Treasures of Central Europe: Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany (16 days)

Saturday Warsaw

Arrival to Warsaw, capital of Poland; meeting with the guide at the Frederic Chopin airport; transfer to the hotel; time to refresh; welcome dinner. 

 

Sunday Warsaw

Warsaw city sightseeing: transfer to the Lazienki Royal Park with the Palace on the Water and the Island Theatre; from there route leads through Warsaw City with skyscrapers and monumental architecture from communism time, then the Grand Theatre and Opera House, Jablonowski Palace, Tomb of Unknown Soldier and Saski Park, Town Hall, Umschlagplatz and the Monument of Heroes of Ghetto; transfer to the Old Town (UNESCO Heritage); visit to the Royal Castle and the cathedral, Market Square and defensive walls with barbican; further walk to the New Town: the Krasinski Palace, Palace of Justice and Monument of Warsaw Uprising; dinner. 
 

Monday Warsaw – Czestochowa – Tychy 

Transfer to Czestochowa known for the famous Pauline monastery of Jasna Gora, home of the Black Madonna painting, a shrine of the Virgin Mary. She is the Queen of Poland whom the whole nation and country was entrusted to. This spiritual capital of Poland every year attracts thousands of pilgrims from all over the world. During your trip you could visit: the Basilica with Black Madonna Shrine, exhibition devoted to the 600-years of the Monastery, Armoury Room and Treasury Room; transfer to Tychy, visit to the Tyskie Brewery (Adults only), a chance to see all stages of production of beer, a brewing museum and to taste this golden liquid; dinner. 
 

Tuesday Tychy – Auschwitz-Birkenau – Wadowice – Kalwaria Zebrzydowska – Krakow

Departing to Auschwitz-Birkenau: all over the world, Auschwitz has become a symbol of terror, genocide and the Holocaust. It was established by the Nazis in 1940, in the suburbs of the city of Oswiecim (Auschwitz in German) which, like other parts of Poland, was occupied by the Germans during the Second World War. A visit to concentration and extermination camp museum might help you to comprehend what incomprehensible. Transfer to Wadowice, the Pope John Paul II birthplace, visit to the basilica where he was baptized; further visit to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska (UNESCO Heritage) pilgrimage place famous for the monastery complex of the Franciscans-Bernardines with the early baroque church and dozens of chapels spread around in a beautiful countryside scenery; transfer to Krakow; dinner. 
 

Wednesday Krakow

Krakow city sightseeing: Krakow is the cultural capital of Poland with Old Town listed as UNESCO Heritage. During the tour you would see Barbican and defensive walls with Florian's Gate, Main Market Square with Sukiennice Cloth Hall, St Mary's Church and Town Hall Tower. We would proceed to the Jagiellonian University, pass by Archbishop Palace (where John Paul II used to live) as well as St Andrew's Church and SS Peter and Paul's Church to reach the Wawel Hill; visit to the Wawel Royal Castle and cathedral with bell tower; afternoon to your leisure; dinner. 
 

Thursday Krakow – Wieliczka – Krakow

Morning at leisure to browse the market squares in Krakow or wander at leisure. Afternoon transfer to Wieliczka, the most beautiful and the oldest operating salt mine in the world (UNESCO Heritage). From over 700 years it was a source of Polish fortune and a physical fundament of culture. Today Wieliczka is the most willingly visited Polish tourist object with magnificent chapels, charming underground lakes and original tools and equipment. During this tour you could see a number of excavated chambers on 3 levels adorned with beautiful sculptures made of salt as well as a salt museum; dinner 125 metres under the ground; transfer back to Krakow. 
 

Friday Krakow – Budapest (Hungary)

Beautiful scenery awaits us as we drive through the foothills of the Tatra Mountains. Here we cross into the Slovak Republic, full of dramatic geographical features, high alpine villages and a rich cultural heritage. After passing the Hungarian border we continue to Budapest situated on the romantic River Danube; Budapest overnight and dinner. 

 

Saturday Budapest

Budapest city sightseeing: drive over the Margaret Bridge to Buda; stop in the Castle District, further walk to see the main attractions of the area: Matthias Church and the Fishermen's Bastion from where you can enjoy the beautiful panorama. Next drive to the Gellert Hill (Citadel) to admire the most spectacular view of Budapest, and then cross the Elisabeth Bridge to Pest with famous Central Market Hall, followed by the largest Synagogue of Europe and the City Park; pass by Europe's largest thermal spa, the Budapest Zoo and the Amusement Park, the Heroes' Square with statues of the most famous Hungarian kings and dukes, the Opera House and the St Stephen's Basilica, visit of the impressive neo-gothic House of Parliament. During the tour you would have a chance to discover the last 1000 years of Hungarian history; Budapest overnight and dinner. 
 

Sunday Budapest – Bratislava (Slovakia) – Vienna (Austria)

Morning departure to Bratislava, journey through the region of Transdanubia, dotted with orchards and vineyards; Bratislava city sightseeing with Old Town: St. Martin's Cathedral, Michael's Gate Tower, Central Europe's oldest university Academia Istropolitana building, Main Square, Primatial Palace, churches, palaces of famous nobility and the Slovak National Theatre; transfer to Vienna, hotel check-in; dinner.


 

Monday Vienna

Vienna city sightseeing: drive along the famous Ringstrasse, Vienna's main boulevard known for such magnificent buildings as the Museums of Fine Arts and Natural History, the State Opera House, the Parliament, the Burgtheatre, the City Hall and the Votive Church; short walk through the most beautiful parts of the city centre: Museumquarter, Hofburg - winter-residence of the Habsburgs, Kärtner Strasse - shopping street and the Stephan's Cathedral. Time for a souvenir hunt in the elegant pedestrian area or visit Schonbrunn Palace; Vienna overnight and dinner. 
 

Tuesday Vienna – Prague (Czech Republic)

Morning departure through historic Bohemian countryside of Czech Republic to Prague; afternoon arrival at the golden city of Prague, described as the prettiest gem in the stone crown of the world; Prague overnight and dinner. 


 

Wednesday Prague

Prague city sightseeing: transfer to the Prague Castle, home of Prague kings and queens for many years which houses nowadays the office of the president of the Czech Republic, several museums, the St. Vitus Cathedral, the Royal Castle and more; walk through this Hradcany district viewing the Loreto, the Archbishops Palace, Golden Lane and other interesting areas along the way to the castle; visit part of the St. Vitus Cathedral; walk down through the Little Quarter and over the Charles Bridge via the coronation route to the Old Town Square with the famous Astronomical Clock, Old Town Square Tower, end on Wenceslas Square, the new part of town; Prague overnight and dinner. 
 

Thursday Prague – Dresden (Germany)

Transfer to Dresden, the 800 years old city famous for its magnificent composition of architecture, art collections and the river landscape of the Elbe (UNESCO); city sightseeing: Lutheran Church of our Lady, the Semper Opera, the Zwinger Palace with Old Masters Picture Gallery and the Blue Wonder bridge, where the oldest suspension railway in Europe awaits to whisk you up the valley slopes to the Loschwitz Heights. From the upper station you can enjoy an unforgettable panorama over the city, the Saxon Switzerland and the Eastern Erzgebirge mountains. Afternoon we will have the opportunity to enjoy specialties from the Saxon cuisine, breweries and vineyards; Dresden overnight and dinner. 
 

Friday Dresden – Meissen – Potsdam – Berlin

Transfer to Meissen, where we visit one of Germany’s oldest porcelain manufactories. Founded in the 18th century and being continuously in operation since then, the delicate, always handcrafted products are found in royal courts and celebrities homes all around the world. See the exhibition hall and the demonstration workshops were all steps of the painting and glazing process is explained to you. Afterwards we continue to Potsdam, visit to the Frederick the Great’s Royal Gardens of Sanssouci and Cecilienhof Palace (UNESCO), the location of the Potsdam Conference that ended WW II and marked the begin of the Cold War. Transfer to Berlin; overnight and dinner.
 

Saturday Berlin

Berlin city sightseeing from west to east: Brandenburger Gate, House of Parliament Reichstag, Museum Island (UNESCO), Berlin Cathedral - the largest Protestant church in Germany, Palace Bridge, Alexanderplatz, Red Town Hall. Afternoon „red“ tour would explore former sectors of soviet zone during the Cold War, where rests of Berlin Wall still could be found. Visit to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, where the history of the Berlin Wall is documented. Overnight and dinner. 
 

Sunday Berlin – Warsaw

Transfer from Berlin to Warsaw airport. This trip could be also finished in Berlin.

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