Munich

Arrival to Munich (Germany). Meeting the Ernesto Travel tour leader. Transfer to the city centre. /40km/
Visit city of Munich. It is one of the best places to visit in Germany with a great culture scene. The capital of the Bavarian region, seen by many as a World Capital of Beer, at least during the famous Oktoberfest. You will stroll through the Munich Old Town, admiring the Marienplatz, the Town Hall and the tall towers of Frauenkirche Church – Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, city´s landmark, hiding an intriguing curiosity – Teufelstritt, the Devil’s footprint.
Welcome dinner in a traditional Bavarian restaurant, with local dishes.
Overnight in Munich.

Munich – Neuschwanstein – Oberammergau – Ettal – Munich

Buffet breakfast at the hotel.
Departure to Neuchwanstein. /130km/
Arrival and visit to the impressive Neuschwanstein Castle. Neuschwanstein is seen as a symbol of Southern Germany, the most romantic of all the romantic castles. Its history is related to the eccentric person of a duke, exceptional location on a top of a high rock, its mysterious silhouette overlooks the surrounding lands and mountains.
Lunch in nearby Füssen.
Departure to Oberammergau. /50km/
Arrival to Oberammergau, short visit. This village is world renowned for its Passion Plays, performed every 10 years since the 17th century, engaging many (if not all) inhabitants – around 2.000 persons in one play. Between the two Plays there is also much to see – the houses of Oberammergau are beautifully painted with scenes from The Holy Bible and other the religious motives.
Transfer to Ettal. /5km/
Visit to the Ettal Abbey. It’s an interesting fact, that in a village with less than 800 inhabitants stands such a grand benedictine abbey. It was founded back in 1330, as a simple and small convent. However, a reconstruction after a fire in 1744 turned it into what can be admired today – an impressive baroque construction. The abbey has been a pilgrimage spot for many generations of the Bavarians for centuries, being one of the most important sanctuary of the Alps.
Return to Munich. /85km/.
Arrival to Munich. Dinner. Overnight in Munich.

Munich – Altötting – Marktl – Salzburg

Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Check out.
Departure for Altötting. /96km/
Arrival to Altötting. Visit to the Sanctuary of Altötting. Benedict XVI called it the heart of Germany and one of the hearts of Europe, it’s one of the Europe’s oldest Marian sanctuaries. Every year more than 1 million of pilgrims come here to visit the Black Madonna in the Chapel of Grace. The first baptistery was built here 1300 years ago, in the end of the 7th century, the cult of Virgin Mary has always been present here since that time. The place was visited by Joseph Ratzinger / Benedict XVI many times – well, it’s only 16km from his birthplace, Marktl.
Transfer to Marktl. /16km/
Arrival to Marktl, visit to the museum of Josef Ratzinger – pope Benedict XVI.
Lunch in Marktl.
Departure for Salzburg. /70km/
Arrival to Salzburg. Visit of the city. Not forgetting about it picturesque location, Salzburg is firstly known as the city of Mozart. We will visit the old town as well as the Saint Peter Abbey, established in 696, probably the oldest convent in the northern part of Alps.
Check in. Dinner. Overnight in Salzburg.

Salzburg – Melk – Krems – Vienna

Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Check out.
Departure for Melk, passing through the region of Salzkammergut – a lake district, classified World Heritage by UNESCO in 1997. /215km/
Arrival to Melk. Visit of Melk: the Melk Abbey is a magnificent baroque monastery, the biggest benedictine convent in all Europe. Its terrace offers a great view over the Danube River and its vine covered banks. Transfer to the ferry port.
Cruise down the Danube River through the romantic landscapes of the wine region Wachau with a lunch on board.
Arrival to Krems. Free time.
Continue to Vienna. /80km/
Arrival in Vienna. Check in. Free time. Dinner. Overnight in Vienna.

Vienna

Buffet breakfast at the hotel.
Visit of Vienna. The Austrian capital city remembers the times of its glory, of a capital of a great Habsburg Empire which used to unite many nations and cultures of Central and Eastern Europe. We will roam the Ringstrasse which circles the Old Town, with its interesting spots, such as the Vienna State Opera, Museums of Fine Arts and Natural History in the Museum Quarter, the Houses of Parliament, the Town Hall and the Imperial Palace Hofburg. Later we will continue on foot, visiting the St Stephen Cathedral, Hofburg Palace, Belvedere Palace Gardens.
Lunch.
Transfer and visit to the Schönbrunn Palace. The kings of France had the Versailles, the Austrian Emperors had their Schönbrunn. A palace which through its dimensions reflects the power of the old empire. Built on the fringes of the city, on a hill, occupies a vast area. Nowadays it’s a trace of the old times and also a place for an afternoon rest time for many Viennese. It is also an obligatory spot for tourists who come here for the fine views of Vienna. Return to the centre.
Dinner. Overnight in Vienna.

Vienna – Bratislava – Pannonhalma – Budapest

Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Check out.
Departure for Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. /85km/
Arrival. A walk through the streets of Slovak capital. Between the two greater powers – Austria and Hungary, Bratislava (Pressburg, Pozsony along the centuries) was one of the most significant cities in the Austro-Hungarian empire. However, after the World War II, it was left in the Soviet sphere of influence which might be seen in today’s city architecture. We’ll stroll around the Old Town – a mixture of the old monuments and the communist era buildings plus the recent years modern constructions.
Lunch.
Continue to Pannonhalma. /95km/
Visit to the Pannonhalma monastery: since its foundation some ten centuries ago, the abbey occupied a special role in the history of Hungary. It has been a pilgrimage destination for ages, visited by many remarkable pilgrims like the first king of Hungary – Saint Stephen, Saint John Paul II or Dalai Lama. It was founded in 996 where according to the legend, St Martin – the bishop of Tours was born. In 2011, the Basilica’s cript became a place of eternal rest of Otto von Habsburg’s heart, fulfilling his wish.
Departure for Budapest. /130km/
Arrival to Budapest. Dinner. Check in. Overnight in Budapest.

Budapest

Buffet breakfast at the hotel.
City sightseeing. The Hungarian capital is a city of many influences: Hungarian, German, Turkish, Slovak. Today we’ll know the main attractions as well as the the tasteful and spicy cuisine of the Attila’s country. We’ll see the exceptional Houses of Parliament buildings, the best view from the Citadella on the top of the Gellért Hill along with other places. We’ll go past the Chain Bridge and the Isabel Bridge to pass from Buda to Pest – earlier two independent cities. We won’t forget to include the famous Váci Utca, known for its shops and stalls. At the end of the street you’ll find the vibrant Central Market Hall – Nagycsarnok, with countless opportunities to spend some money on tacky souvenirs. Not forgetting about the religious side of the trip, we will visit Matthias Church and impressive St Stephen Basilica – the biggest church in Budapest.
Lunch.
Continue of the visit.
Free time.
Dinner with traditional Hungarian dishes (semi-Oriental cuisine). Overnight in Budapest.

Budapest – Esztergom – Krakow

Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Check out.
Departure for Esztergom. /50km/
Visit to the Esztergom Basilica – the biggest church in Hungary, the See of the primate of the Catholic Church in Hungary.
Continue to Cracow, passing across Slovakia /360km/. Lunch in a restaurant on the way to Poland.
Arrival to Krakow. Check in. Free time. Dinner. Overnight in Krakow.

Krakow – Lagiewniki – Wieliczka – Krakow

Buffet breakfast at the hotel.
Visit of Krakow. The old capital of the Polish Kingdom, one of the Europe’s biggest empires in the Middle Ages: we will walk up the Wawel Hill to see the Royal Castle and the Cathedral – the place of coronation and last resting of many Polish kings. Also here, in the Roman Cript of Saint Leonard, Fr. Karol Wojtyla celebrated his first holy mass on the 2nd November 1946.
We will continue to the Old Town with its lively Main Market Square Rynek – the biggest medieval market square in Europe, embellished by many monuments, including the Cloth Hall Sukiennice and the Saint Mary Church with its fine wooden altar carved by the medieval master, Wit Stwosz. We will continue to places related with Fr. Wojtyla, Franciscan Church with a bench where he used to pray and the nearby Papal Window where he used to talk with the youth who gathered below, during his pilgrimages to Poland. Krakow Old Town was declared the World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1978.
Lunch in the centre of Krakow.
Transfer to the Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Lagiewniki, located on the Krakow outskirts. /9km/
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. A visit to the Divine Mercy Sanctuary with the famous painting Jesus, I trust in you. Place related with the life of St Faustina who founded and strengthened the cult of the Divine Mercy in the World. Lagiewniki is also a place of her last resting. During his visit in 2002, John Paul II called Lagiewniki the centre of the Divine Mercy. He died on the Divine Mercy Sunday’s Eve – an annual celebration which he introduced.
Departure for Wieliczka. /13km/
Wieliczka is one the most beautiful places listed by UNESCO in Poland. You’ll see a hidden underground world, a true labyrinth of over 300 kilometers of tunnels drilled in rock salt. Chapels, lakes, chambers and even an underground church – hidden deep beneath the surface. The place has a long tourism tradition – the remarkable visitors list is long and includes, naming just these three: Goethe, Copernicus, John Paul II.
Dinner. Return to hotel. Overnight in Krakow.

Krakow – Oswiecim/Auschwitz – Wadowice – Krakow

Buffet breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to the museum of the former camp in Auschwitz. /50km/
Guided tour at the former concentration camp in Auschwitz-Birkenau. The camp was built by Nazis during the Nazi occupation of Poland. More than a million people from different nationalities were killed in this place, the majority of Jewish origin. Today this place is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Lunch in Oswiecim.
Transfer to Wadowice, Karol Wojtyla’s homeland. /35km/
Visit to the parish church where Karol was baptized on 20th November 1920.
Visit to the house-museum of John Paul II. Here, in a small town of Wadowice, surrounded by the gentle hills of Beskidy, Karol Wojtyla was born. The museum tells the story of his life.
Return to Krakow. /50km/
Free time. Dinner. Overnight in Krakow.

Krakow – Prague

Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from the hotel.
Free time in Krakow.
Departure for Prague.
Lunch on the route.
Arrival in Prague. Check-in at the hotel. Dinner at the hotel. Overnight stay in Prague.

Prague (the capital of Czech Republic)

Breakfast at the hotel.
The first part of the tour around Prague. The religious side of Prague: the church of the House of Nazareth – Prague’s Loreto, a visit at the castle and of St. Vitus’ Cathedral along with the funeral chapel of St. Venceslao, the patron of Czech Republic. The cathedral is also the eternal resting place of St. John Nepomucen. Visiting St. George’s Basilica, the Church of Our Lady of Victory with the famous statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague. Holy Mass in the cathedral or in the church of the Infant Jesus.
Lunch at a brewery.
Second part of the tour: Bohemian Prague: walking along Paris street to Jozefov, the former Jewish Quarter. Charles’ Bridge, walking along the Royal Route: Celetna Street, Na Prikope Street. The Market Square with the Municipial House.
Leisure time in the city centre.
Dinner at the hotel. The last night in Prague.

Prague – departure

Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from the hotel.
Transfer to the airport, departure from Prague.