Jewish Europe
9-day tour
Warsaw – Krakow – Bratislava – Budapest
Eastern Europe offers a wide range of cultural, political and scenic regions where Jewish life and culture once played an important role.
Join us as we explore Warsaw, Krakow, Bratislava, and Budapest.
You will gain an insight into many fascinating places – from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Krakow to the beautiful Hungarian capital on the Danube.
Day 1: Arrival in Warsaw
Arrival at Warsaw airport and transfer to hotel for overnight.
Day 2: Warsaw
You meet your English-speaking tour escort. In the morning, tour “The Warsaw Ghetto” including the Korczak’s Way. Walk the last ghetto street, pass the Nożyk Synagogue, remnants of the Ghetto
Wall, the Big and the Small Ghetto, and the Ghetto Heroes Monument. You see the Umschlagplatz that commemorates the place from which more than 300,000 Jews were deported to death camps. Of course, you also see some of the most important non-Jewish city highlights of Warsaw. Enjoy your welcome dinner at restaurant. Overnight in Warsaw.
Day 3: Lublin / Camp Majdanek
After an early breakfast, leave Warsaw and drive to Lublin. Before WWII, about half of the residents were Jews and there was the world’s largest Jeshiwa at the time, making Lublin very famous. Visit Camp Majdanek which was a Nazi German concentration and extermination camp. Unlike other camps, this one was not located in rural areas but within the boundaries of a city. Afterwards, drive to Krakow where you have dinner at a restaurant. Overnight in Krakow.
Day 4: Auschwitz-Birkenau and Krakow
Leave Krakow in the morning and drive to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp located in Oswiecim. This is the only concentration camp that is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. Auschwitz was the largest camp in Europe where more than 1,100,000 persons lost their lives. After lunch, drive back to Krakow. You have the afternoon free to explore Krakow on your own and time for an individual dinner. Overnight in Krakow.
Day 5: Krakow and Bratislava
In the morning discovery of the Kazimierz Quarter including the synagogue and the Jewish Cemetery. You also see some of the general highlights of the city. Then you continue your journey by leaving Poland and driving to Bratislava (Slovakia). Stop along the road for a light lunch. After check-in at the hotel in Bratislava, you can explore Bratislava by night and have dinner on your own.
Day 6: Bratislava and Budapest
Begin the day with a tour of Bratislava. The city holds a great Jewish history with many exciting city sites. Visit the Jewish cemetery and the Museum of Jewish Culture which is located in the Heydukova Street Synagogue, Bratislava’s only synagogue. The building is famous for its rare cubist architecture which was designed by Arthur Szalatnai-Slatinsky. Enjoy individual lunch and leisure time in the heart of this most interesting city of Slovakia. Later drive to Budapest. Check-in at the hotel. Enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 7: Budapest
After breakfast, meet the local guide. In the morning, walking tour of the general sites of Budapest including the Szabadsag Square, the Parliament and the Shoes on the Danube Bank, a memorial to honor the people (mainly Budapest Jews) who were killed by fascist Arrow Cross militiamen in Budapest during World War II. Before lunch, drive to the picturesque artists’ village of Szentendre. After an individual lunch, leisure time. Departure back to Budapest and visit Buda Castle District which is packed with historic sites and attractions, interesting museums, crooked streets and cafes, Matthias Church which is called the Church of our Lady and was built in the 19th century and Fisherman’s Bastion, which is a lookout tower built in neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque style in the 19th century. In the evening, after free time for an individual dinner, enjoy a boat cruise on the Danube to see Budapest from a different perspective. Overnight in Budapest.
Day 8: Budapest
In the morning, exploring the Jewish Quarter, including the Neolog Dohany Street Synagogue, the largest synagogue in Europe and the second largest in the world. The Hungarian Jewish Museum is located in the same building. The synagogue is Oriental-Byzantine (Moorish), influenced by Muslim architecture. It has 3000 seats and can accommodate 2000 standing people. You also come to Hero’s Square. After lunch in the Jewish Quarter, you have leisure time in the afternoon to explore the city on your own. Tonight, enjoy a farewell dinner in the heart of the old Jewish quarter at a restaurant.
Day 9: Travel day
Today, it is time to say “Goodbye Budapest”.
