Prague, Budapest & Vienna Tour

Package Overview

Experience the rich cultural traditions of Central Europe, from collections of fine and decorative arts accumulated over the centuries by kings and emperors, to royal palaces and gems of modern architecture, on this new 14-day tour. The tour is rounded out with the fine musical traditions of the region, and enjoys performances in Vienna, Prague and Budapest.

Explore
The history of Central Europe, from the Habsburgs to re-emergence from behind the Iron Curtain
Art collections, from Old Masters to Klimt, Schiele and the Secessionists
Decorative arts collections and palaces, including Schonbrunn and the Kaizerliche Schatzkammer
Gems of modern architecture, including Mies van der Rohe’s Villa Tugendhat at Brno, and Otto Wagner and Joseph Hoffmann in Vienna
The rich musical traditions of the region and their deep cultural histories
HIGHLIGHTS

Mies van der Rohe’s Villa Tugendhat near Brno, a beautifully renovated modernist masterpiece
Prague, one of Europe’s most alluring capitals
Vienna’s extraordinary fine and decorative arts collections, including the Kunsthistoriches Institut and a private visit of the Liechtenstein Garden Palace
Explore Budapest, including the Franz Liszt Academy and Hungary’s recently renovated Museum of Fine Arts
Performances in Vienna, Prague and Budapest (details TBA when the Autumn 2018 program is released)Return international/domestic air travel unless those flights take place during the tour
Special taxes and airport levies that can only be paid in cash at the destination. We will advise you of these charges (if any) before you depart
Costs involved in obtaining visas for countries visited, where required
Travel insurance. We require all participants to have comprehensive travel insurance. A typical policy for one of our tours will cost from $160 upwards, depending on your age, pre-existing medical conditions, the countries you are visiting and the overall length of your trip
Lunches and dinners not specifically mentioned as included in the itinerary
Personal expenses such as laundry and phone calls
Costs associated with any activity mentioned as “optional” in the itinerary, or any suggested free time activity

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Day wise Itinerary

• Day 1 : Arrive

  The tour starts in the late afternoon, when we meet in the hotel for a talk, drinks and canapés. If you have booked your air travel through Academy Travel, we will organise a transfer from the airport to the hotel. Overnight Prague. (Canapes)

• Day 2 : Prague

  Prague is one of Europe’s most beautiful cities and it has been the jewel in the crown of many a monarch, from the medieval kings of Bohemia, to the Habsburg Rudolph I, who transformed the city into a Renaissance capital of the Holy Roman Empire. The city continued to flourish throughout the centuries as the cultural heart of an empire: a musical centre where Mozart, Smetana and Dvorak were adored and, later, for its distinctive art nouveau style. Today we explore the city’s art, history and music. After a talk in the hotel this morning, we take a walking tour of the UNESCO world-heritage listed Old Town, with its stunningly picturesque lanes and palaces. After a welcome lunch in a superior restaurant, we visit the museum dedicated to Alphonse Mucha, whose graphic art defined what is quintessentially art nouveau. Evening at leisure Overnight Prague.

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Lunch

• Day 3 : Prague Castle and Its Collections - Lisitsa Recital

  Prague Castle has been a centre of political power for more than a millennium, and as such has accumulated fine examples of Czech architecture from the Romanesque to the Baroque. Today the complex is home to both the President of the Czech Republic and a number of excellent collections. We begin our tour of the area this morning with a visit to the 16th-century Lobkowicz Palace, whose collection includes masterpieces by Brueghel, Canaletto and Velazquez as well as an excellent collection of the original manuscripts of Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. After a break for lunch, we have a guided tour of St Vitus’ Cathedral and its treasury, and a visit to the Sternberg Palace, where the National Gallery displays its antiquities and Old Masters, including Durer’s extraordinary Feast of the Rosary. This evening we enjoy a piano recital by the acclaimed Ukrainian pianist, Valentina Lisitsa, at the Rudolfinium. Overnight Prague.
  
  Performance details
  Venue: Rudolfinium
  Program: Schubert – Liszt: Swan Song, D. 957; Ravel, Gaspard de la nuit; Musorgskij, Pictures at an Exhibition
  Performers: Vaelntina Lisitsa

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast

• Day 4 : Kutna Hora and Villa Tugendhat

  This morning we depart by coach for Bratislava, stopping to visit two UNESCO World Heritage sites, representing two very different sides of Czech history and culture. Our first stop is Kutna Hora, a town born in the 12th century around Bohemia’s first Cistercian abbey, which later grew rich enough from silver mining to rival Prague. Our second stop is Villa Tugendhat, outside of Brno. Mies van der Rohe designed the villa in 1929 for Grete Tugendhat, who had long been an admirer of his work, and its clean, modernist lines melded with noble materials is a perfect embodiment of his architectural principles. The three-storey villa has been recently restored, along with its original furnishings, also designed by the architect and his collaborators. In the late afternoon, we continue to Bratislava. Dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight Bratislava.

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Dinner

• Day 5 : Bratislava

  Bratislava has long been overshadowed by its neighbours, and consequently it is a much less well-touristed city. This morning, after a later start, we take a guided tour of the city, exploring its history, from its time as the temporary capital of Hungary (when Budapest was part of the Ottoman Empire), to its modern transformation as the capital of Slovakia following the ‘Velvet Divorce’ from the Czech Republic. In the afternoon, we visit one of the region’s best new art galleries: the Danubiana Museum of Modern Art. The museum on the Danube takes full advantage of its views, and its collection includes an international modern art collection – on permanent loan from Muellensteen, a Dutch art collector who helped found the museum – Slovakian modern and contemporary art, and a sculpture park. We return to the hotel via Devin Castle, which stands above the line of the Iron Curtain and commands views across the Morava and Danube rivers. Overnight Bratislava.

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast

• Day 6 : Pannonhalma Abbey and Budapest

  We depart by coach for Budapest this morning, stopping to visit the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Pannonhalma Archabbey. The abbey encapsulates the national story of Hungary: it was established in the 10th century, when the Magyar rulers converted to Christianity and brought in Benedictine monks from Italy and Prague. The complex was expanded in the 13th century, neglected during the Ottoman period, and restored harmoniously in the 18th and 19th centuries. After a guided tour of the abbey, we continue on to Budapest, where we take a coach tour of Buda – the historic capital of Hungary, which grew up in the Middle Ages – before settling into our hotel. Dinner. Overnight Budapest.

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Dinner

• Day 7 : Fine Art in Budapest - Liszt Academy ( Program Tba)

  Budapest’s art collections reflect the city’s quest to rival Vienna, its sister capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A key part of this rivalry was the development of its art collections, which had to present the city as a European capital while also preserving and promoting its unique culture. This morning, after a talk in the hotel, we visit the Hungarian National Gallery. The gallery has an excellent collection of Hungarian art from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, and is situated inside Buda Castle, allowing you to explore the fascinating art and history of Hungary. In the mid-afternoon, we visit the Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art, which displays Hungarian and International art from the 1960s to the present. This evening we enjoy a performance, at the Liszt Academy. Overnight Budapest.
  
  Performance details
  Venue: Liszt Academy
  Program: TBA
  Performers: TBA

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast

• Day 8 : Budapest

  Budapest’s reputation as the jewel of the Danube is well earned, and the city extends elegantly from the riverbanks along its belle époque boulevards. This morning we explore the city of Pest, its history and architecture on foot, followed by a guided visit of the Franz Liszt Academy, the heart of Budapest’s musical life, founded by Liszt and home to the Liszt Memorial Museum – a fine reconstruction of Liszt’s final residence in Budapest. The afternoon is at leisure, and there is the option of visiting Memento Park – an outdoor sculpture museum of communist-era statuary that was removed from the city following the end of Soviet occupation. In the later evening, we cruise along the Danube to enjoy the spectacle of the city lit up at night. Overnight Budapest.

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast

• Day 9 : To Vienna

  This morning, we depart by coach for Vienna, visiting Esterháza Palace on the way. Esterháza, a glorious 18th-century palace in the countryside, sometimes known as “the Hungarian Versailles”, is perhaps best known because Haydn lived there from 1766 until 1790, and regularly conducted performances of his work for the court. After touring the palace and its collections, we continue on to Vienna. Overnight Vienna.

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast

• Day 10 : Imperial Vienna

  Vienna became the capital of the Habsburg Holy Roman Empire in the 1400s and as such has received centuries of embellishment. This morning we explore the history and architecture of Imperial Vienna, from the Gothic St Stephen’s Cathedral to the Imperial Palace and the monuments that ring the old city. After a break for lunch we visit the Kaiserliche Schatzkammer – the Imperial Treasury of the Habsburgs – an extraordinary collection, including the Imperial Crown and regalia, the treasury of the Order of the Golden Fleece, and the late-antique agate bowl that was once thought to be the Holy Grail. The later afternoon is at leisure, and you may wish to visit one of the other excellent museums in this area. Overnight Vienna.

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast

• Day 11 : Secessionist Vienna

  The Vienna Secession was a key moment in the broader modernist movement. Today we explore the Secession, and its roots in Viennese history. After a talk in the hotel, we take a walking tour of secessionist and modernist architecture in central Vienna, including the Secession Building, whose interiors were decorated by Klimt, and Otto Wagner’s Postparkasse. After a lunch break, and an optional visit of the Wien Museum, we take a coach to some smaller, less well-visited sites on the outskirts of Vienna. We start with Villa Klimt, where the artist toiled away on his masterpieces from 1911-1918, and then see two wonderful, and very different, buildings by Otto Wagner – Villa Fuchs, residence of expressionist painter Ernst Fuchs, and the Kirche am Steinhof. Returning to the hotel, the evening at leisure. Overnight Vienna.

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast

• Day 12 : Schonbrunn and Klosterneuberg - Werther

  This morning we visit Schönbrunn Palace. The palace began as a hunting lodge in the 16th century, but was redeveloped in the 18th century to become an imperial residence to rival the magnificence of Versailles and the Winter Palace. After touring the palace and its extensive gardens, we break for lunch, and then travel to Klosterneuberg monastery. The monastery, founded in the 12th century, and expanded and renovated in subsequent centuries, is home to the extraordinary altarpiece by Nicholas of Verdun, the greatest goldsmith of the Middle Ages. In the evening we enjoy Jules Massenet’s Werther performed by the Vienna State Opera.
  
  Performance details
  Venue: Vienna State Opera
  Program: Jules Massenet, Werther
  Performers: Dmitry Korchak (Werther), Clemens Unterreiner (Albert), Sophie Koch (Charlotte)

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast

• Day 13 : Kunsthistorisches and the Liechtenstein Garden Palace

  Vienna’s art collections are among the finest in the world, rivalling Paris, London and New York for their scope and quality. We explore two of the city’s premier collections today. After a talk in the hotel, we visit the Kunsthistorisches Museum, with its collections of antiquities, Old Masters – including masterpieces by Caravaggio, Jan van Eyck, Durer, Vermeer, Velazquez and an exceptional collection of Pieter Brueghel the Elder – and Kunstkammer, where extraordinary works of goldsmithing, ivory and gem carving, and decorative arts are displayed. In the later afternoon, we enjoy a private tour of the Liechtenstein Garden Palace. This beautifully restored 18th-century palace and its collections remain in the hands of the House of Liechtenstein, and our tour allows us to see their Renaissance and baroque collections as they were intended: free from crowds, in frescoed and stuccoed rooms, side by side with Neoclassical and Biedermeier furnishings. In the evening, we enjoy a farewell dinner at one of Vienna’s excellent restaurants. Overnight Vienna.

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Dinner

• Day 14 : Departure

  The tour ends in the hotel this morning. Please consult your individual travel plans.

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast

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Inclusions

• Hotel
• Sightseeing
• Any flights mentioned in the itinerary that take place during a tour
• Land travel by private air-conditioned coach. Where appropriate public transport is also used for short distance travel on some tours
• All accommodation in hotels or apartments as stated in the itinerary
• Breakfasts, lunches and dinners specifically stated as included in the itinerary
• Drinks at welcome and farewell meals. Other meals may not have drinks included
• Background talks on tour, site notes and online resources
• Services of tour leader throughout tour
• All entrance fees to sites mentioned in the itinerary
• Local guides at some sites
• Tips for drivers, local guides and restaurants for included meals
• Airport Transfers
• Tours begin either at the arrival airport or the first hotel, depending on the itinerary. If you have booked your international flights with Academy Travel and arrive before the tour commences, we will provide airport to hotel transfers to the closest main city on your arrival, and to the closest airport at the end of the tour. These may be either individual or group transfers.

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Exclusions

• Return international/domestic air travel unless those flights take place during the tour
• Special taxes and airport levies that can only be paid in cash at the destination. We will advise you of these charges (if any) before you depart
• Costs involved in obtaining visas for countries visited, where required
• Travel insurance. We require all participants to have comprehensive travel insurance. A typical policy for one of our tours will cost from $160 upwards, depending on your age, pre-existing medical conditions, the countries you are visiting and the overall length of your trip
• Lunches and dinners not specifically mentioned as included in the itinerary
• Personal expenses such as laundry and phone calls
• Costs associated with any activity mentioned as “optional” in the itinerary, or any suggested free time activity

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Terms & Conditions

Payment Terms & Methods :
* Some Advance Percentage of total booking amount
* Airfare/Transport fare to be paid full at one time in advance.

Cancellation & Refund Policy :
* Upon cancellation, refund will be made after deducting the Retention Amount.
* Retention Amount varies as per the number of days left before your package start date.

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This Tour is Offered by

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