Scandinavia and Eastern Europe 2024 – First Draft
22 Day Tour – Thursday 28 March 2024 – Thursday 18 April 2024
Day 1 – Thursday 28 March 2024 – Depart Australia
Day 2 – Friday 29 March 2024 – Good Friday – Arrive Copenhagen
Check into the hotel and enjoy the rest of the day at your own pace.
Day 3 – Saturday 30 March 2024 – Copenhagen – City tour plus harbour tour
After breakfast this morning, meet your local guide at the reception and enjoy a half day city tour of Copenhagen (approx. 3hrs). You will discover charms from the past and present, including the infamous Little Mermaid and the rococo Royal Palace Amalienborg. Take a stroll around Nyhavn, originally a busy commercial port, but nowadays a popular tourist hotspot known for its colourful 17th-century houses. Some of the houses within the port provide great historical significance, such as house number 20, which was home to the famous Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen. You will find that during summertime Nyhavn is the perfect place to end a long day. If your free time allows, you may like to bike around the city like a true Copenhagener (not included). Copenhagen is world famous for its biking culture which is as old as the bicycle itself.
Day 4 – Sunday 31 March 2024 – Fly Copenhagen to Oslo
Check into the hotel. Depart on a half day city sightseeing tour (approx. 3hrs). You will take in the main highlights of Oslo. Visit the Fraum Museum (entrance included) home to polar exploration ships, and see the Royal Palace, City Hall and Akershus Fortress (entrances not included).
You will also get to enjoy a visit to the famous Frogner Park (entrance included). The largest park in the city, it is home to an assortment of 200 bronze, granite and cast iron sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. The park is one of Norway’s premier tourist attractions with upwards of one million visiting the park each year. Take some time to see why.
Day 5 – Monday 1 April 2024 – Easter Monday – Oslo
A free day in this beautiful city.
Day 6 – Tuesday 2 April 2024 – Oslo to Bergen
‘Norway in a Nutshell’ – We will travel on the scenic Bergen Railway and the breathtaking Flåm Railway. From Flam we will enjoy the Fjord cruise on the magnificent Aurlandsfjord and on the narrow Nærøyfjord. Following this we enjoy a bus trip through beautiful scenery and the magnificent Nærøy valley before re-joining the train for the run into Bergen and transfer to our hotel.
Day 7 – Wednesday 3 April 2024 – Bergen
Bergen is the Gateway to the Fjords of Norway. As a UNESCO World Heritage City and a European City of Culture, the Bergen region has the ideal combination of nature, culture and exciting urban life all year round. After breakfast, meet your local guide and enjoy a tour of this Hanseatic Capital of Norway. Pass through the most emblematic places such as the Hanseatic Bryggen, with the church of Mary, the Hakon fortress and the famous Fish market. The rest of the day will be at you own discretion.
Day 8 – Thursday 4 April 2024 – Fly Bergen to Stockholm
After breakfast, meet your local guide at the reception of the hotel and enjoy a sightseeing tour of the city (approx. 4 hrs). Stockholm is generally referred to as ‘Beauty on Water’ and ‘Venice of the North’, which is understandable as the city is built upon 14 islands. It is surrounded by Lake Mälaren, and the Baltic Sea. The city’s grand public buildings, palaces, rich cultural history and museums tell her 700-year-old history beautifully. During your sightseeing tour, you will see the Gamla Stan (Old town), where you will be charmed by cobblestone streets, crooked but beautifully preserved buildings, The Royal Palace, gothic churches, excellent cafés, bars, restaurants and Swedish design-ware shops (entrances not included).
Day 9 – Friday 5 April 2024 – Stockholm
The day is free for you to follow your own interests.
Day 10 – Saturday 6 April 2024 – Fly Stockholm to Warsaw
After arrival and check in, be met at the hotel by the tour guide and embark on an exciting 4 hour sightseeing tour of Warsaw. Visit the Old Town, home to landmarks including Castle Square, King Sigismund’s Column, Royal Route, Royal Castle, St. John’s Cathedral, Old Town Market Square, Mermaid Statue and the Barbican.
Day 11 – Sunday 7 April 2024 – Warsaw to Krakow
After breakfast we will visit the Warsaw Ghetto This is where over 400,000 Jews from Warsaw and the surrounding areas were imprisoned in an area of four square kilometers forming the largest ghetto in all of Europe. Your Private Guide will show you the old ghetto walls and tell you by whom, how and why they were built. You will see old Jewish houses and learn about the daily life of Jewish people inside the former Jewish quarter. Of course, this includes the story of the heroic 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and mass deportation to Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka and other Nazi concentration and extermination camps in Poland. You will discover new details about the Final Solution Plan and the Holocaust we will visit the ‘Warsaw Rising’ Museum.
After an early lunch, we board our coach for our trip to Krakow
Day 12 – Monday 8 April 2024 – Krakow
Today, explore Krakow with a local guide. The city’s medieval old town is one of the finest in Europe. Check out the youthful restaurants, bars and cultural hangouts. Take a walk through the historic Jewish Quarter of Kazimierz before walking along Wisla River or discover Krakow’s Main Square, St Mary’s Basilica, St Florian’s Gate and much more. View the factory of Oskar Schindler where he provided sanctuary for over 1,000 Jews and was honoured by the State of Israel as a ‘Righteous Gentile’.
Day 13 – Tuesday 9 April 2024 – Krakow – Auschwitz
After breakfast at the hotel, travel to Auschwitz for a guided tour of the largest Nazi concentration camp, built and operated by the Third Reich, annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II.
Day 14 – Wednesday 10 April 2024 – Krakow – Wieliczka Salt Mine – then to Bratislava
After breakfast we will discover the amazing UNESCO World Heritage-listed Wieliczka Salt Mine. You will be amazed at the wonder of this massive salt mining complex on a guided tour. Reach a depth of 135 meters below the surface of the mine.
After our tour we will continue on to Bratislava for the evening.
Day 15 – Thursday 11 April 2024 – Bratislava walking tour then to Prague
After breakfast our guide will shed light on the history of one of the youngest capital cities and states of Europe. Hear about the ancient history of Slovakia, when the old Slavs, the predecessor of modern Slovaks, inhabited Slovakia and created the Great Moravia Empire. Your guide will share legends from the time when Bratislava was the capital city of the Hungarian Kingdom and Hungarian kings and queens were crowned there. The story continues to the time of Czechoslovakia. Hear about the dark times during Slovak communism and also about the hope which brought upon the Velvet Revolution, eventually leading to Slovakia’s 2004 membership in the European Union. Discover the Opera House and the House of Reduta as you continue to the Main Square, passing by Old Town Hall. On Franciscan Square, see the oldest building in Bratislava, the Franciscan Church. Head onto Biela Street and Michalska Street to Michael’s Gate. Pass by historical buildings and palaces on Venturska Street and Panska Street. Your tour ends at St. Martin’s Cathedral.
After lunch we will transfer from Bratislava to Prague by coach,
Day 16 – Friday 12 April 2024 – Prague
After breakfast at the hotel, join your local guide for a half day tour of the city. We will visit The Pinkas Synagoague and Museum and Holocaust memorial sites. We will also visit the Hradcany Borough (the Castle district) where you will see the Royal Castle “Hrad”, the “Zlata Ulicka” (Golden Street) and the Gothic Cathedral of St Vitus. Afterwards, visit Mala Strana (Lesser Town) where you will then see St Nicholas Church, a masterpiece of baroque art. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure to discover the ‘City of the Hundred Spires’. Perhaps try some of the Czech Republic’s famous beer at one of the many traditional pubs serving a variety of different ales and local gastronomy.
Day 17 – Saturday 13 April 2024 – Prague
We will need to visit the Jewish sites in the Friday morning and more things today plus free time.
Today after breakfast at the hotel, enjoy a city tour of Prague – ‘City of a Hundred Spires’ – with a local guide (approx. 4 hours). Start the tour by heading to the Prague Castle by bus; on arrival you will proceed on foot to Loreta Square. Take some time to revel in two prime examples of Baroque style architecture. The first being the largest palace in Prague Cernin, which is now home to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the second being the Loreta (pilgrimage site) where you can admire some of the most charming buildings in central Europe (entrances not included).
After, continue onwards to the Hradcany Square where you will find the sixteenth century’s Archbishop’s Palace, the Schwarzenberg Palace that belonged to the Lobkowicz family and the National Gallery located in the palace Sternberk (entrances not included). Next, cross through the Gate of Matthias which will take you through the first and second courtyards of the Prague Castle. Here you will find the oldest building in the complex ‘St. George’s Basilica’ and the ‘Vladislav Hall’ where jousting took place.
Day 18 – Sunday 14 April 2024 – Prague to Berlin
After breakfast enjoy some free time before boarding the coach to transfer to Berlin via Dresden.
Day 19 – Monday 15 April 2024 – Berlin
Some of the sites to see in Berlin include, but more is welcomed: Jewish Museum, Reichstag building, Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, the Wall, Pergamum Museum etc, etc over the 2 days available.
Day 20 – Tuesday 16 April 2024 – Berlin
Free day to do more exploring of this famous and complex city.
Day 21 – Wednesday 17 April 2024 – Depart Berlin for Australia
Day 22 – Thursday 18 April 2024 – Arrive home
Anticipated costs:
AU$5,950 for the Land Content of the trip – this will depend on the Australian dollar, the size of the group, any changes by the suppliers or any additions we decide to include for your enjoyment.
Airfares – We are anticipating the economy airfares plus the internal flights will be approximately $2,200 – $2,500. We will have a better picture of these costs in May 2023.
Group Size – the group will be a minimum of 20 to a maximum of 34.
Inclusions:
4 Star Accommodation
Most Breakfasts but no Dinners.
Long distance vehicle
Tour Guide
Train, ferry and entry tickets as specified in the final itinerary.
Bookings:
A non-refundable (after a 7 day cooling off period) booking fee of $110 per person will need to accompany an application form.
The on-line application form is at the following link. Please go there to complete one form per person:
https://forms.gle/7YrchDRiMHQBhAJK7
Credit Card: You can pay your deposit using credit card on our website
Bank Transfer:
- The $110 non-refundable deposit should be sent electronically to:
- Teachers Mutual Bank – 28-38 Powell Street, Homebush NSW 2140 Australia
- BSB 812170
- Account No. 100560828
- Name on account: A.M. Dennes
- SWIFT Code – CUSCAU2SXXX – Cuscal – 1 Margaret Street Sydney NSW 2000 AUST
The reference to appear on this account to be the names of the people whom the deposit is for.
Paypal
You can send funds with low or small fees using Paypal from your account to my email address amdennes@gmail.com
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