Eastern Europe Tour – Vienna, Budapest & Prague, 7 Nights / 8 Days

Your journey through Central Europe begins in Vienna, the capital of Austria and once the heart of one of the greatest empires in history. As your plane descends, look out of the window at the green, rolling hills of the Vienna Woods, the vineyards on the slopes at the edge of the city, and the broad sweep of the River Danube, flowing on its long journey from Germany to the Black Sea.

After you clear immigration at Vienna Airport and collect your bags, walk out into the arrivals hall, where your tour manager is waiting to welcome you. From this moment, all the planning is done: your coach, hotels, guides, tickets and meals are arranged, and your tour manager will be with you throughout the journey.

The drive into the city gives you a first glimpse of Vienna's grandeur. For more than six centuries, from the late 13th century until 1918, Vienna was the seat of the Habsburgs, a royal family whose empire at its height stretched across much of Central Europe, from Austria and Hungary to Bohemia, northern Italy and beyond. The emperors and their nobles filled the city with palaces, churches, theatres and gardens, and that imperial splendour is everywhere you look: wide boulevards, baroque domes, statues of emperors on horseback, and grand buildings in cream and gold.

Vienna is also one of the great capitals of music. Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and the Strauss family, who wrote the famous waltzes, all lived and composed here, and music still fills the city: in the opera house, in concert halls, in churches and even in the streets, where musicians play classical pieces on violins and cellos. It was also the city of the psychologist Sigmund Freud and of painters like Gustav Klimt, whose golden painting The Kiss is one of the most famous artworks in the world.

Today, Vienna is regularly named one of the most liveable cities in the world. It's clean, safe and green, with excellent public transport, beautiful parks and a relaxed pace of life. In summer, the Viennese love to spend their evenings outdoors: in garden restaurants, at open-air cinemas and concerts, along the banks of the Danube and in the wine taverns on the edge of the city, called heurigen, where local winemakers serve their new wine in leafy courtyards.

Above all, Vienna is famous for its coffee houses, a tradition so important that UNESCO recognises it as part of the world's intangible cultural heritage. The Viennese coffee house is a place to linger for hours over a single cup, reading newspapers, writing, playing chess or chatting with friends, in grand rooms with marble tables, bentwood chairs and chandeliers. Nobody will hurry you. Try a Melange, Vienna's version of a cappuccino, with a slice of Sachertorte, the rich chocolate cake with apricot jam invented here in 1832, or a slice of warm apple strudel.

Once you reach your hotel and check in, take some time to rest after the flight. If you have energy, step out for a gentle walk around your neighbourhood; summer evenings in Vienna are warm and light until around nine o'clock. A few practical tips will help you settle in: Austria uses the euro, and cards are accepted almost everywhere, although some traditional cafés still prefer cash. Shops are generally closed on Sundays. And a friendly "Grüß Gott", the traditional Austrian greeting, or simply "Hallo", always brings a smile.

In the evening the group gathers for dinner, a chance to meet your fellow travellers and to hear your tour manager outline the journey ahead through five countries: Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Germany. Then it's back to the hotel for a good night's rest. Tomorrow you'll see the best of Vienna before travelling along the Danube to Budapest.

Vienna is a city that enjoys its summers. In July and August, a giant screen goes up in front of the City Hall for a free open-air film festival, showing recordings of operas, ballets and concerts every evening, with food stalls from around the world. The Danube Island, a long, narrow island built in the river as part of a flood-protection scheme, is a 21-kilometre playground of beaches, cycle paths and swimming spots. In the Prater park stands the Riesenrad, a giant Ferris wheel built in 1897, one of the oldest in the world, famous from the classic film The Third Man. Even Vienna's tap water is special: it's piped all the way from springs in the Alps, more than 100 kilometres away, through aqueducts built in the 19th century, so it's fresh, cold and delicious straight from the tap. And every New Year's Day, the Vienna Philharmonic's famous New Year's Concert, broadcast to millions of people around the world, is played in the city's golden concert hall, the Musikverein.

Included today: arrival transfer, dinner.

Good to know: hotel check-in is usually mid-afternoon. Summer temperatures in Central Europe are usually 22–30°C, with occasional thunderstorms, so pack light clothes and a small umbrella.

Today you discover the grandeur of imperial Vienna and then travel east to Budapest. After breakfast, you check out of your hotel and your local guide takes you on a tour of the city.

You begin on the Ringstrasse, the magnificent boulevard that circles the old city centre. In the 1850s, Emperor Franz Joseph ordered the old city walls to be demolished, and in their place this grand avenue was built, lined with some of the most splendid buildings in Europe: the Parliament, built in the style of an ancient Greek temple with a statue of the goddess Athena in front; the neo-Gothic City Hall with its tall tower; the Burgtheater; the University; the Museum of Fine Arts and the Natural History Museum facing each other across a square; and the Hofburg, the vast imperial palace from which the Habsburgs ruled their empire for centuries.

Then you see the Vienna State Opera, one of the most famous opera houses in the world, which opened in 1869 with Mozart's Don Giovanni. Its season runs for most of the year, with a different performance almost every night. In the heart of the old city rises St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna's great Gothic cathedral, with a tall, slender spire and a steep roof covered in around 230,000 glazed tiles in colourful zigzag patterns, including a giant double-headed eagle, the symbol of the Habsburgs. It's the symbol of Vienna, and Mozart was married here.

Next you visit Schönbrunn Palace, the summer residence of the Habsburg emperors and one of the most beautiful palaces in Europe. Its long yellow facade, in the colour now known as Schönbrunn yellow, stretches across the front of a vast courtyard, and behind it lie gardens of flowerbeds, fountains, statues and avenues of clipped trees, climbing a hill to the Gloriette, a graceful colonnade with views over the palace and the city. The palace has more than 1,400 rooms. As you walk through the grand state rooms, glittering with gold, crystal chandeliers and porcelain, you'll hear the stories of the people who lived here: Empress Maria Theresa, who ruled the empire for forty years and had sixteen children, including Marie Antoinette, later Queen of France; Emperor Franz Joseph, who reigned for 68 years; and his beautiful, restless wife, Empress Elisabeth, known as Sisi, whose life has inspired many films. In one of these rooms, in 1762, a six-year-old Mozart played the piano for Empress Maria Theresa and then, it's said, jumped into her lap and kissed her.

After lunch at an Indian restaurant, there's free time in the city to stroll, shop or sit in a coffee house. Then you board the coach and drive east towards Hungary. The road follows the Danube plain, past fields of sunflowers and maize, vineyards and wind turbines. Hungary is a country with its own unique language, Hungarian, which is not related to its neighbours' languages at all; its closest relatives are Finnish and Estonian, far to the north. The Hungarians, or Magyars, arrived in the Danube basin more than a thousand years ago, and they're proud of their distinct culture.

By evening you reach Budapest, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, divided in two by the Danube. After dinner at an Indian restaurant, you check in to your hotel for two nights. If you have energy, look out of the window or take a short walk: Budapest at night, with its bridges, castle and Parliament lit up along the river, is a sight you won't forget.

Inside the Hofburg is the Spanish Riding School, where elegant white Lipizzaner horses have performed classical dressage since the 16th century, in a baroque hall lit by chandeliers. And in the Belvedere Palace, another grand baroque palace, hangs Gustav Klimt's The Kiss, glittering with real gold leaf. Viennese cake lovers have even fought over their sweets: the Hotel Sacher and the court confectioner Demel argued for years, even in court, over who had the right to call their chocolate cake the "original" Sachertorte.

In Hungary, look out for the country's favourite foods. Lángos is a deep-fried flatbread, crispy outside and soft inside, traditionally spread with garlic, sour cream and grated cheese, a popular street snack that's perfect for vegetarians. Gulyás, or goulash, is a hearty soup flavoured with Hungary's famous paprika, made from red peppers grown on the sunny plains in the south of the country. And kürtőskölács, chimney cake, is a sweet dough wrapped around a wooden spit, roasted over embers until golden and rolled in sugar, cinnamon or nuts, which you'll smell long before you see it.

Included today: guided city tour of Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace entry, coach to Budapest, breakfast, Indian lunch, Indian dinner.

Good to know: bags may need to be left in lockers at Schönbrunn, and photography is not allowed inside the state rooms. The drive to Budapest takes about three hours.

Today you discover Budapest, often called the Pearl of the Danube, and one of the most beautiful cities in the world. After breakfast, your local guide takes you on a tour of the city.

Budapest is really two cities in one, divided by the broad, fast-flowing Danube. On the west bank lies Buda, hilly and green, crowned by the castle and the old royal quarter. On the east bank lies Pest, flat and lively, with grand boulevards, shops, cafés and the Parliament. The two towns, together with old Óbuda to the north, were officially united in 1873 to form Budapest. Today, eight bridges link the two banks within the city, and the views from one side to the other are some of the finest in Europe.

Your tour begins on Castle Hill in Buda, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The great Buda Castle, the former royal palace of the Hungarian kings, stretches along the top of the hill, now home to the National Gallery and the city's history museum. Nearby stands Matthias Church, with its colourful patterned roof tiles and lacy Gothic spire, where Hungarian kings were crowned, and next to it the Fisherman's Bastion, a fairy-tale terrace of white stone towers, turrets and arches built in the late 19th century, offering the most famous view of the city. From here, you look straight across the river at the Parliament, with Pest stretching out behind it.

Then you cross the river to Pest and see the Hungarian Parliament Building up close. Completed in 1904, it's one of the largest parliament buildings in the world, a magnificent neo-Gothic palace with a great red dome and hundreds of spires, standing right on the riverbank. Inside, it holds the Holy Crown of Hungary, the crown of the country's first king, St. Stephen, crowned in the year 1000. You'll also see Heroes' Square, a vast square at the end of the elegant Andrássy Avenue, with a tall column topped by the Archangel Gabriel and statues of the chieftains who led the Hungarian tribes into the Danube basin more than a thousand years ago, and of great kings and heroes from the country's history. Behind it lies City Park, home to the famous Széchenyi thermal baths.

Budapest is known as the city of spas. More than a hundred thermal springs bubble up beneath the city, and for two thousand years, since the Romans built baths here, people have come to soak in the warm, mineral-rich water. The grand Széchenyi baths, with their yellow neo-baroque buildings and steaming outdoor pools, where locals play chess on floating boards, are one of the iconic sights of the city.

Budapest also has a special link with India. The painter Amrita Sher-Gil, one of the most celebrated Indian artists of the 20th century, was born in Budapest in 1913, to a Sikh father and a Hungarian mother. And in 1926, Rabindranath Tagore visited Hungary and planted a tree at Balatonfüred on the shore of Lake Balaton, where a promenade is named after him.

After an Indian lunch, you board a boat for a cruise on the Danube. As the boat glides along, the whole of Budapest unfolds on both banks: the Parliament's spires and dome reflected in the water, the Royal Palace on its hill, the Fisherman's Bastion, the domes of churches and the grand facades of hotels and palaces. You'll pass under the city's bridges, including the Széchenyi Chain Bridge, the first permanent bridge across the Danube in Budapest, opened in 1849 and guarded by stone lions, and the white Elisabeth Bridge, named after Empress Sisi, who was much loved in Hungary. It's the best way to understand why Budapest is called the Pearl of the Danube.

In the afternoon you drive about half an hour north along the river to Szentendre, a charming little town on the Danube. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Serbian and other Balkan refugees settled here, bringing their Orthodox churches with onion-shaped towers, and their colourful baroque houses still line its winding cobbled streets. In the 20th century, artists fell in love with the town's light and atmosphere, and today it's full of galleries, craft shops, small museums and cafés, giving it a relaxed, almost Mediterranean feel. Wander through its lanes, browse for handmade lace, embroidery and pottery, or try a scoop of ice cream by the river. Szentendre even has a marzipan museum, where sculptures of famous people and buildings are made entirely from marzipan.

In the evening you return to Budapest for dinner at an Indian restaurant. Afterwards, if you have energy, take a stroll along the river to see the city lit up, one of the most beautiful night views in Europe.

Included today: guided city tour of Budapest, Danube River cruise, visit to Szentendre, breakfast, Indian lunch, Indian dinner.

Good to know: Castle Hill involves some walking on cobbled streets and slopes, so wear comfortable shoes. Hungary uses the forint, not the euro, but cards are accepted almost everywhere.

Today you travel through Slovakia to the Czech Republic, visiting one of Europe's smallest and most charming capitals on the way. After breakfast, you check out of your hotel in Budapest and the coach drives north-west along the Danube.

By late morning you reach Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, on the banks of the Danube close to the borders with Austria and Hungary. Bratislava and Vienna are only about 55 kilometres apart, making them the two closest capital cities in Europe. Slovakia became an independent country in 1993, when Czechoslovakia peacefully divided into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in what was called the Velvet Divorce. For centuries, though, Bratislava, then called Pressburg, had a grand role: from 1563 to 1830, it was the coronation city of the kings of Hungary, and eleven kings and eight queens were crowned in St. Martin's Cathedral, whose spire is topped by a golden replica of the Hungarian crown.

Your orientation tour shows you the highlights of the compact Old Town, a lovely maze of pastel-coloured baroque palaces, narrow lanes and little squares, filled in summer with café tables. Bratislava has a wonderful sense of humour, and as you walk, you'll come across quirky bronze statues: Čumil, a workman peering out of a manhole with his chin resting on his arms, who has become the city's favourite mascot; a soldier from Napoleon's army leaning on a bench; and a gentleman raising his top hat. Children and grown-ups alike love finding them and posing for photos.

Above the Old Town, on a hill overlooking the river, stands Bratislava Castle, a large white rectangular building with a tower at each corner, often compared to an upturned table. From its terraces, the views over the Danube, the Old Town and, on a clear day, across to Austria and Hungary, are wonderful. Down by the river, look out for the Most SNP bridge, whose tall pylon is topped by a round, flying-saucer-shaped structure, nicknamed the UFO, with a restaurant and viewing deck on top.

After lunch at an Indian restaurant, you continue north-west into the Czech Republic. The road passes through Moravia, a region of rolling hills, vineyards, orchards and small towns with church towers, and on into Bohemia, the historic heart of the country. This is a land of castles: the Czech Republic has more castles and chateaux per square kilometre than almost any other country, and you'll glimpse some of them perched on hilltops as you drive. It's also the land of beer: the Czechs invented pilsner beer in the town of Plzeň in 1842, and they drink more beer per person than any other nation in the world.

By evening you reach Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, often called the City of a Hundred Spires. After dinner at an Indian restaurant, you check in to your hotel for two nights. If you have energy after dinner, take a short walk: Prague's old streets and towers lit up at night are pure magic.

Slovakia is a country of mountains and castles. In the north rise the High Tatras, the tallest peaks of the Carpathian mountains, with alpine lakes and hiking trails, and the country is dotted with hundreds of castles and castle ruins, said to be among the highest number per person in the world. The national dish, bryndzové halušky, is small potato dumplings mixed with a soft, tangy sheep's cheese; it's usually topped with crispy bacon, but you can ask for it without.

As you drive through the Czech Republic, you're crossing a country that has given the world some surprising inventions and words. The word "robot" comes from Czech: it was first used in 1920 in a play by the Czech writer Karel Čapek, about factory-made artificial workers, and it comes from the Czech word robota, meaning forced labour. Soft contact lenses were invented by a Czech chemist, Otto Wichterle, who built his first lens-making machine from a children's construction set and a bicycle dynamo. And the humble sugar cube was invented in a Czech town in the 1840s, reportedly after the wife of a sugar factory director cut her finger while chopping a sugar loaf.

The Czechs are also proud of their peaceful history of change. In November 1989, hundreds of thousands of people filled the streets of Prague in peaceful protests that ended four decades of communist rule in just a few weeks, without violence. It became known as the Velvet Revolution, and its leader, the playwright Václav Havel, became president. Three years later, the peaceful division of Czechoslovakia into two countries became known as the Velvet Divorce. Czechs will tell you, with a smile, that they prefer to change things quietly.

Included today: orientation tour of Bratislava, coach to Prague, breakfast, Indian lunch, Indian dinner.

Good to know: today has several hours of driving, so keep water and snacks with you. The Czech Republic uses the Czech koruna, not the euro, but cards are accepted almost everywhere.

Today you explore Prague, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and visit a remarkable medieval silver town nearby. After breakfast, your local guide takes you on a tour of the city.

Prague was lucky: it came through the wars of the 20th century almost undamaged, so its old centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a remarkable treasury of buildings from every period of European history, from Romanesque and Gothic to baroque, Art Nouveau and modern. For centuries it was one of the great cities of Europe, the seat of Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors.

You begin at Prague Castle, on a hill above the river. It's often described as the largest ancient castle complex in the world, a vast collection of palaces, churches, courtyards and gardens that has been the seat of Czech rulers for more than a thousand years, and today it's the office of the Czech president. At its heart rises St. Vitus Cathedral, a soaring Gothic masterpiece with tall spires, flying buttresses and magnificent stained-glass windows, including one by the Czech Art Nouveau artist Alfons Mucha, glowing with colour. The castle also has Golden Lane, a row of tiny, colourful houses built into the castle walls, where castle guards and goldsmiths once lived; the writer Franz Kafka worked for a time in house number 22. From the castle viewing terraces, the view over the red rooftops, domes and spires of the city is breathtaking.

Then you walk down through the Lesser Town, with its baroque palaces and gardens, to Charles Bridge, the most famous bridge in Prague. Built in the 14th century on the orders of King Charles IV, it crosses the Vltava River on sixteen stone arches and is lined with thirty statues of saints. Today it's a pedestrian bridge, alive with artists, musicians and visitors from around the world. Find the statue of St. John of Nepomuk, a priest who, according to legend, was thrown from the bridge in 1393 on the king's orders. Touching the bronze plaque at its base is said to bring good luck and ensure you'll return to Prague, and it has been polished bright by millions of hands.

Across the river lies the Old Town Square, the heart of Prague, surrounded by colourful baroque and Gothic buildings, the twin spiky towers of the Týn Church and the pastel facade of the old town hall. On the side of the town hall tower is the famous Astronomical Clock, installed in 1410, the oldest astronomical clock in the world still in operation. It shows not only the time but the positions of the sun and moon and the signs of the zodiac. Every hour, a crowd gathers below it to watch a little show: a skeleton representing Death rings a bell, and the figures of the Twelve Apostles appear in turn at two small windows above the clock face.

After an Indian lunch, you drive about an hour east to Kutná Hora, a small town that was once one of the richest in Europe. In the Middle Ages, its silver mines produced so much silver that the town minted coins for the whole kingdom, and it grew rich and powerful. Its wealth paid for magnificent buildings, including St. Barbara's Church, a Gothic cathedral with a striking tent-like roof, dedicated to the patron saint of miners. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nearby, in Sedlec, is one of the most unusual sights in Europe: the Sedlec Ossuary, a small chapel decorated with the bones of tens of thousands of people, arranged into chandeliers, garlands and a coat of arms, a strange but fascinating reminder of the town's long history.

In the evening you return to Prague for dinner at an Indian restaurant. Afterwards, if you have the energy, take a stroll through the Old Town or along the river, as Prague by night is one of the most romantic sights in Europe.

Prague holds many more stories. In the old Jewish Quarter, Josefov, stands the Old-New Synagogue, built around 1270 and the oldest active synagogue in Europe; legend says that the Golem, a giant made of clay and brought to life by a rabbi to protect the Jewish community, still lies in its attic. By the river, the Dancing House, a modern building with two towers that seem to sway together like a couple dancing, is nicknamed "Fred and Ginger" after the famous Hollywood dancers. As you walk, you'll also smell trdelník, a sweet pastry rolled around a spit and roasted, sold everywhere in the old town, though Czechs will tell you it's a recent arrival rather than an old tradition.

Included today: guided city tour of Prague with Prague Castle and the castle viewing gallery, Charles Bridge and Old Town Square, visit to Kutná Hora, breakfast, Indian lunch, Indian dinner.

Good to know: Prague's old streets are cobbled and hilly, so wear comfortable shoes. Watch your bags on Charles Bridge and in Old Town Square, which can be very crowded in summer. Entry to individual sights in Kutná Hora depends on the programme on the day.

Today is one of the most beautiful days of the tour: a lakeside village that looks like a fairy tale, a cable car to a glacier, and finally the drive to Munich. After breakfast, the coach drives through the Salzkammergut, a region of deep blue lakes surrounded by mountains, one of the most scenic corners of Austria. The road winds past lakes, meadows and villages, and then you reach Hallstatt.

Hallstatt is one of the most photographed villages in the world, and when you see it, you'll understand why. Its pastel-coloured wooden houses, church spires and flower-filled balconies cling to a narrow strip of land between a steep mountainside and the still, dark waters of the Hallstätter See, a lake surrounded by mountains. Swans glide on the water, and the reflection of the village and the peaks in the lake on a calm morning is magical. The whole region is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hallstatt is also one of the oldest inhabited places in Europe. People have mined salt in the mountain above the village for around 7,000 years, making its salt mine one of the oldest in the world. Archaeologists found so many ancient graves and treasures here that an entire period of European prehistory, the Iron Age Hallstatt culture, is named after the village. Because there's so little flat land between the mountain and the lake, the village cemetery was always tiny, so for centuries, bones were dug up after some years to make room for new graves, then cleaned, decorated and stored in a small charnel house beside the church. Today the Bone House holds hundreds of painted skulls, many decorated with flowers, crosses and the names of the dead. Hallstatt is so admired that a full-size copy of the village was built in China in 2012.

Take your time to stroll through the village, along its narrow lanes and down to the market square, with its fountain and colourful houses. Find a spot by the lake for the classic photo, with the church spire and houses reflected in the water. The village is small and home to just a few hundred people, so please be respectful: remember that people live here.

Then you drive to the Dachstein mountains near Schladming, a pretty alpine town. Here you board the Dachstein Glacier cable car, a panoramic gondola that climbs a sheer rock face to almost 2,700 metres. Some gondolas even have an open-air viewing platform on the roof, if you dare. At the top, you step out onto the Dachstein Glacier, a world of snow and ice even in the middle of summer, with views across the peaks of the Austrian Alps, sometimes as far as Slovenia and the Czech Republic on a very clear day.

The mountaintop has several thrilling attractions. The Skywalk viewing platform hangs over the edge of a cliff, with a 250-metre drop beneath your feet. A suspension bridge stretches across a gap between two peaks, swaying gently in the wind, with breathtaking views all around. At the end is the "Stairway to Nothingness", a staircase of glass steps leading down to a glass platform that seems to float in mid-air above the abyss. And inside the glacier is the Ice Palace, a series of halls carved out of the ice, with sculptures that glow in blue light. After lunch with mountain views, there's time to play in the snow and take photos.

In the afternoon you drive north out of the mountains, cross the border into Germany, the fifth country of your tour, and continue to Munich, the capital of Bavaria. The drive takes around three hours, with green Bavarian farmland, onion-domed churches and distant mountains on the way. On arrival, you enjoy a farewell dinner at an Indian restaurant before checking in to your hotel in Munich.

The Salzkammergut has long been a summer playground. The Habsburg emperors spent their summers in the spa town of Bad Ischl, at the heart of the region, where Emperor Franz Joseph had a summer villa; it was there, in 1914, that he signed the declaration of war that began the First World War. Nearby lakes, such as the Wolfgangsee, with the pretty village of St. Wolfgang and its old pilgrimage church, are popular with families who come to sail, swim and walk in summer. Schladming, too, is a sporting town: it hosted the Alpine World Ski Championships in 2013, and in summer its slopes become a paradise for hikers and mountain bikers.

Included today: visit to Hallstatt, Dachstein Glacier cable car with Ice Palace, suspension bridge and Stairway to Nothingness, coach to Munich, breakfast, lunch, Indian dinner.

Good to know: it's cold at the top of the Dachstein even in summer, so bring a warm jacket, sunglasses and sunscreen. Attractions on the glacier depend on the weather and may close in high winds. Tourist coaches in Hallstatt have limited time slots, so please be punctual.

Your journey through Central Europe ends today in Munich, the capital of Bavaria. If you're an early riser, step out for a short walk before breakfast and enjoy the city waking up. Munich is one of Germany's most prosperous and relaxed cities, with a beautiful old centre, grand boulevards, green parks and a love of good food and good company.

Munich is the city of beer gardens, pretzels and Oktoberfest, the world's largest folk festival, which takes place every year from late September and began in 1810 as a celebration of a royal wedding. It's also a city of science and industry, home to BMW and other famous companies. In the heart of the city, Marienplatz, the main square, is dominated by the neo-Gothic New Town Hall, whose tower has a famous Glockenspiel: every day, its colourful mechanical figures dance and joust to music, re-enacting a royal wedding and a traditional coopers' dance. The city's English Garden is one of the largest urban parks in the world, larger than New York's Central Park, and in summer you can even see surfers riding a standing wave on the Eisbach stream that flows through it. Just a couple of hours from the city stands Neuschwanstein Castle, the fairy-tale castle built by King Ludwig II that inspired Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle, perhaps a reason to come back.

Over breakfast, take a moment to look back on an extraordinary week. You began in Vienna, walking along the Ringstrasse and through the golden rooms of Schönbrunn, where a little Mozart once played for the empress. You cruised the Danube in Budapest, between the castle on its hill and the great Parliament, and wandered the colourful lanes of Szentendre. You met Čumil in Bratislava, crossed Charles Bridge in Prague, watched the Apostles appear at the Astronomical Clock, and saw the silver town of Kutná Hora. You walked in Mozart's footsteps in Salzburg, danced around the Mirabell Gardens, gazed at Hallstatt's reflection in its lake, and stood on the Dachstein Glacier above the clouds. That's five countries, three great capitals and the Alps in a single week.

Now it's time to pack. You may have collected Viennese coffee or Sachertorte, Hungarian paprika and embroidery, Czech crystal or a marionette from Prague, Mozartkugeln from Salzburg, and Bavarian souvenirs. Wrap fragile items like crystal and porcelain carefully in clothes and place them in the middle of your suitcase. Liquids over 100 ml must go in your checked baggage. Keep your passport, tickets, medicines and a light jacket in your hand luggage. If you made a large purchase and received a tax-free form, keep it with the receipt and goods, as it may need to be checked at the airport before you check in.

After breakfast, you check out and the coach takes you to Munich Airport, about 40 kilometres north-east of the city. This is the moment to say goodbye to your tour manager, who has guided you through five countries, and to the friends you've made on the tour. Exchange numbers and promise to share your photographs; you'll have plenty of palaces, rivers and mountain lakes to compare.

At the airport, there's time for a last coffee and a fresh pretzel, and perhaps some Bavarian chocolates or gingerbread for the family at home. Then it's time to board your flight, carrying the music, the rivers and the mountains of Central Europe with you.

If you have a little time before leaving, Munich's Viktualienmarkt, a lively open-air market close to Marienplatz, is a feast for the senses, with stalls of fruit, vegetables, flowers, cheeses, honey and spices. Nearby is the Hofbräuhaus, a vast beer hall founded in 1589, where long wooden tables, brass bands and waiters in traditional dress have made it one of Munich's most famous landmarks.

Germany has strong and growing ties with India. Indian students are now the largest group of international students in Germany, studying engineering, science and medicine at its universities, and many Indian professionals work for German companies in Munich and across the country. As you leave, you may well be flying with fellow passengers heading home to visit family, a reminder of how close Europe and India have become.

As your coach drives along the autobahn to the airport, you may notice cars racing past at high speed: some stretches of Germany's motorways famously have no general speed limit. It's one last German experience before your flight home.

However you spend your last hours, you'll leave with a week of memories: the waltz of Vienna, the glow of Budapest by night, the spires of Prague, the music of Salzburg and the stillness of Hallstatt's lake. Central Europe has a way of staying with you long after you've gone home.

Included today: breakfast, departure transfer to Munich Airport.

Good to know: book a flight that leaves at least 3 hours after the transfer reaches the airport; we'll confirm the transfer time when you book.