VISITING
AUSTRIA, HUNGARY, SLOVAKIA, CZECH REPUBLIC AND
GERMANY
Day 1 – Depart USA
Overnight flight to Vienna.
Day 2 – Vienna at Leisure
On arrival at Vienna Airport, you will
be met and transferred to the Bosei Hotel. After checking in, the rest of the day
is at leisure to explore the Austrian capital's famous sights. Relax at a Viennese
café or stroll through the Stadtpark to see the golden statue of Strauss? Tonight,
join your Tour Director for a Welcome Meeting.
Hotel: Bosei.
Day 3 – Vienna – Budapest
This morning we cross the Hungarian
border and continue through farmland to the baroque town of Gyor before arriving
in Budapest. Our sightseeing on arrival takes us to hilltop Buda to explore the
cobbled streets of the Old Town, visit the Matthias church and enjoy views over
the Danube. Then to the commercial district of Pest where we see the Parliament
Building and Heroes’ Square, before continuing to our hotel for the next two
nights.
Hotel: Budapest. (B,D)
Day 4 – Budapest at Leisure
You are free today to explore this
fascinating city at your own pace. Maybe shop for bargains in fine porcelain or
take an optional excursion to the picturesque riverside village of Szentendre with
its brightly coloured houses and quaint churches. (B)
Day 5 – Budapest – Prague
Take a delightful scenic drive across
the Blue Danube to reach the Slovakian border. Visit the capital city of Bratislava
to see the dominating castle before continuing through the Czech countryside to
the beautifully preserved ‘golden’ city of Prague.
Hotel: Barcelo. (B,D)
Day 6 – Prague Sightseeing
From the heights of Prague Castle,
a ‘city within a city’ dominated by the soaring spires of St Vitus’
Cathedral, look down on the Old Town and the Vltava River. Stroll the cobbled streets,
explore the ancient Jewish quarter and the Old Town Square – don’t miss
the Four Apostles above the Astronomical Clock on the hour. (B,D)
Day 7 – Prague – Berlin
Leave Prague and cross the border to
Germany, arriving in historic Dresden in time for a walking tour of the courtyards
of the glorious Zwinger Palace and the opulent Opera House. See the colossal Castle
of the Electors of Saxony, including the unique Saxon Wall overlaid with Meissen
tiles and, finally, the renovated Frauenkirche. Drive on to the German capital,
Berlin.
Hotel: Abacus Tierpark Hotel. (B,D)
Day 8 – Berlin Sightseeing
Join a local guide to see this re-unified
city. Follow the Unter den Linden past the Opera and Alexanderplatz, before continuing
on to the Brandenburg Gate, the symbol of Berlin. See the Reichstag, a massive Neo-Renaissance-style
palace inaugurated in 1894 which has recently been crowned with a new dome. See
the Victory Column in the Tiergarten Park before spending the rest of the day at
leisure – take in the shops or perhaps join an optional excursion to Potsdam.
(B)
Day 9 – Berlin – Nuremberg
Head south to the musical city of Leipzig,
where Mendelssohn and Bach lived and played. See St Nikolai Church, where the 1989
Peace Prayers led to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Continue to Nuremberg, once Germany’s
medieval centre of culture and craftsmanship, now home to the country’s most
famous Christmas Market. See the Zeppelinwiese, used for Hitler’s rallies and
tour the Old Town to see Albrecht Durer’s house, Beautiful Fountain, and the
massive town ramparts.
Hotel: NH Forsthaus. (B,D)
Day 10 – Nuremberg – Vienna
Take a scenic drive past Regensburg
and on to the frontier town of Passau, nestled between Bavaria and Austria. Time
is set aside to stroll along the Danube and admire the Baroque churches and patrician
houses of the Old Town before crossing the Austrian border. See the Benedictine
Melk Abbey at the very tip of a rocky bluff overlooking the Danube before arriving
in Vienna.
Hotel: Bosei. (B)
Day 11 – Vienna Sightseeing
A guided tour shows you the Imperial
Winter Palace , the Parliament and the imposing baroque architecture of the Opera
House. The rest of the day is yours to enjoy – perhaps visit the State Apartments
of Schonbrunn Palace or do some last minute shopping on the Karntnerstrasse? (B)
Day 12 – Return to USA
Your tour ends this morning after breakfast
with transfers from your hotel to Vienna Airport. (B)
