HIGHLIGHTS OF EASTERN EUROPE

• Tune into the enchanting musical heritage of Vienna, your launch pad to a grand adventure through the highlights of Eastern Europe.
• This afternoon, a Local Specialist will guide you through Old Town Vienna on foot.
• You’ll get a chance to admire the Hofburg Palace, Imperial Boulevards and the beloved St. Stephen’s Cathedral, with its colourful tiled roof.
• This evening, join your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a welcome meeting and light dinner to kick off your holiday.

Transfer: Depart the airport at 10:00, 13:30

Welcome Meet your Travel Director at 16:00

Include Experience: Vienna City Tour

• We cross the border to Slovenia. Join a Local Specialist for a sightseeing tour to see Ljubljana’s Opera House, Cathedral, Three Bridges Square and Castle.
• This evening, we dine at our hotel.

Included Experience: Ljubljana Orientation

• Arrive at Lake Bled, an exquisite natural retreat set against the backdrop of forests and mountains.
• During your free time, you could consider taking a boat trip on its crystal clear waters to admire the castle, which clings dramatically to a cliff rising up from the lake’s edge.

Included Experience: Lake Bled Orientation

Optional Experience: Visit to Postojna Caves / The Jewels of Lake Bled and the Bohinj Valley

• We cross into Croatia and travel to its capital, Zagreb – our home for the next two nights.
• Join a Local Specialist who will share the landmarks of the city’s Lower and Upper Town, including the Gothic Cathedral, the Archbishop’s Palace, the Opera House, and St. Mark’s Church, with its exquisitely colored roof.
• You’ll have a free evening to spend as you wish. Consider heading to Tkalčićeva Street to enjoy the lively evening atmosphere.

Included Experience: Zagreb City Tour

Optional Experience: Croatian Countryside Experience

• Take time to explore a tale of two hilltop settlements and Zagreb’s scenic cityscape, to this day lit by gas lamps in the Upper Town.
• Spend the day on your own, paying homage to the patron saint of Zagreb at its Stone Gate, or enjoying the city views from Strossmartre.

Optional Experience: Plitvice Lakes

• Crossing the border into Hungary, we enjoy a photo stop on the shores of Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe and affectionately known by locals as the ‘Hungarian Sea’.
• We continue to the romantic capital of Budapest – our home for the next two nights.
• Perhaps, sail along the Danube on a scenic river cruise, enjoy a dinner of traditional Hungarian dishes and breathtaking views, or relax in the healing waters of the Szechenyi Spa Bath as the sun sets.

Included Experience: See Lake Balaton

Optional Experience: Colourful Budapest and Synagogue / Danube Cruise With Dinner

• Today, we join a Local Specialist for a walking tour of the Castle district to admire picture-perfect views of the Danube and Fisherman’s Bastion.
• Cross the Danube to continue your sightseeing in Pest, seeing the imposing Parliament and the Great Synagogue, the largest in Europe.
• This evening we meet a local family of winemakers, who pride themselves on their organic production. Enjoy their home-smoked Mangalica ham and hear their unique family story at our BMG Experience.

Included Experience: Enjoy a Hearty Hungarian Be My Guest dinner with the Schieszl Family, Budapest City Tour

Optional Experience: Guided Visit of the Hungarian Parliament and Danube Shoe Memorial

• The exquisite natural landscape of Slovakia provides a scenic backdrop for our journey to Poland, past the foothills of the Tatra Mountains.
• We arrive in the enchanting city of Kraków.
• Consider an evening of lively Polish entertainment with dinner, or perhaps visit a traditional Polish Wódka Bar.

Optional Experience: Farmhouse Dinner And Polka Party

• Enjoy a leisurely walk through the beautiful streets of Kraków today with your Local Specialist, taking in highlights such as the Royal Castle and Cathedral on Wawel Hill, recognised as one of Poland’s most historically and culturally significant sites.
• Continue through the Old Town to hear the bugle call from St. Mary’s Church and take in views of the Cloth Hall.
• Later, travel to the former concentration camp at Auschwitz—a poignant and powerful reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust. This evening, dine at your hotel.

Included Experience: Krakow City Tour, Auschwitz Visit

• Before departing Kraków this morning, consider joining an Optional Experience to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, where vast underground chambers have been carved from solid rock salt.
• Later today, arrive in the elegant Polish capital, Warsaw, and enjoy dinner at your hotel.

Optional Experience: Wieliczka Salt Mine Exploration / Warsaw Through the Looking Glass

• Connect with the youthful energy of Warsaw, a city that has triumphed over the tragedy of war and the shackles of communism.
• This morning, we join a Local Specialist visiting the Old Town, which the Nazis destroyed to retaliate against the Warsaw Uprising. You’ll also see the site of the Warsaw Ghetto, immortalized in the Roman Polanski film – ‘The Pianist’.
• Spend the rest of the day exploring the sights on your own, or celebrate the talents of Chopin during a private recital of Chopin’s works.

Included Experience: Warsaw City Tour

Optional Experience: Wilanow Palace / Chopin’s Warsaw

• Journey across Poland’s patchwork countryside along the Autostrada Wolności (Motorway of Freedom) which was first initiated by Nazi Germany to connect Berlin with Poland and left unfinished for decades after World War II.
• Continue west into Germany and arrive in Berlin, a capital city with an enviable youthful verve and charisma.
• Here you’ll enjoy an evening at leisure to explore the city your way, or join us for a truly memorable optional evening in former West Berlin.

Optional Experience: Berlin by Twilight with Dinner

• Start your day at the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse, where you’ll hear stories of the city’s division and reunification.
• Then set off with a Local Specialist to explore key sites including the Reichstag, Tiergarten, Brandenburg Gate and the boulevard of Unter den Linden.
• Later, enjoy free time to explore Berlin your way.
• Perhaps discover the treasures of Museum Island or simply unwind in one of the city’s leafy parks or cafes.
• If you’d like to dive deeper, join an Optional Experience to uncover more of Berlin’s history with a Local Specialist.

Included Experience: Visit Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse, Berlin City Tour

Optional Experience: Berlin’s Secret Past Revealed / Traditional Lake District Dinner

• Travel through the Spreewald Forest to Dresden – its iconic domes and spires almost entirely rebuilt after the Allied Forces left their deep scars on the city during World War II.
• Hear about its restoration during your orientation tour as you stroll through its streets to see the Semper Opera, Zwinger Palace, and fully reconstructed Frauenkirche.
• We leave Germany behind and travel to the Czech Republic, arriving later in glorious Prague, straddling the mighty Vltava.
• Spend your evening savoring hearty Czech flavors during a Regional Dinner at a local restaurant.

Included Experience: Explore Dresden

Optional Experience: Prague Evening Panorama

• Explore exquisite Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque façades as you ramble through the ancient streets of Prague with your Local Specialist who will share insights into the city’s centuries-old history.
• Marvel at Prague Castle and the Cathedral of St. Vitus, then pass the Old New Synagogue on our way to the Old Town Square.
• Don’t miss the hourly walk of the Apostles at the famous Astronomical Clock during your free time exploring.
• Perhaps indulge in some delicious sweet pastry Trdelník in the Old Town Square, admire the view from Petřín Hill, or consider a relaxing cruise on the Vltava.

Included Experience: Prague City Tour

Optional Experience: Traditional Dinner In Prague / Scenic Vltava Cruise with Lunch

• Journey through the lush green and golden landscapes of southern Bohemia, stopping in Tábor, once a Hussite stronghold.
• Later, we travel to the imperial city of Vienna, where we’ll take part in a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience and enjoy a final Farewell Dinner together with our fellow travelers and Travel Director.

Included Experience: Wine tasting at Stift Klosterneuburg

Optional Experience: Viennese Concert

• Say a fond farewell to your newfound friends and an epic adventure together through eastern Europe.

Departure Transfer: Arrive at the airport at 08:00, 09:30