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Experience the history, culture and bohemian beauty of Central Europe, from Germany through to Italy

Journey along the enchanting road through Bohemia on this adventure-filled tour from Germany to Italy. Travelling from historical landmarks and medieval squares to magical hilltop castles and romantic canals, this is an architectural extravaganza that cannot be missed. Wander among imposing Iron Curtain relics in Berlin, experience bohemian hospitality in an underground Prague bar and stroll the banks of the sparkling River Danube on a visit to Budapest. With the freedom to choose your own adventure in each city, you'll be captivated by the mysteries that are revealed on this tour of Central Europe.

Start
Berlin, Germany
Finish
Venice, Italy
Destinations
Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovenia
Style
Basix
Theme
Explorer
Code
AMRB
Physical rating
Ages
Min 15
Group size
Min 1, Max 16

Why you'll love this trip

  • Begin your adventure in Berlin, an exciting city with a complex history. Use your free time to see remaining fragments of the famous wall that once divided the city in half.

  • Soak up the royal history of Krakow's Wawel Castle and step back in time with a stroll through its medieval main square.

  • Immerse yourself in the bohemian vibes of the Czech Republic. Soak up the smooth sounds of jazz at a low-lit bar in Prague before stepping right into a fairytale in the World Heritage-listed town of Cesky Krumlov.

  • Enjoy a scenic walk along the banks of the River Danube in Budapest. Threaded with bridges and hemmed in by castles and historic buildings, Europe’s second longest river is also one of its most beautiful.

  • Escape city life on the peaceful shores of Lake Bled in Slovenia. Visit a church on the tiny island in the centre of the lake and treat yourself to a slice of Bled's famous cream cake.

Is this trip right for you?

  • This is a Basix trip. Please make yourself familiar with our Basix style of travel. Our trips are full of fun, flexibility and plenty of free time to explore each destination at your own pace. We will, however, take you on regular orientation walks, so you'll be on your feet quite a lot. While this may be tiring for some, it’s the best way to get your head around a place and to set yourself up for further discoveries.

  • As accommodation on this trip is twin or multi-share (Cesky Krumlov), you will share a room with other travellers of the same gender. This trip is a great opportunity to get to know other like-minded people, so embrace it while you can. Also, hotels in Europe often don't have double beds, but rather two single beds that can be pushed together/apart. Rooms can be rather small, especially compared to American or Australian standards, and in most cases bathroom facilities will be shared rather than ensuite. Please note that a single supplement is not available on this trip.

  • Summer temperatures can be very high in many of the regions visited (over 40°C), which can be uncomfortable. It’s important to use sun protection, wear layers to combat the heat, and drink plenty of water. Please keep in mind that many European hotel rooms are not equipped with air-conditioning. Please carefully consider the time of the year you wish to travel and your suitability to that season.

  • The primary means of transportation on this trip is by train. Train travel is a fast way to traverse long distances, allowing you to avoid traffic jams and arrive right into the city centre. Trains are comfortable and often decked out with air-conditioning, toilets, a snack bar (or vending machine) and power points. Please note that you'll have to carry your own luggage on and off the train, as well as some short distances to the hotel (no longer than 30min), so make sure it doesn’t exceed our weight and size recommendations. You can find this information in the 'What to Take' section of the trip notes.

  • In many of the location we will be using different modes of local transport; trams, buses or metro; as this is often an adventure in itself, it may also bring some challenges – running up and down the stairs in metro stations or sharing a busy bus ride with local commuters. Please make sure you’ll prepare yourself for that!

Map of Berlin to Venice including Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and Italy
A night market in Warsaw, Poland
The old town streets of Prague, Czech Republic
Take a photo or two in Warsaw, Poland
Rooftop view of Cesky Krumlov in Czech Republic
Intrepid watches the sunset over Lake Bled in Slovenia
An Intrepid group enjoy a drink in a bar in Budapest, Hungary

Itinerary
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This itinerary is valid for departures from 01 Jan 2020 to 31 Dec 2020.
 View the 2019 itinerary

Guten Tag! Welcome to Germany. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm. There are no activities planned until this important meeting, so feel free to arrive at any time during the day and explore this vibrant capital. There are many unique memorials and sites holding significance in Berlin's more recent history, which are all designed to provoke thought as well as commemorate. These include the Jewish Memorial, the empty shelves of Bebelplatz and the confronting Topography of Terror. After your welcome meeting, perhaps join with your new friends for an optional group dinner. Berlin is a haven for good food, with a mix of classic German, Bavarian and Italian influences. Afterwards, why not spend an evening celebrating life as the locals do - at a bar, lounge, nightclub or embracing some live music.
Accommodation
  • Hostel (1 night)
Optional Activities
  • Urban Adventures - Storyline of Berlin - EUR61
  • Urban Adventures - Hidden Berlin - EUR51
  • Urban Adventures - Food and Art in Funky Kreuzberg - EUR78
Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.
Special Information
It’s very important that you attend the welcome meeting as we will be collecting insurance details and next of kin information at this time. If you are going to be late please let your travel agent or hotel reception know. Ask reception or look for a note in the lobby for more information on where the meeting will take place.

Morning and part of the afternoon are free, so perhaps wander through the Brandenburg Gate and witness the crumbling remnants of the Berlin Wall that are scattered all over the city. Checkpoint Charlie and its museum overlook the former border checkpoint dividing East and West, explaining how the city came to be divided overnight and its attempts to escape from behind the Iron Curtain. Or maybe you'd like to cycle the city, or visit the Brandenburg Gate, the iconic Reichstag building or the powerful Holocaust Memorial. There also is some great street art in Berlin, especially around the neighbourhoods of Mitte, Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain. In the late afternoon, you'll board an overnight train for Krakow in Poland. Don’t be late!
Accommodation
  • Overnight sleeper train (1 night)
Optional Activities
  • Museum Pass, 3 Day Ticket - EUR29
  • Bike Tour - EUR28
  • Jewish Museum - EUR8
  • National History Museum - EUR8
  • Pergamon Museum - EUR13
  • River Cruise Sightseeing Tour - EUR25
  • Berlin Zoo and Aquarium - EUR20
  • Berliner Dom - EUR7
  • Berlin TV Tower - EUR16
  • Checkpoint Charlie Museum - EUR14
  • German History Museum - EUR8
  • Kulturforum Potsdamer Platz - EUR8
  • Reichstag (time slot must be booked online in advance) - Free
  • Schloss Charlottenburg - EUR21
  • Story of Berlin Museum - EUR12
  • Topography of Terror - Free
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Arrive into Krakow, your base for the next two nights. After arrival, follow your leader on a city orientation walk and step back in time as your wander the World Heritage-listed old town, shopping for amber jewellery or local crafts. Discover Wawel Royal Castle which sits atop a hill next to the Vistula River. Check out the 13th-century town square of Rynek Glowny and get a glimpse of the impressive St Mary's Basilica (which features an extraordinary wood-carved Gothic altarpiece). Another beautiful church is the neo-Gothic St Francis' Basilica, which boasts some of Poland's best Art Nouveau. This city is also home to the second oldest university in Central Europe, Jagiellonian Univeristy (the oldest is in Prague). It counts Copernicus and Pope John Paul II among its alumni.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Optional Activities
  • Urban Adventure - Home Cooked Krakow - EUR60
  • Urban Adventures - Markets and Flavors of Krakow - EUR76
  • Urban Adventures - Food by Foot - EUR73
Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.
Special Information
If you would like to learn more about the history of World War II at the former Nazi concentration camp in Auschwitz, please note that pre booking of the tickets is necessary. It would be advisable to pre book your tickets as soon as you confirmed your travels. To do so, please visit the official museum website. You can also ask your leader to help you at the beginning of the trip, but there’s no guarantee tickets will be available then. Depending on availability, tickets can be booked for today or tomorrow. A guided visit is the only option and takes approximately 2.5 hours plus transfer times that may need a separate booking. These transfers can be organised at the start of the trip.

If you can tear yourself away from Krakow on your free day, head out to the Wieliczka Salt Mines, a network of tunnels and chambers some 135 metres below the ground. This is a salt mine that has been in operation for over 700 years. The mine has a labyrinth of tunnels, pits and chambers, all hewn by hand from solid salt, with beautifully adorned chapels and underground lakes. Don't miss a look at the elaborate salt chandeliers and carvings in the Blessed Kinga Chapel. Alternatively, you might like to take a sobering day trip out to Auschwitz and Birkenau, the sites of some of the Holocaust's worst atrocities. Perhaps end the day in one of Krakow's many cellar restaurants for a plate of pierogi and a drink.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Optional Activities
  • Bike Tour - Day or Night - PLN60
  • Galicia Jewish Museum - PLN15
  • History Museum - PLN8
  • St. Mary's Basilica - PLN10
  • Wawel Royal Castle - PLN25
  • Wieliczka Salt Mines tour - PLN145
  • State Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau Tour - PLN155
  • Walking tour - Krakow - Free
Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.

Take a minivan trip to the town of Ostrava (approximately 2.5 hours), then board the train to Prague (approximately 3 hours). After arrival and check in to our hotel, the leader will show you the highlights of this beautiful city on an orientation walk. Prague's architecture can be traced from the Middle Ages through to the avant-garde of the Gehry-designed Dancing Building (also called the Fred and Ginger Building). Spend your free afternoon at Prague Castle, the biggest in the Czech Republic, where you'll find the famous St Vitus Cathedral and Golden Lane. Wander through the old Jewish Quarter to see what remains of the city's formerly significant Jewish community.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Optional Activities
  • Urban Adventure - Prague Discovery - EUR66
  • Urban Adventure - Prague Beer and Czech Tapas Tour - EUR68
  • Urban Adventure - Bohemian Tastes and Neighborhoods - EUR58
Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.

Today is a free day to explore the many amazing sights that Prague has to offer. With beautiful architecture, delicious food, and many weird and wonderful attractions you will not struggle to fill your day!
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Optional Activities
  • Bike tour - CZK490
  • Jewish Quarter - CZK500
  • Kafka Museum - CZK200
  • Day Trip to Kutna Hora - CZK250
  • Mucha Museum - CZK240
  • Museum of Communism - CZK190
  • National Museum - CZK120
  • Prague - Castle Entrance - CZK350
  • Sedlec Ossuary - CZK90
  • Church of St Barbara - CZK60
  • Town Hall Clock Tower - CZK250
Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.

Depart Prague and travel by bus to Cesky Krumlov (approximately 4 hours). This picturesque medieval town dates back to the 13th century and appears to be plucked straight out of a fairytale. Wander the cobbled alleyways of the old town and admire the buildings. A great way to discover the town is to join a tour guided by a local – you will learn about the architectural symbolism and old town mysteries from an expert. Climb up to the castle perched on a hill and check out its fabulous Masquerade Hall and admire the sensational views that can be seen from the tower. Weather and time permitting, take a relaxing 2–3-hour rafting or canoeing trip along the river that runs right through town.
Accommodation
  • Hostel (1 night)
Optional Activities
  • Brewery tour - CZK130
  • Cesky Krumlov - Canoe Trip - CZK700
  • Cesky Krumlov - Guided walking tour - CZK300
  • Egon Schiele Art Centrum - CZK160
  • Raft/canoe trip per person - CZK1200
  • Guided castle tour - CZK250
Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.
Special Information
Today’s accommodation is on multi-share basis. In our atmospheric hostel in Cesky Krumlov we use quadruple, triple and some twin rooms as well as little apartment-like rooms.

Take a minivan to the cosmopolitan city of Vienna – there is so much to explore here! After arrival, your leader will help you to decide by showing you the city centre on foot, followed by a free afternoon to explore the city. Art lovers will be delighted by the vast array of museums on offer, including the Albertina, the Leopold, Kunsthalle Wien and the Museum of Modern Art. Those with an interest in 19th and 20th century Austrian art should visit the Belvedere Palace, home to Gustav Klimt's painting 'The Kiss'. Check out the colourful Hundertwasserhaus or admire the dome of the Secession building. Perhaps visit Hofburg Palace, once the imposing winter retreat of Habsburg royals and now the official residence of the Austrian president. Apparently, no visit to Vienna is complete without attending an opera or concert. Check what Vienna State Opera House has on offer (worth doing that in advance) and immerse yourself in the city’s immense musical pedigree.
Accommodation
  • Hostel (1 night)
Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.

Free day in Vienna will give you more time to visit places you didn’t manage to get to yesterday. Climb the tower of St Stephen's Cathedral, take a spin on the Prater Ferris Wheel or catch a dressage show at the Spanish Riding School. Head to Schoenbrunn Palace, which was designed by Empress Maria Theresa herself. The gardens are free to all visitors but there is a charge for entrance and tours of the palace. Avoid long queues by pre-booking your tickets at schoenbrunn.at. After all this sightseeing, you might like to indulge in a traditional Viennese coffee and Sacher torte, before capping off the evening with a spot of Mozart, Bach or Schubert at the opera house.
Accommodation
  • Hostel (1 night)
Optional Activities
  • Albertina Museum - EUR13
  • Vienna - Belvedere Lower Gallery - EUR13
  • Hofburg Palace and Sisi Museum - EUR14
  • Vienna - Leopold Museum - EUR13
  • Vienna - Prater Ferris Wheel - EUR10
  • Vienna - Schoenbrunn Palace - EUR14
  • Vienna - Spanish Riding School Practice - EUR28
  • St Stephen's Tower - EUR5
  • Vienna - Vienna Boys Choir concert - EUR70
Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.
Special Information
The Spanish Riding School doesn't operate throughout the summer months. You will need to book tickets in advance to see the performance of the Lipizzaners. Phone +43 (0)1 505 77 66 55 or e-mail info@viennaticketoffice.com to arrange tickets.

Travel from Vienna to Budapest by train (approximately 3 hours). Known as the 'Pearl of the Danube', Budapest's grand architecture and boulevards evoke a bygone era. Your leader will introduce you to the city by taking you for an orientation walk. With so much to see and do, in your free time head out to Statue Park to see the communist monuments that were removed from the city after the fall of the Iron Curtain. One unmissable activity is a soak in one of the city's many hot thermal baths. The baths feature pools of varying degrees; some even have whirlpools or built-in seats where you can relax or play a game of chess. Dinner comes, best way to feast in Budapest is to grab a bowl of hearty Hungarian goulash.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Budapest market visit and picnic
Optional Activities
  • Urban Adventures - Buda Castle Explorer - EUR52
  • Urban Adventures - Bites & Sights - EUR74
Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.

Enjoy a free day in the Pearl of the Danube. Perhaps explore the historical Buda castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings. Forget about the bustling city and lose yourself in the history of the winding streets of Castle District, which dates back to the 13th century, and soak up the atmosphere of a beloved mid-19th-century local pastry shop. In the afternoon perhaps take one of the tourist boat trips along the Danube River for spectacular views of the Parliament Building, the Castle District and the bridges linking Buda to Pest. The spectacle is particularly beautiful at night.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Optional Activities
  • Bike Ride - HUF6000
  • Great Synagogue - HUF4850
  • House of Terror - HUF3000
  • Hungarian National Museum - HUF1600
  • Hungarian State Opera House Tour - HUF3000
  • Parliament Tour - HUF5800
  • Pub Crawl - Starting from - HUF5000
  • Thermal Bath - Starting from - HUF4500
  • Transport and Entry to Statue Park - HUF5000
  • Budapest Central Market - Free
  • Urban Adventures - Buda Castle Explorer - EUR52
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Take a train (approximately 8 hours) to Ljubljana, followed by a connecting bus to the town of Bled, situated at the edge of the Julian Alps. Arrive in the late afternoon and follow your leader to the shore of beautiful Lake Bled, from where many of the town’s attractions can be seen and explained. For a taste of the local cuisine, some Bled cake is a must, made of vanilla, custard, cream and pastry. Alternatively, join the group for dinner (optional) to taste some Slovenian specialties.
Accommodation
  • Guesthouse (1 night)
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

No better place to get active than in Bled! Today you have a free day to go for a lake walk (or run if you feel like!) in the morning, and perhaps enjoy a full day adventure around Triglav Massive. There are many outdoor activities available here to get the blood pumping, such as rafting, caving, canoeing and swimming. Why not hire a bike and head 4 kilometres out of town to Vintgar Gorge, where you can take a walk through a beautiful natural canyon. Perhaps explore Bled Castle, perched atop the cliff overlooking the lake, or catch a pletna (small wooden boat) over to the island in the middle of the lake to ring the wishing bell. Another option is to take a day trip to Lake Bohinj, situated in a glaciated valley. There, you can ascend Mt Vogel by cable car for awesome views of the ranges. If the weather is clear, you may even see out to Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia (note that the weather on top of Mt Vogel varies greatly; it's a ski resort in the winter). Check with your leader for all the options and book in advance so that you don’t miss out. If you’d prefer to have a relaxing day and just enjoy the beauty of the place; perhaps find a quite spot near the lake and spend a day reading your book.
Accommodation
  • Guesthouse (1 night)
Optional Activities
  • Mountain Bike Hire - EUR15
  • Pletna Boat Trip - EUR14
  • Bled Canyoning - EUR60
  • Bled Castle - EUR11
  • River rafting - EUR55
  • Bus and cable car trip to Mt Vogel - EUR25
  • Bled Emerald River Adventure (full day) - EUR110
Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.

Travel by train through stunning scenery to one of the world's most unique cities, Venice (approximately 5.5 hours). A city of canals, Venice is built over a hundred small islands connected by 400 bridges. On arrival, head out for an orientation walk with your tour leader – the best way to do this is by foot, taking in all the famous sights – the Grand Canal, the Rialto Bridge, the Palace of the Doge (the ruler of Venice), the Piazza San Marco with its golden Basilica, and of course the evocative Bridge of Sighs. Wander the cobblestone streets and spacious piazzas, crossing hundreds of tiny bridges. There are shops, markets, galleries and churches around every corner. Conclude the day by tasting delicious Italian food during a dinner with your group.
Accommodation
  • Hotel (1 night)
Optional Activities
  • Doge's Palace and Bridge of Sighs - EUR20
  • Guggenheim Museum - EUR15
  • St Mark's Campanile - EUR8
  • St Mark's Basilica Treasury - EUR5
  • Accademia Gallery - EUR15
  • Venezia Ca' d'Oro - EUR14
  • Gondola Ride - EUR80
  • Urban Adventures - Chicchetti of Venice - EUR80
Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.

On the final day of the trip, there are no activities planned and you are free to depart the accommodation at any time.
Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.

Meals

3 breakfasts

Transport

Metro, Overnight sleeper train, Private Bus, Private minibus, Private vehicle, Public bus, Taxi, Train

Accommodation

Guesthouse (2 nights), Hostel (5 nights), Hotel (5 nights), Overnight Sleeper Train (1 night), pension (1 night)

Included activities

  • Budapest market visit and picnic

Dates & availability

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Important notes

SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
Single supplement is not available on this trip.

Essential trip information

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