The Hapsburg Rhapsody Tour - 2009    

Day 1:
(Sept 12)

On arrival in Budapest this morning, you'll be transferred to your hotel, the Budapest Marriott (www.marriottbudapest.com) where you check in for 2 nights. The remainder of the day is on your own to explore this beautiful city before the tour departs.  Welcome to Budapest...the Paris of the east!  Your Rhapsody Tours Tour Manager can offer ideas for the day.

Day 2:
(Sept 13)

This morning we take you on a half-day guided tour of Budapest.  The afternoon is yours for more exploring but be back at the hotel for the dinner cruise on the Danube this evening.  There will be a special welcome dinner onboard as you cruise along the UNESCO World Heritage protected area of the city. 

Day 3:
 (Sept 14)

After check out this morning, we get on our tour bus and drive to Prague.  Along the way, we'll stop and briefly visit some of the unique Baroque towns of Bohemia, On arrival in Prague, we check in for 2 nights at the Imperial Hotel Prague (www.hotel-imperial.cz). The evening is yours to explore the historic old town center.
Day 4:
 (Sept 15)

This morning after breakfast, you'll be treated to the Grand city sightseeing tour of Prague, visiting all of the city's highlights including Wenceslas Square, Charles Bridge, the Castle Quarter and much more in this in-depth tour. Lunch will be served near the Castle. After this half-day introduction to the "City of 100 Spires", the afternoon is free time for you. This evening, we'll be treated to a dinner cruise on the Vltava River through the heart of Prague (also UNESCO World Heritage protected).

 
Day 5:
 (Sept 16)

After breakfast at the hotel, the tour continues with a drive to Vienna today, with a stop at the famous Hluboka Castle for lunch. On arrival in Vienna, we check in for 2 nights at the Imperial Riding School Renaissance Hotel (www.imperialrenaissance.at). 

Day 6:
 (Sept 17)

This morning we get up close and familiar with Vienna with a half-day guided city sightseeing tour. You'll be picked up and dropped off at the hotel, unless you want to stay at the last stop on the tour, the Schonbrunn Palace, and make your own way back by taxi or the metro.  Make sure to be back at the hotel in time for your dinner concert tonight.  We go back to the Palace for an elegant Mozart/Strauss concert with dinner. There will be more time to visit the grounds before heading back to the hotel.  

Day 7:
 (Sept 18)		 This morning, after breakfast, we'll continue our tour through Austria to a small town called Millstattersee, where you'll be pleasantly surprised to fine a beautiful spa hotel located in a typically Austrian country setting, your home for the next 2 nights (www.biohotel-alpenrose.at) . Enjoy the treatments and pampering. Enjoy this relaxing break before we continue with the rest of the tour.
Day 8:
 (Sept 19)

Enjoy an unusual full day of relaxation and sightseeing at the Alpenrose spa in Obermillstatt. your stay includes use of the facilities and all meals.
Day 9:
 (Sept 20)

We leave the Alpenrose behind after checking out later this morning, and drive into Slovenia where the first stop will be in the city of Bled. We'll enjoy a guided walking tour. a visit to the famous Castle on the lake, and a lunch.  This afternoon, we continue to Slovenia's capital city of Ljubljana, where your hotel is found right in the heart of the old center (www.hotel-lev.si) . Enjoy the evening on your own, strolling through the historic center.
Day 10:
 (Sept 21)  

In Ljubljana today, well be treated to a wonderful guided tour of the city in the morning. The rest of the day is yours for exploring the city on your own.
Day 11:
(Sept 22)

 

 After breakfast, check  out as we continue out tour through Slovenia, heading for the Adriatic coast (Slovenia's Istrian Peninsula). You'll be treated to guided tour of the famous coastal resort area of Slovenia, within sight of Italy to the north and Croatia to the south. There will be time for walking around and enjoying a lunch, before heading to the historic town of Gorizia, on the border between Slovenia and Italy. You check in for 2 nights (www.entouragegorizia.com) .  
Day 12:(Sept 23) Today will be spent exploring Trieste and the Friuli region where the Hapsburgs built one of their many castles on the Adriatic coast.  After a visit to the Castle, you'll enjoy a guided sightseeing tour of the culture and history of this fascinating region of Italy that was once part of the Habsburg's empire.
Day 13:
(Sept 24)		 After an early breakfast and checkout, we start the last leg of the tour heading back to Budapest.  The trip today will take us through Slovenia and into Hungary, with a stop on the way at the Tihany Peninsula on Lake Balaton, and a lunch and visit to the porcelaneum at Herend, where world renowned fine chinaware is manufactured. After the tour and visit to the factory store, we continue for a short trip back to Budapest where we check into the Budapest Marriott for the final night.
Day 14:
(Sept 25)		 This morning right after breakfast, you'll be treated with a visit to Sissy's Palace on the outskirts of Budapest at Godollo. We can only stay a short while before heading back to Budapest. After a late check-out, the rest of the afternoon is your to enjoy for some final shopping, or sightseeing or a last cafe with the fabulous pastry.  Be back at the hotel for the farewell dinner this evening, followed by your transfer back to the airport for your flight home (for those with a morning flight out, you'll be transferred to the airport after breakfast instead of joining the short visit to Godollo)