Central European Cities

Join a professional, licensed tour guide as you discover one of the most historical cities in Germany. Although nothing remains of the mortar and cement-block barrier between East and West Berlin, the Berlin Wall (built in 1961; destroyed in 1989) is still a main “site” in Berlin. View the well-known Brandenburg Gate, once a main gate hidden behind a 10-foot barrier and now known for celebratory dancing on its flat top during the reunification. Travel to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, the most famous border crossing point. Checkpoint Charlie, once a wooden guard hut, was the most (in)famous border-crossing point between East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989. All that remains of the checkpoint itself is a skeletal watchtower and a memorial of attempted escapees. Follow your guide as they lead you through the museum’s accounts of the most ingenious of these escape attempts— even a few by hot air balloon.

Follow the route of the Berlin Wall viewing numerous crosses and wreaths to remind us of the tragedies which occurred after the wall was built in 1961.

Spend time at the Brandenburg Gate, a triumphal arch, which stood in "no man's land" between East and West Berlin during the Cold War and became a symbol of a divided Germany. Enter the Room of Silence, built into one of the guardhouses, where visitors gather to meditate and reflect on Germany's past.

Visit the museum that documents the history and significance of the most famous crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War.

Visit the Neues Palais, ordered by Frederick the Great, including the Palace, the Grotto, and the Theater.

Take interactive learning to another level with a Tour Director-led treasure hunt of Alexanderplatz, Berlin's most famous public square! Enjoy an after-dinner adventure, complete exciting activities and solve fun clues. Each clue and every activity is built to maximize on-tour experiential learning.

Stop in Dresden for a visit to the Baroque-style Zwinger Museum where Bavarian Princes once lived and collected master art works. The museum’s exterior, framed by statues of gods and goddesses, boasts 6 linked pavilions surrounding a vast esplanade embellished with pools and fountains. Tucked safely inside, you’ll find masterpieces such as Raphael’s Sistine Madonna and great works by Van Eyck, Vermeer and Veronese. The grand collection of Meissen (European porcelain) is a flattering ode to fine china.

Explore the massive hallways and high-vaulted rooms of the grand Zwinger Palace in Dresden, which is considered a major landmark for German Baroque architecture. Housed inside this impressive building is a collection of artifacts documenting Dresden’s cultural heritage, including old master paintings and old scientific instruments.

Follow a professional licensed tour guide on a sightseeing adventure through the most prized city in Eastern Europe. As the former capital of the Holy Roman Empire, the city was built on beauty and decadence from a wide array of architectural styles (including Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Art Nouveau). See Hradcany (Prague Castle) where Europe’s grand ruling family, the Habsburgs, lived and reigned. Wander into the castle’s courtyard to view the richly textured flying buttresses of St. Vitus Cathedral, the sacred structure that took 600 years to complete.

St. Vitus Cathedral is the most important and the largest church in Prague. It is situated at the Prague Castle and it is a burial place of former Czech Kings. The Czech Crown Jewels and a large treasure are kept there. St. Vitus Cathedral has two parts: the Gothic eastern tract with the main tower, built in the 14th century, and the western neo-Gothic part with two spires, built in the 19th century.

Feel the inspiration for Franz Kafka’s novels as you stroll the medieval streets of the Mala Strana (Little Quarter). Cross the Charles Bridge (lined with 30 lifelike baroque statues) to 13th-century Old Town to see the 15th-century astronomical clock in Market Square. Stop in Josefov (Jewish Quarter), to view Europe’s oldest synagogue, dating from 1270.

Stroll across the stunning Charles Bridge which spans 16 arches and is lined with 30 Baroque statues of religious figures.

Travel to Auschwitz, Nazi Germany’s largest internment and extermination camp, to pay your respects and remember the millions of innocent men, women and children who were killed there during Hitler’s reign.

Untouched by bombing during World War II, Krakow has maintained much of its delicate beauty and rich history. (UNESCO has declared the entire city one of the 12 most significant historic sites in the world.) Its magnificent airy castle, built by Sigismund the Old in an Italian villa style, was the seat of Poland's royal government. The Rynek Glówny, medieval Europe's largest town square, dealt with more mundane concerns, and the market stalls and merchants that still congregate here carry on the old traditions.

Explore the Kazimierz Jewish Quarter, the main cultural center of the Polish Jews. Its soul perished during the traumatic events of the Second World War, but many of the buildings, and their Yiddish inscriptions, survived. Today, revival of Jewish life and activity in Kazimierz is becoming visible in the number of restored buildings.

Travel with a professional licensed tour guide through the meandering streets of Budapest. Wave to the 90 statues of Hungarian historical heroes that line the outside of the Neo-Gothic Hungarian Parliament. Continue through Castle Hill, the historic center of Buda, on your way to Fisherman's Bastion, a lookout tower behind the Matthias Church where residents once gazed upon the thriving fishing settlement. Head to the Royal Palace on Castle Hill, the original site of the castle built in the 13th century. Visit Matthias Church, as riotously painted as an Easter egg. Bet your traveling companions to find an unpainted inch of the church’s interior (a sure win for you). Originally named the Church of the Blessed Virgin in Buda and converted into a mosque when Ottoman armies seized Buda in 1541, the church, with its multi-colored tin roof, is one of the most photographed sights in Budapest. Descend the stairway to the right of the altar for a quick journey into the crypt and treasury.