DAY 1: DIRECT FLIGHT TO BUDAPEST - FIRST ACQUAINTANCE - CRUISE BY NIGHT
Meeting at the airport, where you will meet our escort, a guide specialized in this destination. Check-in and direct flight to Budapest, capital of Hungary. Upon arrival we will transfer to our hotel for check-in and then have a first introduction to the city under the guidance of our guide. We recommend you to visit the New York Café which opened its doors in 1894 and was described as "the most beautiful café in the world" since its baroque decoration of marble, bronze, velvet and silk made it look like a palace room. For the evening, we recommend a night walk, a cruise on the Danube, where you will admire the sights under the city lights, where of course the majestic Parliament dominates. Overnight.
DAY 2: BUDAPEST, CITY TOUR
Breakfast at our hotel and we start our city tour from Heroes' Square, the Millennium Monument, the 19th century Parliament building, and St. Stephen's Cathedral, which is the largest church in Hungary. We continue to the city's most moving attraction, The Shoes of the Danube, sculpted by filmmaker Can Togay and sculptor Gyula Pauer. This monument is located next to the Chain Bridge that connects Pest and Buda, parallel to the river and is dedicated to the memory of the 550,000 Hungarians who lost their lives in 1944-1945. Thousands of Hungarians were shot along the riverbank by their compatriots who had collaborated with the Nazis. We move to the Fisherman's Tower, built in 1905 for decorative purposes and located near the church of St. Matthew in the castle area. This church is also known as the Church of the Lady. It is located in the heart of the castle area and was built in the 13th century. We will also see the Hill Castle which rises 48 meters above the Danube, built by the Austro-Burgarians of 1850-1854 to control the city after the suspension of the Hungarian Revolution for independence. The city of Budapest was founded on this hill. We end our tour on the city's most commercial street Vaci Uca.
DAY 3: BUDAPEST - VIENNA - CITY TOUR
After breakfast at the hotel we start our journey to the capital of Austria. Upon arrival in Vienna we start our city tour where we will visit one of the most important sights in Europe, the famous Senbrun Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was the summer residence of the Habsburgs from the 18th century until 1918. See the imperial apartments, the magnificent gardens and feel what it is like to live as an Emperor ( entrance fee not included ). Then on the tour of the city we see the Kunsthaus a complex of buildings of abstract style and the baroque palace complex Bellevue of Prince Eugene of Savoy, today a gallery with works of art by artists of the modern period and the Modernist movement . We continue to Charles Square where the Church of St. Charles Borromeo and the Hall of the Association of Friends of Music are located and enter the famous Ringstrasse (ring road of the historic centre). Here we will see the State Opera House, the Hofburg Winter Imperial Palace complex, the twin Museums of Art History and Natural History, the Museum Square, the Parliament, the former Imperial Theatre opposite the City Hall, the University, and the Votifkirche (Church of the Tama). and walking through the historic centre, with the famous St. Stephen's Cathedral, we will discover the historic Greek neighbourhood with the Greek Orthodox churches of St. George and Holy Trinity . Free time to enjoy the city centre and taste the local cuisine. Talk to our guide to find what interests you from an attraction (Natural History Museum, Art History, Museum Square, Treasure Museum, Spanish Riding School, etc.) to a good café or restaurant and return to the hotel on your own at your own time.
DAY 4: VIENNA - LAKES - SALZBURG
Breakfast and we set off for a magical optional excursion to Mozart's birthplace, Salzburg. Our route takes us to the central Alps through four of Austria's federal states offering variations and a wealth of visual experiences. We cross the "Alpine Republic" from east to west, climbing from the Danube valley to the alpine zone in the idyllic lake district of Salzkammergut. Here we see some of the country's largest lakes, among them the legendary Monze of Celtic and early Germanic myths. But also the architecture of the countryside and the alpine hinterland is of particular interest. Then we reach the "Rome of the Alps", the "Jerusalem of the German-speaking Christian world", the fairytale Salzburg. We walk through the gardens of the Mirabel Palace, leaving the Mozarteum University of Music on our left, and see the Chora Theatre, the home of the Mozart family, the birthplace of King Otto of Greece and the Greek-born composer Herbert von Karajan.We cross the Mackart Bridge or the "locked hearts" of the Zaltschach River, and enter the Old Town of the Renaissance and Middle Ages. Strolling through arcades, narrow alleys, we reach the infamous Gettridegasse where Mozart's birthplace, and the Town Hall, is located. We continue to the Palace of the Prince Archbishops next to the Renaissance Cathedral of St. Peter, the Abbeys of St. Peter and the Franciscans. Free time for a walk and coffee. Return to Vienna.
DAY 5: VIENNA VALLEYS - BRATISLAVA, CITY TOUR - RETURN FLIGHT
Breakfast at the hotel and immediately afterwards departure to the famous Vienna Woods, source of inspiration for many artists (Beethoven, Mozart, Strauss, Schubert, etc.). First we will visit the Monastery of the Holy Cross and then we will pass through Meyerling, with its former Hapsburg hunting lodge, known for the sad as well as romantic story of the suicide of the Crown Prince Rudolph and Baroness Maria Vecera. The picturesque spa town of Baden follows. We will see the city's very famous and internationally known casino, which stands out with its architecture, the plague monument, the City Hall and the "House of the Ninth" the house where Beethoven composed his "Ode to Joy" We continue our program by heading to Bratislava, which is the only capital of a European country that is located almost on the border with another state. On the border with Austria, deeply traditional and at the same time quite cosmopolitan, the Slovak capital manages to combine the history of the Slovaks with the aristocracy of Austria, the atmosphere of Hungary and the romance of the Czech Republic. On our tour we will see the Bratislava castle, it is so beautiful that it looks like it was taken out of the Disney graphics. We will continue to probably the most characteristic point of the old town, St. Michael's Gate which towers above the tops of all the other buildings in the town from the early 14th century. Together we will discover the bronze statues that adorn the city centre and have our photos taken with them, especially Cumil, the famous worker who emerges smiling from a sewer. Transfer to the airport, flight back to Thessaloniki, arrival in our city with the best impressions.
