Discovering Eastern Europe:
Poland, Hungary, Austria, & the Czech Republic
May 13-29, 2008

Overview
Features
Itinerary
Extension

Overview (Return to top)

Whether you're seeking to recapture your ancestral heritage or simply to discover a beautiful and poignant part of the world, this small group tour offers ample opportunity for enrichment, enlightenment and enjoyment.  Both leisurely and comprehensive, it provides a generous overview of five distinctly different and fascinating nations-Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, and the Czech Republic.  You will visit the enchanting cities of Warsaw, Czestochowa, Auschwitz, and Krakow, Poland; Budapest, Hungary; Vienna, Austria; Bratislava, Slovakia; and Prague, Czech Republic.

Priced from $3,995
Odysseys Unlimited

For reservations or additional information, contact:
Jan Breitman [jbreitman@alumni.iastate.edu]
Iowa State University Alumni Association
Fisher-Nickell Hall
Ames, Iowa 50011-1370

Phone: (515) 294-6526 direct or (877) ISU-ALUM toll-free
Fax: (515) 294-9402

Features (Return to top)

• Small group size limited to 24 guests
• Round trip air transportation
• 15 nights' accommodations in listed properties
• 25 meals: 15 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 6 dinners
• Extensive sightseeing as described in day-by-day itinerary, including all entrance fees
• Private motor coach transportation throughout the trip
• Luggage handling for one bag per person
• Gratuities for local guides dining room servers, airport and hotel porters, and all drivers

Itinerary (Return to top)

Day 1
Depart the U.S. for Warsaw
Early this evening depart the U.S. for Europe, with a connecting flight to Warsaw.

Day 2
Arrive Warsaw
Accommodations:  Sofitel Victoria
After reaching Warsaw this morning and transferring to the hotel, there's time to unpack, relax, or begin your discovery of this fascinating city.  This evening we gather for dinner at a local restaurant, where you'll have a chance to get acquainted with your fellow travelers and your Odysseys Unlimited tour director. [D]
 
Day 3
Warsaw
Accommodations:  Sofitel Victoria
Devastated by World War II, Warsaw had to be virtually rebuilt from the ground up -- a 15-year project that used every piece of authentic stone found amid the rubble.  We see the results on today's morning tour, which includes the completely restored Old Town Square.  So you can learn more about the destruction and incredible reconstruction of this city, our tour will also include a stop at the Historical Museum of Warsaw.  We visit the area of the former Jewish Ghetto and the Jewish Cemetery, the largest of its kind in Europe.  As you walk the streets that the Jews of Warsaw once inhabited, you can imagine the 1943 uprising when a small number of Jewish Resistance fighters inside the ghetto held out against Nazi forces for an incredible 22 days.  After some time at leisure, late this afternoon we enjoy a special treat: a private classical piano recital.  Lunch and dinner are on your own today. [B]

Day 4
Warsaw/Czestochowa/Auschwitz & Birkenau/Krakow
Accommodations:  Pod Roza
Our day-long journey south to Krakow takes us first to Czestochowa, the spiritual heart of Poland, which draws pilgrims from across the country and around the world.  A discussion about the interplay between religion and politics will absorb us as we walk through the town and visit the shrine of the Black Madonna that sits on a hilltop overlooking the city.  After lunch, we continue to the Polish town of Oswiecim, better known by its German name of Auschwitz.  All over the world, Auschwitz has become a symbol of terror, genocide, and the Holocaust.  We tour the concentration camps of Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II - Birkenau.  Auschwitz was the largest camp established by the Nazis during World War II.  More than a million people - the vast majority of them Jews - died there between 1940, when it was built, and 1945, when it was liberated.  Both camps have been preserved as they were during the war, including the prison blocks, gas chambers, and crematoria.  We will spend approximately three hours here, touring the sites and learning more about this horrific time.  We arrive in Krakow early this evening; dinner tonight is on your own. [B, L]

Day 5
Krakow
Accommodations:  Pod Roza
The country's third largest city, Krakow escaped the devastation that obliterated other Polish cities during World War II, and its perfectly preserved medieval Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is on the itinerary of this morning's tour.  We also visit Market Square, the largest medieval town square in Europe; as well as 14th-century Wawel Castle and Cathedral before returning to our hotel.  The remainder of the day is free to do as you please.  Lunch and dinner today are on your own. [B]

Day 6
Krakow
Accommodations:  Pod Roza
This morning we tour the Wielizka Salt Mine, a UNESCO World Heritage site that is a virtual underground city, with galleries, lakes, chapels, and murals - all carved from salt.  The mine's centerpiece is the Chapel of Saint Kinga, with its chandelier and mural of the Last Supper, carved by three miners over a period of 68 years.  The mine has been a family tradition, with fathers passing their mining -- and carving -- skills on to their sons for generations.  During World War II, the Nazis actually used the mine to manufacture parts for their aircraft.  Though no longer a source of hard salt, the mine does extract and sell salt from ground water in the underground lakes.  After this fascinating tour, we return to Krakow where the remainder of the day is at leisure.  We gather for dinner tonight at a local restaurant. [B, D]

Day 7
Krakow/Slovakia/Budapest
Accommodations: Budapest Hilton
Enjoy the scenic beauty of the Tatra Mountains as we travel by bus from Poland to Hungary via Slovakia, where we stop for lunch.  Early this evening we reach the Hungarian capital of Budapest and our hotel, located in Buda's lovely and historic Castle District. [B, L]

Day 8
Budapest
Accommodations:  Hilton Budapest
Our half-day tour will introduce us to this great city, home to one in every five Hungarians.  We begin with a visit to Matthias Church (M ty s Templom), the symbol of Buda's Castle District; followed by a stroll around Fisherman's Bastion behind our hotel for spectacular views of the Pest side of the city across the river.  Looking out over the Danube to Pest you can see the Chain Bridge -- the first permanent bridge across the Danube -- connecting Buda with Pest; Margaret Island, a public park since 1908; and the huge neo-gothic House of Parliament, seat of this democratic nation's government.  Our tour also includes an inside visit of the Doh ny Synagogue with its rich but tragic history.  Built in 1859, it is the largest synagogue in Europe and the world's second largest.  Our tour ends with a visit to the Hungarian National Museum; it's the largest museum in Hungary.  This afternoon is free for independent exploration; tonight we enjoy a typical Hungarian dinner at a local restaurant. [B, D]

Day 9
Budapest
Accommodations:  Hilton Budapest
Today is free to explore "the Paris of the East" on your own.  Your tour director is on hand to offer suggestions and assist with any special arrangements.  The city's riches include the ornate Opera House, one of Budapest's most spectacular buildings and among the top opera houses in Europe.  You may wish to take a guided tour of the Opera House, or even to enjoy an evening performance there (the season runs from mid September to mid June; performances usually start at 7 p.m.).  Or visit the Thermal Bath at the Hotel Gellert, with pools of varying temperatures, steam rooms, and an outdoor artificial-wave pool; or the Museum of Fine Arts, displaying Central Europe's most important collection of foreign art.  If you'd rather be outdoors, you can walk one of the many trails in the Buda Hills or take a leisurely stroll on Margaret Island. [B]

Day 10
Budapest/Danube Bend/Vienna
Accommodations:  Hilton Vienna Plaza
We travel by bus to Vienna today via the small towns that lie along the scenic Danube Bend.  Our first stop is Szentendre, a tiny town packed with artisans' shops; here we visit the fascinating museum showcasing the works of Hungarian ceramic artist Margaret Kovacs.  We continue to Visegrad, home of Hungary's kings in the 14th and 15th centuries; the Citadel on the hilltop above Visegrad affords one of the finest views over the Danube.  We stop here for lunch before continuing to Vienna.  After arriving in the Austrian capital late this afternoon and checking in to our hotel, the remainder of the evening is free.  Dinner is on your own this evening, the perfect opportunity to sample some of Vienna's acclaimed cuisine. [B, L]
 
Day 11
Vienna
Accommodations:  Hilton Vienna Plaza
The grandeur of the Habsburg Empire comes to life today as we embark on a half-day tour of the city that was the cornerstone of Habsburg rule for centuries.  A drive along the Ringstrasse, the city's famed boulevard, gives us a wonderful overview of Vienna.  We pass the Hofburg, the former Imperial Palace; city hall; the Parliament; and the National Museum.  We stop at the storied, ornate Opera House and enjoy a guided tour of one of Europe's grandest opera houses.  Next we drive to Schonbrunn Palace for a guided inside tour of the Imperial Apartments and a stroll through the surrounding gardens.  After returning to our hotel, the remainder of the afternoon is at leisure.  The pedestrian-only Karntnerstrasse is a bustling shopping street that features all the best shops, restaurants, and coffeehouses.  Lunch is on your own.  We gather in the early evening for a traditional Wiener Schnitzel dinner at a local restaurant.  Afterwards we attend a concert of classical music in this most musical of all cities. [B, D]

Day 12
Vienna Woods
Accommodations:  Hilton Vienna Plaza
This morning we enjoy an excursion to the Vienna Woods, the eastern tip of Alpine Europe which gained fame during the heyday of the Austrian Empire, and infamy as the site of Mayerling, where in 1889 Archduke Rudolf and his mistress died mysteriously and thus changed the course of European history and led to the fall of the House of Habsburg.  The first stop on our tour is the medieval abbey of Heiligenkreuz, Austria's second oldest Cistercian monastery (1133) with Babenberg tombs, a chapel with a Romanesque nave, High Gothic choir hall, Baroque choir stalls, and Early Gothic cloisters.  We continue on past Mayerling to the medieval spa town of Baden, where we take a brief stroll through the city center before having some free time.  We return to Vienna early this afternoon and the remainder of the day is free for independent exploration.  You may wish to visit the Lipizzaner Museum; shop along the pedestrian Karntnerstrasse; visit the home of Sigmund Freud; or tour the acclaimed Museum of Fine Arts or Museum of Natural History.  [B]

Day 13
Vienna/Bratislava
Accommodations:  Radisson SAS Carlton
Mid-morning we depart for Bratislava, capital of the independent nation of Slovakia.  Upon arrival we embark on a coach and walking tour of the historic Castle area, including a visit to the 18th-century classical-style Archbishops Palace.  After checking in at our hotel, we have time to refresh before dinner tonight in the homes of gracious local families.  [B, D]

Day 14
Bratislava/Prague
Accommodations:  Grand Hotel Bohemia
This morning we leave for Prague, proud capital of the Czech Republic, filled with art, medieval architecture, historic churches, and cobblestone streets.  Along the way we stop for lunch and a brief tour of Brno, the Czech Republic's second largest city and capital of Moravia.  We reach Prague mid-afternoon and have the rest of the day to discover this wondrous city on our own.  Walking is really the only way to explore Prague; most of the oldest areas are walking zones where motor traffic is limited or prohibited.  Discover Prague's Old Town (Stare Mesto), whose ancient streets are lined with many stately buildings, churches, shops and theaters; and 14th-century Charles Bridge, Prague's most celebrated structure linking Old Town and the Castle District across the river.  All roads eventually lead to Old Town Square, a focal point of Czech history and politics.  Here you can see the historic Astronomical Clock -- at the top of the hour a mechanical parade of saints and sinners performs for passers-by. [B, L]

Day 15
Prague
Accommodations:  Grand Hotel Bohemia
This morning we tour Prague's celebrated Castle District (Hradcany).  This hilltop complex encompasses many houses, towers, churches, courtyards, and monuments.  We visit the key sites of St. Vitus Cathedral and the Royal Palace, then this afternoon is free for you to explore at your own pace.  The historical core of the city -- Hradcany, Mal  Strana (Lesser Town), Star‚ Mesto (Old Town), and Vaclavskenamesti (Wenceslas Square) -- covers about two square miles and is pedestrian-friendly.  The evening is free to enjoy your choice of restaurants in this dazzling city. [B]

Day 16
Prague
Accommodations:  Grand Hotel Bohemia
This morning join your tour director on a walk to Josefov, Prague's historic Jewish Quarter, located entirely within Star‚ Mesto.  Your tour director will provide you with entrance tickets to the Jewish Quarter so you can explore at your own pace.  With these tickets you'll have access to the following sites within Josefov:  Maisel Synagogue, now serving as the exhibition space for the Jewish Museum; the Spanish Synagogue, the "newest" synagogue in the Jewish Quarter, built in 1868; Pinkas Synagogue, where a haunting collection of paintings and drawings by children from Terezin concentration camp is on display; Klausen Synagogue, exhibiting Jewish traditions and customs; and the Old Jewish Cemetery and the adjacent Ceremonial Hall.  This afternoon is free for individual pursuits before tonight's special farewell dinner together. [B, D]

Day 17
Return to U.S.
Early this morning you'll transfer to the airport for your connecting flight to the U.S. [B]

Extension (Return to top)

Optional Post-Tour Extension in Prague: May 29-30
Spend two more nights and three days in Prague on your own. Includes 2 nights' accommodations at the Grand Bohemia (Superior First Class); 2 breakfasts and transfer to the airport.

Prague extension priced from $295