Central European Cities

Follow your Tour Director on an intimate introduction to Western Berlin. Along the journey, meet a German melting pot of crumbling pre-war buildings, sleek new office complexes, flashy designer boutiques and a metropolitan skyline blinking with neon lights. Sense the blending of east and west as you wander the center of the wall-free city to Tiergarten, the government’s quarter where Imperial parliament and Congress Hall reside. Step inside a vast English-style park originally landscaped in the 1830’s. Now a retreat for walking and boating, Tiergarten Park was formerly used by Prussian monarchs as a hunting ground, hence the name’s meaning, animal garden. Highlights include: Siegessaule, a towering victory column topped by a gilded statue celebrating Prussia’s defeat of France in 1870. (Climb all 285 steps, for panoramic vistas of the city.) Continuing along, pass the train station Bahnhof Zoo, the sole point of arrival for Westerners traveling by train in the Cold War era. End your journey in the buzzing upscale shopping mecca, Kurfürstendamm, Berlin’s version of Champs-Élysées. Between designer boutiques and haughty real estate, you’ll find pre-war coffeehouse traditions that live on.

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.

Seen as Germany’s “Little Hollywood” from 1921 through WWII, Potsdam was the dazzling city of Frederick the Great, with countless marble fountains, exotic pavilions and Baroque castles (mostly built in the name of Frederick and Prussia’s power). Among the parks are testaments of Frederick’s eclectic and sometimes odd tastes, especially the parasol-toting Buddha on the roof of the Chinesisches Teehaus pavilion and the glittering seashell-covered reception room of the Neues Palais, Frederick’s “guest house.”

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.

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). Visit 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. End your exploration among the brightly colored houses in Golden Lane, the short, narrow street named after the artisans who practiced goldworking there.

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.

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.

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.

Cruise down the middle of Budapest…literally. The Danube divides the hilly, historic Buda from the commercial flatlands of Pest. The river sweeps in a dramatic arc, called the Danube Bend, and flows along several quaint Hungarian towns.