Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Czech Rep.

Your Travel Package Includes:

SIGHTSEEING: 
Visits to Weimar, Poznan, Jasna Gora*, Rothenburg, Munich

SCENIC HIGHLIGHTS:
Tatra Mountains, Romantic Road

GUIDES:
Local Guides for city sightseeing in Berlin, Warsaw, Budapest, Vienna, Prague, Auschwitz*. Services of a professional Tour Director while touring.

*entrance fee included

TRANSPORTATION: 
Scheduled transatlantic flights and airport transfers in London if Tour Operator issues the tickets. Touring by private first-class air-conditioned motorcoach.

MEALS: 
14 buffet breakfasts (B); 6 dinners (D)

AIRPORT TRANSFERS:
Airport transfers may be included when you make your flight arrangements with Tour Operator.

OPTIONALS: 
Choice of optional excursions at reasonable prices to customize your own experience. Please find a detailed list in your travel documents

Itinerary - Central Europe

Day 1 Sat. BOARD YOUR OVERNIGHT TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT.

Day 2 Sun. ARRIVAL IN FRANKFURT AREA, GERMANY. Check into your hotel. The rest of the day is free. Tonight, meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers.

Day 3 Mon. FRANKFURT-BERLIN. Northwest today using the fast and comfortable autobahn for a stop in Weimar, one time intellectual heart of Germany and host to such luminaries as Luther, Cranach, Bach, Liszt, Schiller and, of course, Goethe himself. It was at one time rightly known as the "Athens of Germany." Journey past Jena, home to the world famous Zeiss Optics Factory. Over the River Elbe for a few more miles into Germany’s capital city, Berlin. (B)

Day 4 Tue. BERLIN. No longer divided but every bit as fascinating. Once the city of contrasts with its West and East side separating two different worlds, Berlin, since the wall came down, has developed into a harmonious blend of old and new, preserving its old massive building, such as the State Opera House and the Brandenburg Gate, its neoclassic style boulevards such as the Kurfurstendamm and the "Unter den Linden", as well as creating brand new buildings in the most daring up-to-date architectural styles. It is now once again Germany’s capital and one of the most lively and interesting cities of Europe from a cultural point of view. In the afternoon there's an optional excursion to historic Potsdam. (B)

Day 5 Wed. BERLIN-WARSAW, POLAND. Drive east to Poznan, one of Poland’s oldest trading centers and now an international marketplace during its industrial fairs. See more of the Polish countryside on the way to Warsaw. (B,D)

Day 6 Thu. WARSAW. The included sightseeing tour is an excellent introduction to Warsaw, magnificently reconstructed after wartime destruction. Today its wide avenues contrast strikingly with the narrow lanes of the old section. (B,D)

Day 7 Fri. WARSAW-KRAKOW. Two encounters with history on your southbound journey today. First Jasna Gora near Czestochowa, the monastery which withstood the repeated onslaught of overwhelming Swedish forces during the religious wars of the 17th century. Since then its Black Madonna is venerated as the "Queen of Poland" and has become the country’s national symbol. In the afternoon visit what is left of the Auschwitz concentration camp, a chilling reminder of the Holocaust. Evening arrival in Krakow. (B,D)

Day 8 Sat. KRAKOW. This is, they say, Poland’s most beautiful city. It was for almost 500 years the country’s capital. Today it is without a doubt its cultural capital. Optional morning sightseeing in ancient Krakow, for centuries the residence of Polish kings. See the Market Square, the 14th-century Jagiellonian University, St. Mary’s Church, and Wawel Royal Castle. Free time later to explore this interesting town at your own pace and mingle with the locals. Tonight’s optional folklore dinner might be the way to round off your stay in this city. (B)

Day 9 Sun. KRAKOW-BUDAPEST, HUNGARY. A comfortable drive through three countries. First south to the Tatra Mountains of Poland, then through a scenic part of Slovakia, and finally into Hungary. Your destination is Budapest, the most lively of Eastern European capitals. (B,D)

Day 10 Mon. BUDAPEST. Included sightseeing features Buda Castle which dominates the twin cities of Buda and Pest, separated by the broad ribbon of the Danube. Also see Heroes’ Square, which typifies the modern capital; the old inns and wine cellars along the riverbank, Parliament, Margaret Island, Fishermen’s Bastion, the Royal Castle, and Matthias Coronation Church. (B)

Day 11 Tue. BUDAPEST-VIENNA, AUSTRIA. Head for the Austrian border by way of Györ. You’ll be in Vienna in time to enjoy your first afternoon and evening in this lively capital. Enjoy the included sightseeing tour with Local Guide: the State Opera, Parliament, and the Town Hall. Stop for a stroll in Heroes’ Square to view the Hofburg and an inside visit of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. (B)

Day 12 Wed. VIENNA-PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Morning optional excursion to Schönbrunn Palace. This afternoon cross the Czech border into Moravia then through the rich farmlands of Bohemia to Prague. (B,D)

Day 13 Thu. PRAGUE. The wealth of Gothic and baroque architecture perhaps inspired Dvorak and Smetana, both Prague composers. The included guided sightseeing features landmarks such as the National Theater, Belvedere, Charles Bridge, and the old Town Hall with the Astronomical Clock. Your Tour Director may suggest an evening optional excursion with traditional Czech music and spectacular entertainment. (B)

Day 14 Fri. PRAGUE-MUNICH, GERMANY. Into the landscape of the Bohemian Forest before reaching the Czech-German border. Drive south enjoying the Bavarian scenery to Munich, the "secret capital," for overnight. (B)

Day 15 Sat. MUNICH-ROMANTIC ROAD-FRANKFURT AREA. The highlight today is undoubtedly the Romantic Road, which runs north to south as far as the Alps. First to lovely medieval Nördlingen. See Rothenburg with its ramparts and towers, cobbled streets and 16th-century houses before heading towards the Frankfurt area. (B,D)

Day 16 Sun. YOUR HOMEBOUND FLIGHT ARRIVES THE SAME DAY. (B)

Quality Hotels:

Rooms with private bath or shower, hotel taxes, porterage, tips, and service charges

FRANKFURT AREA Holiday Inn Frankfurt (F) or Imperial Frankfurt (F), BERLIN Econtel Charlottenburg (ST) or Estrel Residence (F), WARSAW MDM (ST) or Mercure Frederic Chopin (ST), KRAKOW Justyna (ST) or Holiday Inn Express (ST), BUDAPEST Millenium (ST) or Budapest (ST), VIENNA Artis (ST) or Pyramida (F) at Voesendorf, PRAGUE Tophotel (ST) or Quality Fortuna (ST), MUNICH Econtel (ST) or Tryp (F), FRANKFURT AREA Mercure (ST) at Friedrichsdorf

Hotel Rating Abbreviations:

F   = First Class
ST = Superior Tourist Class
T   = Tourist Class