Prague to Krakow: Historical Heritage of Central Europe

We meet in the lobby of hotel Pariz, a splendid palatial hotel situated in the heart of the Old City of Prague. During our city tour, we visit all the most famous sights of this City of Hundred Spires, including the world-renowned Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral, St. Nicholas Cathedral, the Charles Bridge, the Astronomical Clock, Old Town Square, the Old Jewish Cemetery and many more. We learn about the city's eventful history and listen to stories and legends relating to this magical place, such as the Legend of the Golem. In the evening, we enjoy a dinner at a renowned restaurant where many world-famous personalities wined and dined before us.

The name of this enchanting area north of Prague itself is quite revealing - fabulously folded landscape, crystal clear brooks, massive rock formations and formidable castles. We take the Golden Trail, which connects the most remarkable natural and cultural objects of interest in the area. Here we enjoy the peculiar shapes of sandstone spires and deep majestic gorges of the Prachovske Rocks, we find ourselves in the Middle Ages when sneaking under the ruins of the Parez Castle, once a dreaded seat of merciless highwaymen, and finally we take a splendid view from the Trosky Castle perched high on an impressive basalt monolith. After that we are driven to the attractive town of Jicin where we spend the rest of the afternoon at our leisure.

We head eastwards in the direction of the Orlicke Mountains. En route, we pay a visit to Kuks, a synonym of Baroque art, a unique complex of buildings boasting picturesque spa houses, the colossal Trinity Church and, above all, a unique set of statues by the brilliant Baroque sculptor Matthias Braun. We take a nice walk to find some more sculptures in the woods, this time cut into living rock. For the sake of variety, we hike through the former fortification system at the borders with Poland and inspect the Dobrosov artillery blockhouse, famous for the complicated labyrinth of underground tunnels. Once we find our way out, we continue through the valley of the wild Metuje River rich in flora and fauna to end up in the picture-perfect town of Nove Mesto, its lovely square lined by the gables of Renaissance buildings and overlooked by an aristocratic palace.

The morning finds us in the van heading for Litomysl, a lovely little town on the borders between Bohemia and Moravia. We take a guided tour in its Renaissance palace boasting charming sgraffito decorations and a lovely Baroque theater, spend some time on its elongated square with picturesque historic houses and learn about the renowned Czech composer, Bedrich Smetana, who was born here. From here, we are transported the city of Olomouc, a place of great historical significance, vast diversity of architectural styles and long religious tradition. During the guided tour of the city center, we walk old cobbled streets, pass a number of churches and admire its omnipresent fountains. At the end, we find ourselves on the fabulous main square dominated by the monumental Trinity Column included in UNESCO list of World Cultural Heritage. We enjoy a free afternoon or take a pilgrimage to the nearby basilica minor.

In he morning, we are driven to Roznov, a former climatic resort and, at the same time, a gateway to the gorgeous Moravian-Silesian Beskids. Here, we visit the Wallachian Open-Air Museum displaying not only ancient wooden houses with quaint thatched roofs but also a number of old-time structures of technical nature such as a water mill, a saw mill, a grain press or a hammer mill. Having learned about the lifestyle of our ancestors, we set out for our walk to the mysterious mountain of Radhost where Pagans used to worship and sacrifice victims to Radegast, the god of sun, harvest, fertility and hospitality. At the top, we visit the Cyril and Methodius Chapel erected in 1898 in honor of the two influential Byzantine missionaries. After we wear of the captivating view of the surrounding scenery, we descent to the foot of the mountain from where the driver will take us to our hotel in Slovakia.

Slovakia is well known for the majesty of its mountainous terrain and unparalleled natural beauty. In the morning, we set out for a walk through the undulating rural scenery of the Oravske Mountains covered with peaceful coniferous forests and wide stretching meadows. Together with Dr. Karaska providing us with valuable information on the geology, history, birds and plants of this exciting place, we pass wooden shepherds' cabins and herds of grazing sheep and stop several times to enjoy the irresistible beauty of the surrounding landscape. We end up right in front of the Oravsky Castle, proudly rising on a limestone cliff, which used to be the cultural center of this area for many years and where F. W. Murnau shot the first Dracula movie in 1922.

After the last walk in the Low Fatra National Park with fabulous views of the Slovakian mountains, we cross the borders to Poland. We visit Auschwitz (Oswieczim), a sacred place with the infamous concentration camp designed by the Nazis to exterminate European Jews. From here we move on to visit the most beautiful city in Poland, royal Krakow. We spend an entire morning taking a city tour around the historical center of the city including the Wawel Castle, the Jagiellonian University, the Old Town and the Market Square. Krakow is highly valued for its plentiful sights and historical significance and makes for an impressive conclusion to our tour.

Our tour concludes with Krakow city tour. We assist you with transfer to the airport or leave you to explore this majestic and fascinating city and its surrounding, such as the Wieliczka salt mine, on your own.