Berlin, Prague & St. Petersburg
Programme Overview
Duration: 10 days
A 10-day journey to Berlin, Prague, and St. Petersburg, reliving the majestic historical times of these great cultures.
Highlights: Berlin, Potsdam, Prague, Cesky Krumlov, St Petersburg
Arrive Berlin
Upon arrival at Berlin airport you will be welcomed to Germany by your local representative as you exit customs into the arrivals hall, and transferred to your hotel where you will be assisted with check-in procedures.
Overnight: Hotel de Rome
Berlin
Today you will enjoy a full-day sightseeing tour (8 hours) with your local English-speaking guide and private vehicle. Begin your tour with a visit to the Reichstag, new home of the German Parliament with its stunning Norman Foster designed dome. Then carry on to the newly created Potsdamer Platz, dubbed `Europe's largest construction site' during the mid 1990s. Visit the nearby Checkpoint Charlie, the famous crossing point between East and West Berlin, you will also visit the Museum dedicated to the checkpoint. After lunch at leisure, travel to the Museum Island, where your English-speaking guide will accompany you around one of the world's greatest museums, the Pergamon Museum (4 hours). The Pergamon Museum houses a vast collection of ancient artifacts and antiquities. You will also visit Berlin Cathedral with its vast dome. After sightseeing you will be transferred back to your hotel.
Overnight: Hotel de Rome
Meal Plan: B
Berlin - Potsdam - Berlin
Depart Berlin today with your private vehicle and English-speaking guide to the city of Potsdam (8 hours). Your first stop will be Cecilienhof Palace. Built in the early part of the 20th century, the palace served as an important place in world history when the Potsdam Agreement was signed here in 1945 by Truman, Stalin and Churchill. It is said that each party had a private entrance to the castle so that no one party would know the arrival time of the others. After lunch at leisure, you will continue to the Sanssouci Gardens, the royal residence of Frederick the Great. Strolling through the gardens you will discover the Chinese teahouse, housing a small but elaborate porcelain collection, a Dutch mill, a Greek temple and even Roman ruins, erected on a hill opposite the dream palace of Sanssouci. The rococo-style Sanssouci is the best-known palace in the complex; it rests on a hilltop of vineyards and the inside is a display of original furnishings. You will enjoy the benefit of a tour conducted by your own specialist guide of the palace.
Overnight: Hotel de Rome
Meal Plan: B
Berlin - Prague
Today you will be met at your hotel and privately transferred with your representative to the Berlin railway station to begin your rail journey. Here you will be shown to your pre-reserved 1st class seating and your luggage will be handled onboard for you. Upon arrival at the Prague railway station you will be met from the door of the train and your luggage will be handled for you. You will then be privately transferred to your hotel where you will be assisted with check-in.
Overnight: The Augustine Hotel
Meal Plan: B
Prague
Meet your English-speaking local guide for a full day (8hrs) tour of Prague today. First enjoy a walking tour of the Old Town, with its cobbled streets, and the Jewish Quarter, birthplace of Franz Kafka. See the Gothic Town Hall in Old Town Square, famous for its astronomical clock. Visit the Jewish Museum which houses the largest collection of Judaica in Europe, the Old New Synagogue and the Jewish Cemetery. You may also enjoy a walk across the 14th century Charles Bridge. In the afternoon, meet your driver and enjoy a tour to Prague's Castle District. Hradcany Castle was the seat of Bohemian kings and Holy Roman emperors. Visit the Cathedral of St. Vitus, one of the finest and most richly endowed in central Europe, and the Basilica of St. George which was founded in 905. Stroll along the Golden Lane, a row of tiny houses dating from the 16th century. Complete your tour with a visit to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Loreto, an important place of pilgrimage, and the Strahov Monastery, with its glorious Baroque decorations, where you will enjoy a private tour of the ornate library.
Overnight: The Augustine Hotel
Meal Plan: B
Prague - Cesky Krumlov - Prague
Today you will enjoy a full day excursion (10 hours) into the Czech countryside with your English-speaking local guide and private vehicle. Visit Cesky Krumlov, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, considered one of the prettiest towns in Bohemia. The highlight of the tour is a visit to Krumlov Castle, which dates back as far as the 12th century. Lunch and afternoon at leisure.
Overnight: The Augustine Hotel
Meal Plan: B
Prague - St Petersburg
Today you will be privately transferred to St Petersburg airport with assistance of your representative.
Upon arrival at St Petersburg airport you will be met in the Customs hall by an airport representative holding your name sign and assisted through immigration formalities and customs. After clearing Customs, proceed through the doors to the Airport Hall. At this point, your guide will be waiting for you and you are transferred to your hotel where you will be welcomed to Russia by your local representative and assisted with check-in procedures.
The balance of the day is free to relax after your journey, or you may choose to explore on your own and get a first impression of this magnificent city.
Overnight: Hotel Astoria
Meal Plan: B
St Petersburg
This morning meet your English-speaking guide for a visit (4 hours) to one of the most famous museums in the world, the Hermitage. Originally commissioned by Catherine the Great as a winter palace, the museum now houses over three million exhibits. Some of the interior highlights include the Ambassador's Staircase, the Throne Room and the Ballroom. You will also see the Scythian gold room or the Diamond room by special arrangement.
This afternoon’s sightseeing (4 hours) with your private vehicle and English speaking guide will take you out of the city to Tsarskoe Selo (‘the Tsar’s village’), more commonly known as Pushkin. Enjoy a three course lunch at the Podvorie Dacha restaurant followed by a visit to the beautiful Catherine’s Palace, the formal parks which stretch to Rastrelli’s blue and white Hermitage building, and the workshop where the world famous amber room is being meticulously restored. Also enjoy a troika ride through the ornate gardens.
Overnight: Hotel Astoria
Meal Plan: B
St Petersburg
You will begin your day (8 hours) with your English-speaking guide by driving along the coast to Petrodvorets, the summer palace of Peter the Great. Entry for the early opening at the Grand Palace has been arranged. The lavish décor of the buildings is rivaled only by its famous Grand Cascade of fountains. After lunch at leisure return by hydrofoil (summer months only) to St Petersburg, where you will be visiting the Russian Museum.
Overnight: Hotel Astoria
Meal Plan: B
Depart St Petersburg
Today you will be privately transferred to St Petersburg airport with assistance of your representative.
Meal Plan: B