Journey to Central Europe
In a land of breathtaking natural beauty, abiding tradition, and profoundly hospitable people, rewards abound for the thoughtful traveler. And in our flexible and congenial small group we encounter rewards aplenty on this comprehensive journey featuring all the highlights, plus the beautiful, remote Mekong Delta, where we spend two days.
Journey through Central Europe
Dates: September 19 – October 4, 2026
Deposit: $500
Land Only (transfers not included):$5,795
From San Francisco (air-inclusive)*: $7,297 (including $802 airline taxes/fees, which are subject to change)
Single Supplements: $1,595
*Other cities listed on brochure, which can be downloaded on the overview tab of this trip approximately nine months before departure. Airline prices are subject to change, and airline upgrades will be additional to the costs listed above.
Please note, all prices are for a standard, double room unless listed otherwise.
Your Tour Price Includes:
- Round-trip air transportation from listed cities
- 14 nights’ accommodations in Deluxe, Superior First Class, and unrated hotels
- 24 meals: 14 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 6 dinners
- Extensive sightseeing as described, including all entrance fees
- Services of an Odysseys Unlimited Tour Director
- Private motorcoach transportation throughout your trip
- Luggage handling for one bag per person
- Gratuities for local guides, dining room servers, airport and hotel porters, and all drivers
Book your trip today by filling out the form and emailing it to ietravel@ucsc.edu.
Travel Dates: September 19-October 4, 2026
September 19, 2026
This evening we depart the US for Warsaw.
September 20, 2026
After arriving in the Polish capital late this morning, we have free time before we gather for tonight’s welcome dinner at our hotel.
Accommodations: Polonia Palace Hotel
(D)
September 21, 2026
Virtually destroyed during World War II, Warsaw was rebuilt in the decades that followed. With the fall of Communism, the city has become more dynamic and progressive while retaining much of its distinct character. We tour this phoenix city today, visiting the faithfully rebuilt Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the Royal Castle, whose origins date to the late 13th century. We also tour the area of the former Jewish Ghetto and the Jewish Cemetery. As we walk the streets that the Jews of Warsaw once inhabited, we can imagine the 1943 uprising when a small number of Jewish Resistance fighters inside the ghetto held out against Nazi forces for an incredible 22 days. This afternoon is free for independent exploration; before dinner on our own tonight, we enjoy a private classical piano recital.
Accommodations: Polonia Palace Hotel
(B)
September 22, 2026
Today we journey south to Krakow, Poland’s third-largest city and a major center of Polish culture and education. Krakow survived World War II intact, leaving it with more historic buildings and monuments than anywhere else in the country. Its authentic Old Town is a UNESCO cultural site, and the Main Market Square ranks as the largest medieval square in Europe. Upon arrival late this morning, we have time for lunch on our own before we embark on a tour of the city’s historic area, featuring St. Mary’s Church; the Royal Chambers of Wawel Castle, seat of royalty for more than 500 years; and Wawel Cathedral, the national church. We dine together tonight at our hotel.
Accommodations: Hotel Pod Różą
(B, D)
September 23, 2026
We travel this morning to the industrial city of Oswiecim – Auschwitz in German – and the concentration camp that is now a museum chronicling the horrors of the Nazis’ “Final Solution”. We tour Auschwitz I, used mainly to hold prisoners, as well as the vast camp at Birkenau (and Auschwitz II), where more than one million people died during the Holocaust. After this somber visit, we return to Krakow, where the remainder of the day is free for independent exploration.
Accommodations: Hotel Pod Różą
(B, L)
September 24, 2026
This morning we tour the Wieliczka Salt Mine, a UNESCO World Heritage site that is a virtual underground city, with galleries, lakes, chapels, and murals – all carved from salt. The mine’s centerpiece is the Chapel of Saint Kinga, with its chandelier and mural of The Last Supper carved by three miners over a period of 68 years. Though no longer a source of hard salt, the mine does extract and sell salt from ground water in the underground lakes. Then we return to Krakow, where the remainder of the day is free for independent exploration, with lunch and dinner on our own in this historic capital.
Accommodations: Hotel Pod Różą
(B)
September 25, 2026
We enjoy the scenic beauty of the Tatra Mountains as we travel by bus from Poland to Hungary via Slovakia, where we stop for lunch. Boasting the highest elevations in the Carpathian mountain range, the Tatras count as a popular winter sports destination. Early this evening we reach the Hungarian capital of Budapest and our hotel, located in Buda’s lovely and historic Castle District. A Hungarian king originally built Buda Castle in the aftermath of a 13th-century Mongolian invasion. Destroyed in a 17th-century siege, rebuilt, and decimated once again in World War II, the castle complex was reconstructed according to the original medieval design in an extensive post-war project that lasted through the 1980s. We enjoy dinner together tonight at our hotel.
Accommodations: Hilton Budapest
(B, L)
September 26, 2026
Today’s half-day tour of the Hungarian capital begins adjacent to our hotel with a visit to Matthias Church, the symbol of Buda’s Castle District, and a stroll around Fisherman’s Bastion for outstanding views of the Pest side of the city across the Danube. Then we cross the Chain Bridge into Pest where we tour Dohány Synagogue, Europe’s largest. Following an afternoon at leisure, tonight we enjoy a typical Hungarian dinner at a local restaurant.
Accommodations: Hilton Budapest
(B, D)
September 27, 2026
We’re free to discover the “Paris of the East” on our own today. Among the city’s riches, the ornate Opera House stands out as one of Budapest’s most spectacular buildings; it is also among the top opera houses in Europe. There’s time to take a guided tour of the Opera House or even enjoy an evening performance there (the season runs from September through June); visit the Thermal Bath at the Hotel Gellert with its pools of varying temperatures, steam rooms, and an outdoor artificial wave pool; or the Museum of Fine Arts, displaying Central Europe’s most important collection of foreign art. For an outdoor experience, walk one of the many trails in the Buda Hills or take a leisurely stroll on Margaret Island. Lunch and dinner today are on our own.
Accommodations: Hilton Budapest
(B, L)
September 28, 2026
Today we pass through the countryside of Western Transdanubia as we travel by coach to Vienna. En route we visit Szentendre, a small town packed with artisans’ shops and a museum showcasing the work of ceramicist Margit Kovács. We continue on to the village of Neszmély where we stop for lunch and then reach the Austrian capital late this afternoon. Dinner tonight is on our own–an opportunity, perhaps, to try Vienna’s famed Wiener Schnitzel.
Accommodations: Hilton Vienna Plaza
(B, L)
September 29, 2026
A half-day tour of this jewel of the Habsburg Empire includes a visit to the ornate Vienna Opera House, one of Europe’s grandest, and an inside visit to majestic Schönbrunn Palace. The afternoon is at leisure. Following dinner at a local restaurant, we attend a concert of classical music in this most musical of all cities.
Accommodations: Hilton Vienna Plaza
(B, L)
September 30, 2026
This morning we enjoy a tour of the Vienna Woods, which gained renown during the heyday of the Austrian Empire. We visit the medieval abbey of Heiligenkreuz and the health spa town of Baden-Baden before returning to Vienna, where the remainder of the day is free to explore as we wish.
Accommodations: Hilton Vienna Plaza
(B)
October 1, 2026
We leave this morning for Prague, proud capital of the Czech Republic. We reach Prague this afternoon and join our tour director for an informal walk through Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Accommodations: Grand Hotel Bohemia Prague
(B, L)
October 2, 2026
We spend the morning exploring the Hradcany (castle) district, home of the distinctive castle towering above the Vltava River. Dating to the 9th century, the castle today is the seat of the president of the Czech Republic. Among the highlights of our tour: a visit to Gothic St. Vitus’ Cathedral and a stroll along Golden Lane, with its picturesque artisans’ cottages. The remainder of the day is free to continue exploring this enchanting city as we wish. Restaurants abound for lunch and dinner on our own today.
Accommodations: Grand Hotel Bohemia Prague
(B)
October 3, 2026
This morning’s visit to Josefov, Prague’s historic Jewish ghetto, includes the Old Jewish Cemetery with its centuries-old headstones and generations buried atop one another, as well as several of the once-thriving synagogues now part of the Jewish Museum of Prague. Then the remainder of the day is at leisure, perhaps to stroll through Old Town Square or visit Wenceslas Square, site of the demonstrations that led to the Velvet Revolution. Tonight we enjoy a farewell dinner at our hotel.
(B, D)
October 4, 2026
We transfer to the airport early today for our connecting flights to the U.S.
(B)
B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner
Accommodations:
Polonia Palace Hotel, Warsaw, Poland / Days 2-3 / Superior First Class
Opened more than 100 years ago, the French-style Polonia Palace Hotel preserves the unique characteristics of early 20th-century architecture while incorporating many contemporary features. The hotel treasures its rich history by highlighting its artistic and cultural influences. Standing across from the Palace of Culture and Science and numerous shopping areas, the hotel features amenities such as a restaurant, lobby bar, hair salon, fitness center, sauna, spa with massage and beauty services (for a fee), and complimentary Wi-Fi internet access. Each of the 206 air-conditioned rooms comes fully equipped with private bath with hair dryer, tea- and coffee-making facilities, in-room safe, TV, and phone.
Hotel Pod Różą, Krakow, Poland / Days 4-6 / Not rated
Set in the former Renaissance palace of Prospero Provano on beloved Floriańska Street in the center of the Old Town, the Hotel Pod Różą is Krakow’s oldest hotel. The neo-classical building’s origins date to the 14th century as a private home; it became a hotel in the 17th century and still retains its intricately detailed design work and Old-World charm. The historic property has hosted esteemed guests such as Honoré de Balzac and Tsar Alexander I of Russia. For all its history, the hotel has recently undergone a full restoration, and includes two restaurants, a bar, fitness center, sauna, spa with massage and beauty services (for a fee), laundry service (for a fee), and complimentary Wi-Fi internet access. Each air-conditioned guest room is individually designed with custom walnut and cherry furniture and includes private bath with hair dryer, minibar, in-room safe, TV, and phone.
Hilton Budapest, Budapest, Hungary/ Days 7-9 / Deluxe
The Hilton Budapest is located in the Castle District of Buda, next to Matthias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion and close to Buda Castle and the Hungarian National Gallery. The unique Gothic building incorporates part of a 16th-century Jesuit college and a 13th-century monastery. Hotel amenities include a restaurant with panoramic views of the city, lobby café and bar, rooftop lounge bar, fitness center, laundry and dry-cleaning services (for a fee), and complimentary Wi-Fi internet access. The hotel recently completed a full renovation of all guest rooms, and these newly refreshed lodgings feature air conditioning, private bath with hair dryer, minibar, tea- and coffee-making facilities, in-room safe, TV, and phone.
Hilton Vienna Plaza, Vienna, Austria / Days 10-12 / Deluxe
Located on the famous Ringstrasse opposite the Vienna Stock Exchange, the Hilton Vienna Plaza is within walking distance of Vienna’s city center. The 1920s Art Deco–inspired hotel features a restaurant and bar, fitness center, sauna, spa with massage and beauty services (for a fee), bicycle rental (for a fee), laundry and dry-cleaning services (for a fee), and complimentary Wi-Fi internet access. Air-conditioned guest rooms have private bath with hair dryer, minifridge, tea- and coffee-making fcilities, in-room safe, TV, and phone.
Grand Hotel Bohemia Prague, Prague, Czech Republic / Days 13-15 / Superior First Class
The nearly-100-year-old Grand Hotel Bohemia Prague is ideally located in the center of Prague’s Old Town, within walking distance of Powder Tower, Old Town Square, Old Town Hall, and Wenceslas Square. The historic hotel offers a restaurant, two bars, a café, a breathtaking neo-Baroque ballroom, laundry and dry-cleaning services (for a fee), and complimentary Wi-Fi internet access. Each air-conditioned guest room has private bath with hair dryer, minibar, tea- and coffee-making facilities, in-room safe, TV, and phone.
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