Hungary, Slovenia, Czechia, Poland, Austria & Germany

Enlightenment and tragedy

Jews have lived along the Rhine and Danube rivers since time immemorial. In Germany, Moses Mendelssohn developed the Jewish Enlightenment. Theodore Herzl was born in Budapest, and published “The Jewish State” in Austria.  Warsaw was once 30% Jewish, and Prague new great leaders such as the Maharal of Prague.  

On this tour we explore the centuries of Jewish life, the rise of Hitler and his trail of death and destruction, and the rebirth of these age old communities. 

Day 1: Sunday

Welcome onboard. Today you will:

-Visit the Budapest Castle District
– Explore Budapest’s first Jewish Quarter and its medievil synagogue (outside only)
– Visit the Dohany Street Synagogue, the second largest synagogue on earth
– See what remains of the Naza-era ghetto wall
– Pay your respects at the Tree of Life monument which commemorates the deportation and mass murder of Hungarian Jewry
– Visit the mass grave in which the allies buried bodies after entering the ghetto
– See the birthplace of Theodore Hertzl, the founder of modern political Zionism
– Learn about the rebirth of the Jewish community and explore today’s Jewish quarter

Overnight: Budapest

Day 2: Monday

Today you will:  

– Visit Vaci Street, one of Budapest’s central entertainment areas
– Marvel at St Stephen’s Basilica, a beautiful symbol of Budapest
– Pay your respects at the Shoes on the Danube Monument commemorating the Jews massacred and thrown into the Danube  River
– See Hungary’s magnificent parliament building
– Visit Liberty Square where ordinary Hungarians erected a memorial to the collaboration of masses in the extermination of Hungarian Jewry
– Have time to explore independently and take in Budapest’s beauty
– Enjoy a cruise on the Danube

Overnight: Budapest

Day 3: Tuesday

Today you will:

 – Travel to Bratislava
– Visit the Hatam Sofer Memorial to learn about one of the most important rabbis of the 18th century, how the memorial survived the communist era, and Bratislava’s Jewish community
– Explore the Old City including its memorials to the Holocaust and the 7 October attacks on Israel
– Learn about prominent Jewish families who called the Old Town home
– Travel to Vienna

Overnight: Vienna

Day 4: Wednesday

Today you will:

– Visit the Hapsburg Palace, home to generations of royals
– See the balcony from which Hitler declared the annexation of Austria
– Visit the Judenplaatz, once the center of Jewish life in Vienna
– Pay your respects at the Holocaust memorial
– View the remains of the ancient synagogue destroyed in a medievil pogrom
– Explore Vienna’s Jewish museum
– Take in the sites and sounds of Austria’s capital

 Overnight: Vienna

Day 5: Thursday

Today you will:  

– Travel to Prague
–  Ascend the Petrin Tower for a panoramic view over the city
– Enjoy an included dinner in Prague’s Old Town Square. – 

Overnight: Prague

Day 6: Friday

Today you will:

– Tour the Altneu Shule where the Golem of Prague is believed to rest
– Hear the story of the Golem of Prague and learn about the great Maharal of Prague
– Take in the 80,000 names of Holocaust victims displayed at the Pinkus Synagogue
– Visit the medieval Jewish cemetery
– See the remains of an ancient Mikveh bath
-Marvel at the beauty of the Spanish Synagogue
– Explore the Jewish Museum at the Maiselova Synagogue
– Visit the site of the final stand of the brave Czech partisans who assassinated the brutal Nazi leader Heydrich

Overnight: Prague

Day 7: Saturday

Today you will enjoy an extensive walking tour through Prague taking in:

The famous chain bridge
– Tour the Altneu Shule where the Golem of Prague is believed to rest
– The Lesser Quarter
– The changing of the guards at Prague Castle
– Prague Castle and the residence of the Czech President
– The Old Town Square
– The Prague Astronomical Clock
– The Jan Hus Monument
– The Powder Tower

In the evening there will be an optional Prague Mysteries and Legends Tour.

Overnight: Prague

Day 8: Sunday

Today you will tour the Terezin Concentration Camp and Ghetto with a noted Holocaust Historian. You will:

– View the arrivals platform at which families were separated
– See the Ghetto living quarters
– Visit the Ghetto Museum
– Learn of the Red Cross’ ill-fated visit to the Ghetto
– Enter the concentration camp section and see the SS dining quarters
– View the concentration camp barracks
– See the punishment cells of the concentration camp
– Hear of the unimaginable suffering that the Nazis inflicted upon Jewish victims
– Take in the Jewish cemetery

Overnight: Prague

Day 9: Monday

-See the Umschlagplatz from which Jewish masses were sent East
-See Mila 18, the headquarters of the Warsaw Ghetto resistance, and learn about the Warsaw Ghetto Revolt
-Follow the path of the Warsaw Ghetto fighters and learn about their leader, Mordechai Anielewicz
– Visit Poland’s national Jewish Museum.
 
Overnight: Warsaw

Day 13: Friday

Today you will:  

-Travel to Berlin
–  See the Brandenburg Gate
– Join the community for a Shabbat dinner

Overnight: Berlin

Day 14: Saturday

Today you will enjoy a Shabbat-friendly walking tour and will see:  

– The Reichstag including the story of the fire set by the Nazis
– The Berlin outside of the Berlin Holocaust memorial
-World War Two battlefields 
– The remaining part of the Berlin Wall 
– The site of Checkpoint Charlie 
– The beautiful Berliner Dom church 
– The site of Hitler’s bunker where he committed suicide. 

You will also have time to explore independently 

Overnight: Berlin

2 December 2024 – 16 December 2024 

4 star hotels (twin share): $6890 per person 
4 star hotels (single room): $8190
5 star hotels (twin share): $7390 per person
5 star hotels (single room): $8990

3 February 2025 – 17 February 2025

4 star hotels (twin share): $6890 per person 
4 star hotels (single room): $8190
5 star hotels (twin share): $7390 per person
5 star hotels (single room): $8990

21 April 2025 – 5 May  2025

4 star hotels (twin share): $7190 per person 
4 star hotels (single room): $8390
5 star hotels (twin share): $7590 per person
5 star hotels (single room): $9190

21 July  2025 – 4 August 2025

Budapest 4 star hotel:  Boutique Hotel
Budapest

Budapest 5 star hotel: Intercontinental Budapest 

Vienna 4 star hotel: Hotel Secession an der Opera

Selected hotels
Breakfast daily 
All ground transport during tour hours
Expert tour leader and educator who will accompany group throughout tour 
Local tour guides in cities visited 
All site entry costs 
24 hour assistance as required 

1. Are the meals on your tours strictly Kosher?
   
   

   Your tour package includes breakfast at your hotel, while you are responsible for arranging your lunch and dinner.
   We generally eat at the regular hotel buffet which is not Kosher but does include vegetarian and Kosher options. If you need strictly Kosher meals, please talk to us and we will arrange them.  We usually break for lunch and dinner and stay in areas with multiple options that are strictly Kosher. We can also pre-arrange to provide you with pre-arranged Kosher lunches and dinners, although extra costs will apply.
   

2. I keep Shabbat – are your tours Shabbat-friendly?
   
   Our tours are Shabbat-friendly in that no included activity requires you to do anything prohibited on Shabbat – our tours on Saturday are all walking tours.  We do include walking tours on Saturday mornings. If you wish to attend a synagogue service, you may miss a tour, however, all participants are welcome to either attend or skip this tour.  

3. Will I have time to explore independently? 

   Absolutely – in each of the cities that you visit! 

    

4. What are your payment and cancellation policies? 
   
   
5. Do I need travel insurance? 

   We do not sell travel insurance. However, we very strongly encourage you to purchase it upon booking your tour. Some countries may require proof of insurance as a condition of entry, and in our view, not having travel insurance exposes you to unnecessary risk.   

    

6. Do you arrange flights?
   
   We are a ground-only travel operator. You should arrange your own flights and ensure that you meet the entry requirements of each country included in your tour. 
   
7. There are several of us booking. Can we have a discount?

   Please email us directly. 

    

Secure your place now by paying $150 and receive a $50 discount. 

Alternatively, contact us.