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The Best of Greenways Tours
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Czech Republic
Tours main page |
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The best of Bohemia &
Moravia tour is a well-rounded exploration of the country, its
people, culture, and nature. Tour well-preserved
architecture of all periods, magnificent interiors,
including the UNESCO-protected towns of Cesky Krumlov
and Telc, and the Lednice-Valtice cultural landscape,
known as the "Garden of Europe".
See map of route and key sites at bottom of this
page.
You will travel by
a/c minibus and enjoy the company of an
experienced guide, yet each day you'll have the
opportunity to take a leisurely walk and enjoy
up-close contact with nature. This is the
most comprehensive tour, offering the widest scope
of the best that Czech Republic has to offer. Tour
includes travel along the Czech Greenways while
enjoying 6 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It packs a wide range of interests, including
architecture, nature, history, Jewish heritage,
traditional arts and crafts, and personal encounters
with ordinary people.
Highlights:
- 6 World Heritage Sites
(protected by UNESCO)
*Schonbrunn
Palace in Vienna
*Chateaux in
Lednice - Valtice Area
*Renaissance
square in Telc
*Medieval
town of Cesky Krumlov
*Rustic
baroque village of Holasovice
*Old Town of
Prague
- old walled town of
Trebon
- Jewish cemetery in Mikulov
- last remnant of the Iron Curtain in Cizov
- rolling pine-clad hills and fields adorned with carp
ponds, beer hops growing on racks, brilliant yellow
fields of grape, and world-famous Czech beer
About Czech Greenways:
The Czech Greenways is a newly-designated corridor
of 100-year-old hiking trails stretching for 250
miles from Vienna to Prague along the Dyje River in
Southern Moravia and the Vltava River Valley in
Southern and Central Bohemia. It connects beautiful
countryside with cultural monuments, historic towns
and villages with restored castles and churches.
Since much of the Czech Greenways stretches along
the former Iron Curtain, where there was limited
access and no development for 45 years, the
countryside remained untouched and the environment
clean. |
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The Best of Bohemia and Moravia itinerary
See map of route &
highlights below for reference!
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Day 1 |
Vienna
Arrival in Vienna where you will be
met by our tour representative.
Proceed to your charming hotel.
Remainder of the day at leisure.
This evening, we have arranged a
welcome dinner for you to meet your
fellow travelers and get details on
the wonderful days ahead.
Overnight in Vienna. |
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Day 2 |
Vienna - Mikulov
Vienna is considered by many
as one of the most charming cities
in Europe. We will take you on a
sightseeing tour to explore the
towns most wonderful sights. View
the impressive buildings of the
Ringstrasse including the State
Opera, the Burgtheater and Hofburg
and the wonderful home of the
Habsburgs. Afternoon visit to
magnificent Schonnbrunn Castle,
summer palace of the Habsburgs with
its spectacular rooms. At the end of
the day transfer to Mikulov, Czech
Republic, which was for centuries
the most important cultural and
administrative center of Moravian
Jews.
Overnight in Mikulov. |
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Day 3 |
Mikulov, Lednice-Valtice area
Tour of Mikulov, its square
with its graffito houses, the crypt
of the Dietriechstein family, as
well as the synagogue and Jewish
Cemetery, where the oldest
tombstones date back to 1605. The
program will then concentrate on the
unique Lednice-Valtice area, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site, the
former estate of the Liechtenstein
family which resided there from
early 13th century until 1945. The
area is graced by two magnificent
chateaux and numerous "follies",
romantic structures set in a
harmonious way into the surrounding
landscape. Vineyards on the slopes
of mellow hills, mirror-smooth
ponds, nature reserves, bird
sanctuaries, storks' nests perched
up on high trees – all these, plus
excellent cooking and wine are among
the simple pleasures of life in
South Moravia. Do not neglect to
walk through the chateau's wonderful
gardens. You will also drive through
the beautiful lime-rock Palava
Hills and visit the historic
wine-growing village of Pavlov.
Overnight in Mikulov. |
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Day 4 |
Mikulov - Vranov nad Dyji - Telc
Early this morning drive to the
small village of Vranov nad Dyji
with its unique view of the chateau
on a rock spur over the river. Start
your day with the tour of the
magnificent Baroque chateau in
Vranov, standing on the site of a
12th century castle which was never
conquered and today offers an
intriguing view of the surroundings
area and an exposition of ceramics
in style similar to that of Wedgwood
from the local manufacturers. After
the tour drive a short distance to
the nearby Bitov castle,
mirroring in the waters of the
Vranov reservoir; then drive over to
Cizov where you can see the
last remains of the "Iron Curtain"
and set out for a short hike to the
smallest Austrian town of Hardegg
with its beautiful castle. Continue
the drive through the country to the
The Moravian Renaissance town of
Telc, architectural and artistic
gem, unchanged by time and
designated by UNESCO as "world
Heritage" site.
Overnight in Telc. |
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Day 5 |
Telc - Jindrichuv Hradec
Enjoy your morning on the spacious
square of Telc, encircled
with Renaissance gables and arcades,
a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit
the Renaissance Chateau and continue
on to the quiet town of Dacice
and then on to beautiful Slavonice
and the nearby village of Mariz,
located in the former no-man's land
on the Austrian border. Continue on
to nearby castle Landstejn.
Your day's travel will be crowned by
a train ride on the curious
narrow-gauge railway to Jindrichuv
Hradec, yet another memorable town,
situated on the banks of the river
Nezarka. The advanced cultural level
of the town is evident with the fact
that its newspaper of 1495 is the
oldest hand-written newspaper in the
Czech language. The superb
Renaissance chateau of the Rozmberks
and the famous Bohemian tapestry
centers are noteworthy and a joy to
behold.
Overnight in Jindrichuv Hradec. |
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Day 6 |
Jindrichuv Hradec - Trebon
This morning, take in the historic
town and castle of Jindrichuv
Hradec. After the visit,
continue through the mosaic of
ponds, woods and meadows of the
Bohemian Lake District via
Cervena Lhota,arguably the most
fairy-like of Bohemia's castles and
Straz nad Nezarkou, home of
the Metropolitan Opera singer Ema
Destinnova. The tour ends in Trebon,
a medieval city established back in
the 13th century; parts of the early
16th-century fortifications have
been preserved to this day. One can
enter the charming town by any of
the three historical gates, and
enter into yesteryear.
Overnight in Trebon. |
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Day 7 |
Trebon - Cesky Krumlov
This will be a day of rest to just
relax or explore the town. Later in
the day you will drive to the
picturesque town of Cesky Krumlov,
situated on the banks of the
meandering upper course of the
Vltava river.
Overnight in Cesky Krumlov. |
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Day 8 |
Cesky Krumlov
Cesky Krumlov, the jewel of South
Bohemia is a UNESCO World Heritage
Site, universally recognized as a
unique remnant of historic urbanism.
The old town preserves, virtually
intact and still vital, an
unparalleled ensemble of Gothic,
Renaissance and Baroque structures.
Among the attractions is the second
largest castle complex in the Czech
Republic, the oldest working Baroque
theatre in Europe and an open-air
theatre with a revolving auditorium.
Overnight in Cesky Krumlov. |
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Day 9 |
Cesky Krumlov - Prague
Today leave Cesky Krumlov and drive
to Krasetin to take a cable car to
the top of Klet, highest peak
in the region with great vistas.
Your next stop is the fairy-tale
Tudor Gothic chateau of Hluboka, the
best known and most visited castle
in the Czech Republic. Continue on
to Tabor for a tour of this
historically important town founded
by the Hussites in 1420 and was
named after the biblical Mount
Tabor. Your final destination today
will be Prague, the magical city of
a hundred spires built on the banks
of the meandering Vltava river, with
one of Europe's most elegant castles
overlooking this ancient, beautiful
city.
Overnight in Prague. |
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Day 10 |
Prague
This morning, you will get a full
description of the tumultuous events
of recent Czech history followed by
a tour of many of the glorious
sights of this very beautiful
European city, followed by a walk
through the Old Town. Visit the main
Square, the Town Hall and the Jewish
Quarter. Afternoon free. Tonight,
enjoy a farewell dinner in Prague.
Overnight in Prague. |
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Day 11 |
Departure
After breakfast, transfer to
Prague's airport to board your
homebound flight.
Click
to Print Itinerary
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Time to go:
Weather
The Central European continental climate
consists of long, hot summers and cold,
snowy winters. The best time for cycling and
walking tours is between April and October.
In the summer months it can get quite hot.
Bear in mind that it will be cooler on the
mountain tours at this time. May June and
September are generally good months to take
advantage of the cooler, but still warm
weather.
Crowds
It must be noted that, according to the
tourism calendar, the first two weeks in
August are when most people go for their
holidays. Generally July and August are the
busiest months. We mention this with regard
to seeing cultural monuments and UNESCO
protected areas with greater ease and with
less people around.
Cultural
Events
During September, many towns and villages in
the winegrowing regions of Central Europe
have wine harvest celebrations (vinobraní).
Local people dress up in traditional folk
costumes and there is a lot of singing and
dancing washed down with copious amounts of
wine. These are wonderful traditional events
and should not be missed. You also might
wish to adjust the times of your tour to
coincide with the following festivals and
cultural events:
Vienna:
The Long Night of Music is
where music lovers and night owls can visit
more than 50 locations with a single ticket
– using the special shuttle buses. The
program ranges from jazz to classical, from
pop and rock to musicals and special
performances in the DJ scene.
http://langenacht.orf.at
The Vienna Festival is
renowned for its superb international
theatrical performances, also invites
musical ensembles and opera companies from
all over the world, in addition to staging
many Austrian musical productions.
http://www.festwochen.at/
Wien Modern is a contemporary
music festival celebrating only composers
from the 20th century.
http://www.wienmodern.at/
Tabor:
Hussite Days Theatre
presentations of the life of the 15th
century Catholic reformer Jan Hus.
The Tabor Meeting has a
medieval atmosphere with markets, fireworks,
fencing and demonstrations of historical
craft making.
Jindrichuv
Hradec:
The Folk Rose Festival
attracts folk groups from all over the world
to perform their music and dances.
http://www.folkcountry.cz/ruze.htm
Trebon:
Anifest is a
festival of animated films from all corners
of the world. Oscar winning works are
presented side by side with new talent.
http://www.anifest.cz/index_en.php
Around Trebon (1. –
5.7.2005) The Around Trebon Festival
(in Czech, Okolo Trebon) is one of the
longest-running multigenre festivals in the
Czech Republic. It was first organized in
1992. The festival offers a variety of
musical genres, unusual combinations of
concerts and theatre performances, street
happenings, competitive and fun races, and
other entertainment.
http://www.okolotrebone.cz
Cesky
Krumlov:
The Festival of the Five-petal
Rose (17.-19.6.2005) is a
historical Renaissance festival with parades
of people in medieval clothes as well as
music concerts and historical
demonstrations.
http://www.ckrumlov.info/apps/en/slperu.xsp
Festival of chamber music
(24.6.-3.7.2005) Festival of the classical
music with the longest tradition in Cesky
Krumlov. Part of the festival is the project
‘Music through the ages’ where music can be
heard on the tour route of Cesky Krumlov
Castle.
Festival of early music (5.7.
– 17.7.2005) Medieval, renaissance and
baroque music sound on the original musical
instruments where the original musical
sources and the customs of interpretation of
the period are respected.
The International Music Festival
(15.7. – 27.8.2005) has been going since
1992 and includes music of all periods with
the participation of renowned
instrumentalists, singers, chamber
ensembles, choirs and symphony orchestras.
http://www.czechmusicfestival.com/
Prague:
Prague Spring is an
international music festival featuring
orchestral and theatre series, church
concerts, recitals, morning concerts,
chamber music and symphony orchestras.
http://www.festival.cz |
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No set departures |
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Costs |
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Private Guided Tour
• Minimum size of group:
4 people
Private guided
tours available everyday from April
to the end of October.
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Price Per Person |
EURO
1,985.- |
• based on
twin - bed room;
4 pax min
• Single supplement:
EURO 350,-
Book Now |
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Includes:
• professional bilingual
guide
• transportation by A/C
minibus
• accommodation in selected
hotels and pensions
• breakfasts and
dinners
• entry fees to all visited
monuments |
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If you'd like to
customize this itinerary,
email us! |
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Guided
Tours of Czech Republic
