Budapest, Vienna & Prague - Jewish Interest

Day 1 – Budapest

Upon arrival in Budapest you will be met and transferred to your hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure to enjoy the city.

Day 2 – Budapest

A morning panoramic tour features the impressive House of Parliament, medieval Castle District, Fishermen’s Bastion, Matthias Church, Heroes’ Square and Gellert Hill with its magnificent panoramic views of the city. This afternoon, half-day Jewish interest tour features the old Jewish section of the city. Visit the Dohany Street Synagogue, built in 1859; it is the largest in Europe and has been magnificently restored. Continue to the Memorial Jewish Museum, one of the most valuable collections of Jewish culture in all of central Europe. Stop at the unique “Weeping Willow” Holocaust Memorial, dedicated to the 500,000 Jews who perished during the Nazi reign of terror. Take a walk around in the ancient Jewish Ghetto. View Rumbach & Kazinczy synagogues. Drive along the Danube to St. Stephen’s Park to see World War II Victims Memorial. Return to your hotel. (B)

Day 3 – Budapest

This morning you’re off to Szentendre, the charming artists’ colony. Walk through the quaint, winding streets lined with shops and galleries. Visit the Margit Kovacs Museum (if open). After a stop for coffee at a local café, return to Budapest where the balance of the day is at leisure.
In the evening, see the beautiful sights of Budapest (the famous Chain Bridge, the Buda Castle, the Parliament Building and more) on a cruise along the Danube River. (B)

Day 4 – Budapest / Vienna

Depart for Vienna. Remainder of the day is at leisure to enjoy one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. (B)

Day 5 – Vienna

This sparkling city on the Danube has captivated travelers for years with its elegant shops, world-class museums, beautiful parks, gardens and magnificent historic sites. Your morning sightseeing tour includes the Parliament building, City Hall, the prestigious State Opera House and the majestic Hofburg. This exciting morning will be followed by a visit to the imperial Schonbrunn Palace, known as the “Versailles of Austria.” The balance of the day is at leisure. (B)

Day 6 – Vienna

During your morning private walking tour you will learn about the Jewish life and heritage in Vienna from past to present. You will see the monuments of the first district such as the Memorial against War and Fascism at Albertinaplatz; you will visit the Jewish Museum of Vienna at Palais Eskeles: besides its rich collection of Judaica, the Museum also chronicles the story of Viennese Jewry and its impact on the development of this city. Names like Sigmund Freud, Gustav Mahler, Arnold Schoenberg, Martin Buber, and Stefan Zweig will forever be associated with the cultural prominence of Vienna. You will then walk thru the narrow streets to visit the Judenplatz Museum and the Judenplatz. Medieval Jewish traditions and presence thrived here until 1421, when the City Temple was destroyed. Today, this vast open square is dominated by the touching new Holocaust Memorial; and several prominent Jewish organizations have returned to the surrounding buildings. Also see the Hoher Market and the Seitenstettengasse in the very heart of Vienna’s Old Town. Pass by the Stadttempel, Vienna’s only surviving pre-war Synagogue, which today also houses the Community Offices and the Chief Rabbinate. The tour will end near the State Opera House.
In the afternoon, drive past the Roman spa resort of Baden which brings you to the romantic Helenental and the former hunting lodge at Mayerling. After a visit to the Cistercian Abbey of Heiligenkreuz, enjoy a relaxing boat ride on Europe’s largest subterranean lake. Return to Vienna for an afternoon at leisure. (B)

Day 7 – Vienna / Prague

Depart for Prague, capital of the Czech Republic. Drive through the lush, picturesque landscape of Southern Bohemia. Stop in Mikulov, situated in the very heart of a wine region. Enjoy a view of the chateau on the rock. It has been a unique dominant of the Mikulov skyline for centuries. For three hundred years – from the mid-16th to the mid-19th centuries – it was the political, religious, and cultural center of the Moravian Jews. Some of the houses of an extensive 15th century ghetto survived. Unique synagogue (the only one in the area of Central Europe built in so-called Polish style) has been preserved. Great personalities – such as the Maharal, the Tosafot Yom Tov and r. Shimshon Raphael Hirsch were serving here as chief rabbis of Moravia. In the cemetery, which is the largest in the area, are buried r. Shmuel Shmelke from Nikolsburg, r. Mordechai Benneth, r. Menachem Mendel Krochmal (Tzemach Tzedek), and r. Gabriel Eshkeles from Cracow (Minchat Yitzhak) and many others. Late afternoon arrival to Prague. (B.L)

Day 8 – Prague

Morning tour of historical Prague includes Hradcany Castle, seat of Bohemian kings and Roman emperors, with its St. Vitus Cathedral and vaulted halls of the Royal Palace. Then, on to quaint and picturesque Golden Lane with Franz Kafka’s house. You’ll pass the enchanting Charles Bridge before returning to your hotel. An afternoon walking tour to the old Jewish Quarter includes the Jewish State Museum, which is comprised of a vast network of buildings and synagogues. Continue along the winding cobblestone lanes to the Gothic Town Hall and the incredible Astronomical Clock, built in 1490. (B)

Day 9 – Prague

A morning drive to the Renaissance Chateau of Konopiste, formerly owned by the Archduke Franz Ferdinand d’Este, whose assassination in 1914 led to the start of World War I. View extraordinary hunting collections, paintings, china and other treasures from the Hapsburg Empire. The Chateau is set amidst a large park with a beautiful Rose Garden. After the tour, return to Prague for an afternoon at leisure. (B)

Day 10 – Prague

A full day at leisure is yours to enjoy in this “golden city” of Central
Europe. (B)

Day 11 – Departure

Transfer to the airport for departure flight. (B)