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15-day Highlights of Eastern
Europe tour with First Class hotels. |
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Featuring: Berlin, Vienna,
Budapest, Krakow, Warsaw, Prague |
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Tour Pace: This tour is
perfectly paced with two night stays in each of the six cities visited, allowing
ample time for sightseeing & leisure. All the driving days are of a reasonable
length with frequent stops. |
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INCLUDED FEATURES: |
| Hotels |
| The hotels on this tour
are all of modern design offering all usual comforts. For example, the fully
refurbished Vienna Hilton and the Sheraton in Krakow, with its spectacular
glass roofed atrium lobby. |
| Fellow
Passengers |
| This comprehensive tour
attracts the seasoned traveller who wishes to explore the former Eastern
bloc region in detail and the first time traveller who is keen to trace
their family ancestry in this region. |
| Highlights |
| Views over the Danube
in Budapest and the visit to Szentendre, the emotive recollections of World
War II in Warsaw & Berlin, plus the beauty & musical connections of Prague
and the grandeur of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. |
| Excursions &
Sights |
| Views of Budapest from
Gellert Hill & visit Matthias Church |
| See Roman Aquincum
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| See Budapest's
Parliament from the Fisherman's bastion & visit Heroes' Square |
| See Slovakia's
traditional wooden houses & picturesque Oravsky Hrad Castle |
| Visit Krakow's Cloth
Hall in the town square & the courtyard of Jagiellonian University
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| See the trumpeter in
the tower of St Mary's Church & visit Wawel Cathedral in Krakow |
| Guided tour of
Auschwitz concentration camp & views of Birkenau |
| See the Black Madonna
in the Jasna Gora Monastery |
| Visit Poznan's Old Town
Square |
| Visit the Chopin
Memorial, Ghetto memorial and reconstructed Old Town in Warsaw |
| See Berlin's Reichstag,
Brandenburg Gate, Opera House & remnants of the Berlin Wall |
| See Dresden's
reconstructed Frauenkirche, Cathedral, Zwinger Palace & Opera House
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| Admire the 'Procession
of Dukes' mosaic on the Saxon wall of the castle in Dresden |
| Visit St Vitus'
Cathedral in Prague Castle & the Astronomical Clock in the Town Square
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| Visit to medieval Cesky
Krumlov Old Town and views of the castle |
| See the Hofburg,
Parliament, Opera House & St Charles' Church in Vienna |
| Scenic Drives
- Tatra Mountains, Erzgebirge Mountains |
| Guided City
Tours |
| In depth sightseeing
tours with local guides in Budapest, Krakow, Warsaw,Berlin, Prague & Vienna.
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| Orientation tours in
Poznan, Dresden & Cesky Krumlov |
| Insight's First
Class Services |
| Escorted by a
professional Tour Director |
| Luxury air-conditioned
coach with onboard toilet |
| First Class hotels with
all service charges, taxes and porterage |
| Complimentary arrival
transfer on Day 1 and departure transfer on Day 14 |
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DAY TO DAY ITINERARY |
| Day 1 - USA TO
VIENNA FLIGHT |
| Overnight flight to
Vienna. |
| DAY 2 – VIENNA
AT LEISURE |
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Complimentary transfers depart from
Vienna Airport to the tour hotel. Relax or explore this afternoon. Tonight,
join your fellow travellers for a Welcome Drink.
Hotel: Crowne Plaza /Vienna Hilton/Sofitel. |
| DAY 3 – VIENNA
– BUDAPEST |
| Today we follow the
Danube Valley to vibrant Budapest.
On arrival, we view the spectacular
bridges across the Danube from Gellert Hill. Later, we
visit Matthias Church and
admire the views of the ornate
Parliament from the Fisherman's Bastion. Then
we visit Heroes' Square in
Pest. Tonight, we enjoy
a highlight evening of Hungarian music and
dinner. Hotel: Sofitel Atrium /Danubius Grand Hotel Margitsziget.
(Full Breakfast, Highlight Dinner) |
| DAY 4 –
SZENTENDRE EXCURSION |
| We enjoy some
time at leisure before driving
past the remains of the Roman settlement of
Aquincum to the
picturesque
riverside village of Szentendre, with its
brightly coloured houses and quaint churches. There's time to
browse the shops before we return to Budapest. (Buffet Breakfast, 3 or
4-course or buffet-style Dinner with menu choices) |
| DAY 5 –
BUDAPEST – KRAKOW |
| A gentle drive today
into Slovakia and through the breathtaking
Tatra Mountains, where peasants still live in
traditional wooden houses. We see the picturesque
Oravsky Hrad Castle, then we cross into Poland and continue to
historic Krakow.
Hotel: Sheraton. (Buffet
Breakfast, 3 or 4-course or buffet-style Dinner with menu choices) |
| DAY 6 – KRAKOW
SIGHTSEEING |
| We tour historic
Krakow with a local guide -
for centuries the seat of Poland's kings! We
ascend Wawel Hill, with its
castle and legendary dragon, to visit
the cathedral. Then we walk through the
Old Town, past the
courtyard of Jagiellonian University and
Cloth Hall to visit the 14th century St
Mary's Church. (Buffet Breakfast) |
| DAY 7 – KRAKOW
– WARSAW |
| This morning we make a
rather sombre visit with a local guide
to the Auschwitz concentration camp and we see nearby
Birkenau. Then north to
Czestochowa to visit the 14th century
Monastery of Jasna Gora,
famous for the Black Madonna,
said to have been painted by St Luke. We continue across the Polish Plains
to Poland's capital,
Warsaw. Hotel: Sheraton
Hotel & Towers /Sofitel. (Buffet Breakfast, 3 or 4-course or
buffet-style Dinner with menu choices) |
| DAY 8 – WARSAW
SIGHTSEEING |
| Warsaw was almost
totally destroyed during WWII and it was only the detail in Canaletto's
paintings of the city that allowed the authentic reconstruction we see
today. On our guided tour,
we see the 'wedding cake'
Palace of Culture and the Chopin Memorial
in the Lazienki Park. We also pay our respects at the
emotive Monument of the Ghetto Heroes
and finally, we see the reconstructed
Old Town, including the
Royal Palace. This afternoon, why not enjoy a special Chopin
concert? (Buffet Breakfast, 3 or 4-course or buffet-style Dinner with menu
choices) |
| DAY 9 – WARSAW
– BERLIN |
| We leave Warsaw this
morning and head over the fertile plains to the historic river port of Poznan.
There's time for lunch in the charming
Old Town Square before we cross the German frontier at the
River Oder on our way to the capital, Berlin.
Hotel: Concorde Hotel. (Buffet
Breakfast) |
| DAY 10 – BERLIN
& POTSDAM SIGHTSEEING |
| This morning a
local expert, shows us the
Brandenburg Gate and the
Reichstag building
(symbol of Hitler's rise to power) and
Germany's Parliament building. We drive along Unter den Linden
seeing the beautifully restored State
Opera House and Alexanderplatz.
This afternoon we enjoy a highlight excursion to historic Potsdam to visit
the Cecilienhof, where the 1945 Treaty was signed. We also visit the Gardens
of Frederick the Great's Sans Souci Palace. Tonight, why not
enjoy an evening out in a lively local restaurant? (Buffet Breakfast) |
| DAY 11 – BERLIN
– PRAGUE |
| Today we drive south to
Dresden. A
walking tour here shows us the
Frauenkirche, now rising once
again from wartime destruction. We also see the
Castle of the Electors of Saxony,
including the unique Saxon Wall
overlaid with Meissen tiles and the courtyards of the
Zwinger Palace and the Opera House.
After some free time, we continue over the border to the Czech Republic, and
to its capital, Prague.
Hotel: Diplomat/Crowne Plaza.
(Buffet Breakfast, 3 or 4-course or buffet-style Dinner with menu choices) |
| DAY 12 – PRAGUE
SIGHTSEEING |
| Prague has blossomed
since the 'Velvet Revolution', but its unique character remains unchanged.
On our guided tour today we
visit the
amazing St
Vitus' Cathedral set inside
the 1,000 year old Prague Castle.
We also
walk to the spectacular Old Town Square with
its incredible Astronomical Clock. Tonight, why not enjoy some
of Prague's exciting night life? (Buffet Breakfast, 3 or 4-course or
buffet-style Dinner with menu choices) |
| DAY 13 – PRAGUE
– VIENNA |
| Leaving Prague, we
enjoy a delightful drive through the green Bohemian countryside. We stop in
medieval Cesky Krumlov, with its ancient
town and Renaissance castle on either side of the River Vltava.
After some free time we return to Vienna.
Hotel: Vienna Hilton/Sofitel.
(Buffet Breakfast) |
| DAY 14 – VIENNA
SIGHTSEEING |
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With our expert local guide we venture inside the glorious
State Apartments of Schönbrunn Palace! Time also to admire the gardens and
Gloriette, before we see the baroque
St Charles' Church. We
drive around the famous 'Ring'
passing the Opera House,
the Hofburg Imperial Residence and
Parliament. This afternoon is at leisure. Tonight, why not
enjoy a farewell dinner? (Buffet Breakfast) |
| DAY 15 – RETURN
TO USA |
| Our tour ends today
with a complimentary transfer
from your tour hotel to Vienna Airport. (Buffet breakfast) |
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2006 PRICES: Airfare from
NYC: Alternate add-on cities available. |
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Based on double occupancy: $2985 per person
airfare included/ $2350 per person land only. |
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2006 DEPARTURES: |
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Apr.21, 23, 28; May 12, 26; Jun 4, 18, 23, 30;
Jul 7, 9, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30; Aug 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 27; Sep 1, 3, 10, 15,
17, 22, 24, 29; Oct 6. |
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GUIDES