Highlights of Eastern Europe - Small Group, 2022

14 days
From $322/day
$4,510
4.6/5 Excellent
100+ reviews  
97%
Trip last updated: 10/16/2024
Trip type
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Wheelchair Accessible
Trip pace
Full schedule
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Overview

Highlights

    • Budapest: Your Welcome Dinner is a treat of mouthwatering Hungarian specialties, accompanied by specially selected Hungarian wine, as you dine at the famous and elegant Gundel Restaurant.
    • Ceske Budejovice: Tour a local brewery to discover the secrets of how the golden vintage of beer is made, followed by a sampling.
    • Warsaw: Enjoy a demonstration of the traditional techniques of dumpling-making with an expert chef. Then enjoy a hearty Polish Highlight Dinner with a variety of local delicacies and drinks.
    • Cesky Krumlov: For your Dine-Around Evening, choose your own style of ambience and cuisine from a fine selection of restaurants in the atmospheric centre.
    • Vienna: Your Imperial Viennese Celebration Dinner is regal splendour on a plate. Enjoy a delicious three-course dinner with wine and a concert of classical music that pays homage to the genius of Strauss and Mozart.
    • Dining Summary: 14 Breakfast (B), 6 Dinner with Wine (DW)
    • Budapest: Stroll through the alleys of the Old Town of Buda and admire sweeping views from the Fisherman's Bastion with a Local Expert. Drive along the beautiful Andrassy Avenue to Heroes' Square. Stand atop Gellert Hill where the colossal Liberty Statue stands in front of the Citadella watching over the city. Marvel at extensive panoramic views as you look out over the famous river dividing Buda and Pest - the two sides linked by the mighty Chain Bridge and the newer, elegant Elizabeth Bridge.
    • Scenic Drives: Your journey travels through Donovaly, the country's most famous winter resort you'll see Oravský Hrad Castle and some of Slovakia's traditional wooden houses as you pass through the Low Tatra Mountains. Continue across the Polish plains, through the Ore Mountains and Bohemia.
    • Auschwitz: Experience a powerful and moving visit, with a Local Expert. See the Auschwitz memorial and museum and stop at Birkenau, which bears witness to the terrible atrocities of the Holocaust.
    • Krakow: Visit the 14th century St. Mary's Basilica, the most important church in the city.
    • Czestochowa: Visit the 14th century Monastery of Jasna Góra, famous for the Black Madonna supposedly to have been painted by St. Luke.
    • Warsaw: Your Local Expert will show you the city's highlights. See the Old Town, Palace of Culture and visit the Chopin Memorial in the Lazienki Park before paying your respects at the Ghetto Heroes Memorial.
    • Berlin: You Local Expert provides a tour of this vibrant city. Drive along the Ku'Damm, passing the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and through Tiergarten to the Reichstag building. See the Brandenburg Gate, State Opera House and visit Alexanderplatz.
    • Dresden: During your orientation with your Travel Director, take a moment to admire the 'Procession of the Princes' mosaic on the Saxon wall of the castle. You'll also see Frauenkirche, Zwinger Palace and the opera house, Semperoper.
    • Cesky Krumlov: Let a Local Expert lead you through a medieval labyrinth of private chambers, courtyards, kitchens and dungeons of the castle, so rich in history. Visit the fairytale castle considered to be the finest in the land.
    • Vienna: Led by your Local Expert, indulge your senses at the Schönbrunn Palace as you stand beneath frescoed ceilings, crystal chandeliers and gilded Rococo frames where Mozart performed as a six-year-old prodigy.

What's this trip about?

    Delve behind the former ‘Iron Curtain’ to explore these stunning cities of the east. Flourishes from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and a mélange of medieval charm are juxtaposed against more sombre reminders of WWII.
Itinerary focusClassic Highlights
Group sizeIntimate group - 12 max
Age rangeOperator does not provide
Flights and transportAll internal transport included (including local flights)
Start CityBudapest
End CityVienna

Trip includes

    • Our highly-skilled Travel Director will ensure your journey is seamless, serving as your expert guide, consummate organiser, and friend overseas
    • Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxury, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom
    • Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary
    • We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door
    • 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
    • Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available)
    • From time to time, your Travel Director will enchant you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination
    • 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

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Itinerary

Day 1: Welcome to Budapest

On arrival at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport, there are complimentary transfers to your hotel at 10:00, 13:00 and 15:30. Join your Travel Director at 18:00 and travel to the famous and elegant Gundel Restaurant. Your Welcome Dinner is a treat of mouthwatering Hungarian specialities, accompanied by specially selected Hungarian wine. (Dinner with Wine)

Day 2: Delve into Budapest

Stroll through the alleys of the Old Town of Buda with a Local Expert. Admire the facade of Matthias Church and take in the view from the Fisherman’s Bastion. Enjoy a short drive following the Danube and arrive at Gellért Hill. From the top, appreciate astounding pano...

Day 3: The Mountains to Kraków

Take a gentle drive into Slovakia and through the breathtaking Low Tatra Mountains, where villagers still live in traditional wooden houses. Stop at scenic Donovaly. Continue north to see the picturesque Oravský Hrad Castle before crossing into Poland and continuing to historic Kraków. (Breakfast / Dinner with Wine)

Day 4: The Damsels and Dragons of Kraków

In the morning why not join an Optional Experience and journey into a glistening subterranean world at the 600-year-old Wieliczka Salt Mines? In a maze of tunnels deep below the surface, witness unique salt sculptures, sunken lakes and even a glorious cathedral carved...

Day 5: Auschwitz and Częstochowa

Join a Local Expert at Oświęcim, better known throughout the world by its German name, Auschwitz, infamous for its role during the Holocaust. Spend reflective moments amid the remains of the concentration camp and the memorials to those who died. Travel north to Częst...

Day 6: The Polish Capital of Warsaw

Join a Local Expert in the morning to see the Old Town, Royal Castle and Palace of Culture. Visit the Chopin Memorial in the Łazienki Park.Pay your respects at the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes and then enjoy a free afternoon to explore at your own pace. Perhaps attend a Chopin recital or delve into Warsaw's inspirational past?(Breakfast)

Day 7: Wielkopolska to Berlin

Your route leads westward, across the rolling farmlands of the central plains, over the Oder River to enter Germany. Your destination is the vibrant capital of Berlin where you can try traditional Berliner cuisine. (Breakfast)

Day 8: The Spirit of Berlin

Prepare to embrace the rejuvenated spirit of Berlin. Join a Local Expert for a drive through the leafy Tiergarten to the refurbished Reichstag building and see the Brandenburg Gate. On the eastern side, take the Unter den Linden past the State Opera House to Museum Is...

Day 9: Dresden and Golden Prague

Journey south to Dresden. Almost totally destroyed by horrific air raids in 1945, Dresden has now risen again from the ashes in a blend of old and new. See the reconstructed Frauenkirche and walk past the colossal ‘Procession of the Princes' on the wall of the Royal P...

Day 10: Prague, City of a Hundred Spires

Explore Prague with Insight Choice. Choose between walking the courtyards of the Castle and visit the imposing St Vitus Cathedral or alternatively, join your Local Expert for a walk through the Jewish Quarter and learn about a different side of the history of Prague.T...

Day 11: Bohemian Český Krumlov

A journey through the green Bohemian countryside will bring you to České Budějovice. Enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour of a local brewery to sample the beer and discover the secrets of how this golden vintage is made. Continue on to Český Krumlov, a picturesque medieval ...

Day 12: Stately Vienna

Cross the border into Austria and enjoy a delightful journey to Vienna. The afternoon is free for you to explore this stately capital and later why not enjoy a delightful Austrian meal with the option to dine at a country mansion?(Breakfast)

Day 13: The Habsburgs of Vienna

Vienna owes much of its present-day charm to the long reign of the Habsburgs. Join your Local Expert for a private visit of Maria Theresa’s Schönbrunn Palace and its formal gardens. Then, take some great photos on a circuit of the famous Ring Road. This grand boulevar...

Day 14: Depart Vienna

A transfer arrives at Vienna airport at 08:00. (Breakfast)

Dates & Availability

Price from
$4,510
Price per day
$322

Highlights of Eastern Europe - Small Group, 2022 Reviews & Ratings

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Tour Operator

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Associations

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Details

Group size:

Intimate group - 12 max

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