memorable

Fantastic tour guide. The itinerary was superb. Well worth the money.

Rise & Fall of the Austrian Empire

Follow the history of five of the most beautiful cities in Eastern Europe. Walk in the footsteps of the Hapsburg's who once ruled these amazing countries. You will see the palaces of Empress Maria Teresa and be introduced to her sixteen children, one of which is the most famous, Marie Antoinette. You will have breathe taking views and be amazed at the beauty of each city. Buda & Pest will come together right before your eyes. Don't miss Budapest by night. Also, you will experience more recent history. The rise and fall of Nazi Germany. You will walk through the Jewish Ghetto & Auschwitz and experience the horror of WW II. The extension to Berlin is a must for anyone interested in hearing and seeing where Hitler plotted his ambitions and how he lost the war. Our tour director Paul Vladu was just exceptional. He was very knowledgeable and added so much to the trip with sharing his own personal experience with being raised during Communist years. This trip was just the most enlightening experience.

Highlights of Eastern Europe with Berlin extension

We enjoyed seeing alll the cities on this tour and extension. We picked this tour because it allowed three nights in four cities with two in each of the two cities in Poland and allowed for considerable time on our own in each location. We have traveled extensively with other tour companies. This was our first with Go Ahead. Two of the hotels were not satisfactory. First, the hotel in Budapest was fine for location with walking proximity to the river. However, the hotel was not clean enough for the minimum standard. The carpeting in the room and in the hallways was visibly filthy. This put a damper ont he whole experience of the hotel. The hotel in Krakow, Galaxy, was very problematic as to our room. Others we spoke to had similar problems. There was a foul odor in the bathroom, and there was a blinking light in the foyer/entry hall that interfered with sleeping at night. We complained several times about these problems to no avail and without a response that was satisfactory in any way, and we were told there were no other rooms available. Finally, our only other complaint is that the size of the group is just too big. Forty is just too large. Other companies we have used limit he group size to much less, and we found those trips more enjoyable than this one due ot group size.

This is a Must Tour

Of all the tours we have been on, we enjoyed this the best. We had plenty of classical music for my husband, churches and palaces for me, a taste of family meals with the local cuisine, and a real connection to the people. My ancestors came from Austria-Hungary. We felt that Paul was a treasure trove of information and we loved the historical significance of everything we saw and experienced.

Great trip

We would definitely go on a Go Ahead tour again. We saw enough of Eastern Europe that we feel confident we could go solo & see more sites we did not have time for on this trip & stay several nights in Bratislava which we would like to do.

Eastern Europe has so much to experience

Beautiful scenery, museums, palaces, & cathedrals. Exploring the cities on our free days & shopping for gifts for family & friends, then finding a sidewalk cafe retreat for a cold fruit tea to inventory our finds was so enjoyable. Cruising the Danube River at night with the historic buildings, bridges & castles bathed in light was simply breathtaking.

Outstanding trip

40+ people on bus tour a little too much. maybe around 30 would be good.

Trip Was Outstanding

Would be better with 30 people instead of 40+

Highlights of Eastern Europe

Excellent.

Enjoyed the trip!

The provided city tours by the local guides were excellent. Our Tour Director Paul was one of the best we have ever had. Paul gave a city orientation tour in each city we went to, which was very helpful. During the bus rides between the cities we heard many stories from Paul about his life behind the Iron Curtain.