Journey into the heart of Eastern Europe and delve deep into the history, rich culture, music, art and daily lives of your Jewish ancestors—and the Jewish people—on this comprehensive 15-day tour of Budapest, Vienna, Prague, Kraków and Warsaw. 

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 - Budapest

Your trip begins with a regularly scheduled overnight flight to Budapest aboard an internationally recognized airline.

Day 2 - Budapest

Welcome to Budapest, a city divided by the Danube River into its old and new sections (Buda and Pest).  A Go Ahead representative greets you at the airport after you clear customs and then escorts you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax or begin acquainting yourself with this fascinating city. At an included dinner this evening, meet your fellow travelers.
Included meals: breakfast (in flight), dinner

Day 3 - Budapest

This morning’s included tour highlights the major landmarks of both Buda and Pest. Trace the stormy history of this fiercely independent nation on your stop at Heroes Square. Tour the lavishly decorated interior of the Parliament building, modeled after London’s Palace of Westminster. Then cross the Danube and arrive in Buda. Ascend imposing Castle Hill for a look at the Royal Palace. The castle has witnessed several invasions, the most recent having occurred during World War II. Finally, pass by the Great Synagogue and visit the Shoes Monument to bear witness to the lives lost during the Holocaust.
Included meals: breakfast
Included entrances: Parliament

Day 4 - Budapest

During your free day in Budapest, continue your personal exploration of the city. You might choose to browse through the shops on Budapest’s sophisticated pedestrian shopping streets, take a short journey outside of the city to the Vadaskert (Game Park) or tour the Jewish Museum. You may also opt to tour the Jewish Ghetto, with a visit to the Dohany St.—aka Great—Synagogue. Lunch is included on the optional.
Included meals: breakfast

$99 USD

Jewish Ghetto of Budapest Travel to Budapest's Jewish ghetto, established near the Great Synagogue by the Nazis in November, 1944. On your tour though the ghetto, you’ll see a memorial wall erected where the last Nazi-erected wall stood, as well as the area’s main synagogue. Built in 1859, the Dohány Street—or Great—Synagogue seats 3,000 people. During World War II, mass graves were dug in the synagogue's courtyard. Today, a memorial—a weeping willow tree made of granite and steel—stands near the synagogue to commemorate Hungary’s Holocaust victims. Lunch is included on this excursion.

Day 5 - Vienna

Travel west through the Danube basin for a short journey to Vienna, home of chocolates, cafes, parks and pastries. Your Tour Director will introduce you to the city, stopping at the Holocaust Memorial and visiting Vienna’s Jewish Museum.  
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Included entrances: Jewish Museum

Day 6 - Vienna

Included this morning is a comprehensive tour of Vienna, led by a professional local guide. Highlights include the Opera House, the majestic monuments of the Ringstrasse, and the Hofburg, once the hub of Imperial power. Inside the regal Schönbrunn Palace, where Marie-Antoinette spent her childhood, view the private chambers of the Empress Maria Theresa and the lavishly decorated public rooms. Your afternoon is free for a stroll through the Stadtpark or a horse-drawn carriage ride to St. Stephan’s Cathedral. Tonight, opt to attend our traditional Viennese Heurigen evening. At this optional event, you’ll take a ride on the Prater Ferris Wheel and dine at a local restaurant where you’ll enjoy wine made by the people serving dinner.
Included meals: breakfast
Included entrances: Schönbrunn Palace

$99 USD

Traditional Viennese Heurigen Evening Enjoy a scenic drive to the picturesque village of Grinzing, where you'll savor traditional Austrian heurigen cuisine in a cozy Old World setting. Heurigen are traditional restaurants that serve their own wine, and you'll enjoy a festive evening of food, drink and music. Then, take a ride on Vienna’s Prater Ferris Wheel, which offers a one-of-a-kind view of the city.

Day 7 - Vienna

Spend the day at your leisure. You might wish to take a stroll through Vienna’s pedestrian zone, stopping at the Hotel Sacher for a taste of its world-famous chocolate Sachertorte. Another popular Viennese attraction is the enormous Ferris wheel in the Prater, once a royal park. Or join an optional excursion to historic Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, with a special stop at the city’s Jewish cemetery.
Included meals: breakfast

$95 USD

Bratislava Walk through Bratislava’s Old Town on a guided tour of the Slovakian capital. Stroll along cobblestone streets in the shadow of Brastislavsky Hrad, the hilltop 18th-century castle overlooking the Old Town. Then, tour the famous Hall of Mirrors inside the pink Primates’ Palace, where Napoleon and the Austrian emperor signed the Peace of Pressburg of 1805. Lunch is included. Please note: Depending on the day of the week, you may visit St. Martin's Cathedral instead of the palace.

Day 8 - Prague

Depart for Vienna this morning and enjoy a drive through the pastoral landscapes of Bohemia. Arrive later in Prague, one of Europe’s most beautiful cities, where dinner is included this evening.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner

Day 9 - Prague

On this morning’s guided sightseeing tour, discover why Prague is known as the City of One Hundred Spires. The pinnacles of the city’s churches and palaces create one of Europe’s most majestic skylines. Visit the spectacular Castle of Hradcany, from which Charles IV governed the Holy Roman Empire and Vaclav Havel restored democracy. Later, admire the soaring Gothic vaults of St. Vitus Cathedral. During your free time this afternoon, you may choose to wander through the medieval lanes of the Old Town. Discover Wenceslas Square, Prague’s cosmopolitan heart, or cross elegant Charles Bridge and enjoy breathtaking views of the city. Later, opt for an optional walking tour of Prague’s fascinating Jewish Quarter, home to Europe’s oldest synagogue. Lunch is included on the optional.
Included meals: breakfast
Included entrances: Castle of Hradcany,St. Vitus Cathedral

$79 USD

Walking Tour of Prague's Jewish Quarter Follow a local expert guide through the streets of Josefov, Prague’s Jewish Quarter, nestled between the Vltava River and the Old Town Square. See the remains of Prague’s former Jewish ghetto, devastated during World War II and oppressed during the Communist era. Pay a visit to three of the area’s synagogues as well as the Jewish Museum of Prague, which displays the names of all the Czech Jews who were sent to concentration camps. Along your tour, learn about the legendary Golem myth, a story forever entwined with Prague’s Jewish history. You’ll also see sights once frequented by Franz Kafka, the enigmatic author of The Trial and The Metamorphosis, who made his home in Prague. Lunch is included. Please note: This excursion involves extensive walking.

Day 10 - Prague

With a free day in Prague, you might choose to relax at a welcoming sidewalk café or take a walk along the riverbanks. Alternatively, choose to journey into the countryside for an optional excursion to Therensienstadt, a historic fortress that served as a concentration camp during World War II. This evening, opt to enjoy our Chateau Sychrov concert and dinner.
Included meals: breakfast

$119 USD

Theresienstadt Journey to Theresienstadt on this full-day excursion. A historic fortress erected by the Habsburgs in the 18th century, but in 1941, the Nazis captured the fortress and converted it to one of Europe’s most infamous concentration camps. You’ll tour the fortress grounds, visit the camp's underground corridors and learn about Therensienstadt’s long and complicated past.

$135 USD

Château Sychrov Visit Château Sychrov, a 17th-century Baroque estate north of Prague. Take a guided tour through the estate, paying special attention to the elaborate carvings along the stairway, in the chapel and in the dining room. Then tour the gallery of French kings and the château's gardens. Later, enjoy a private concert of classic Czech music and an included dinner. Please note: The castle itself can be quite chilly; travelers are advised to wear layers or bring a sweater. This excursion requires advanced booking and payment at least 20 days prior to departure.

Day 11 - Krakow

Depart Prague and travel east to Poland. Pass through the dramatic landscapes of Moravia before reaching Krakow. After hotel check-in, enjoy an included dinner.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner

Day 12 - Krakow

Today’s guided tour of Krakow introduces you to Wawel Hill, perched high above the Vistula River. Visit Wawel Cathedral, where Polish kings were crowned. Pope John Paul II once served as archbishop here. Stroll through Glowny Square, passing beautiful Sukiennice Cloth Hall and the Jagiellonian University on your way to the enamelware factory where Oskar Schindler was able to save over 1,000 Jews from transport to the Platzow Concentration Camp in Krakow. This afternoon, you can bear witness to life in the camps on an optional excursion to the former concentration camp of Auschwitz.
Included meals: breakfast
Included entrances: Wawel Cathedral, Schindler’s Factory

$39 USD

Auschwitz This tour takes you to one of the most chilling sites in Europe: the concentration camps at Auschwitz. More than 4 million people were systematically exterminated in these camps by the Third Reich. Liberated by the Red Army in 1945, Auschwitz has been turned into a poignant memorial to the victims of the Holocaust.

Day 13 - Warsaw

Spend the morning exploring the Jewish Quarter of Krakow on a walking tour, including a stop at the Remuh Synagogue, an elegant 16th-century synagogue that is the only one in the city still in active use. Later, arrive in the capital city of Warsaw. Your Tour Director will assist with hotel check-in, after which dinner is included.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Included entrances: Remuh Synagogue

Day 14 - Warsaw

A local guide leads a fascinating sightseeing tour of Warsaw, a city all but destroyed during World War II but painstakingly rebuilt since 1944. At Lazienki Park, behold the Chopin monument and the palace of Stanislaw Poniatowski, Poland’s last king. A guided walk through the Old Town brings you to Starego Miasta Square, lined with Renaissance facades and baroque townhouses. This evening, you may opt to attend a traditional Polish dinner in a Warsaw restaurant followed by a Chopin recital.
Included meals: breakfast
Included entrances: Warsaw Historical Museum

$99 USD

Chopin Recital & Dinner This evening, enjoy a private concert recital featuring the music of Frédéric-François Chopin. Born in 1810, Chopin is widely considered the world's best composer for piano, an instrument that featured prominently in his compositions. Tonight, experience Chopin’s genius firsthand as pianists play some of his greatest masterpieces. Then, sample local specialties at one of Warsaw’s finest restaurants during an included dinner.

Day 15 - Warsaw

If you are not continuing on our tour extension to Berlin, a Go Ahead representative escorts you to the airport for your flight home.
Included meals: breakfast
(In the case of early morning departures, breakfast may not be provided.)