Highlights |
| Escorted Package Includes |
| Inclusions |
- Flights NYC-Budapest, Prague-NYC.
Other departure cities available.
- All transfers
- 3 nights at the Hotel Astoria in Budapest
- 3 nights at the Mercure Praha Old Town in Prague
- 6 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 4 dinners
- Tour Manager throughout
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| Highlights |
- Small Groups
- Participate in a cooking class at Gundel Restaurant
- Indulge yourself with a thermal spa in Budapest
- Enjoy an illuminated cruise on the Danube
- Tour Bratislava, Slovakia with an expert local guide
- Visit the Mucha Museum in Prague
- Visit Lobkovicz Castle and its galleries
- Enjoy tea and cake at Prague's Municipal House
- Take a carriage ride around Prague
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Take this opportunity to see the splendor of Central Europe today.
Lovely Budapest, the first city you'll visit, is graced by splendid suspension bridges connecting Buda and Pest. Listen to the sounds of Gypsy bands in Buda's Castle district and walk through the fashionable shopping street of Vaci Utca in Pest. You'll delight in how this endearing city reflects both the traditions and the extraordinary warmth of its people. Then travel to Prague, often described as one of Europe's most beautiful capitals. Spared damage in WWII, Prague today is a well-preserved museum of classic architecture. In true Gutsy style, you'll enjoy a spa treatment, dinner cruise, horse-and-carriage ride along the way as your expert guides show you the Old World charm of two of Central Europe's premier cities.
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Itinerary |
DAY 1, Sunday- Depart USA
Depart USA for Hungary. Your flight includes meals, drinks, and in-flight entertainment
DAY 2, Monday - Arrive in Budapest
Arrive in Budapest, Hungary's capital, cultural and commercial center, appropriately nicknamed "Paris of the East"
Overnight: Budapest
Meals: Dinner
DAY 3, Tuesday - Hungarian Cooking Class, City Tour
This morning you'll have the opportunity to discover finer points of Hungarian cooking at one of Budapest's most famous restaurants, the Gundel. Learn from one of Hungary's award-winning chefs the methods of preparing paprika chicken and a vairety of traditional strudels. Enjoy the fruits of your labor with wine. Afterwards, tour Budapest, beginning in Pest with views of the Hungarian Parliament Building, completed in 1904, the Royal Palace, Market Hall and Heroes' Square, central site of the Millennium Memorial and its statesmen sculptures. Cross the Danube via the Elizabeth Bridge to the Buda Hills. Visit the Citadel on Mount Gellert, arguably the best locale for snapshots of the city, continuing to the 13th-century Matthias Coronation Church on Castle Hill. From the Fisherman's Bastion, enjoy a panoramic view of the city below
Overnight: Budapest
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 4, Wednesday- Thermal Spa, Illuminated River Cruise with Dinner
This morning experience a true delight of Central European life--a thermal spa. Not only are thermal spas popular in Europe, they are especially so in Budapest, home to some of the world's finest mineral baths. Enjoy spa services at the elegant Margaret Island Thermal Spa. Margaret Island is in the middle of the Danube River, a location perfect for thermal spa treatment because it uses the natural thermal springs of the island. Guests are kindly asked to bring towels and swim suits as access to the main pool will be temporarily open to everyone. Indulge yourself with a medicinal massage, mudpack or facial, before relaxing in the warm mineral-enriched baths of the main pool. Following your treatments, you may choose to stop at the Neptun Pool Bar for a glass of wine or a delicious dessert. Spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing at your hotel, or opt for a stroll along the fabulous Vaci Utca, Budapest's chief shopping district, lined with fancy boutiques, traditional cafes and a wealth of inspiring architecture. This evening, enjoy a dazzling illuminated dinner cruise on the Danube River with scenes of Budapest by night
Overnight: Budapest
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 5, Thursday- Bratislava tour
This morning, depart for Czech Republic. Travel into Southern Bohemia and view the scenic countryside, where hillside towns with Gothic style churches and medieval monasteries pop from the surrounding forests and farmlands. Along the way, you'll stop in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, where an experienced local guide will accompany you on an orientation tour of this historic city. After lunch continue to Prague. Dinner at a charming local restaurant will feature regional specialities
Overnight: Prague
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 6, Friday - City Tour, Castle Visit
This morning, enjoy a tour of Prague, a city that escaped damage despite two World Wars and thus retained its old beauty. Your morning tour of Prague includes a visit to the Royal Castle at Hradcany, former residence of the Bohemian kings. Enjoy charming views of the city and Charles Bridge below, before a visit to St. Vitus Cathedral, regarded as the oldest Gothic church in Central Europe. View St. George's Basilica and the Golden Lane, then visit Lobkovicz Castle, recently opened to house the treasures from the Renaissance Nelahozeves. Apart from its prized antique furniture, most of which dates from the 16th and 18th centuries, the Castle boasts an impressive gallery with famous works by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Canaletto, Rubens and Veronese. The castle is also home to one of the largest collections of 16th and 17th-century Spanish portraits outside Spain. Continue to the Jewish Quarter and the Old Town Square to view the famous Town Hall Astronomical Clock, with mechanical components dating to 1410. Following lunch on your own, take the remainder of the afternoon to explore Prague independently
Overnight: Prague
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 7, Saturday - Mucha Museum, Tea and cake at the Municipal House, Horse-and-Carriage Ride, Bohemian-style dinner
This morning, enjoy a guided visit to the Mucha Museum, which honors the life and work of world-renowned Czech Art Nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha. Afterwards, have tea and cake at the Municipal House, Prague's most celebrated Art Nouveau building. Your program ends with a charming horse-and-carriage ride through the streets of Prague, providing a unique and romantic view of the city. This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner at a local restaurant, featuring traditional Bohemian dishes and live musical accompaniment
Overnight: Prague
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 8, Sunday - Depart for USA
Transfer to the Prague airport for your departure flight.
Meals: Breakfast
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