Experience the best Europe has to offer, beginning with Vienna sightseeing and a serving of Polish charm in breathtaking Kraków. Fall in love with the fairy-tale town of Český Krumlov before an exciting Insight Choice in the Czech capital—touring the thousand-year-old castle courtyards or joining a Local Expert for a walk through the Jewish quarter. Both will end by wowing you in the Old Town square with the fortune-telling astronomical clock. Journey through Slovakia and across the Tatra Mountains to Budapest. Explore the Old Town of Buda, separated from Pest by the Danube River, and admire the spectacular views from the Fisherman’s Bastion before feasting on the finest local delicacies paired with select Hungarian wines.
Locations Visited
Vienna, Cesky Krumlov, Prague, Kraków, Oravsky Podzamok, Budapest
Countries Visited
Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary
Travel Style
Regional
Accommodations
8 nights included
Age Requirements
Minimum age 5
Day 1
Your journey begins in Vienna, the capital of Austria. Spend your afternoon at leisure before meeting your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a pleasant dinner at a local restaurant.
Accommodation
Hilton Vienna Park
Meals
Dinner
Join your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a drink, followed by a pleasant dinner with wine at a local restaurant.
Day 2
Join a Local Expert for a tour of Maria Theresa's magnificent Schönbrunn Palace and its formal gardens. Be transported to a time of opulence and extravagance, as you marvel at the intricacies of gilded Rococo frames, frescoed ceilings, and crystal chandeliers. Get your camera ready for a drive around the Ringstrasse, a grand boulevard built along the lines of the old city walls, showcasing many of the capital's architectural masterpieces, including the Opera House, the magnificent Hofburg Imperial Residence, the Austrian Parliament Building, and Karlskirche. Explore Vienna by joining a unique MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, take to the floor in a Viennese Waltz dance workshop and support the visually impaired community. Dancing in the dark, in a specially designed sensory studio, will be a unique experience for all your senses.
Accommodation
Hilton Vienna Park
Meals
Breakfast
A guided exploration of Schönbrunn Palace will have all your senses tingling. Stand beneath frescoed ceilings, crystal chandeliers and gilded Rococo frames where Mozart performed as a child prodigy.
Listen to the music of Mozart and learn the Viennese Waltz in an inclusive workshop designed to support the visually impaired community. Unique to Insight Vacations guests, ‘Dancing without Barriers’ takes place in the dark, in a specially designed sensory studio, and will be a unique experience for all your senses. This specifically designed workshop focuses on inclusion and education around the topic of visual impairment. Through their foundation the organisation supports children from disadvantaged family and children with a visual impairment. This experience advances United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities.
Travel along the Ring Road to see the Hofburg Imperial Residence, Opera House, Parliament Building and Karlskirche.
Day 3
Once over the Czech border, head for picturesque Český Krumlov, where you will begin with a brief orientation tour of this fairy-tale town, straight out of the Middle Ages. Enjoy some free time to explore and appreciate views of the Vltava River. Wander through the cobblestone, traffic-free streets, past colourful houses that lead up to the finest castle in the land. In the afternoon, continue through the green Bohemian countryside to Golden Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.
Accommodation
Hotel Royal Prague
Meals
Breakfast
Your Travel Director will lead you on an orientation of the city as you explore the medieval streets of this fairy-tale town.
Day 4
Explore Prague with Insight Choice. Choose to walk the courtyards of the castle and visit the imposing St. Vitus Cathedral. Alternatively, join your Local Expert for a walk through the Jewish Quarter and learn about a different side of the history of Prague. Continue to Old Town Square where the mechanical antics of the Astronomical Clock’s glockenspiel delight onlookers each hour. The afternoon is free for you to explore at your leisure.
Accommodation
Hotel Royal Prague
Meals
Breakfast
Stroll through the Jewish Quarter with your Local Expert to hear how the Jewish community has shaped the history of Prague. Taste Trdelník, a traditional Czech pastry.
Explore Prague with your Local Expert, walk the courtyards of the Castle, and visit the imposing St. Vitus Cathedral. The city is then yours to explore. Maybe take a river cruise through the heart of the city, or walk in the footsteps of kings along the Royal Route?
Day 5
Enjoy a drive through the rolling Czech countryside before crossing into Poland where you will stop at Oświęcim, better known by its German name of Auschwitz. Join a guided tour of the memorial and museum, which bore witness to the terrible atrocities of the Holocaust.
Accommodation
Vienna House Andel's Cracow
Meals
Breakfast
Dinner
Experience a powerful and moving visit with a Local Expert. See the Auschwitz memorial and museum, which bears witness to the atrocities of the Holocaust.
Day 6
In the morning, why not join an Optional Experience and journey into a glistening subterranean world at the 600-year-old Wieliczka Salt Mine? In a maze of tunnels deep below the surface, witness unique salt sculptures, sunken lakes and even a glorious cathedral carved entirely out of rock salt by the miners. Alternatively, enjoy a morning at leisure before joining your fellow travellers to ascend Wawel Hill and visit the cathedral, with your Local Expert. Walk past the former residence of Pope John Paul II through the Old Town, to Europe’s largest and most beautiful town square. See the medieval Sukiennice Cloth Hall and visit the 14th-century St. Mary’s Basilica, the most important church in the city. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for the trumpeter in the tower. In the evening, choose from a selection of hand-picked local restaurants on your Dine-Around Evening.
Accommodation
Vienna House Andel's Cracow
Meals
Breakfast
Dinner
The medieval heart of Krakow is rich in legend, a kind of Polish Camelot. Join your Local Expert for an in-depth exploration of this historic holy grail.
Visit the cathedral atop Wawel Hill accompanied by your Local Expert.
Visit the 14th-century St. Mary's Basilica, the most important church in the city.
For your Dine-Around evening, choose your style of dining from a selection of hand-picked local restaurants, unique in Polish flavour.
Day 7
Journey into the Slovakian region of Orava and see the picturesque Oravský Hrad Castle before continuing through the breathtaking Low Tatra Mountains to arrive in Budapest.
Accommodation
Courtyard by Marriott Budapest City Center
Meals
Breakfast
Day 8
Enjoy a tour of the Liszt Music Academy, followed by an enchanting recital by one of the students. The university was founded by the piano virtuoso and composer Franz Liszt in 1875. Afterwards, explore Budapest with a Local Expert. Visit Heroes’ Square and drive down elegant Andrássy Boulevard in Pest, and wander the medieval streets of Buda to enjoy views from the Fisherman's Bastion. The rest of the day is at your leisure to relax by the Danube or browse the boutiques of Vaci Street. For dinner, you are treated to mouth-watering Hungarian specialties, accompanied by specially selected wines.
Accommodation
Courtyard by Marriott Budapest City Center
Meals
Breakfast
Dinner
Explore the Old Town of Buda with a Local Expert.
Sit down to a Hungarian dinner amid the architectural delights of the city.
Day 9
Today, bid farewell to your new friends before you transfer to the airport.
Meals
Breakfast
Title
Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.
Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.
Trip Notes:
Terms & Conditions:
*Temporary changes to standard terms and conditions apply to bookings until further notice. In accordance with travel restrictions imposed by government advisories worldwide, Insight Vacations has temporarily suspended all guided vacations across the globe for trips departing up and until 30 November 2020. For any new bookings being made, we are temporarily offering a fee waiver on the land portion of the trip until 30 days prior to departure should guests wish to change their dates or travel to a different destination. Airlines may have different policies and penalty charges, which are the guest’s responsibility. This applies to land bookings only and does not apply to group bookings. If the guest chooses a trip or departure that is more expensive than the original, they are responsible for the difference in price; if the trip or departure is less expensive than the original, a future travel credit will be issued for the difference. Please note guests are responsible for any airline penalties imposed due to trip changes and/or cancellations. View full details, along with terms and conditions here.
Every effort is made to ensure accuracy of the enclosed content. Insight Vacations cannot be held responsible for typographical errors, or errors arising from unforeseen circumstances. Conditions apply. Policies are subject to change at any time.
