YOUR ITINERARY:

PragueDay 1

On your arrival at Prague airport, meeting with your individual guide and transfer to your hotel.

Excursion "Prague - 12 centuries of architecture"

We will walk from Prague Castle through Mala Strana, across the Charles Bridge to Old Town Square and finish up at Wenceslas Square. Before us will unfold the entire history of this ages-old city, from its foundation in the 9th century up to the events of the 1989 Velvet Revolution. Centuries come and go as Romanesque rotundas and Gothic towers give way to Renaissance facades, austere neoclassical palaces and opulent Baroque churches. The splendid dynamics of Art Nouveau rub shoulders with stunning Cubist structures. This is the glory of Prague – where the finest examples of architectural history create a magnificent mosaic.

Lunch in a traditional Czech restaurant in the city

Dinner at the hotel.

Prague — Kutna HoraDay 2

Breakfast at your hotel. Transfer to Kutna Hora.

Excursion "Kutna Hora"

During the Middle Ages, the Kutna Hora silver mines brought fame to the lands of the Czech Crown, and turned the little town into the richest and most powerful in the Czech lands. Saint Barbara’s Cathedral (1388), devoted to the patroness of miners, is one of Europe’s most important monuments of Gothic architecture. Other jewels include the ancient mint – The Vlašský Dvur (Italian Court) from the 13th century, and several patrician houses. The Hrádek (Little Castle), which is part of the former municipal fortifications, houses the Mining Museum; the tour includes a visit to a medieval mine. The cloister church in Sedlec, a short distance from Kutna Hora, houses a sensational Ossuary. The Ossuary’s interior furniture, including a stupendous chandelier, is composed exclusively of human skulls and bones, dating mostly from the Thirty Years' War.

Lunch in one of the local restaurants

Return to Prague.

Dinner at the hotel.

Ceský Krumlov — HolašoviceDay 3

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Ceský Krumlov. Accommodation in the hotel in Ceský Krumlov.

Excursion "Ceský Krumlov"

This picturesque valley town lies in a looping bend of the Vltava River in South Bohemia. Cesky Krumlov was founded in the 13th century and contains superb examples of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture. It is an outstanding example of a provincial central European medieval town. An UNESCO World Heritage site, its architectural heritage has remained intact thanks to its peaceful evolution over the centuries. According to legend, the name Krumlov derives from the German “Krumme Aue”, or “crooked meadow”, and describes the serpentine meandering of the Vltava River through the heart of the town. The large, refurbished 18th century Rococo Theater boasts a priceless collection of original scenery, costumes, furnishings and functioning machinery that has no equal in the world.

Lunch in one of local restaurants.

Excursion "Holašovice"

Holašovice is an exceptionally well-preserved example of traditional central European village life. It has a large number of outstanding 18th and 19th century buildings showing off the style known as South Bohemian Folk Baroque, and retains a ground plan dating from the Middle Ages. Its twenty-odd farmhouses with richly-painted Baroque gables and rear gardens are situated around a central pond. The pond was used for breeding freshwater fish; the entire area is still known for its fish industry. The village is a living monument to rustic traditions, in the spirit of “The Bartered Bride”, perhaps the most famous Czech opera (in fact, the village served as a set for the opera’s film version.). A working village, Holasovice attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world who wish to experience how life was lived two hundred years ago.

Return to the hotel in Ceský Krumlov.

Dinner at the hotel.

Telc — TrebicDay 4

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Telc.

Excursion "Telc"

The gorgeous Moravian town of Telc is a legendary place, not for any historical battles fought here – rather it is that each bell tower and chapel has its own decidedly Gothic tale to tell. This is the locale of the mysterious White Lady of the Czech Lands. In her fluttering gown, she flits along the cobbled streets and past the tiny square’s colorful 16th century Renaissance facades. Who is she? A noblewoman who survived the awesome fire of 1530 which destroyed the original town? No one knows, but her sightings have given local citizens and many Czech writers a wealth of stories of unrequited love and rebellious phantoms…

Lunch in one of local restaurants.

Excursion "The Jewish Quarter of Trebic"

Our destination is a unique monument to Jewish history, included on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites. The Jewish Quarter of Trebic is an exceptional testament to the cultural traditions of the Jewish Diaspora in central Europe. Its walls and ancient houses bear witness to the longevity and vibrancy of the life of this community. The proximity of the Jewish Quarter, the old Jewish Cemetery and the Basilica of Saint Procopius reminds of the co-existence of Jewish and Christian cultures in Trebic from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. The Basilica, built as part of the Benedictine monastery in the early 13th century, is a remarkable example of the influence of Western European architectural heritage in this region.

Accommodation in the hotel in Trebic.

Dinner at the hotel.

Ždar nad Sazavou — LitomyšlDay 5

Breakfast at your hotel. Transfer to Ždar nad Sazavou.

Excursion "Church of St John Nepomuk at Zelena Hora"

Mysticism is closely intertwined here with reality. Eerily decorated with cabalistic symbols, the Church of Saint John Nepomuk at Zelena Hora has five angles & five sanctuaries. You can enter any of the church's five doors to view a giant human tongue suspended under its dome…

Lunch in one of local restaurants.

Transfer to Litomyšl.

Excursion «Litomyšl»

The tiny town of Litomyšl has been the setting for several seminal events in Czech history. Back in the 9th century, it was the first town to open its gates to the Apostles of the Slavs, Cyril and Methodius; the former is credited with inventing Cyrillic script in order to translate the gospels into the original Slavic tongue. It was here in 1824 that the greatest Czech composer, Bedrich Smetana, was born. The medieval chateau in Litomysl has an exceptional example of original Italian sgraffito and the quaint town square is done up like a wedding cake, with its embellished Baroque facades.

Accommodation in Litomyšl.

Dinner at the hotel.

Olomouc — KromerížDay 6

Breakfast at your hotel. Transfer to Olomouc.

Excursion "The Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc"

The Holy Trinity Plague Column, a huge affair which dominates Olomouc’s upper square, came into existence between 1716 and 1754, and is a monument to the age-old religious history of this ancient seat of Moravia’s archbishopric. The massive column unites the motifs of ecclesiastic triumphalism and faith with its architectural and artistic expression. Done in a regional style known as Olomouc Baroque, the Holy Trinity Column soars 35 meters above the square. The distinguished Moravian artist, Ondrej Zahner, created its many fine religious sculptures. The historic Moravian town of Olomouc has received wide recognition since Holy Trinity Column joined the UNESCO World Heritage site list.

Lunch in one of local restaurants

Excursion «Kromeríž»

The city of Kromeríž has often been dubbed Moravia’s answer to Athens – or, could it be Rome? The aristocratic Liechtenstein family, who dominated so much of the city’s early history, created the lavish 17th century Baroque Flower Garden with an odd nod to both cultures, combining a massive Neoclassical colonnade with a phalanx of Roman gods. Off the Old Town Square is another Baroque masterpiece, the Kromeríž Archbishop’s Palace, for centuries the home of Olomouc’s bishops, now most famous for its art collection of masterpieces by Antonin Van Dejk, Albrecht Durer and Titian.

Dinner and accommodation in Kromeríž.

Brno — LedniceDay 7

Breakfast at your hotel. Transfer to Brno.

Excursion «Villa Tugendhat»

The genius German architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, never lived in the houses he designed. Yet, this never stopped Rohe from preaching his functionalist approach to modern habitation. The Tugendhat Haus in Brno, designed in 1930 for the wealthy Tugendhat family, owners of several textile factories, remains an outstanding example of Functionalism for architects the world over. The villa impresses with its innovative open-plan living areas, and the technical devices Rohe introduced, revolutionary for the 1930’s, are unique even today. The villa’s steel frame, with floor-to-ceiling windows, and the slim chrome-plated pillars carrying the weight of the individual floors, visually integrate the hall and garden into a single whole. Rohe’s design was internationally recognized as a breakthrough in the annals of modern architecture.

Lunch in one of local restaurants.

Excursion "Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape"

From their beginnings in the 13th century until the 20th century, the all-powerful Liechtenstein aristocracy transformed their domains in southern Moravia into a striking landscape. Their castles at Lednice and Valtice married Baroque, Classical and Neo-Gothic styles with a huge swathe of countryside fashioned according to the principles of English romantic landscape architecture. Today the former holdings include ornately-appointed chateaux, the famous vineyards, whimsical garden structures and decorative sculpture of various styles, surrounded by a beautiful natural park dotted with Romantic outbuildings, rare trees, fishponds and greenhouses teeming with tropical plants. At 200 sq. kilometers, it is one of the largest artificial landscapes in Europe.

Dinner and accommodation in Lednice.

PragueDay 8

Breakfast at your hotel. Transfer to Prague. Free time to relax and discover Prague at your own pace.

Transfer to the airport with your guide, departure.