Tour program
Day 1st
You arrive at one of Berlins airports, where our tour guide and driver welcomes you. You then transfer to a hotel in Berlin center. Here, you have some time to relax, but later, there is a welcome dinner at a selected restaurant in Berlins center – the famous one located at the top of the Alexanderplatz TV Tower, where you dine while enjoying a magnificent view of the city. After that, it is back to the hotel for an over-night stray. (D)
Day 2nd
First, breakfast and then a half-day tour of Berlin with a local guide. It includes the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and the Site of Hitlers Former Bunker. Moreover, you will take in the remains of the Berlin Wall and visit Checkpoint Charlie. Lunch is with our tour guide. Afternoon is a time for visiting one of the selected museums located at Museum Island. Following this, you retreat back to the hotel, to rest over-night. (B, L)
Day 3rd
After an enjoyable breakfast, we set out to visit Potsdam – the City of Emperors. Potsdam was the city of the German Kaisers. Garrisoned by the imperial army, it is home to their most famous palaces. Your tour with a local guide includes the Sanssouci Palace and Garden, and later, a visit to the Cecilienhof Schloss – the place where the Potsdam Conference was organized in 1945, just after the end of WWII. Next, you return to Berlin center and have time for a farewell walk in Berlin. After the walk, dinner and an overnight stay at your hotel. (B, D)
Day 4th
Following a hearty breakfast, we check-out from our hotel in Berlin. It is then off to Dresden, a 2 hour journey through some very scenic parts of Poland and Germany. After this, we meet our local guide for our half day tour of the city highlights: the Residential Palace, the Catholic Court Church, the Semper Opera House, the Frauenkirche and the grounds of the famous Zwinger Palace. We then lunch and check-in at our hotel. The afternoon is the time for a visit to the Royal Porcelain Collection or for a visit to the Gallery of the Old Masters – the finest of works by the Old Masters of European art, located at the Zwinger Palace. Later that day, we dine at a restaurant at the Old Town area and then retire to our hotel. (B,D)
Day 5th
Today, we breakfast and then check-out from our hotel in Dresden and we make our way to Saxon Switzerland. The first stop on our journey will be the Bastei Bridge on the German side of the National Park. Here, you will have the opportunity to walk across this magnificent bridge spanning the river Elbe. The trip then continues on to Pravcika Gate on the Czech side of the park. The Pravcika Gate is the largest natural sandstone gate in the whole of Europe. Now we break for lunch, and then it is off to the Kamenice river Gorge. Here, you will board a small boat for a journey through the rivers canyon that is carved deep into the surrounding sandstone walls. It is then back to the bus and we make our way to Prague, where we check into our hotel, and dine at a fabulous restaurant. (B,D)
Day 6th
After a good breakfast, we spend our entire day on a guided tour of Prague. The first part of the tour takes in Hradcany, with Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral and Golden Lane. Next, we continue our excursion on right hand side of Prague, along the Baroque era Charles Bridgeover the Vltava River, to the Old Town and the Main Market. Following this – some free time for you. We then dine at a regional restaurant, where we can sample Pragues famous cuisine and if you are a beer aficionado, the citys beers that are of international renown. We then return to our hotel to wake up to bird song the next day. (B,D)
Day 7th
Breakfast time and a morning departure to Krakow in Southern Poland. On our way, we stop over in Oświecim to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi German Concentration/Death Camp, now a martyrdom museum. After a guided tour, we continue onto Krakow, where we book-in to our hotel. We dine here and rest overnight. (B,D)
Day 8th
After our breakfast, we begin a tour of Krakow with our local guide. As the city was not destroyed during the World War II, Krakow is a treasure house of architecture and art, the collection going back as far as the 10th century. Our walking tour will start with Wawel Hill. You will visit the Royal Castle and the Coronation Cathedral – the burial place of kings and famous men of letters, science and statecraft. In the Royal Chambers, you can discover a priceless collection of Flemish tapestries. Your walking tour also includes the Old Town – still surrounded by its defensive walls, the Barbican, the Market Square dominated by St. Marys Church with the famous 15th c. linden wood altar, then the Cloth Hall housing a multitude of souvenir shops. Time now for lunch. The afternoon is devoted for you to taste Krakows unique Old Town atmosphere or to visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine. This 800 year old salt mine is the oldest one in Europe. Here, you can walk through a fabulous underground fantasy world: the splendid St. Kingas Chapel with its statues and relicts carved out of solid rock, a labyrinth of corridors housing the original mine machinery and post excavation chambers, as well as subterranean salt lakes. We then dine at a regional restaurant, our meal accompanied by folk music and dance. (B,D)
Day 9th
We wake up to a marvelous breakfast, check-out from our hotel in Krakow, and then it is south to Budapest. Our journey takes us across Slovakia and allows us to gaze upon the Tatra Mountains – a marvelous panorama. We will be on our bus for almost the whole of the day – albeit with some breaks for lunch, for relaxation and for coffee. Late in the afternoon, we check-in at our hotel in Budapest and have dinner with our tour guide. Later that evening, we visit Gellert Hill to see the lights of the city spread out at our feet. It is then back to our hotel, to spend a night in blissful sleep. (B,D).
Day 10th
Following breakfast, we begin our day with a guided tour of Pest, where we will visit Heros Square with the Millennium Memorial, Varosliget Park and Vajdahunyad Castle, the Opera and St. Stephen Basilica, as well as the grounds of the Parliament buildings (outside). We will also take a stroll along Vaci street – famous for its colorful, traditional shops and restaurants. The afternoon is a time to relax at one of the famous Budapest baths – say, at the Gellert hotel**** or the Szechenyi Furdo. Dinner will be taken in at a regional restaurant with a live gipsy band. We then retire to our hotel for the night. (B,D)
Day 11th
After a hearty Hungarian breakfast, it is time to spend a half day on a guided tour of Buda. On it we will see: Buda Hill and Castle, Matthias Church and the Fishermens Bastion. We will also visit Gellerts Hill to gaze down upon the city. We then break for lunch and head off to Szentendre – a small but fabulous city located 20 km North from Budapest. Szentendre is famous for its Mediterranean character, its charming streets and its Marzipan Museum. We then return to Budapest for dinner and a river cruise with live music where we can get a glimpse Budapests riverside scene. It is back to our hotel now to enjoy a good nights sleep. (B, D)
Day 12th
Once we have breakfasted, we check-out of our hotel and continue our journey – this time to Slovakia and its capital. Upon arrival, we will enjoy a half day guided tour of Bratislava, where we walk the streets of the Old Town and visit Castle hill to see the impressive panorama of the city. Later on, we board our bus to travel onto Vienna, located one hour away from Bratislava. We then check-in at our hotel, dine and sleep. (B,D)
Day 13th
After breakfast, we begin a full days guided tour of historical Vienna. The program includes the famous Ring fortifications, the Opera House, Hoffburg Palace, the Fine Arts Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Austrian Parliament, Burg theatre, City Hall, the University and much more. We will also break for a famous Sacher torte and cup of coffee at a selected cafe. The highlight of the tour will be a visit to the showrooms of the Schönbrunn Palace. Schönbrunn was built as Habsburg summer residence – originally for Maria Theresa. After our tour, you have now got some time on your own to relax. Dinner is in Grinzing, at a regional restaurant where we can samples the best of Austrian cuisine while listening to live music. We stay overnight at our hotel. (B, D)
Day 14th
Following a most enjoyable breakfast, we depart for a Romantic Danube valley cruise – a full days tour along the most picturesque part of the Danube Valley. We begin our boat trip at the charming town of Krems, and cruise down the beautiful blue Danube through the Wachau, a most wonderful part of the Danube valley with its vineyards and ruins. We will pass the medieval village of Dürnstein and stop over at Melk – famous for its Baroque Benedictine abbey. We then break for lunch, spend some extra time at the Melk Old Town area, and return to Vienna early evening. After this, we have our Farewell dinner with our tour guide and retire for our last night in Vienna (B,D)
Day 15th
Our last day of a most enjoyable tour begins with breakfast, then check-out and it is off to the Vienna airport for your return flight. (B).
Notices:
We can organize that tour on private request on different tour date, even for 2 person group. Send your request by email: grzegorz.b@excitingpoland.com
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