Poland and Czechia

Our 24-hour Tour Director will meet us, along with our private coach, at the airport and remain with us until our final airport departure. For the next two evenings we will enjoy the convenience of our centrally-located Warsaw hotel, where daily breakfast will be included. Follow a walking tour along the Royal Route which is the location of some of the most beautiful streets and churches in Warsaw. Nestled between palaces and government buildings alike, we will see such churches as the Church of St. Anne, the Carmelite Church, the Church of the Visitation, and the Church of the Holy Cross. Tour the re-constructed Royal Castle, the original structure of which was completely destroyed by the Germans during World War II though many of its internal treasures were dismantled, carried off and saved. Tonight we will enjoy dinner in a local restaurant.

Today we will gain from the knowledge and insight of a half-day local guide while we are here in Warsaw. Explore POLIN Museum, built on the site of the Warsaw Ghetto to memorialize the lives lived and lost here during World War II and the Nazi occupation. Visit Lazienki Park, home to the monument to Frederick Chopin, the Palace on the Water, and other royal buildings and national monuments. Tonight we will enjoy dinner in a local restaurant.

Your concert performance is today.

Today we will travel from Warsaw to Krakow. Our centrally-located Krakow hotel will be our home for the next two nights. We will have breakfast at the hotel daily. Krakow is one of Europe's most beautiful and historic cities, with its elegant Old Town and medieval market square, its vibrant old Jewish Quarter, where cafes and bars sparkle amidst reminders of a more poignant past, where you'll find cathedrals and castles, dragons and dungeons.

Today we will gain from the knowledge and insight of a half-day local guide while we are here in Krakow. Explore Wawel Royal Castle. The Galicia Jewish Museum exists to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust and to celebrate the Jewish culture of Polish Galicia, presenting Jewish history from a new perspective. Located in the heart of Kazimierz, Kraków’s Jewish quarter, this is one of Poland’s most visited Jewish museums and cultural centres. Visit the Oscar Schindler factory, an interactive museum on Krakow’s sad history during World War II. The museum tells the story of Schindler and the Jewish prisoners of Plaszow. Tonight we will enjoy dinner in a local restaurant.

Your concert performance is today.

We continue on our journey from Krakow to Brno. En route we will visit Auschwitz Visit Auschwitz Birkenau, established by the Nazis in 1940, in the suburbs of the city of Auschwitz, which like other parts of Poland was occupied during the Second World War. The name of the city of O--wi--cim was changed to Auschwitz, which became the name of the camp as well. This grim reminder of Nazi terror, “Death factory” with crematoria, Auschwitz – now Museum of Martyrdom – consists of brick barracks with tons of hair, shoes, glasses and other belongings of victims.

The Czech Republic's second largest city, and the capital of the state of Moravia, Brno has a long rich history that dates back as far as prehistoric times. While evidence of the communist era still dominates the city's outskirts, dig deeper and you'll be rewarded with a number of splendid historical sites and attractions, including the 13th-century Spilberk Castle, the Dietrichstein Palace, and the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul, widely considered one of the country's most important historic buildings. Home to many of the country's most important government institutions, Brno - a university town with numerous educational establishments - is also an important cultural center, boasting many fine concert venues, sports halls, and racetracks, including the famous Masaryk Circuit. We will continue to Brno (area), our base for the next one night. Breakfast and dinner will be included at the hotel.

We continue on our journey from Brno to Prague. For the next two evenings we will enjoy the convenience of our centrally-located Prague hotel, where daily breakfast will be included. Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic, built on seven hills astride the Vltava River. The beauty of Prague is legendary; Goethe described the city as “the most precious stone in the crown of this world.” Visit the Church of St Nicholas, one of Prague’s most spectacular Baroque churches, completed in 1761. Ornately decorated; the church features statues, frescoes and paintings by the leading artists of the day. Climb to the top of the Old Town Bridge Tower for magnificent views of Prague Castle and the Little Quarter. View the Old Town Bridge Tower, one of the most beautiful Gothic towers in Europe. It was built together with the bridge and is a symbolic triumphal arch on the “Royal Way” – the way of coronation parades of former Czech kings. The Old Town Bridge Tower was built at the end of the 14th century according to a plan by Petr Parler, the favourite architect of Emperor Charles IV. It took about 25 years to build it and about 100 stone-cutters participated on the building. We will enjoy our evening meal together in a local restaurant.

Today we will gain from the knowledge and insight of a half-day local guide while we are here in Prague. Prague Castle is the most popular sight visited in Prague. It is the largest ancient castle in the world. Constructed in the 9th century by Prince Borivoj, the castle transformed itself from a wooden fortress surrounded by earthen bulwarks to the imposing form it has today. Rulers made their own additions so there is a mixture of styles. The castle has three courtyards and it has always been the seat of Czech rulers as well as the official residence. St. Vitus Cathedral is the most important and the largest church in Prague. It is situated at the Prague Castle and it is a burial place of former Czech Kings. The Czech Crown Jewels and a large treasure are kept there. St. Vitus Cathedral has two parts: the Gothic eastern tract with the main tower, built in the 14th century, and the western neo-Gothic part with two spires, built in the 19th century We will enjoy our evening meal together in a local restaurant.

Your performance is today. Venue options in Prague for choral groups include: Mass participation at St.Vitus Cathedral the historic royal church Prague, Kostel Sv. Martina Ve Zdi, built between 1178 and 1187 which has excellent acoustics, the Presbyterian Church of St. Salvator in the Old Town near the Charles Bridge, and St. Wenceslas Church, built in 1929, where joint choral performances can be arranged. Venues in Prague suitable for choral and instrumental groups, include: The Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle, The Martinu hall of the prestigious Academy of Music, the Czech Museum of Music, The Congress Centre of the Czech National Bank, which has two theatres, Hlahol Hall, built in 1905 for the Hlahol Association of Choral Singing, the Novodvorská Cultural Center concert hall which has good acoustics, the Hall of the House of Culture Krakov, St. Nicholas Church, with the finest baroque interior in Prague and excellent acoustics, the majestic Church of St. Salvator one of two churches forming the famous Klementium which welcomes instrumental and choral groups and should not be confused with the Church of St. Salvator in the Old Town. Other venue options include, the Refectory of the Benedictine Emauzy Monastery, the Evangelic Chapel Korunní which is a beautiful space in which to perform, the School of Arts Botevova, and the English International School of Prague where student groups can interact with the local students.

Our rewarding and enjoyable tour comes to an end as our Tour Director accompanies us to the airport on our final day. Please note that the sightseeing content may be amended or eliminated in order to facilitate the best possible concert arrangements for your group.