Imperial palaces, including both the 16th century Schönbrunn Palace and the 13th century Hofburg Palace in the city center, which served as the Habsburg’s summer residences and winter residences respectively.
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In the Museums Quarter district, historic and contemporary buildings display works by Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt and other artists. The five spired Rauthaus, or city hall, features as the well-known backdrop to one of the most visited and photographed Christmas markets in all of Europe.
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A full guided tour of the city, first by coach and then on foot, provides us with a wonderful overview of this spectacular city. The opportunities for sightseeing, entertainment and adventure to fill the remainder of our time here are endless. We visited St. Stephen’s Cathedral at the city’s center, the Sisi Museum at Hofburg Palace, many cafes and shops, and of course several Christmas markets, including the famous Wiener Christkindlmarkt at Rauthausplatz, where we even enjoyed some outdoor skating!
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While choosing what sights to enjoy made for some serious decision making, one thing is for sure, Vienna is a city that we have enjoyed over and over again with fresh eyes and sheer excitement every time!!
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12/01/2024

Here’s another one of our favourite Black Friday weekend specials. Our group absolutely loved this tour in February 2024 and we are offering it again in January and February 2025 from $1999 per person including roundtrip air!! Reach out to secure your space as this one is going fast!! 💫

When I first set out to plan a tour with Exoticca, who was at that time a ‘new to us’ tour operator, after having just been newly

11/30/2024

Starting off our time in Austria with some very scenic cruising through the Wachau Valley we soon arrive at Krems, in Lower Austria, where we have the opportunity to tour Göttweig Abbey, a Benedictine monastery founded in 1083.
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Part of the Wachau, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape, the abbey is famous for its apricot jams and wines crafted on location, and which we have the good fortune of tasting during our tour. Home to the highest apricot orchard in Austria’s Wachau Valley, the abbey also has a library of 150,000 books and manuscripts, a particularly important collection of religious engravings, and valuable collections of coins, antiquities, musical manuscripts and natural history, all of which survived the dangers of WWII and its immediate aftermath almost without loss
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Much of the monastery now dates to the 17th and 18th centuries after a fire In 1718 burned for ten days before being extinguished by buckets of water carried uphill by hand from the village below. The monastery was then rebuilt on a grander scale with an imperial staircase that is the largest Baroque staircase in all of Austria. The fresco decorating this staircase is considered a masterpiece of Baroque architecture, executed by Paul Troger in 1739, and represents the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI as Apollo.
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11/29/2024

Looking for those Black Friday travel specials? Here are two of our favourites for today. Reach out with any questions or to book in with us. Yes our team is still available to plan and book all of your Black Friday travel plans this weekend! And we’re planning to personally es**rt the June 27th departure on the Kerry Royal itinerary too! ☘️

11/26/2024

All aboard!! It’s that time again!! Travel along with us on this year’s Christmas Markets cruise on the Danube. Our first stop is Regensburg, Germany where we will spend our first evening, and a full day tomorrow, exploring this charming Bavarian city and all five of her Christmas Markets!! 🇩🇪🎄
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10/18/2024

LAST CALL for this amazing Christmas adventure departing in 39 days!! Join us as we experience Europe at it's most festive on this bucket list experience at a not-so-bucket-list price. This weekend only we are offering the last few cabins available at an unbelievable $1874 US or $2674 CAD per person including round trip airfare!!

If you followed us on our incredible journey last Christmas and found yourself wishing you were there, we have a rare repeat oppo

08/27/2024

Heading north away from Belfast along the Causeway Coastal Route made for a spectacular day of touring as we continued along on our Celtic Royal itinerary.
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Along the route we passed many charming seaside communities from which to choose for a pub or cafe break, as well as some of the most stunning coastal scenery in the world. During our drive the coastline transitioned from that of the Irish Sea to that of the North Sea and continued to treat us to absolutely amazing views!
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We made stops to enjoy the breathtaking views at both Glenariff Forest Park, which overlooks the largest and most visited of the Glens of Antrim, with waterfall walkways, forest trails, and sweeping views of the valley and the North Sea beyond, as well as the Giants Causeway, a natural phenomenon of some 40,000 large, regularly shaped polygonal columns of basalt in perfect horizontal sections, forming a pavement. Legend has it that an Irish giant named Finn McCool created a causeway to get across the Irish Sea to face his rival, the Scottish giant Benandonner. Following their fearsome meeting, Benandonner ripped up the causeway as he fled back to Scotland, leaving what can be seen here today.
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Lastly, our final stop of the day before crossing from Northern Ireland into the Republic of Ireland was the city of Derry, where we were treated to a stroll along the historic city walls with a local primary school teacher who provided us with a very informative and enthralling account of the city’s abundant history. From ancient times to his own first-hand account of his childhood experiences during “The Troubles” and Bloody Sunday, which occurred here in Derry, our guide’s account was truly a remarkable and enlightening one that we felt very privileged to hear!
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08/24/2024

Upon leaving our Irish Seaside retreat in Malahide, we made our way towards Belfast where we spent the next few days touring Northern Ireland. Along the way we made several stops to begin our first-hand introduction to Irish history.

First at Monasterboice, a fantastic monastic site founded in the 7th century and where the ruins of a 13th century church built atop its foundations can now be seen. The cemetery here is still a working one and contains recent graves as well as ones from several centuries gone by, including its two spectacular high Celtic Cross markers from the 9th and 10th centuries and for which the site is most famous. Here we also find a fine example of one of the many 10th century Round Towers which dot the Irish landscape, having been used as watchtowers, belfries and repositories during the Norse raids of that time.

As we continue our northerly drive along the coast of the Irish Sea we pay a visit to the town of Downpatrick to spend some time at the St. Patrick Visitors Centre, learning about the life of Saint Patrick himself and paying our respects at his grave on the Cathedral Hill cemetery which overlooks the town. Here we find the final resting place of not just St. Patrick, but also of St. Brigid and St. Collumcille, who were all reportedly buried here together around the 5th century, although the current marker was placed around 1900. It is said that the stone marking the grave brings luck to all who touch it.

Arriving in the vibrant city of Belfast, we settle in to the famous five-star Europa hotel right in the heart of the city, where we enjoy a comfortable stay and the perfect base for exploring all of the many, many sites of historical and natural significance in this area of Northern Ireland. Over the following days we had the opportunity to take in a tour of the elaborate Belfast City Hall, Titanic Belfast, the spectacular museum located at the dockyard where the infamous vessel herself was built, and the Game of Thrones filming studios just outside of the city. We also had the chance to experience a very informative guided tour of the Shankill and surrounding area, which gave us an unbiased and first hand look into how and where “The Troubles” that occurred in Northern Ireland in the latter half of the 20th century began. Finishing with a walk along the Peace Wall and the opportunity to leave our own mark on this testament to the peace and vibrancy that now exists in the city here.

08/21/2024

Arriving early for our Celtic Royal tour gave us plenty of time to enjoy the charming coastal community of Malahide, just outside of Dublin. The Grand Hotel is the first of all of the included five-star hotels on this Royal Irish Tours itinerary, and was the perfect place for us to relax by the beach, peruse the charming boutique shops and stroll the cafe & pub lined streets. With Dublin City-center just an easy 20-minute train ride away, we were also able to take in the bigger city sights while still enjoying a serene seaside stay. The perfect start to what is sure to be a fabulous week of touring!
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07/26/2024

Last chance to get in on the European Christmas Markets this year at a spectacular price!! For the next five days only we are offering this all inclusive, fully es**rted experience, including roundtrip airfare, for only $2874 CAD per person!! It's an incredible opportunity to give the gift of memories this Christmas!! 🎄✨

If you followed us on our incredible journey last Christmas and found yourself wishing you were there, we have a rare repeat oppo

07/12/2024

Thank you to everyone who nominated us! We truly appreciate your votes!

Official 2024 Community Voting Awards Platform for Chatham-Kent, ON. Where the community votes for their favourites every year.

06/07/2024

If you followed along with us last year and found yourself enthralled by our European Christmas Markets cruise, then we’ve got one heck of an offer for you!! How would you like to join us when we do it all again this year with rates starting at just $2074 USD per person including roundtrip air!!

Come on you Christmas enthusiasts!! The countdown is on and it’s only 171 days til departure!! 😃✨

If you followed us on our incredible journey last Christmas and found yourself wishing you were there, we have a rare repeat oppo

06/07/2024

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If you could go anywhere, what would your dream tour be, and why? Dive into the adventure of a lifetime with a chance to win a Collette tour for two,...