Czech and Slovak Grand Tour

Czech and Slovak Grand Tour Slovakia and Czech Republic are two sovereign neighboring states that formed Czechoslovakia in the past. Both countries have common history and very warm relationships among people. Within 12 days you will visit 2 capitals - Bratislava and Prague and many interesting places. Banska Stiavnica, one of the most beautiful and interesting towns in Slovakia. Levoca, a true cultural and historic jewel among the Slovak towns. The High Tatras Mountains, the smallest alpine-like mountains in the world. Prague, once a political, cultural and economic centre of Europe and particularly Central Europe during its 1,100-year existence, and much more. In addition to visiting these places you will taste local cuisine, meet local people and explore various cultures. Day 1 – Prague - Brno Arrival in Brno, the Czech Republic. (2 hrs driving from Prague International airport) Accommodation in first class hotel Balance of the day at your leisure. Overnight in Brno Day 2 – Sightseeing in Brno, visit the Punkva cave and Macocha gorge in Moravian Karst. - Breakfast - Brno sightseeing - Moravian Karst visit (Punkva cave and Macocha Gorge) - Return to Brno Brno is the second largest city of the Czech Republic and the cultural and administrative centre of the South Moravian Region. Brno has a beautiful historic centre with historic sites from the 11th century and large number of Baroque and Renaissance buildings. The dominant feature of Brno is a stone promontory called Petrov and Gothic Cathedral of St Peter and Paul which is built on it. Another dominant feature of Brno is the Spilberk Castle. It was established around the mid 13th century. Today, Spilberk castle houses The Brno City Museum. Moravian Karst is one of the most important karst area of Central Europe. In the area of Moravian Karst, there are more than 1100 caverns and gorges. Only 4 caves from overall number are open to the public. There are Punkva Caves with their underground river - during the cruise you can see there the bottom of the famous Macocha Gorge. Overnight in Brno Day 3 - Valtice and Lednice UNESCO area with wine tasting - Breakfast - Valtice and Lednice gardens, castles and vineyards - wine tasting - Mikulov town - Return to Brno Lednice - Valtice complex with area of 200 km is part of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list. Lednice and Valtice are towns near the border of Austria. In Lednice, the complex is better preserved and extensive: English Tudor Neo-Gothic building, the park with ponds and canals and the minaret - the tallest of this type of structure in a non-Islamist country. Valtice chateau has two special attractions: a brand-new herb garden showcasing hundreds of different herbs and the National Wine Center. Overnight in Brno Day 4 - Sightseeing in Kromeriz and Olomouc towns. - Breakfast - Kromeriz town visit - Olomouc town visit - Return to Brno Kromeriz is a Moravian town in Zlin region. Main landmark of the town is the Baroque Bishop's Palace, where some scenes from Amadeus and Immortal Beloved were filmed. The Palace and the Flower Garden in Kromeriz were added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1998. Charming and beautiful Olomouc lies beside the Morava River in Central Moravia. The centre is the largest historic preservation zone outside Prague, and its cobblestoned streets are lined with majestic cathedrals and grand palaces. Overnight in Brno Day 5 - UNESCO sites: towns of Trebic and Telc. Transfer to Cesky Krumlov - Breakfast - Trebic town sightseeing - Telc town sightseeing - Transfer to Cesky Krumlov - Accommodation in central located hotel in Cesky Krumlov Trebic is situated in the Vysocina region and it is the 2nd largest town of the region. In 2003, St. Procopius basilica and the Jewish Quarter with Jewish cemetery were incorporated into the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. These monuments are proof, that Jewish and Christian communities could live side by side, which was one of the reasons for entry into the prestigious list. It would be hard to imagine a more fairytale-like little town than Telc. A square which looks like it has come straight from the stories by Hans Christian Andersen, a romantic chateau and crystal-clear fishponds surrounding the town. Telc is the most perfect example of the Italian Renaissance north of the Alps and a town with one of the most beautiful squares in Europe. It is rightly part of UNESCO world heritage. Overnight in Cesky Krumlov Day 6 - Cesky Krumlov sightseeing. - Breakfast - Cesky Krumlov full-day sightseeing Cesky Krumlov - a town of historical heritage - have 300 protected buildings in the historical centre designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the second largest castle complex in the Czech Republic, and the oldest Baroque theatre in the world. Overnight in Cesky Krumlov Day 7 - Sightseeing in Hluboka chateau. Transfer to Prague - Breakfast - Meeting with guide in hotel lobby - Chateau of Hluboka - Transfer to Prague - Accommodation in Prague Chateau of Hluboka was originally founded as a guarding castle in the mid-13th century by the Kings of Bohemia. Aristocratic House of Schwarzenberg bought Hluboka in the 17th century and family members lived there until the end of 1939. The chateau was rebuilt in early 18th century in the Baroque style. Later, in the 19th century, it was rebuilt into Neo-Gothic chateau according to appearance of the royal castle of Windsor. Overnight in Prague Day 8 Prague sightseeing - Breakfast - 3.5 hours regular Grand city tour of Prague with pick up at the hotel - Afternoon free time the Prague Castle, an ancient symbol of the Czech lands, is the most significant Czech monument and one of the most important cultural institutions in the Czech Republic. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Prague Castle is the largest coherent castle complex in the world, with an area of almost 70,000 square meters. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it consists of a large-scale composition of palaces and ecclesiastical buildings of various architectural styles, from Roman-style buildings from the 10th century through Gothic modifications in the 14th century. St. Vitus Cathedral is the largest and the most important temple in Prague. Apart from religious services the coronations of Czech kings and queens also took place in here. The cathedral is a place of interment of remains of provincial patron saints, sovereigns, noblemen and archbishops. The Charles Bridge is a famous historic bridge that crosses the Vltava river. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV and finished in the beginning of the 15th century. the Charles Bridge was the most important connection between Prague Castle and the city's Old Town and adjacent areas. At night Charles Bridge is a quiet place, but during the day it changes into a very busy venue with painters, owners of kiosks, and vendors alongside numerous tourists crossing the bridge. Overnight in Prague Day 9 - Transfer to Prague railway station. Train to Poprad, Slovakia - Breakfast - Transfer to Prague railway station - Train to Poprad - Transfer to hotel in Kezmarok - Accommodation in first class hotel in the city centre Overnight in Kezmarok Day 10 - UNESCO sites: Levoca town, Spis castle, Spisska Kapitula. - Breakfast - Wooden church in Kezmarok (UNESCO) - Levoca town sightseeing - Spis Castle and Spisska Kapitula (Slovak Vatican) visit (both UNESCO) - Return to Kezmarok One of the best preserved Slovak wooden sacral buildings is the articled Evangelical church in Kezmarok. The church was built in 1717 next to an older sacral stone building from 1593, which today serves as a sacristy. This unique wooden building made of yew and red spruce wood was built without using a single metal component and its ground plan is in the form of a Greek cross. Baroque interior of the church and the organ is also made of wood. Historic town of Levoca, situated in the east of the Spis region, is a true cultural and historic jewel among the Slovak towns as it compounds a great number of architectural monuments linked with the glorious past of the town. The dominant part of Levoca is large rectangular square with the Roman-Catholic St James church from the 14th century, one of the most important sacral buildings in Slovakia. Late Gothic wooden main altar of St James with the height of 18.6 m is the tallest of its kind in the world. It was made of lime wood in 1507 - 1517 in the workshop of Master Paul of Levoca. Spis Castle is the largest medieval castle in Central Europe located on a travertine rock hill. The castle hill was populated as early as 5th century BC; it is one the greatest archaeological and historical gems of Central Europe and is under UNESCO protection. Spisska Kapitula is sometimes also referred to as the "Slovak Vatican". Church life not only in Spisska Kapitula (Spis Chapter) was organised from here by the bishops, provosts, and canonists. The most important building of Spisska Kapitula is Late-Romanesque St Martin cathedral from the 13th century. Overnight in Kezmarok Day 11 - High Tatras with optional program: Walking around glacial lakes, cable car to Lomnicky peak, Belianska cave visit, short hike. - Breakfast - Tatra National Park visit - Activities to choose from - Return to Kezmarok The High Tatras are the highest mountain range of Slovakia and the most significant tourist center for summer and winter holidays. There is about 35 valleys, 110 mountain lakes, but the most amazing are the Tatra peaks. There is more than 500 peaks in the High Tatras, out of which 10 peaks are above 2600 meters high. The silence of the valleys, mountain lakes, silky sheen of the waterfalls and simultaneously monumental touches with the heights of the peaks - all of that is the magical world of Tatra National Park.

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