Heart of Europe Discovery Tour

Day-By-Day Itinerary

Day 1 – Oct 2. Departure: Los Angeles to Budapest

DAY 2 – Oct 3. Arrive at Budapest Airport. Meet your tour escort and board the coach. Transfer to the hotel for check-in. Dinner at the hotel. Overninight at the hotel in Budapest. ( - )

DAY 3 – Oct 4. Budapest

Breakfast at the hotel. Enjoy sightseeing in Budapest. We will start with buda, located on the right bank of the Danube River. See the Fisherman’s Bastion, which takes its name from the guild of fishermen that were responsible for defending this stretch of city walls in the Middle Ages, followed by Mathias Church, a gorgeous Romanesque style church whose Ecclesiastical Art museum houses numerous sacred relics and medieval stone carvings. Cross the St. Elizabeth Bridge to see Heroes’ Square, Central Market, Vaci Utica pedestrian street and St. Stephen Basilica. Lunch on your own. Afternoon at leisure. Dinner at the hotel. Overnight at the hotel in Budapest. (B, D)

DAY 4 – Oct 5. Budapest - Zakopane

Breakfast at the hotel and check-out. Board the coach and drive to Zakopane. Lunch on your own en route. Check-in at the hotel. Dinner with folk show at one of the local restaurants. Overnight at the hotel in Zakopane. (B, D)

DAY 5 – Oct 6. Zakopane - Krakow

Breakfast at the hotel and check-out. Enoy a short guided tour of Zakopane, a resort village nestled in the splendor of the Tatras region. En route admire picturersque landscapes of Polish highest mountain. Take a cable car up Mt. Gubalowka for a great view of the Tatras, Central Europe’s highest mountain. Board the coach and drive to Krakow. Lunch on your own upon en route. Check-in at the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Krakow. (B, D)

Day 6 - Oct 7. Krakow - Kazimierz - Krakow

Breakfast at the hotel. Enjoy tour of Krakow. Start with Wawel Castle and Wawel Cathedral, one of the most beautiful Renaissance residences in Central Europe. Continue to Market Square, the biggest in Europe. Visit St. Mary’s Church, famous for its Wit Stwosz’s wooden altar. Lunch on your own. After lunch, visit Krakow’s famous Jewish district – Kazimierz, for centuries center of Jewish life and culture in Europe, highly damaged during the World War II. Enjoy dinner with folk show at one of the local restaurants. Overnnight at the hotel in Krakow (B, D)

Day 7 - Oct 8. Krakow - Auschwitz - Prague

Breakfast at the hotel and check-out. Depart to Oswiecim. Take the guided visit of the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi Concentration Camp. Visit the cell of the martyred St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish Conventual Franciscan friar, who voluntarily surrendered his life so that another prisoner might live. Saint Maximilian Kolbe is known as the “Apostle of Consecration of Mary, “ and he was canonized by pope John Paul II in Octoer, 1982. We will also drive by Birkenau, site of the martyrdom of Edith Stein, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Drive to Prague. Lunch on your own. Check-in at the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Prague. (B, D)

Day 8 - Oct 9. Prague

Breakfast at the hotel. Enjoy a guided tour of Prague, including the castle district (Hradcany). Visit St. Vitus’ Cathedral. Pass the Basilica of St. George to visit Prague Castle. Then, stroll through Mala Strana with its amazing architectural buildings. Visit Church of Our Lady Victorious where you see the Statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague. Cross the Charles Bridge to visit the Old Town, which is considered to be one of the best historical city centers in Europe. Visit the Old Town Square, the Town Hall with its famous Astronomical Clock (exterior views only). Visit the Church of Our Lady before Tyn, one of the most beautiful Gothic buildings in Prague and St Nicholas Church, a baroque church, where Mozart Played. Lunch on your own. Afternoon at leisure. Dinner at local restaurant with folk show. Overnight at the hotel in Prague. (B, D))

Day 9 - Oct 10. Prague - Cesky Krumlov - Salzburg

Breakfast at the hotel and check-out. Board the coach and drive to Salzburg. Stop en route at the charming Czech mountain town of Cesky Krumlov, where you can stroll its cobblestone streets; marvel at the city’s picturesque Baroque and Renaissance-style buildings; and tour Krumlov Castle, one of Europe’s largest castle complexes. Lunch on your own. Continue to Salzburg. Check-in at the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Salzburg. (B, D)

Day 10 - Oct 11. Salzburg - Vienna

Breakfast at the hotel and check-out. Embark on a guided tour of Salzburg, including the various sites from the movie “Sound of Music.” See Mirabell Gardens and Mirabel Palace, where Maria and the children sing “Do-Re-Mi”. Next view Salzburg’s leading sights, including the Residenzplatz, the center square of Salzburg, dominated by the dynamic sculpture of the Residenzbrunnen, the largest baroque fountain north of the Alps. The Residenz building, built in 1596, was once the palace of the Bishops (exterior views). Nearby stands the Cathedral dating from 1614. We see the Benedictine Convent on Nonnberg where the nuns sing “Maria” (exterior view). Next we continue to see Monchsberg with the fortress “Hohenzalzburg,” which overlooks the city. Built into the side of Monchsberg is the Salzburg Festspiedlhaus, home of the famous Salzburg Festival Operas. Next, we visit St. Peter’s Abbey, next to the cemetery portrayed in the film The Sound of Music and where most of Mozart’s religious works were premiered (exterior views). Continue to see Leopold’s Castle, which was used as the front of the Von Trapp family residence (exterior view). Lunch on your own. Drive to Vienna. Check-in at the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Vienna. (B, D).

Day 11 - Oct 12. Vienna & Schonbrunn Palace

Breakfast at the hotel. Enjoy a Vienna guided tour. While you stroll along the charming squares and medieval streets, learn the rich history and culture behind Austria’s capital city. Other sites we will see include Otto Wagner’s Stadtbahn pavilions, The Vienna Opera House, Heroes’ Square, St. Augustine’s Church (exterior views), St. Stephen’s Cathedral and Mozart’s House (exterior view). Pass by the Belvedere Palace well known for its beautiful gardens. Lunch on your own. Visit the Schonbrunn Royal Palace a summer residence with 1,441 rooms including a Hall of Mirrors where Mozart performed at the age of six before a young Marie Antoinette Louis. Schonbrunn Palace was put on the list of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites in December 1996. Afternoon at leisure. Dinner at local restaurant. Overnight at the hotel in Vienna. (B, D)

Day 12 - Oct 15. Vienna - Los Angeles

Breakfast at the hotel and check-out. Board the coach and transfer to the Vienna Airport for your departure flight back to Los Angeles. (B)