Three imperial capitals on one river of history, a hundred Gothic spires, the waltz and the coffee house, and a parliament lit gold on the Danube. The grand tour of Central Europe, by train.
Into Prague, a fairy tale of Gothic and baroque that the wars somehow spared. After the flight we keep it easy, a first Czech beer in a vaulted cellar, the Charles Bridge lamplit and almost empty, an early night.
The Old Town Square and the astronomical clock striking the hour, the medieval lanes and the Jewish Quarter with its haunting old cemetery, the Charles Bridge at dawn before the crowds. A classical concert in a baroque church to end the day.
Up to the great hilltop castle and St Vitus Cathedral, the colourful Golden Lane, the Strahov monastery library; down through the gardens to the Lennon Wall and the Kampa island. Prague rewards aimless wandering between the beer gardens.
The train south to Vienna, capital of the Habsburg empire for six centuries. The Hofburg palace and the grand Ringstrasse, Klimt's golden Kiss at the Belvedere, and a slice of Sachertorte in a marble coffee house where time has politely stopped.
Schonbrunn Palace and its formal gardens, the white Lipizzaner horses of the Spanish Riding School, the MuseumsQuartier; and in the evening, a concert of Mozart and Strauss in a gilded hall. Vienna does grandeur better than anyone.
A day to the Wachau valley, the Danube lined with apricot orchards, terraced vineyards and the great abbey of Melk, or deeper into Vienna's museums. An evening in a heuriger, a wine tavern in the city's own vineyards, new wine and song.
On to Budapest, where hilly Buda faces flat Pest across the Danube. The Fishermans Bastion and the castle hill, the vast neo Gothic Parliament, the grand Central Market, and a long soak in the steaming Szechenyi thermal baths.
St Stephens Basilica and Heroes Square, the atmospheric ruin bars in the courtyards of the old Jewish quarter, and an evening Danube cruise as the bridges, the castle and the Parliament all light up at once. A spectacular farewell.
A last coffee and a final stroll along the river before your flight from Budapest. Three capitals, one river, and the whole rise and fall of Central Europe in a week, you leave humming a waltz.
Three ways to do the same route: Comfort, Premium or Luxe. Breakfasts in. Mix tiers city by city if you like, it is your trip.
Priced to your dates, your hotel tier and how the two of you like to travel. Ask, the first answer usually lands within minutes.
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