15 Days Central European Charm Circuit

About the destination: Vienna, the capital of Austria, is a city where imperial history and contemporary culture blend seamlessly. Grand boulevards, elegant palaces, and ornate coffeehouses create an atmosphere of old-world charm, while vibrant neighborhoods, modern museums, and a thriving creative scene keep the city firmly in the present. From the Ringstrasse lined with monumental buildings to cozy side streets filled with local shops and bakeries, Vienna invites you to explore at a leisurely pace. No visit is complete without discovering Vienna’s imperial heritage. Start at Schönbrunn Palace, the former summer residence of the Habsburgs, with its lavish interiors and expansive gardens. In the city center, the Hofburg complex houses the Imperial Apartments, the Sisi Museum, and the Spanish Riding School, where you can watch the famous Lipizzaner stallions. Nearby, St. Stephen’s Cathedral rises above the old town, offering panoramic views from its tower over the rooftops and the Danube. Vienna is equally renowned for its cultural life and music. The city was home to Mozart, Beethoven, and Strauss, and you can still feel that legacy in venues like the Vienna State Opera and the Musikverein, where classical concerts are held almost every night. Art lovers should head to the MuseumsQuartier to explore the Leopold Museum and the MUMOK, or visit the Kunsthistorisches Museum for one of Europe’s finest collections of Old Masters. In between sights, relax in a traditional coffeehouse, sipping a Melange and tasting a slice of Sachertorte. Beyond the monuments, Vienna is a city of green spaces and relaxed living. Walk or cycle along the Danube Canal, picnic in the Prater park beneath the iconic Giant Ferris Wheel, or take a short tram ride to the vineyards on the city’s outskirts for a glass of local wine at a Heuriger (wine tavern). Efficient public transport, safe streets, and a compact center make it easy to explore, whether you have a weekend or a week. Vienna’s mix of history, culture, and laid-back charm makes it a rewarding destination in any season.

About the destination: Salzburg, birthplace of Mozart, lies at the border of Austria and Germany. The Salzach River separated Salzburg’s old and new towns. The old town is impressive and concentrated. It centres around the broad Residenzplatz, and is largely a pedestrian zone. The relatively new town centres around Mirabellplatz and Markartplatz. Salzburg’s impressive hills rise straight out of the old town. The most conspicuous hilltop fortification is the Hohensalzburg, build over the centuries on an ancient Celtic and Roman site, and now the largest fully preserved medieval castle in Europe. For splendour of another sort visit the Schloss Mirabell and its Gardens, located right next to the Salzach River and the Mozarteum University of Music and Arts. The castle was built by an archbishop for his beloved courtesan. You can wander around extravagant rose and flower gardens and marvel at the stone dwarves in the Zwerglgarten. To learn about Mozart and his life, go to his Geburtshaus, Mozart's birth house. The street itself is worth a look, the guild signs and painted wall decorations are much as they were at the time Mozart’s birth. The house exhibits pictures, letters, and stage sets for the various operas Mozart wrote. Protected by forested mountains, Salzburg is a city of enchantment whose voice is expressed in some of the world’s most sublime music, composed by favourite son, Mozart. The age that produced the unrivalled musical genius of Mozart also built the beautiful castles and churches of Salzburg, and spawned a love of music that lives on today in Salzburg’s countless concert series and annual summer festival.

About the destination: Halfway between East and West, North and South of Europe, Bratislava is in a crossroad, bordering Austria and Hungary. It is a beautiful old city, lovely and warm, and its tranquility contrasts with the busy and active life of the present inhabitants. Surrounded by a pastoral landscape of vineyards and historic castles, occupying both banks of the River Danube, Bratislava gives a sense of time travelling. Bratislava has a delightful medieval quarter, Stare Mesto, with small and narrow streets, a castle on top of a hill near the Danube and many castles and ancient churches to explore. The old town consists of two squares, Hlavne namestie , Main Square and Hviezdoslav Square, named after the famous Slovak poet. Communist buildings that stretch endlessly along the river speak of the country’s pre-incorporation into the European Union in 2004. Since then the city has rose in fame for cultural tourism as well as becoming a thriving business centre. Visitors to Bratislava will find an ever-increasing choice of plush accommodation and a plethora of chic bars and restaurants, as well as the chance to visit its great offer of museums, galleries and modern art spaces. And when you’ve had your fill of exploring the city itself, it’s easy to escape from the hustle and bustle to walk, cycle or picnic in the forested hills that surround it – or to discover some of the many vineyards and castles of the surrounding region.

About the destination: Budapest is known as one of Europe’s most stunning cities. It may be thanks to its impressive surroundings, the Danube River that divides the city, the Buda hills to the west and the Great Plain to the east or due to its varied and beautiful architecture: Renaissance, Byzantine, Neo-Classical, and Art-Nouveau buildings coexist in perfect harmony. Its extensive World Heritage Site includes: the banks of the Danube, Buda Castle Quarter, Andrassy Avenue, Hero’s Square, and the Millennium Underground Railway. To top that, the city has 80 geothermal springs, the world’s largest water cave system where visitors can indulge in a relaxing bath. Budapest became a single city in 1873, occupying both banks of the river Danube, to the west there is Buda and Pest lays at the east. Both sides of the city have very different personalities. Buda is the quiet section of the city. Walking around Buda, travelers will be able to inspect the Castle Quarter and explore the narrow cobbled streets that lead to the Fishermen’s bastion with its fairytale towers, which represent the 7 tribes that existed in the city in the 9th century. This decorative fortification is located atop the Buda Castel Hill and offers the best panoramic view in Budapest. The eastern side, Pest, is where all the action takes place. This section of the city has a fin-de-siècle feel to it and nearly every building has some interesting or unusual detail. Visitors will be invited to take long strolls on its wide boulevards filled with all sorts of shops or enjoy a well-deserved coffee in its grand coffee houses. Pest is home to the parliament building and the Dohari street synagogue, the largest synagogue in Europe. The scars of WWII are still present in the city, bullet holes and shrapnel scorings left over from the Second World War and the 1956 Uprising are still visible in some of the facades, painful reminders of this grey period of history. There are several tributes honoring the Hungarian Jews that lost their lives, as the poignant Shoes on the Danube memorial or the Raoul Wallenberg Holocaust Memorial Park. This side of the river is also considered the cultural heart of the city with numerous art galleries and with more opera, concerts and ballet performances than there are days of the week. The capital’s best restaurants are found in Pest too, and it’s here the nightlife wrestles with until the early hours as well. For a unique drink try a Ruin Pub, Budapest’s network of bars in disused buildings that include former tenement houses, factory buildings and community centres. Budapest has combined all its influences and overcome its complex history to shape its own character, and sure it did it right.

About the destination: Prague is the capital city and largest city of the Czech Republic. It is located on the Vltava River in central bohemia. Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. For those interested in art, history, classical music, and architecture, Prague is a must see. Beautiful buildings and architecture can be seen around every corner. The River Vltava runs through the middle of Prague. Many bridges span the river but it’s the Charles Bridge, which is pedestrianized that visitors are drawn to for its combination of Gothic construction and Baroque Statues. Here there are street vendors selling all sorts of things, and in the distance on the hill is the Castle, considered the historic nexus of the city. The Old Town Square is one of two main squares in Prague and where some of the main attractions of the city are located such as the Old Town Hall Tower, the Astronomical Clock, the Church of Our Lady before Tyn and St. Nicholas Church. Since 1992, the historic center of Prague has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Prague's city center is a museum of 900 years' of architecture, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, 19th-century revivals of all of them, and Art Nouveau remain amazingly undisturbed by the 20th century. Prague is truly an architectural delight.

About the destination: Brno, the Czech Republic's second biggest city, has a rich cultural variety of fascinating sights. The capital of Moravia is a beautiful and wonderful town that has a small town feel to it. The city is surrounded by beautiful mixed forests, which offer many opportunities for tourism and cycling. The centre is very small and the sights can be easily navigated in a day. The area above Brno is dominated by the magnificent Hrad Spilberk or Spielberg Castle, the history of which is fascinating. It is now also home to the Brno City Museum and it provides excellent views of Brno and the surrounding countryside. The biggest eye-catcher in Brno's old town is Stara Radnice, the old town hall. It is a magnificent building where you can see two beloved Brno symbols, the Brno Dragon, Brněnský drak, and the Wheel. Namesti Svobody, Freedom Square, is the main square in Brno. It is a lovely place to wander round or sit and enjoy a drink at one of the numerous cafes as you indulge in a bit of people watching. The original appearance of the square changed following the extensive building alterations that took place at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, when a number of buildings were rebuilt in neo-Renaissance style. The dominant feature of the square is the baroque Plague Column dating from 1679. Charming Brno is an important tourist centre for all who want to explore the natural and cultural beauties of the South-Moravian region. Today Brno is a seat of universities and important judiciary institutions. It offers many possibilities of cultural enjoyment in its numerous theatres, museums, cinemas and clubs.