Central Europe Heritage Tour: Warsaw, Krakow, Prague & Budapest

Morning to Afternoon

POLIN: Museum of the History of the Polish Jews

Winner of the 2016 'Oscar' for museum design, the POLIN museum is a brilliant example of the new generation of multi-media narrative history museums, and demonstrates Poland's determination to re-tell its history after decades of suppression under the former Communist regime. Built on a former Jewish Ghetto site in front of the Ghetto Heroes Monument, which memorializes the 1943 uprising within the Warsaw ghetto, the museum's core exhibition occupies more than 4,000 square meters (43,000 sq ft) of space. It consists of eight galleries that document and celebrate the thousand-year history of the Jewish community in Poland – once the largest Jewish community in the world – that was almost entirely obliterated during the Holocaust.  The Holocaust fills only one of the eight galleries, and thus does not overshadow the long and rich history that preceded it. Highlights include early Jewish manuscripts, re-creations of 18th century Jewish town life (including a scale replica of the Gwozdziec synagogue with its colorful painted interior), a religious school and a busy Warsaw street from the early 20th century. All this is done using sound effects and modern projection techniques, vintage photographs and films, histories of Polish-born movements from Hasidism to Zionism, and a vast multimedia network encompassing more than 250 computer terminals. This is a museum full of noise and color; with echoes of centuries of Yiddish chatter and the soulful sounds of klezmer music. No visitor will leave unmoved.

Morning/Mid-Day

Follow the Royal Way to Some of Warsaw's Best Attractions

Like Madrid's Gran Via or Paris's Champs Elysees, Warsaw has its own grand avenue - Krakowskie Przedmieście - not as easily pronounceable as its western cousins, to be sure, but with all the sweep of a historic thoroughfare. Together with another busier avenue - Nowy Świat - it forms the basis of what was once known as the Royal Way along which Polish and visiting kings and queens would proceed on their way to or from the Royal Castle. For centuries the nobility built palaces along this route, and these were faithfully rebuilt after the war. A fine example of Warsaw's palaces is the Ostrogski, which now houses a museum devoted to Poland's greatest composer Frederyk Chopin. Speaking of Chopin, be sure to the inspect the black Chopin benches that line the Royal Way and that feature a button which when pressed unleashes a thirty-second torrent of Chopin. You'll also find beautiful churches, grand hotels, and monuments on the route, including a statue of Poland's greatest poet, Adam Mickiewicz, as well of the great Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. The entrance to the green campus of Warsaw University is also located on the Royal Way, and just beyond it you'll find a more modern side of Warsaw on the banks for the Vistula River. If you are interested in modern architecture, you will want to see the very ecologically friendly university library and one of the biggest roof gardens in Europe. And families and science lovers will certainly want to check out the Copernicus Science Center.

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Walking Tour of Krakow's Historic Center

On this three-hour guided walking tour, you will discover the history and legends of old Krakow and gain an excellent overview of the city. The many layers of the city will be revealed to you as your guide points out medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture. You will learn about not only Krakow's glory days many centuries past but also about its more recent struggles during Nazism and Communism oppression.

8:30 AM - 2:00 PM

Guided Excursion to the Auschwitz Concentration Camp

There is no shortage of cruelty and evil to be found in human history, but the Holocaust stands out as perhaps the greatest of these evils, in both scale and conception. The Holocaust's most significant historical sites, the concentration camp of Auschwitz and its auxiliary camp of Birkenau, are located a little over an hour from Krakow.   Important Note About Potential Cancellation  Please note that the cost of this tour is non-refundable. If for whatever reason you need to cancel this tour after the tickets have already been purchased we will be unable to return the cost.

Morning

Visit to the Schindler's Factory Museum and the Former Ghetto

During World War II Oscar Schindler saved the lives of more than 1,100 Jews by employing them in his enamelware factory in Krakow. Until recently still used as a factory, the building now houses one of Europe's most impressive new museums. It tells not only the story of Schindler and the Jews he protected, but of the wider experience of Krakow during World War II.

9:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Prague Castle & Royal Route Guided Walk

On this charming guided walk, you will explore the Prague Castle, the largest castle complex in all of Europe. To reach the castle you will trace the Royal Coronation Route and cross the Charles Bridge, whose “speaking stones” reveal the amazing and often cruel history that occurred there. Your tour guide will then take you either through the castle courtyards and into the dramatic St. Vitus Cathedral in the center of the castle complex, or through the upper part of the castle district around the oversized palaces of the old Catholic nobility and the top of the Castle Steps for incomparable views over the red rooftops of the Little Quarter.

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Guided Walk in Prague's Jewish Quarter, including the Cemetery & Synagogues

During this 3 hour guided walk through the former Jewish Ghetto, the tragic fate of Prague's Jewish community will come alive as you learn about the important milestones in its history: the first settlement, the Pogroms, the horror of World War II. You will also experience the rich culture that Prague's Jews created. You will enter the synagogues and walk through the Old Jewish Cemetery, and learn how the Jews of Prague maintained their faith and lived their daily lives amidst a sometimes hostile surrounding population.

Early Morning to Afternoon

Excursion to the Terezín Concentration Camp

The former Terezín Concentration Camp is where the Nazis created a model “Jewish Town” intended to fool the Red Cross and other observers into thinking that the Jews in Europe were being humanely treated. While the ruse worked, the reality, of course, was that almost all of the Jews located in Terezín were killed, either in Terezín or later in Auschwitz. You can visit the ghetto museum, barracks, and prison, and see exhibitions of music, artworks, literature, and a theater, all created by the prisoners themselves.

Morning

Vyšehrad Fortress; a Favorite of the Locals

The castle of Vyšehrad was the seat of Bohemia's kings from the 11th to the 12th centuries. Due to its strategic position on a hill overlooking the Vltava River and Prague, it became an important army garrison in the 17th century, and it was transformed into a fortress with huge walls, gates, and ramparts. Walking along these ramparts will offer you wonderful views of the city and river. The interior of the fortress is now given over to a pleasant and quiet park which is a favorite of locals.

8:29 AM

Private Transfer from the Budapest Rail Station

Upon your arrival in Budapest, your driver will meet you on the platform. He will be carrying a sign with your name on it. The driver will drop you off at your hotel. This is a private transfer. The price of the pickup is already included in your itinerary cost so you will not have to pay the driver.  IMPORTANT NOTE:  Please be aware the car service can fit up to 1 checked item of luggage and 1 personal item per person, such as a purse or small backpack. If you think you will have more baggage, please inform your travel consultant as this may result in an additional fee.

9:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Jewish Heritage of Budapest: 1/2 Day Walking Tour

Budapest was once the site of one of Europe's largest and most vibrant Jewish communities and contains the world's second largest synagogue. On this tour, you will explore the contrasting legacies of Jewish achievement and tragedy in Budapest. You will not only visit sites recalling past glories, such as the impressive Great Synagogue, but you will also visit poignant sites such as the riverbank where empty shoes are left as a heartbreaking remembrance of the Jewish families who were machine-gunned into the Danube during World War II.

9:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Turmoil and Terror: Budapest during World War II and Communism

On this tour, your guide will uncover the history hidden by the passage of time and progress. You will hear the stories of war and repression, and learn how the past still affects the present day reality. You will also discover how people lived their daily lives under Communist rule from a first-hand perspective. The tour concludes with a visit to the superb Terror Museum.

To Be Determined

Transfer to Airport by Taxi

Budapest has one main airport, Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport, where almost all visitors depart. Your hotel can arrange a reliable taxi (there is no Uber in Budapest). You can also arrange a private transfer. If you are picked up about two hours and forty-five minutes before your departure time, you should arrive at the airport with about two hours to spare, depending on traffic. If you are leaving during rush hour, you may want to budget an extra fifteen to thirty minutes.