Taste Of Eastern Europe (2024 Departures)

Welcome to Munich! Meet up with your tour leader at the hotel in the morning before heading out on an orientation tour of the city. Munich as a city exhibits both prosperity and a certain amount of comfort and cosiness. Munich’s apparent contradictions will delight the avid explorer. Along with modern high-powered industry, designer shopping districts and sleek BMWs, you’ll find a wealth of cultural hotspots in Munich. Alternatively, explore more of the city on today’s optional excursion, including a local guided tour of Munich’s top sights and a taste of Bavarian cuisine! Tonight, join your tour leader and fellow travellers at a traditional German beer hall to get a taste of German culture and cuisine.

Discover Munich on an orientation tour: Join your tour leader on an orientation tour of Munich to get you acquainted with this wonderful German city. Munich is the capital of Bavaria, and is home to centuries-old buildings and modern culture. It’s also famous for being the home of Oktoberfest!

Welcome dinner in a German beer hall: Tonight, enjoy a visit to a traditional German beer hall. Sample excellent German beer, along with traditional German cuisine. Prost!

It’s time to travel to Innsbruck, with a stopover at the famous Neuschwanstein Castle on the way! With turrets soaring high above the surrounding woodland, this is a castle that will bring all those familiar fairy tales to mind. Take a tour of this outstanding European landmark before heading to Innsbruck in nearby Austria. This is one of the few places in the world that can really lay claim to having something for everyone. It's not every destination that offers extreme sports (thanks to the close proximity of the soaring Nordkette Alps), fascinating historical heritage (courtesy of the legacy of the Habsburgs), and vibrant modern attractions to boot. Arrive in the afternoon and set out for an orientation tour of the city. Then you can choose to add an ascent up the Nordkette mountain, or simply explore incredible Innsbruck at your leisure.

Tour of Neuschwanstein Castle: Enter the incredible Neuschwanstein Castle and enjoy a tour of this magical structure! This spectacular castle looks like it's straight out of a fairy tale - which incidentally isn't far from the truth. Neuschwanstein Castle served as the inspiration for the famous Disneyland castle!

Visit Innsbruck: Arrive in this charming Austrian city, and embark on an orientation tour. Innsbruck is known for its imperial and modern architecture with the town square and its famous Goldenes Dachi (Golden Roof) among its highlights. This is where the modern urban environment meets the natural outdoors.

From Innsbruck, head for the grandeur of Vienna, stopping on the way in Salzburg. Arrive in Vienna, and enjoy a driving tour of the city. Few cities can show off such cultural and historical splendour while maintaining a profile as an exciting, modern city, but Vienna does it well. Along with a musical past that includes luminaries like Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms, and artworks by masters like Klimt, Schiele and Kokoschka, Vienna has a buzzing modern culinary scene, cheerful, bustling pubs and bars, and a host of clubs and music venues in which to dance the night away. Tonight, you are free to explore. Join in the optional Mozart concert experience for a night of exceptional music!

Visit Salzburg: Enjoy a visit to Salzburg in Austria. This beautiful city boasts a hilltop fortress and incredible views of the Alps. Salzburg is famous for being the birthplace of Mozart as well as for being the setting for The Sound of Music!

Driving and walking guided tour of Vienna: On the drive into Vienna, Austria’s capital city, you will see Schönbrunn Palace before reaching the Inner City, and one of the best vistas from Belvedere Hill. Vienna is known as the 'City of Music’ due to its classical heritage and the prodigies that worked there including Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms to name a few, as your local guide on your walking tour will tell you. The tour starts at the Golden Mile on the RingStrasse (Parliament, City Hall, Burgtheater). Then, discover the courtyards and passages around the Hofburg (Imperial Castle) and St Stephen’s Cathedral, which is Vienna’s geographic and historic centre.

Today, travel to Budapest; the Hungarian capital which lies on both sides of the Danube River. Blessed with natural beauty as well as Baroque, Neoclassical and Art Nouveau architecture, this is a city to behold. Arrive in the city, and get a good overview of it all with a Budapest driving tour accompanied by a local guide. See top sights including the Hungarian Parliament Building, and drive along the river admiring the city. This afternoon is yours to enjoy the city as you please. Choose to enjoy a dinner cruise down the Danube River tonight.

Driving tour of Budapest: Meet up with a local guide who will accompany us on a driving tour of the city and point out all the best-loved sights. Learn more about Hungarian culture and language and the city's fascinating history. Drink in incredible views from atop Gellert Hill and the Citadel, make a stop at Heroes Square and get an eyeful of other must-see attractions like Budapest Parliament, St Stephen's Basilica, the State Opera, the castle district, and more.

Today, new countries are calling! Travel to Prague, in the Czech Republic. Along the way stop in Slovakia’s capital city, Bratislava, and enjoy an orientation tour of the city. This afternoon, arrive in Prague, and set out on a city tour with a local guide who will show you the highlights of this incredible city. Famous for its art, architecture, cobbled lanes and ancient chapels, this is also home to some of Europe’s finest beer. For dinner, experience authentic Czech cuisine at our local restaurant on your first night in Prague.

Orientation tour of Bratislava: Visit Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia, and join your tour leader for an orientation tour of the city where you will see the Old Town, Primatial Palace, Michael’s Gate, the Main Square, Old Town Hall, Slovak National Theatre and Reduta. 

Guided tour of Prague: Discover this incredible city with a local guide. Since freeing itself from communism, Prague has joined other European jewels like Paris, Rome and Amsterdam to take its place as one of Europe’s most fascinating destinations. Prague's dramatic history is reflected in the beauty of the architecture of churches, opera houses, concert halls and parks. 

Prague dinner: Experience authentic Czech cuisine at a local restaurant on your first night in Prague, the history of this restaurant dates back hundreds of years, and it is a favourite place for locals as well as our Expat Explore groups. You will also have the option to try famous Czech Beer!

Enjoy a free day to explore this captivating destination. Revisit some of the highlights from yesterday’s locally guided tour or join your tour leader on the Prague+ excursion for a more in-depth experience of the city. For food enthusiasts, there are numerous beer halls in which to sample a local brew, and for those who wish to put your stamp on the city, why not visit the legendary Lennon wall; a tribute to John Lennon and words of peace, which is added to on a daily basis by the thousands of visitors to the city. Enjoy traditional Czech culture during tonight’s optional excursion.

It’s time to travel back to Munich in Germany today. En route, enjoy a stop in Nuremberg; Bavaria's second-largest city. Nuremberg is famous for its incredible historic architecture, dark beer and frenetic energy. Enjoy some free time to wander the streets before hopping back on the coach to reach the final destination. Arrive in Munich, check into the hotel, and enjoy free time this evening. Tonight is the last night on tour, so be sure to make the most of it with your newly-made travel friends!

Visit historic Nuremberg: Enjoy a visit to this historic and hugely popular Bavarian city. See the medieval castle, and get a chance to explore the walled Old Town. Did you know that Nuremberg was once the capital of the Holy Roman Empire? It was also the preferred residence of many German kings throughout history!

Today, the tour ends after breakfast in Munich. By now, you will have enjoyed 8 experience-filled days exploring Eastern Europe! Be sure to share contact details with your fellow travellers, so that you can stay in touch after you have returned home. We hope it has been the perfect taste of Europe that this tour will have you coming back for more again soon!