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UPDATED — 2027 — BUDAPEST, VIENNA & PRAGUE (3-day Optional Salzburg Extension)
O'Hare International Airport, 10000 W Balmoral Ave, Chicago, IL, USBUDAPEST, VIENNA & PRAGUE: Fri, Sept. 10 – Mon, Sept. 20, 2027
(OPTIONAL 3-DAY EXTENSION TO SALZBURG: 09/20-09/23/2027)
https://groups.goaheadtours.com/tours/budapest-vienna-prague-2027/
Shelly Scinto [708-542-4625]; Jean Xoubi [708-518-2201]The Pearl of the Danube. The City of Music. The City of a Hundred Spires. Nicknames like those develop over centuries, and the trio of Budapest, Vienna, and Prague have earned their flowers. This tour will whisk you from hilltop castles to royal palaces, shining a light on the legacy of past dynasties, from the Habsburgs to the Holy Roman Empire. And to end with a musical flourish, add the extension to Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart.
PRICING (subject to change until deposit paid):
– $3,389pp double occupancy
– $1,563 R/T airfare from Chicago (price adjusted for different airport)
– $1,009pp double occupancy – Salzburg Extension
– Payment in full; OR
– $99 deposit with Auto Pay**
– $215 monthly auto payment based on double occupancy
– Final payment due 75 days prior to departure**WE STRENUOUSLY SUGGEST THAT YOU ENROLL IN THE INTEREST-FREE AUTO PAY PLAN FOR THIS TRIP.
## AutoPay
With AutoPay, you can put down your $99 deposit today and spread out automatic payments over time. Just add your checking account or debit card information and schedule when you'd like your monthly payments made. GoAhead Tours will handle the rest—zero interest, zero fees, and zero stress.
TOUR PACE: You will walk for at least 3 hours daily across mostly flat terrain with some cobblestone streets, hills, and stairs
TRIP PRICING INCLUDES:
- Transfer to / from Airport / Hotel
- 9 nights hand-picked hotels / Breakfast daily
- 3 dinners with beer or wine
- 3 sightseeing tours
- Expert Tour Director & local guides
- Private deluxe motor coach
STOPS/CITIES AND TOWNS ON TOUR:
- Hungarian State Opera House
- Danube River
- Castle Hill
- Bratislava
- Belvedere Palace
- Ringstrasse
- Prague Castle
- St. Vitus Cathedral
ITINERARY -
OVERNIGHT FLIGHT (1 NIGHT)
Day 1: Travel day
Board your overnight flight to Budapest today.BUDAPEST (3 NIGHTS)
Day 2: Arrival in Budapest
Included meal: Welcome dinner
Welcome to Hungary! Touch down and transfer to your hotel. Then, meet your Tour Director and groupmates over a welcome dinner, served with beer or wine, before turning in for the night.Day 3: Sightseeing tour of Budapest
Included meal: Breakfast
Divided by the Danube River, the once-separate towns of Buda and Pest merged in 1873 to form one of Eastern Europe’s most exciting and lively capitals. Today, you’ll dive into the beautiful architecture, distinct culture, and intriguing history of Budapest alongside a local guide.- Trace this nation’s stormy past at Heroes’ Square, a sprawling plaza adorned with statues of national leaders and the legendary seven chieftains of the Magyars.
- Tour the lavish interior of the Hungarian State Opera House. Rich golds and crimsons carry the eye to statues symbolizing operatic voices and the four cardinal virtues—prudence, fortitude, temperance, and justice—all framed by delicately painted murals.
- Cross the Danube and ascend Castle Hill via funicular. Topped by the UNESCO-listed Buda Castle, this outcrop was the historic home of the Hungarian Kings for more than 800 years until the title was dissolved after World War I.
If you want to spend a few hours delving into Budapest’s history under fascist and communist regimes, tack today’s sightseeing excursion onto your itinerary to rewind the clock and revisit the tumultuous days of the 20th century. Alternatively, use your free time to soak away your stresses in one of the city’s popular thermal baths.
Day 4: Free day in Budapest
Included meal: Breakfast
Hungary’s hearty cuisine has a knack for making people feel right at home, and these two excursions serve up a delicious introduction. Start your day with a cooking class and lunch, end it with a liquor tasting and dinner, or add both to your itinerary—you’ll forge new friendships (and find some new favorite foods) along the way.If you stay behind, try to visit the Hungarian Parliament Building on your own. With its symmetrical structure, several spires, and finely detailed facade, the Orszaghaz—as it’s called in the Magyar language—is the country’s most famous landmark, and its biggest building.
VIENNA (3 NIGHTS)
Day 5: Vienna via Bratislava
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Today, you’ll head northwest, leaving Hungary and tracing the Danube all the way to Bratislava, Slovakia’s compact capital. Pause for lunch and free time in the Old Town: In the span of a couple hours, you can see Michael’s Gate, the only of Bratislava’s medieval fortifications still standing; amble around the Main Square, the longtime heart of the city; and feast on bryndzove halusky, a national favorite made with gnocchi-like boiled potato dough and soft sheep’s cheese.Afterward, return to your bus and make the drive to Vienna, Austria. Check into your hotel, settle for a spell, then rejoin your group for an included dinner, served with beer or wine.
Day 6: Sightseeing tour of Vienna
Included meal: Breakfast
Coffeehouse culture. The Age of Empires. Symphonies and orchestras. Vienna has influenced world affairs for centuries; today, you’ll enjoy the best of the City of Dreams on a guided sightseeing tour.- Step inside Belvedere Palace, home to the world’s largest collection of paintings by artist Gustav Klimt, and admire acre upon acre of impressive gardens.
- Travel down the tree-canopied paths of the Ringstrasse—Vienna’s gorgeous Ring Road—passing the Austrian Parliament Building, Vienna State Opera, and Kunsthistorisches Museum as you go.
- See the grand Hofburg Palace. Once the seat of the Habsburg dynasty, it now serves as the official residence and office of the president of Austria.
To bookend your day with some sweet relaxation (and a glass or two of wine), take up tonight’s outing to drink in the ambiance of heurigen—traditional Austrian taverns. Or, spend your evening strolling Vienna’s beautiful boulevards at your own pace.
Day 7: Free day in Vienna
Included meal: Breakfast
The regal confines of Melk Abbey. The graceful curves of the Danube. Drive and cruise through the UNESCO-listed landscapes of the Wachau Valley on today’s optional excursion—or, if you choose to stay behind, swing by the MuseumsQuartier. Formerly the imperial court stables, this cultural district now houses 60 different institutions. (You could easily spend a day bouncing between them all!)PRAGUE (3 NIGHTS)
Day 8: Transfer to Prague
Included meal: Breakfast
Head for Prague by way of Bohemia, the Czech Republic’s westernmost region. Oaks and spruces in varying shades of green, along with fertile fields populated by free-roaming livestock, typify this pastoral landscape. Drink it all in as you drive to the Czech capital.Upon arrival, unwind in your hotel and make the most of a free evening. If you choose, set off into the city streets and snack on sweet kolaches—pillowy discs of yeast dough loaded with fruity fillings—as you wander.
Day 9: Sightseeing tour of Prague
Included meal: Breakfast
Today, develop a deeper understanding of Prague’s history on a guided sightseeing tour, led by a local guide.- Visit Prague Castle. Considered the largest ancient castle on the planet, this 1,150-year-old structure isn’t just a relic: Once the seat of Bohemian kings, it currently serves as the Czech presidential residence.
- Admire the vaults of St. Vitus Cathedral, the final resting place of Rudolf II, Charles IV, and other Holy Roman emperors.
- Walk down to the red shingles and Baroque buildings of the 13th-century Mala Strana district, and pop into a local cafe for a cup of coffee before continuing to the banks of the Vltava River.
- Cross Karluv Most—the elegant Charles Bridge. Hewn from Bohemian sandstone and lined by statues of Catholic saints, it has connected Mala Strana to Prague’s Old Town since the 15th century.
- Stroll through the Old Town Square to the Old Town Hall, where you’ll find Prague Orloj—the city’s famous astronomical clock. First hung in 1410, it’s the oldest timepiece of its kind still in use, marking each passing hour with a mechanized “Walk of the Apostles.”
To spend an evening reveling in the finery of Renaissance Prague, add our optional outing to Brandys Castle—a former summer home of the Habsburg monarchs—for a tour and concert. To bask in the city’s modern sights, head to the edge of the Mala Strana and scale Petrin Hill by foot or funicular. Your goal: the Lookout Tower. Its 299 steps provide a challenge, but unfettered views of Prague from 208 feet in the air provide ample payoff.
Day 10: Free day in Prague
Included meals: Breakfast, Farewell dinner
Spend your final full day in Prague on your terms. For an in-depth look at the history and tribulations of the city’s Jewish community, opt into our morning walking tour of the Josefov quarter.If you’d prefer a later start to the day, use your free afternoon to visit Wenceslas Square before walking to the Pilsner Urquell Experience to indulge in a true Czech specialty: pilsners. (This style of beer was invented in the country, and Pilsner Urquell was the first to brew it.)
Whatever you choose, you’ll meet up with your group in the evening for one final meal. Toast your trip during a farewell dinner, served with beer or wine, before turning in for the night.
FLIGHT HOME (if not continuing on for the extension) —
Day 11: Departure
Included meal: Breakfast (excluding early morning departures)
Transfer to the airport for your flight home, or follow the sound of music—and the call of your heart—to Salzburg, Austria, on this tour’s extension.Salzburg Extension:
Mozart. The Sound of Music. The light-blue waters of the Salzach River and the ice-white peaks of the Alps. Everything about Salzburg makes it sing—and with your Tour Director in the lead, you’ll know where to turn your ear. Devour its sweetest sights, from its medieval Old Town to its Renaissance plazas, and embrace the feeling they inspire.SALZBURG (3 NIGHTS)
Day 11: Salzburg via Cesky Krumlov
Included meal: Breakfast
On the way to Salzburg, make a quick detour to Cesky Krumlov—a UNESCO-protected village, bisected by the Vltava River and dominated by one of the largest castle complexes in central Europe. Leave your bus for a brief walking tour of its Old Town and take in its mix of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture. Then, hit the road again. Soon, you’ll be resting in Salzburg, preparing to take to the “Stage of the World."Day 12: Sightseeing tour of Salzburg
Included meal: Breakfast
Famed for its ecclesiastical buildings, musical history, and Hollywood bona fides, riverside Salzburg stands at the very foot of the Alps. Its Old Town, known locally as the Altstadt, has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996—and today, a local guide will lead you on a walking tour of its historic core.- Pass by the University of Salzburg—an institution of higher learning first established in 1622—and St. Peter’s Abbey. Operating in some form or another since 696, it’s the oldest continually operating monastery in German-speaking Europe.
- See a trio of famous squares: the Kapitelplatz, former site of the Cathedral Abbey; Residenzplatz, once home of the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg; and Alter Markt, where the city’s weekly market used to set up shop.
- Walk by the dashing yellow facade of the Mozarts Geburtshaus, the birthplace and childhood home of the virtuosic composer himself.
- Enter the richly ornamented Salzburg Cathedral. Although the current Baroque structure was built in the 17th century, the building’s roots go all the way back to 774, when St. Rupert founded the church atop the remains of an old Roman town.
Want to make plans for the evening? Serenade your senses by opting for tonight’s dinner, served in one of Europe’s oldest restaurants and accompanied by live performances of Mozart’s music. Alternatively, relax in your hotel room and enjoy the sounds of the city.
Day 13: Free day in Salzburg
Included meal: Breakfast
For a helping of World War II history, set against the backdrop of a quaint mountain village, set out for the German border on our optional excursion to Berchtesgaden. If you’d rather spend your last full day on tour exploring personal interests—maybe climbing to the twin icons of Nonnberg Abbey and Hohensalzburg Fortress—hang back in Salzburg.
Either way, you’ll reconvene with your group one last time for a farewell evening drink and raise a toast to a successful trip.FLIGHT HOME
Day 14: Departure
Included meal: Breakfast (excluding early morning departures)
Transfer to the airport in Munich, Germany, for your flight home.6 attendees
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