The Experience
Discover Budapest and Vienna on the banks of the Danube and Prague on the Charles, exploring three European capitals, each resting on a legendary river and boasting a fascinating history and culture. Day 1: Arrive Budapest, Hungary
Arrive in Budapest, a city occupying both sides of the Danube and founded when right-bank Buda joined left-bank Pest in 1873. Budapest,™s broad avenues and turn-of-the-century architecture have earned it the name Paris of Eastern Europe., A lively city, Budapest has long been a cultural mecca for writers, artists and musicians. Transfer by private car to your hotel; the balance of the day is at leisure.
Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace (Gold) or Corinthia Hotel Budapest (Silver)
Day 2: Budapest | Synagogues & Cathedrals
On a tour of Pest, visit the beautiful neo-Renaissance State Opera House, built in the late 19th century and painstakingly restored after damages it received during World War II. Continue to the ornate Great Synagogue, which is the largest in Europe. See Heroes,™ Square and St. Stephen,™s Basilica. Cross the river to delightful Buda where you visit St. Matthias Church, the 13th-century coronation cathedral of Hungarian kings, and Fisherman,™s Bastion, offering spectacular views of the city below.
Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace (Gold) or Corinthia Hotel Budapest (Silver) | Meals: B
Day 3: Pannonhalma/Vienna, Austria | Benedictine Abbey
Depart Budapest and stop to visit the thousand-year-old Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma, a center of culture and religious study and today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Continue to Vienna and your hotel.
Hotel Sacher Wein (Gold) or The Ritz-Carlton, Vienna (Silver) | Meals: B
Day 4: Vienna | Legacy of the Habsburgs
Depart on a walking tour, visiting the Hofburg Palace, the historic former seat of the emperors and their governments. Admire the glittering collection of imperial regalia in the Treasury. Continue to the soaring Gothic St. Stephen,™s Cathedral. This afternoon, explore the impressive summer palace of the Habsburgs, magnificent Schönbrunn Palace. It was here amid frescoed ceilings, crystal chandeliers and gilded ornaments that the six-year-old Mozart played to the court.
Hotel Sacher Wein (Gold) or The Ritz-Carlton, Vienna (Silver) | Meals: B
Day 5: Bratislava, Slovakia/Vienna | Old Town Tour
Drive to Bratislava, Slovakia,™s capital, and join a local guide for a walking tour of the attractive Old Town, once a jewel of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Return to Vienna after lunch. The remainder of your day is at leisure.
Hotel Sacher Wein (Gold) or The Ritz-Carlton, Vienna (Silver) | Meals: B
Day 6: Vienna/Prague, Czech Republic | Travel by Train
Travel by train to Prague in comfort and convenience with A&K,™s Concierge Rail Service, which offers assistance at the station. You are met on arrival and transferred to your hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure.
Four Seasons Hotel Prague (Gold) or Hotel Aria (Silver) | Meals: B
Day 7: Prague | Private Estates Theater Visit
Stroll through Josefov, the city,™s Jewish quarter, which remained a walled ghetto until 1848. Visit the Old New Synagogue and the Old Jewish Cemetery. Wander through the charming Old Town Square and pause to admire the 15th-century astronomical clock adorning the façade of the Gothic Town Hall. You may wish to stroll across the 14th-century Charles Bridge. Privately visit the Estates Theater (subject to rehearsal schedules). It was here in October of 1787 that Mozart conducted the première of Don Giovanni.
Four Seasons Hotel Prague (Gold) or Hotel Aria (Silver) | Meals: B
Day 8: Prague | Private Monastery Visit
Explore Hradcany Castle District. See the impressive Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral. On the Golden Lane, view the small, colorful houses that once were homes to alchemists. Admire the collection of religious artifacts at the Loreto Chapel, an important place of pilgrimage. Privately visit the Baroque library halls of the Strahov Monastery, with its gilded shelves and incredible frescoes.
Four Seasons Hotel Prague (Gold) or Hotel Aria (Silver) | Meals: B
Day 9: Depart Prague
Today, transfer to the airport and depart.
Meals: B
