Eastern Europe Mission

10-days, Prague – Vienna – Budapest

Eastern Europe offers a wide range of cultural, political and scenic regions where Jewish life once played an important role. Join us as we explore Prague, Vienna and Budapest and immerse ourselves in European culture. You will gain insight into many fascinating places – from the international tourist hub of Prague to the variety of sights in Vienna and the beautiful Hungarian capital on the Danube.

Itinerary

Saturday, October 14, 2017 Departure from the US

Sunday, October 15, 2017: Arrival in Prague

Arrive at the Prague Airport, where you will be met and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure to explore the city on your own. The group will meet in the evening and have dinner at the hotel. Overnight at Hotel Intercontinental Prague.

Monday, October 16, 2017: Prague

After breakfast, visit the Jewish Quarter which comprises the most well-preserved complex of Jewish historical monuments in Europe. There you will see the Maisel, Pinkas and Klausen Synagogues as well as the Old-New Synagogue. This is the oldest site in Prague’s Jewish Quarter and has been the main synagogue of the Jewish community in Prague for more than 700 years. Next, enjoy a walk through the Old City with its Old Town Square, the Prague astronomical clock, the John Hus Memorial and the “Carolinum”, which is the oldest university in Middle Europe. In the late afternoon, enjoy some leisure time. Dinner will be in one of the best restaurants in Prague.

Tuesday, October 17, 2017: Prague and Vienna

This morning is dedicated to some of Prague’s historical highlights. Visit the Prague Castle, including the Royal Palace (seat of the president and several government offices), as well as St. Veits Cathedral and the Golden Lane, a street consisting of 11 tiny coloured houses. Stroll through the famous Lesser Town on your own, a beautiful Baroque quarter which clusters around the foot of Prague Castle. After shopping and lunch on your own, depart for Vienna. On the drive, your tour-escort will tell you about general life in Europe. In Vienna, check in to the Steigenberger Hotel Herrenhof and have dinner at the hotel.

Wednesday, October 18, 2017: Vienna

After breakfast, tour the Jewish Quarter, the Jewish Cemetery and the Stadttemple, the only Synagogue in Vienna that was not destroyed by the Nazis. After lunch in a typical Vienna Café house, we visit the Jewish museum. In the evening, enjoy a carriage ride with the typical Fiaker from the hotel to a Vienna Restaurant where we will experience a typical Austrian meal.

Thursday, October 19, 2017: Mauthausen and Vienna

After an early breakfast, drive to Mauthausen and visit the former concentration camp. It was one of the largest camps in the German-controlled part of Europe. More than 200,000 people from all over Europe were arrested between 1938 and 1945 and more than half of them lost their lives. After returning to Vienna, spend the rest of the day at leisure in this fascinating city. Dinner is on your own this evening.

Friday, October 20, 2017: Vienna and Budapest

Enjoy a walking tour with our Jewish local guide and explore the lovely city center and the Old Town of Vienna. Among others, you will see the Hofburg, the elegant Kohlmarkt, and the Stephansdom (Vienna’s landmark). You will pass highlights such as the Belvedere Palace, Opera House, Spanish Riding School and Saint Stephen’s Cathedral, and learn about Hapsburg history at the Hofburg as well as about the patchwork of architectural styles of the Ringstrasse. See the building where Sigmund Freud resided and Schoenbrunn Palace, which belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. After lunch on your own and some leisure/shopping-time, depart Vienna and arrive in Budapest. Check-in and get ready to enjoy a special Shabbat dinner at Carmel Kosher Restaurant. Overnight at Hotel Intercontinental Budapest.

Saturday, October 21, 2017: Budapest

In the morning, you are free to take a walking tour with our local tour guide or wander around on your own. At noon, drive to the picturesque artists’ village Szentendre. It is on the banks of the Danube and was started in the late 1920s. Today, more than 200 fine and applied artists, authors, poets, actors and musicians live in the city. Lunch is on your own followed by a tour of the village with a local guide and some free time. The evening is free and dinner is on your own.

Sunday, October 22, 2017: Budapest

This day is dedicated to Jewish History. In the morning, explore the Jewish Quarter on the “Pest” side of the city and do a Jewish Budapest treasure hunt. Visit Doheny Street Synagogue, Emanuel Memorial Tree and Wallenberg Memorial Park. The Doheny Street Synagogue is the largest synagogue in Europe and the second largest in the world. The Hungarian Jewish Museum is located in the same building. After lunch, learn more about Jewish history by touring the House of Terror Museum. Continue touring the “Pest” side and pass the Parliament, Hero Square, Andrassy Boulevard including the opera, St. Stephans Basilika, the City Park and the Museum of Ethnography. Enjoy this historical city with a lot of fascinating, hidden corners and step into the footprints of the past. After dinner at a restaurant, board a boat for a “Budapest at Night Cruise” on the Danube.

Monday, October 23, 2017: Budapest

After breakfast, discover the Buda Castle District, which is packed with historic sites and attractions, interesting museums, crooked streets and cafes, Gellert Hill, Matthias Church which is called the Church of our Lady and was built in the 19^th century and Fisherman’s Bastion, which is a lookout tower built in neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque style in the 19^th century. In the afternoon, visit some Jewish Community institutions in Budapest and learn about Jewish life and history in Hungary. Enjoy your last dinner in Hungary at traditional Restaurant Museum accompanied by piano music.

Tuesday, October 24, 2017: Departure

Today, it will be time to say “Goodbye” and fly home or -

- go to Germany for Berlin extension.

Learn about 5-day Berlin extension

Services included:

All airport transfers for arrivals in Prague and departures in Budapest
Deluxe air-conditioned coach for all transfers, touring, and sightseeing – from the airport Prague to the airport Budapest
2 nights in Prague at Hotel Intercontinental (*****)
3 nights in Vienna at Hotel Steigenberger Hotel Herrenhof (*****)
4 nights in Budapest at Hotel Intercontinental (*****)
Accommodation in double room with bath en Suite
Porterage at the hotels
All city taxes
Daily breakfast buffet at the hotels
6 x Dinner (1 x dinner at the hotel, 5 x dinner at a restaurant), including table water
6 x Lunch (1 or 2 x lunchbox), including table water
Water and soft drinks in the bus
English speaking tour escort (Sara) from arrival in Prague until departure in Budapest
Guided tours with local guides
Prague (1 x full day, 1 x ½ day, Vida is requested)
Mauthausen (2 hours)
Vienna (1 x full day, 1 x ½ day, Walter)
Budapest (3 x full days, Anni)
Entrance fees
Prague: Prague Castle (including Cathedral and Vladislav hall), Jewish Cemetery, Maisel, Pinkas, Spanish and Klausen Synagogue
Vienna: Jewish Museum OR St. Stephan’s Cathedral
Mauthausen: Camp Mauthausen
Budapest: Synagogues and Holocaust Museum
Fiaker ride in Vienna
boat tour on the Danube in Budapest (including soft drinks)