At Vienna airport, transfers to your hotel will leave at 10:00, 13:00 and 15:30. At 17:30, meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a drink, followed by a pleasant Welcome Dinner served with wine at a local restaurant.
Join a Local Expert for a private tour of Maria Theresa's magnificent Schönbrunn Palace and its formal gardens. Be transported to a time of opulence and extravagance, as you marvel at the intricacies of gilded Rococo frames, frescoed ceilings and crystal chandeliers.Explore Vienna with Insight Choice. Choose to visit a traditional Viennese café to enjoy local specialties of coffee and Sachertorte. Alternatively, join a unique MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience, take to the floor in a Viennese Waltz dance workshop and support the visually impaired community. Dancing in the dark, in a specially designed sensory studio, will be a unique experience for all your senses. Then get your camera ready for a drive around the Ring Road, a grand boulevard built along the lines of the old city walls, showcasing many of the capital's architectural masterpieces, including the Opera House, magnificent Hofburg Imperial Residence, Austrian Parliament Building and Karlskirche.
Once over the Czech border, head for picturesque Český Krumlov, where you'll start with a brief orientation tour of this fairy-tale town, straight out of the Middle Ages. Enjoy some free time to explore and appreciate views of the Vltava River. Wander through the cobblestone, traffic-free streets, past colourful houses that lead up to the finest castle in the land. In the afternoon, continue through the green Bohemian countryside to Golden Prague.
Explore Prague with Insight Choice. Choose to walk the courtyards of the Castle and visit the imposing St. Vitus Cathedral. Alternatively, join your Local Expert for a walk through the Jewish Quarter and learn about a different side of the history of Prague. Continue to Old Town Square where the mechanical antics of the Astronomical Clock’s glockenspiel delight onlookers each hour. The afternoon is free for you to explore at your leisure.
Enjoy a gentle drive through the rolling Czech countryside before crossing into Poland where you will stop at Oświęcim, better known by its German name of Auschwitz. Join a guided tour of the memorial and museum and stop at Birkenau, which bore witness to the terrible atrocities of the Holocaust.
In the morning why not join an Optional Experience and journey into a glistening subterranean world at the 600-year-old Wieliczka Salt Mine? In a maze of tunnels deep below the surface, witness unique salt sculptures, sunken lakes and even a glorious cathedral carved entirely out of rock salt by the miners. Otherwise, you can have a morning at leisure before joining a Local Expert to ascend Wawel Hill and visit the cathedral. Walk past the former residence of Pope John Paul II through the Old Town, to Europe’s largest and most beautiful town square. See the medieval Sukiennice Cloth Hall and visit the 14th century St. Mary’s Basilica, the most important church in the city. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for the trumpeter in the tower. In the evening, choose from a selection of hand-picked local restaurants on your Dine-Around Evening.
Journey into the Slovakian region of Orava and see the picturesque Oravský Hrad Castle before continuing through the breathtaking Low Tatra Mountains to arrive in Budapest.
Venture into the heart of Buda’s medieval Castle District with a Local Expert, to visit Matthias Church followed by an enchanting organ recital, and take in the vista from the Fisherman’s Bastion. Cross the Danube to the Pest district to visit Heroes’ Square and drive down elegant Andrássy Boulevard.The rest of the day is at your leisure to relax by the Danube or browse the boutiques of Vaci Street. For your Celebration Dinner, you are treated to mouthwatering Hungarian specialities, accompanied by specially selected wines, as you dine at the elegant Gundel restaurant.
Your Bohemian journey concludes after breakfast with transfers arriving at Budapest airport at 07:00 and 11:00.
Prices shown are per person based on two people sharing a twin room. To request a personalized travel quote, click "Request Quote" and a Travel Specialist will send your custom quote including airfare if requested.
Optional Experiences are subject to change. Your Travel Director will supply you with a final list of Optional Experiences available on your trip. Optional Experiences cannot be booked online; they can be purchased during your trip through your Travel Director.
Available on Day 2
Cross the Danube, passing the famous Prater Park en route to one of Austria's most famous restaurants. Former patrons include Napoleon, Emperor Franz Joseph, Liz Taylor and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Once through the door of this historic country mansion, you're transported to a different world! Old memorabilia, autographed photos and other paraphernalia cover the ceilings, walls and even the restrooms. Choose from traditional Austrian fare, enjoy unlimited drinks and be serenaded by musicians at your table. A fun-filled experience never to be forgotten!
Adult Price: € 63
Enjoy a wonderful concert of Viennese Classical music performed by highly acclaimed soloists and dancers. During this special evening, enjoy a glass of champagne along with some of the most famous works by Johann Strauss and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Adult Price: € 59
Available on Day 4
Hearty and delicious, Czech cuisine borrows heavily from its Central European neighbors, but also boasts a few unique twists of its own. In a local restaurant, enjoy a traditional Czech meal accompanied by the planet's most perfect pilsner. During dinner, lively musicians in traditional dress set the mood with songs and dances from Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia.
Adult Price: € 60
Available on Day 6
Visit the 700-year-old UNESCO World Heritage-listed salt mine, located on the outskirts of Krakow. On a guided tour, learn about the mine’s long history, and explore the vast underground labyrinth of chambers filled with unique salt sculptures carved by the miners themselves.
Adult Price: € 56
Available on Day 7
The most leisurely way to discover this fairy-tale city is a private cruise on the Danube with a glass of fine Hungarian wine in hand. See Margaret Island, the Houses of Parliament, Castle Hill with its Fisherman’s Bastion, the Royal Palace, the Citadel and the University. While cruising, enjoy a lavish, gourmet buffet meal of Hungarian specialties and drinks.
Adult Price: € 93
Available on Day 8
Join your Local Expert for a tour of the Hungarian Parliament building, one of the largest and most ornate parliamentary buildings in the world. This impressive symbol of Budapest was the country's most expensive construction (they could have built a town for 40,000 inhabitants for the same cost!). With all of its gilded decorations and marble, it's often referred to as the 'Jewel box of the nation.' After the visit, we'll stop at the Kossuth Lajos square to see the Monument of the 1956 Uprising, then explore Liberty Square and take pictures of its monuments and statues. Finally, we'll see the moving "Shoes on the Danube" memorial.
Adult Price: € 45