BY RAIL
PRAGUE, VIENNA AND BUDAPEST: A TRIO OF CENTRAL EUROPEAN CITIES RAIL TOUR
11 nights / 12 days From £ 2,170 per person
Vienna
PRAGUE • VIENNA • BUDAPEST • MUNICH
This luxury rail touring holiday encompasses a trio of central European cities: Prague, Vienna and Budapest. Each city bears witness to some of the most striking events in the history of Europe and boasts an abundance of fascinating sights and places to visit including imperial palaces, ancient castles and iconic architecture.
DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY
DAY ONE Travel from London to Zurich by train Begin your holiday by travelling to Zurich by rail. You will catch the Eurostar from London to Paris and after changing stations, carry on to Zurich on a direct service which takes a further 4 hours. Once in Zurich, time to have supper near the station before continuing your journey on the EuroNight overnight sleeper train to Prague. Or, fly from London to Prague( this makes a total of 9 nights if you fly out and back).
DAY TWO Arrive in Prague You will arrive in Prague mid-morning if travelling by sleeper train. Check into your hotel in Prague for 3 nights
DAYS THREE AND FOUR In Prague You have two full days in Prague to take in the cultural highlights. Take a stroll across Charles Bridge as it spans the River Vltava and links the old town with the Mala Strana( lesser or little town) and continue uphill towards Prague Castle, one of the city’ s most popular sights. St Vitus Cathedral is near to the castle and can be seen from around the city. Spend another day exploring Prague’ s old town where you can enjoy Old Town Square, the Astronomical Clock( dating from 1410 and the oldest astronomical clock in the world that is still working) and Wenceslas Square. Prague enjoys a cultural reputation of immense stature in Europe and there are numerous opera and concert performances that can be booked. Unique to Prague is the Laterna Magika where classical principles of non-verbal theatre mingle with dance, film images and black light theatre. Prague’ s rich cultural heritage can be experienced in visits to any number of museums in the city: Czech museum of music, Mucha museum, Frank Kafka museum, Antonin Dvorak museum, the Narodni museum and the City of Prague museum. Be sure to taste traditional pork or beef and dumplings at a typical Old Town restaurant.
DAY FIVE Prague to Vienna by train After a leisurely final breakfast in Prague, depart on a mid-morning direct train service to Vienna where you will arrive four hours later. Stay in Vienna for 3 nights.
DAYS SIX AND SEVEN In Vienna You have two full days to explore Vienna at leisure. Vienna, on the banks of the River Danube, has been at the heart of central European history since the Roman times. Vienna never fails to impress and satisfy the visitor eager for historical and cultural references.‘ Dream and reality’ still resonate and your days in Vienna can be filled with a mixture of galleries, museums, opera, concerts or eating and drinking in a‘ Heuriger’ in the Vienna Woods. The history of
Vienna can be witnessed in the Roman Museum, the Neidhart frescoes dating from the 1400s, the mediaeval Basiliskenhaus, the Imperial Palace and the numerous Jugendstil buildings, and of course in the City of Vienna museum. The Hofburg contains numerous national collections from the Crown Jewels to the Imperial armoury. On your second day in Vienna you may wish to explore the city’ s inextricable relationship with music. Take time to listen to the Mozart Orchestra playing in the Musikverein, and to enjoy coffee and cake at Demel’ s. A fun way to see the sights of the city is to take a tram around the Ringstrasse, hopping off and on as you want.
DAY EIGHT Vienna to Budapest by train Depart your hotel in the morning and take a direct train from Vienna to Budapest. This journey takes under 3 hours, following the course of the River Danube, and you will arrive in the afternoon. Stay in Budapest for 3 nights.
DAYS NINE AND TEN In Budapest Enjoy two full days in Budapest exploring the treelined boulevards of Pest and the cobbled hilly streets of Buda. The city straddles a curve in the River Danube and is packed with interesting sights to visit on foot but also easily reached by underground. Visit the Castle District in Buda where you can find mediaeval buildings such as the Royal Palace which
98 To speak to our specialist rail holidays team telephone 01392 441250 or see www. expressionsholidays. co. uk