Harmony of Central Europe

Dining Summary

• 5 Dinner (D)
• 12 Breakfast (B)
• 1 Lunch (L)

Choice Highlights

Choose between two carefully selected activities
• Prague:
• Prague: Relax in one of the oldest houses of the city and sample craft beers paired with Czech savory specialties.
Choose between two carefully selected activities
• Vienna: Visit the Imperial Treasury in the Hofburg Palace with a Local Expert and learn about Vienna's regal history. See the invaluable riches including the crown of Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne.
• Vienna: Head to the Baroque palaces of Belvedere, housing priceless art like Gustav Klimt's The Kiss.
Choose between two carefully selected activities
• Kraków: Explore Nowa Huta, the steel district of Krakow while you learn about life behind the Iron Curtain just a few decades ago. See a vintage Trabant, an East German car widely used in the Communist era.
• Kraków: Let a knowledgeable Local Expert take you through the poignant history of Kraków. Pass through the city’s former Jewish Quarter and visit Wawel Cathedral, the site that has crowned almost every Polish king and queen throughout history.

Additional Included Highlights

• Enjoy seamless personal assistance throughout your journey. From securing exclusive reservations, to organising transportation, your Travel Concierge ensures every aspect of your travel is tailored to your tastes and preferences.
• In select destinations, our network of Local Expert Guides will illuminate your journey on a deeper level.  ​
• Included at all hotels.
• Hotel taxes, porterage and tips, as well as tips for included dining experiences, are included.
• Enjoy breakfast every morning, and an array of incredible dining options throughout your journey, infused with discovery and adventure.
• On days where a Relaxed Start (RS) is indicated, you can select to indulge in breakfast in bed.​
• Enjoy complimentary hotel WiFi. And, on select coaches, onboard WiFi may also be available.
• Transfers are included on your journey start and end dates, and where additional accommodation has been booked in advance through Luxury Gold. Transfers to train stations or alternate hotels, in the same start or end city as the itinerary, may be requested.

Curated Experiences

• Vienna: Indulge your senses without the crowds during a special VIP after-hours visit to the magnificent Schönbrunn Palace. With a Local Expert, stand beneath frescoed ceilings, crystal chandeliers and gilded Rococo frames, where Mozart performed as a six-year-old prodigy.

Exceptional Dining

• Prague: Open your trip in style with a delicious Welcome Dinner in a specially selected local restaurant.
• Budapest: Savor a selection of Hungarian delicacies at the First Strudel House in Pest, with dough-stretching artisans turning out paper thin pastries for dessert. Take some of the delicious pastries away to enjoy later, if you wish.
• Budapest: Delight your tastebuds with Michelin-star dining at Borkonyha Winekitchen. Chef Ákos Sárközi creates skillfully executed, eye catching dishes that combine French bistro style and contemporary Hungarian influence in an atmosphere of indulgence.
• Warsaw: Say farewell to the elegant grandeur of Warsaw with a final Celebration Dinner at a handpicked local restaurant. Exchange memories and discoveries from your journey with new friends as you enjoy a fine selection of traditional dishes and quality wines.

Founder's Collection

• Schloss Artstetten: If you are traveling on a Founder's Collection departure, on Day 4 you will be privileged to a private reception with Princess Anita von Hohenberg, a descendant of the famous Habsburgs, at Artstetten Castle. This incredible experience will replace visiting Melk Abbey.

Magnificent Stays

• Vienna State Opera: The luxurious Grand Hotel Wien is a true reflection of Vienna's opulent and regal history. It's conveniently central location places it just a few minutes walk from the Vienna State Opera and famed shopping street of Kärntner Straße. Spacious guest rooms are decorated with traditional, antique-style furnishings, you'll truly feel as if you're staying in a palace.

Passport Moments

• Prague: Immerse yourself in the architecture and atmosphere of Prague Castle as a Local Expert relays fascinating details from its thousand-year history. Accompany them into St Vitus Cathedral where colorful stained-glass windows pour filtered light into its many chapels.
• Prague: Marvel at the intricate detail of Prague’s famous Astronomical Clock and its hourly procession of moving parts, which have delighted witnesses for over six hundred years. Watch as the clock’s parade of apostles mark time on the Old Town Hall.
• Cesky Krumlov: Step through the cobbled streets of Český Krumlov and feel the history around you. Let your Local Expert regale you with tales of this most important European site as you discover the 13th century castle at the heart of the town.
• Melk District: Stroll around the baroque masterpiece that is Melk Abbey as a guide talks you through its fascinating history. See the 16,000-volume collection in the main library and gaze up at the Paul Troger fresco on the hall ceiling.
• Vienna: Discover historic Vienna as your Travel Concierge shows you the Baroque streetscapes and imperial palaces of Austria’s national capital. Find the locations of the city’s most notable landmarks to ready yourself fully for further explorations.
• Vienna: Take your front-row seat in a historic Viennese concert hall and let the timeless music of Johann Strauss and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart fill the room as you sip on sparkling wine and experience an unforgettable Austrian evening.
• Bratislava: Join your passionate Local Expert for a walk around the Slovakian capital’s Old Town, and see the restored Baroque-period Bratislava Castle that stands over the city, with its striking red turrets.
• Budapest: Embark on a private evening cruise along the majestic Danube and sip freshly poured sparkling wine. Witness the most breathtaking architectural vista as grand buildings from both sides of the city are lit up in the night.
• Budapest: Visit the stunning neo-Gothic Parliament Building with your Local Expert and see the Holy Crown of Hungary. Inaugurated for the millennial celebrations of Hungarian statehood in 1896, it is still the largest building in the country.
• Budapest: During sightseeing with your Local Expert, you will be chauffeured along elegant boulevards to see the Hungarian State Opera House, one of the most beautiful neo-Renaissance buildings in Europe, where composer Gustav Mahler was once director.
• Budapest: See Budapest’s Liberty Statue presiding over the city on Gellért Hill and the Citadel in its shadow. Erected 96 years apart, the proud structures represent two sides of Budapest's history - one to suppress Hungarian independence and one to celebrate it.
• Oravsky Podzamok: Take a moment on your journey to Kraków to enjoy the breathtaking sight of Oravský Hrad. Look up to the striking Renaissance and neo-gothic castle which dominates the scenery like an eagle’s nest on its rocky perch.
• Kraków: Join you Travel Concierge for an orientation of Kraków. Pass through the city’s former Jewish Quarter and see locations from the epic seven-time Oscar-winning movie, Schindler’s List.
• Auschwitz: Pay your respects at the Auschwitz memorial and walk beneath the infamous gateway to the museums housed in the former prison blocks. Learn about the role this concentration camp played during World War II and understand the impact on postwar Europe.
• Warsaw: Attend a private piano recital to begin your evening with a flourish. Hear an accomplished player relay the expressive grace of Poland’s most famous composer and virtuoso, Frédéric François Chopin, in the stylish surroundings of Warsaw.

Personalise your day

• Prague:
• Prague: Relax in one of the oldest houses of the city and sample craft beers paired with Czech savory specialties.
• Vienna: Visit the Imperial Treasury in the Hofburg Palace with a Local Expert and learn about Vienna's regal history. See the invaluable riches including the crown of Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne.
• Vienna: Head to the Baroque palaces of Belvedere, housing priceless art like Gustav Klimt's The Kiss.
• Kraków: Explore Nowa Huta, the steel district of Krakow while you learn about life behind the Iron Curtain just a few decades ago. See a vintage Trabant, an East German car widely used in the Communist era.
• Kraków: Let a knowledgeable Local Expert take you through the poignant history of Kraków. Pass through the city’s former Jewish Quarter and visit Wawel Cathedral, the site that has crowned almost every Polish king and queen throughout history.