No city in Europe offers such a concentration of noble buildings from the best periods of European architectural history, so lovingly restored and so beautifully maintained; nor such a vigorous musical tradition, as lively and fertile today as it was when Dr Burney, passing through in 1772, noted that every village primary school in Bohemia had a room full of clavichords at which the children of the local peasantry learnt the rudiments of harmony and counterpoint. No city in Europe,

from the Renaissance to the end of the 18th century, gave such a hearing to its mathematicians, astronomers, geographers, historians, philosophers and artists as Prague, home of central Europe’s first university and the largest and most intellectually fertile Jewish community in western history. Our tour provides a brief conspectus of the fabulous cultural wealth of this splendid place.

We fly from London Heathrow to Prague and transfer to our 4 star hotel in the city centre. Once we have settled into our rooms, we will take a turn about the neighbouring streets for orientation purposes. Dinner this evening will be included on one of the many river boats which ply the Vltava.

This morning we set out on a walking tour of the old town of Prague, its streets lined with beautifully preserved buildings from every major period of European architecture from the medieval to the modern. Our walk takes in the Obecni Dum and the Powder Tower, the Old Town Square and the Astronomical Clock, the Charles Bridge and the Jewish Quarter, ironically preserved by the Nazis who intended to transform it into an open air museum of a forgotten religion once they had exterminated its inhabitants. This evening we attend a performance of Dvorak’s opera The Jacobin at the National Theatre

Our tour of the Castle Hill begins this morning at the Strahov Monastery, famous for its magnificent Baroque library, depository since the Second World War of the all the monastic libraries of Czechoslovakia. We move on to the Loreto, a bizarre expression of Catholic fervour from the dawn of the counter-reformation, and thence to an exploration of some of the many buildings which make up Prague Castle – St Vitus’ Cathedral, The Old Royal Palace and St George’s Basilica, to name but a few. After an independent lunch we will spend the early afternoon in the Lobkovicz Palace, home of a magnificent collection of European paintings, including two Canalettos of London and “Hay-Making” from Breughel’s Seasons Cycle. This evening will afford an opportunity to explore the restaurants and cafes of this most convivial city.

We leave Prague this morning and drive out into surrounding the countryside to Nelahozeves to visit two houses: the humble cottage where Dvorak, son of the local butcher, was born in 1841; and the far from humble residence of the Lobkovicz family on the hill above the village, a magnificent Renaissance Chateau housing an equally magnificent collection of furniture and works of art. Returning to the city for an independent lunch, we end today’s visits at the Villa Amerika, an early eighteenth century pleasure pavilion dedicated to an account of Dvorak’s life and works. This evening’s performance of Dvorak’s Rusalka takes place at the State Theatre.

Today affords some free time to enjoy the amenities of the city centre before transferring to the airport for our flight home.

• Accommodation - 4 nights bed and breakfast in a four star hotel in the city centre. Plus one dinner on a Vltava River Cruiser
• Transport
  • Private transfers between Prague airport and our hotel.
  • Private coach for all excursions outside the city. Public transport within the city.
• First or second series tickets (i.e. the best available seats) for the included operas
• Excursions as outlined in the itinerary.
• Entrance fees to all places mentioned in the itinerary
• Services of an experienced lecturer/tour leader -
• Local guide where required by local legislation
• All tips and gratuities

• Insurance
  • It is a condition of booking that you have adequate travel insurance to cover your needs when you travel with us. This will need to cover a missed departure, any emergency that may arise while you are travelling with us, and should also enable you to claim back from the insurance company any monies already paid to us or due to us in the event of your having to cancel the tour after booking and before the departure date.
    
    If you have difficulty finding cover due to your age, it may be of help to know that there are at least two companies who provide Travel Insurance to those over retirement age:-
    • Age Concern - Tel 0845 601 2234 Click here for Website
    • Saga - Tel 0800 559 3231 Click here for Website
  
  
• Walking - Most of our tours involve a good deal of walking.
• Sites and Museums - Archaeological sites in some countries can be rough and uneven underfoot and do not always conform to western standards of health and safety.

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ACCOMMODATION:                 Single Rooms: 0 1 2 3 4          Double Rooms: 0 1 2 3 4          Twin Rooms: 0 1 2 3 4

FLIGHTS:             Economy Class    Club Class (if available and at supplementary cost)    None