Art & Music of Central Europe
Topic: Art & StudySample Itinerary
DAY 01 - DEPARTURE
Check in at your local airport for the transatlantic flight to Europe.
DAY 02 - PRAGUE
You have just arrived in Prague. Following customs formalities, you'll be met by your tour manager who will direct you to the waiting motorcoach. Then you're on your way to begin your exploration of Prague. You'll start in the Old Town Square where you'll see the beautiful Tyn Church, the Old Town Hall with its 15th-century Astronomical Clock, the Kinský Palace and the Jan Hus Monument. At the end of the tour you'll transfer to the hotel.
DAY 03 - PRAGUE
This morning you'll have a guided tour of the Castle District. You will visit St. Vitus Cathedral with its beautiful Chapel of St. Wenceslas; the Royal Palace with its Vladislav Hall and the Bohemian Chancellery; St. George's Convent; the Gold Lane; and the Powder Tower. You'll also visit the Sternberg Palace, which houses the National Gallery of Art. The remainder of the afternoon is yours for independent exploration. This evening a visit to the Mozart Museum located in Villa Bertramka is planned.
DAY 04 - PRAGUE
This morning your guided tour will take you to the ancient Jewish Quarter. Your tour will include visits to the Prague Jewish Museum, the early Gothic Stare Nova Synagogue, the Klausen Synagogue, and the Old Jewish Cemetery. After visiting this area, you'll travel to the other side of Prague in order to visit the Dvorák Museum. Following this visit, the remainder of the day is at leisure.
DAY 05 - WROCLAW
This morning you'll be leaving Prague and traveling northeast to Poland. Your destination is Wroclaw. Upon arrival you'll have a guided walking tour of the Old Town and go to the marketplace to see its magnificently ornate Town Hall. Following the tour, the remainder of day is at leisure.
DAY 06 - OSWIECIM, KRAKÓW
Your travels take you south today. Just outside of Kraków you'll arrive at Oswiecim, site of the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. After a sobering visit here, travel eastward to Kraków. Upon arrival you'll check in at the hotel for a three-night stay.
DAY 07 - KRAKÓW
This morning, a local guide will give you a tour of Kraków beginning at the Royal Palace and the Cathedral. Next your tour will continue to the area of the city know as the main market square. Before the tour ends you'll also visit St. Mary's Church. Following the tour, you'll have some free time for shopping in this area. Then you'll visit the Czartoryski Museum. At the end of this visit, the remainder of the day is yours for independent exploration.
DAY 08 - KRAKÓW
This morning you'll return to the Kazimierz District where a local guide will give you a tour of the Jewish Quarter which will include visits to several of the synagogues as well as the Jewish Museum. Following the tour, you can either relax or go on an optional excursion to the Wielczka Salt Mine. This evening you'll have a traditional Polish dinner with a folklore performance.
DAY 09 - ZAKOPANE, STRBSKE PLESO
Leaving Kraków this morning, you'll travel due south to the High Tatras resort of Zakopane. You'll see the Church of St. Clement and its adjoining cemetery. You'll also have some free time here. Then cross the border between Poland and Slovakia. Your drive takes you through some spectacular scenery in the High Tatras Mountains. You'll be spending the night in Strbske Pleso.
DAY 10 - BUDAPEST
Today's journey again takes you across another border, this time traveling from Slovakia into Hungary. Your Hungarian tour manager will give you an introduction to Hungarian history and culture en route. Upon arrival in Budapest, you'll have an orientation tour to the Pest side of the city, with views of the Hungarian National Museum, the Great Synagogue, St. Stephen's Basilica, and the Opera. You'll stop at Heroes Square with its Millennial Monument and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. At the end of our tour, you'll check into the hotel for a three-night stay.
DAY 11 - SZENTENDRE, BUDAPEST
Today you'll travel outside of Budapest to Szentendre where there will be some free time for shopping and independent exploration. Then you'll visit the nearby open-air museum. At day's end, you'll return to Budapest.
DAY 12 - BUDAPEST
You'll visit the Buda side of the city today starting at the Citadel. Then you'll continue into the old section of Buda. Your guided tour will include a visit to the Mathias Church and you'll see the picturesque walled area known as Fishermen's Bastion. There will be free time for independent exploration before you leave the Buda area. The remainder of the afternoon will allow free time in Pest. This evening you'll enjoy a folklore dinner with traditional Hungarian food and music.
DAY 13 - EISENSTADT, MÖDLING
After breakfast you'll be traveling in a westerly direction. You'll make a final stop in Hungary before crossing the border into Austria. Soon you'll arrive in Eisenstadt where you'll pay a visit to the Esterhazy Palace. You'll also visit Number 21 Haydngasse to visit the modest house where Haydn worked from 1766 to 1788. Leaving Esterhazy, it's only a short distance to the ödling, where you'll be spending the last three nights.
DAY 14 - VIENNA, MODLING
This morning you'll transfer into Vienna. Your tour manger will give you a brief orientation tour of Vienna's "Ring." Then you'll walk into the Old Town to visit St. Stephen's Cathedral and see the home where Mozart lived in the mid-1780s. You'll also see the exterior of the Hofburg and visit the Kunstistorisches Museum. The remainder of the afternoon and evening are yours for independent exploration.
DAY 15 - VIENNA, MODLING
After breakfast, you'll return to Vienna. This morning the emphasis will be on the turn-of-the-century art and architecture known as both Jugendidstijl and the Secession Movement. Around Vienna's Ring you'll see important works by the architect, Otto Wagner, including some of his U-bahn stations and his famous Post Office Savings Bank, as well as several beautifully decorated apartment buildings. You'll also visit the interior of the Secession Building. This afternoon a visit to the Upper Belevedere Palace, now the Austrian gallery for 19th-and 20th-century art, is planned. Then you'll return to Mödling for the overnight.
DAY 16 - RETURN
After breakfast, you'll depart for the Vienna Schwechat Airport to check in for your return flights to the U.S.
