8-Day Vienna, Prague, Berlin Rail Tour (8R01)

DAY 1

By private transfer you will get from Vienna International Airport to your hotel in Vienna. The price of your tour package already includes the 48 hour Vienna Card. With this card you enjoy more than 200 discounts in Vienna, at museums and sights, theaters and concerts, in shops, cafes, restaurants and also the “Heurige” wine taverns. But most importantly with this card you also enjoy unlimited free public transportation within Vienna. Even though your hotel is located in the City Center it is great to have the option to take the subway, a street-car or a public bus. On your first day in Vienna you may want to visit the Imperial Palace, for example, the “Hofburg Vienna”, the center of the former Habsburg Empire.  The Palace was Sisi´s Imperial home and household, and the Imperial Apartments, the Sisi Museum and the Silver Collection can be visited here. At the Vienna Hofburg you also find the Spanish Riding School where you may want to watch a performance or join a practice session and also the Old Town Hall which is close by. In immediate walking distance of the Hofburg you will find the State Opera House, definitely one of the world’s most famous Opera Houses where the Vienna Opera Ball takes place every year. St. Stephen’s Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna and it is a “must see” as well as smaller churches like the “Universitatskirche” (Jesuits Church) and the “Peterskirche” (St. Peter’s Church).

DAY 2

Enjoy a full day of sightseeing in Vienna with your 48 hour Vienna Card. Maybe you want to visit the “Ringstrasse”, a circular road around the inner city districts of Vienna. In the 19th century the road was replacing the Old City Wall which had been built in the 13th century.  Many of the buildings you find along this road, the Austrian Parliament Building or the University of Vienna the for example, were built around the 1850´s. You may want to visit Schonbrunn Palace and its beautiful Garden. Your Vienna Card covers the fare to get there; the subway station “Schonbrunn” (subway line U4) is very close to the entrance of Schonbrunn Palace, once the summer residence of the Habsburg family and home of Maria Theresa. The Rococo palace is one of the most important architectural, cultural and historical monuments in Austria and nowadays is one of the most visited sights in Vienna. It all started with the building of a mansion on hunting grounds in 1548 just outside of Vienna. The impressive Palace in its present form (it has 1,441 rooms!) was built and remodeled around the 1750s by Maria Theresa. Make sure to plan in some time for a visit of Schonbrunn Garden. There you also find the Neptune Fountain and Gloriette, which was designed to symbolize the glory of the Habsburg power.

Day 3

After breakfast you will take the “RailJet” or the“EuroCity” train from Vienna directly to Prague. Travel time is about 4 hours. Your hotel is in Prague is in walking distance of Prague Central Station. The Old Town of Prague can easily be explored by foot from your hotel. You have all afternoon and evening to see many of the highlights: Karluv Most (Charles Bridge), probably the most beautiful medieval bridge to be found today, the Old Town Square, dominated by the Church of Our Lady of Tyn as well as the Town Hall with its Town Hall Clock (Orloj) which was first installed in 1410. Watch the procession of the twelve Apostles, an hourly event which one should not miss, the Powder Tower (Prasna brana) … and many more!

Day 4

You may want to start this day by joining a free English-speaking walking tour of the “Golden City” (information on how to reserve this tour will be provided). In afternoon to take a closer look into those sights which are most interesting to you. Maybe you would like to cross the Charles Bridge again and take a closer look into Prague Castle? You will pass the Lesser Quarter (Malá Strana, “little quarter”) which is one of the most historic parts of town. Of course you have to try some culinary delights of Prague as well as a Pilsner Beer!

After breakfast the “RailJet” or the “EuroCity” train will take you from Prague directly to Dresden. Your hotel is in walking distance from the rail station. You will enjoy a Hop-on Hop-off City tour of Dresden – the bus will take you to the major sights of the city and the ticket is valid all day. Dresden, the river Elbe and the gently rolling landscape between Saxon Switzerland and Meissen determine the nature in which the city is embedded. The Dresden Elbe valley extends some 18 kilometers along the Elbe river from Ubigau Palace and Ostragehege fields to the Pillnitz Palace and the Elbe River island. The Dresden Elbe valley features a combination of landscape and culture which is crowned by the Pillnitz Palace and the centre of Dresden with its many monuments and parks. Dresden is a modern city with lots of history inside, and as the inhabitants are known for their special charm, every visitor will feel welcome immediately. There are many interesting places to see, such as the Frauenkirche (Church Of Our Lady), the Dresden Zwinger, the Semper Opera House and the Royal Palace, to name just a few. There are magnificent promenades along the river Elbe which wait to be discovered as well as many museums and cultural highlights awaiting the interested visitor.

Day 6

By rail you will get from Dresden to Berlin, the last stop of your Vienna, Prague, Berlin vacation package. Germany´s capital city is a great and dynamic metropolis. The unification of East and West Berlin 25 years ago changed the city in many ways. Berlin fascinates visitors it’s culture and history are unique. Your tour includes the 72 hour Berlin and Potsdam Welcome Card. With this card you will have discounts to 200 museums, city tours and attractions and it includes a pass for unlimited free use of the Berlin public transportation system. With your tour package you will receive Berlin Walking tour suggestions as well as information about the public buses “M100” and “M200”: the buses are public double decker buses which cover many sights of Berlin and are a perfect way to explore the city by hopping on and off those buses. They run very frequently all day from 5am until midnight and if you take both routes you will have a circle taking you from the former Center of East Berlin (“Berlin Alexanderplatz”) to the Center of West Berlin (“Bahnhof Zoo”, “Ku´damm” shopping area). Bus M200 takes you south of the “Tiergarten” to West Berlin´s Bahnhof Zoo where you may want to visit the “Gedachtniskirche” (Memorial Church) as well as the KaDeWe, continental Europe´s largest compartment store, which is located close to the Ku´damm. Bus M100 takes you back through the Tiergarten and partly north of it, passing the “Siegessaule” (Victory Column), Bellevue Palace (built in 1786 for the younger brother of Friedrich II, Ferdinand of Prussia, today: seat of the Germany´s President), the Reichstag (German Parliament), the Brandenburg Gate and the Museum Island back to Berlin Alexanderplatz.

Day 7 Berlin

You may want to start this day by joining a free English-speaking 2.5 hours walking tour of Berlin (information on how to reserve this tour will be provided) There are plenty of opportunities to take advantage of your Berlin and Potsdam Welcome Card today. However, you are holding the extended version of the Card which also covers public transportation in the greater Berlin area, to Potsdam and to Oranienburg for example. If you are interested in the infamous history during WWII you may want to visit the Memorial and Museum Sachsenhausen, located just outside of Berlin. The Concentration Camp (“KZ”) in Oranienburg-Sachsenhausen was built as the role-model for many “KZ” in Germany and Central Europe. You will need about half a day for the trip to the Memorial Site (see Day 7 of our History Rail Tour “Fascination and Terror –Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” for more detailed information). Admission to Sachsenhausen is free and public transportation by rail/bus is covered by your Berlin and Potsdam Welcome Card.

Also worth a visit is the city of Potsdam, Capital of the State of Brandenburg. The city was built by the Prussian Kings within a lake area and with its many cultural landmarks, in particular the Palaces of Sanssouci located in midst beautiful parks, the city is definitely worth a visit. Rail to Potsdam as well as public transportation by tram and buses within the city of Potsdam are covered by your Berlin and Potsdam Welcome Card.

When you are back in Berlin: a nice way to see Berlin is by foot. Your tour package includes a suggestion for a free English-speaking walking tour of Berlin as well as walking suggestions for the area around the Brandenburg Gate, in case you would like to discover the city on your own. From the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag (German Parliament) the walking tour passes by the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, to Berlin´s new city center, the “Potsdamer Platz”, to “Checkpoint Charlie”, to East Berlin´s Culture- and Shopping Street “Friedrichstrasse” (site of the “golden twenties”), to the “Gendarmenmarkt”, where the German and French Cathedrals are located, via the promenade street “Unter den Linden” to the Museum Island.

The remains of the wall can be visited at Berlin´s East Side Gallery where parts of the wall have been turned into a piece of art. If you are interested in Third Reich history a “must visit” is the documentation center “Topography of Terror“. It is located at the site from where the Nazis planned and managed most of their crimes.

Day 8

Depending on the departure time of your flight take the train to Berlin Tegel Airport at your convenience. Please note that we can add extra nights in Berlin. It is also possible to customize the tour. The tour can also be booked vice versa – from Berlin to Vienna.