Day 1: Warsaw, Poland. The tour begins. Depart Manila in the morning via your favourite airline. Arrival at Warsaw airport where you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel. This evening, join your fellow travellers for a welcome dinner in hotel. (D)

 

Day 2: Warsaw. Included half day sightseeing. The sightseeing route leads through the marvellous Old Town that was completely destroyed during WWII and rebuilt so painstakingly that it in 1980 it was inscribed on the UNESCO Heritage List. You will have opportunity to see the Old Town Market Square, the New Town, The Barbican, St. John’s Cathedral and the Royal Castle. (You will not miss the poignant Monument to the Warsaw Uprising) and the Saxon Gardens with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. You will see also Warsaw’s Great Theatre with an interesting Apollonian Quadriga in its tympanum, and stroll along the Royal Route to the Holy Cross Church containing the urn with Chopin’s heart. You can prolong your tour visiting the Warsaw City Museum or have a coffee at the famous Blikle Cafè. The afternoon is at leisure for you to relax or to visit the observation terrace on the 30th floor of the enormous Palace of Culture, and the impressive Baroque royal residence area Wilanow, once a home to King John III Sobieski. (B, D)

 

Day 3: Warsaw / Czestochowa / Krakow. Included visits of Czestochowa and Oswiecim. Drive to Krakow via Czestochowa, a religious and spiritual capital of Poland, where you will see the miraculous Black Madonna painting at the Jasna Góra Monastery and the Treasury Room with precious gifts given to the Pauline Monastery. The Black Madonna is world-renowned with more than 5 million pilgrims flocking to Czestochowa yearly to pay their respects. Original accounts of the numerous and spectacular miracles attributed to this icon are preserved in the archives at Jasna Gora. Continue to Oświecim for a tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau, a former Nazi concentration camp, a silent witness of human tragedy and the biggest factory of death in the history of humanity. An expert local guide will walk you through the officers’ barracks, the various prison cells and the famous entrance gate, as they discuss the history of the prison and many of the hardships that occurred within those walls. Later this afternoon you will arrive in Krakow. Dinner in hotel. (B. D)

 

Day 4: Krakow. Included half day sightseeing. This day will be spent entirely in Krakow. Krakow is the old capital of Poland and the historical seat of Polish kings, a city much different from Warsaw. You’ll explore Krakow’s historic Old Town, featuring Market Square, St. Mary’s Church, the university, and Wawel Castle, a former residence of Polish kings. You will also see the Wawel Cathedral, where Pope John Paul II once preached. The afternoon is at leisure for you to relax or to plan a short walk in the Jewish Old Town Kazimierz with its synagogues. (B, D)

 

Day 5: Krakow / Budapest After breakfast departure for Budapest. Drive through the magnificent Polish Tetra Mountains, then through Slovakia (Banska Bystrica) and the scenic countryside. After arrival, time to relax or afternoon orientation walk of the city. Dinner in hotel. (B. D)

 

Day 6: Budapest. Included sightseeing. One of Europe’s most fascinating, culture-packed cities, Budapest is split by the legendary Danube, with ancient Buda to the west and Pest, its modern centre to the east. Today our included tour includes all the must-see sights, starting with a drive past the Parliament and across the magnificent Margaret Bridge to Buda to see the Royal Castle and Fishermen’s Bastion before touring spectacular Matthias Church (inside). After a photo stop at the Citadel, we return to Pest via the Elizabeth Bridge, viewing the splendid Heroes’ Square, State Opera House and St Stephen’s Basilica. As a taste of the city’s most famous attractions, the tour will fill you with exciting ideas for exploring the city on your own. Stroll along the Danube, browse for glass and porcelain souvenirs in the Vaci Utci shopping district and relax at one of the countless and congenial outdoor cafes and restaurants. (B, D)

 

Day 7: Budapest / Prague After breakfast, departure for the Czech Republic. Drive via Bratislava and Brno to Prague. Afternoon free orientation walk of the "golden" and "incomparable" Prague - the city of the legendary Jewish personalities such as Rabbi Loew ("the Maharal"), David Gans and Rabbi Avigdor Kora. Dinner in hotel. (B. D.)

 

Day 8: Prague. Included sightseeing. The city has a wealth of Gothic and baroque architecture that perhaps inspired Dvorak and Smetana, both Prague composers. The included half day guided sightseeing features landmarks such as the National Theatre, Belvedere, Charles Bridge, and the old Town Hall with the Astronomical Clock. This introduction will wet your appetite to see more of Prague on your own and explore places of particular interest to you. (B.)

 

Day 9: Prague / Dresden, Germany After breakfast drive to Dresden the former capital of Saxony on the Elbe River. In the afternoon a local guide will show you the city known as the “Florence of the Elbe.” The historic centre of the city on the River Elbe will be explored on foot - from the Zwinger and the Semper Opera House to the Royal Palace, which is under reconstruction, on to the Frauenkirche and to Brühl’s Terrace. Badly damaged by the allied bombing in February 1945, the city has since been restored to its former Baroque splendour. Dinner in hotel. (B. D)

 

Day 10:  Dresden / Berlin. Included half day sightseeing. Arrive in Berlin and in the afternoon a guide will accompany you on sightseeing tour of Berlin. You will see the cultural heart of West Berlin with the Philharmonic Hall, the Cultural Forum and the National Gallery, the historical centre of East Berlin with the State Opera House, Humboldt University and the Red City Hall. Drive along the famous boulevard "Unter den Linden" and pass the Brandenburg Gate as well as the Reichstag and Bellevue Palace, residence of the President of the Federal Republic. Pass the Potsdamer Platz where numerous new buildings have been created on Europe's largest construction site in recent times. Drive through the Tiergarten, a big green park in the center of the city, passing the House of Cultures and see the Lehrter Bahnhof which opened in 2001 and is the biggest train station in Europe. Pass the Hamburger Bahnhof, Museum of Modern Art. Enjoy the rest of the day exploring Berlin. Dinner in hotel. (B. D)

 

Day 11: Berlin – Leipzig, included half day sightseeing -  Nuernberg  We cross the mighty river Elbe this morning to visit Wittenberg. Here, in 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Schlosskirche and set the Reformation in motion, now Luther himself lies buried in the same church. We continue to the vibrant city of Leipzig, known for its music and commercial fairs, to visit the tomb of J.S.Bach. You will see the central market and numerous small streets with historical background. Take a trip to one of the oldest European coffeehouses "Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum" (to the Arabian coffee tree).The writers E.T.A. Hoffmann, Gottsched, Lessing and the composer Robert Schumann took a coffee inside. The city hall called "Leipziger Rathaus" has been the residence of the Leipzig mayors for the last 100 years. It was built in historical style by the architect Hugo Licht, inspired by the old "Pleißenburg" castle which was situated at the same place in former times. Travel south and arrive Nuernberg. This was one of the most beautiful medieval cities in Germany before it was almost totally destroyed in World War II. In the afternoon a guide waits for you. Get ready to revel in the sights and sounds of Nurnberg from its red-roofed sandstone buildings to its charming medieval Old Town, with centuries-old churches, an emperor's castle and its venerable town walls with their striking towers. You’ll have free time to explore more on your own. Be sure to visit the “Artisans” Courtyard located right in the city centre. You can watch craftsmen in their traditional costumes at work. There are also many booths and small guesthouses which offer delicious local specialties like “Nurnberger Rostbratwurst.” Dinner in hotel. (B. D)

 

Day 12 : Nuernberg-Romantic Road Rothenburg Area. Included half day sightseeing Later this morning travel westwards, then south along the beautiful scenery of the Romantic Road to visit with a guide the country’s best-preserved medieval town, Rothenburg. The half-timbered houses, fortress walls and cobbled streets make you feel as though you are part of a Grimm’s fairy tale. You will see the town’s step-gabled houses, slim spires and ramparts dating from the Mid