Urban Environments & Culture in Eastern Europe
🔹 Curated experiences: Every program is intentionally designed to feature guided learning, cultural engagement, and independent exploration experiences to drive global competency development, denoted on each itinerary with a blue diamond. Learn more about these experiences.
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Day 1: Fly overnight to Hungary
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Day 2: Budapest
Meet your Tour Director at the airportTake a walking tour of Budapest
With your tour director you will see:
- Fisherman’s Bastion, a fortification that has 7 turrets representing 7 Hungarian tribes
- Parliament, Hungary's sprawling center of government
Enjoy dinner in Budapest
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Day 3: Budapest
🔹 Guided learning: Take a tour of Budapest
With an expert local guide you will see:
- Heroes’ Square, featuring statues of famous Hungarian personalities
- Castle Hill, where Buda Castle is located
- Gellért Hill, where you can catch some of the city’s best views
Visit Matthias Church, famous for its colorful tiled roof
🔹 Cultural engagement: Enjoy an evening river cruise on the Danube as you hear about its Hungarian past, and cap off your memorable evening listening to the Blue Danube Waltz
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Day 4: Budapest • Kraków
Travel via Slovakia and the Tatra mountains to Kraków, Poland’s former capital
Enjoy dinner in Kraków
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Day 5: Kraków
Take a tour of Kraków
With an expert local guide you will see:
- Wawel Hill, perched high above the Vistula River
- Glowny Square, passing Sukiennice Cloth Hall and the Jagiellonian University
- Take time to reflect at a former Jewish ghetto
Visit Wawel Cathedral, where kings were crowned and Pope John Paul II once served as archbishop
Add this in-depth excursion:
Kraków Salt Mines
Discover a subterranean labyrinth of giant caverns, underground lakes and chapels on this half-day guided excursion. The salt mine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has existed for 900 years. Descend into the earth on a mining elevator and explore chambers where miners and artists have crafted salt sculptures and bas reliefs. Comfortable shoes and warm clothes are recommended.
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Day 6: Kraków
🔹 Cultural engagement: Visit Auschwitz and Birkenau with an expert local guide, where upwards of 1.5 million people died; walk through its barracks that serve as a chilling reminder and observe a moment of remembrance
Spend time exploring Kraków on your own
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Day 7: Kraków • Prague
Travel to Prague, the "City of One Hundred Spires"
Take a walking tour of Prague
With your Tour Director you will see:
- Old Town Square, a historic square in the Old Town quarter
- Astronomical Clock, a large clock that tells the date, time, astrological information, and more
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Day 8: Prague
🔹 Guided learning: Tour Prague with an expert local guide
See Charles Bridge, an arch bridge lined with musicians and artists
Walk down the Golden Lane and see eleven historical buildings that mark it
Visit St. Vitus Cathedral, a Gothic cathedral where Czech Kings and Queens are coronated
Explore Prague on your own this afternoon
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Day 9: Prague
Add this in-depth excursion:
Kutná Hora
To learn that a rustic medieval mining town formerly named “Bohemia” is a UNESCO World Heritage Site is not too surprising. But to learn that the church within the town is decorated with the bones of 40,000 people—some of which have been turned into chandeliers and royal crests—is somewhat of a shocking discovery. This ossuary is a chilling but beautiful homage to mortality, and is just one of the many wonders in this beautiful town.Enjoy dinner in Prague
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Day 10: Depart for home
Add more days
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Day 10: Prague • Vienna
Travel to Vienna, residence of the imperial court for six centuries
Take a walking tour of Vienna
With your Tour Director you will see:
- Opera House, one of the leading opera houses in the world
- Kärntnerstrasse, Vienna's main boulevard
- St. Stephen’s Cathedral, central to Austrian history and iconic for its tiled roof
Enjoy a traditional Weiner Schnitzel dinner in Vienna, typically consisting of fried veal or pork with traditional seasonings
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Day 11: Vienna
🔹 Cultural engagement: Take a guided tour of Vienna
With your expert local guide you will see:
- Ringstrasse, a circular boulevard around the Inner Town district
- Parliament, a columned building that serves as Vienna's center of government
- Rathaus, Vienna's flower-adorned city hall
- Hofburg, the presidential residence and former imperial palace
Visit Schönbrunn Palace, an elegant palace with beautifully landscapes gardens where Marie Antoinette spent her childhood
Add this in-depth excursion:
Classical Viennese concert
Enjoy an evening of classical music in one of Vienna's many traditional concert halls. Famed musicians such as Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Strauss, Brahms, and Schubert all have ties to the Austrian capital.
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Day 12: Depart for home
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Day 1: Fly overnight to Hungary
-
Day 2: Budapest
Meet your Tour Director at the airportTake a walking tour of Budapest
With your tour director you will see:
- Fisherman’s Bastion, a fortification that has 7 turrets representing 7 Hungarian tribes
- Parliament, Hungary's sprawling center of government
Enjoy dinner in Budapest
-
Day 3: Budapest
🔹 Guided learning: Take a tour of Budapest
With an expert local guide you will see:
- Heroes’ Square, featuring statues of famous Hungarian personalities
- Castle Hill, where Buda Castle is located
- Gellért Hill, where you can catch some of the city’s best views
Visit Matthias Church, famous for its colorful tiled roof
🔹 Cultural engagement: Enjoy an evening river cruise on the Danube as you hear about its Hungarian past, and cap off your memorable evening listening to the Blue Danube Waltz
-
Day 4: Budapest • Kraków
Travel via Slovakia and the Tatra mountains to Kraków, Poland’s former capital
Enjoy dinner in Kraków
-
Day 5: Kraków
Take a tour of Kraków
With an expert local guide you will see:
- Wawel Hill, perched high above the Vistula River
- Glowny Square, passing Sukiennice Cloth Hall and the Jagiellonian University
- Take time to reflect at a former Jewish ghetto
Visit Wawel Cathedral, where kings were crowned and Pope John Paul II once served as archbishop
Add this in-depth excursion:
Kraków Salt Mines
Discover a subterranean labyrinth of giant caverns, underground lakes and chapels on this half-day guided excursion. The salt mine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has existed for 900 years. Descend into the earth on a mining elevator and explore chambers where miners and artists have crafted salt sculptures and bas reliefs. Comfortable shoes and warm clothes are recommended.
-
Day 6: Kraków
🔹 Cultural engagement: Visit Auschwitz and Birkenau with an expert local guide, where upwards of 1.5 million people died; walk through its barracks that serve as a chilling reminder and observe a moment of remembrance
Spend time exploring Kraków on your own
-
Day 7: Kraków • Prague
Travel to Prague, the "City of One Hundred Spires"
Take a walking tour of Prague
With your Tour Director you will see:
- Old Town Square, a historic square in the Old Town quarter
- Astronomical Clock, a large clock that tells the date, time, astrological information, and more
-
Day 8: Prague
🔹 Guided learning: Tour Prague with an expert local guide
See Charles Bridge, an arch bridge lined with musicians and artists
Walk down the Golden Lane and see eleven historical buildings that mark it
Visit St. Vitus Cathedral, a Gothic cathedral where Czech Kings and Queens are coronated
Explore Prague on your own this afternoon
-
Day 9: Prague
Add this in-depth excursion:
Kutná Hora
To learn that a rustic medieval mining town formerly named “Bohemia” is a UNESCO World Heritage Site is not too surprising. But to learn that the church within the town is decorated with the bones of 40,000 people—some of which have been turned into chandeliers and royal crests—is somewhat of a shocking discovery. This ossuary is a chilling but beautiful homage to mortality, and is just one of the many wonders in this beautiful town.Enjoy dinner in Prague
-
Day 10: Depart for home
Add more days
-
Day 10: Prague • Vienna
Travel to Vienna, residence of the imperial court for six centuries
Take a walking tour of Vienna
With your Tour Director you will see:
- Opera House, one of the leading opera houses in the world
- Kärntnerstrasse, Vienna's main boulevard
- St. Stephen’s Cathedral, central to Austrian history and iconic for its tiled roof
Enjoy a traditional Weiner Schnitzel dinner in Vienna, typically consisting of fried veal or pork with traditional seasonings
-
Day 11: Vienna
🔹 Cultural engagement: Take a guided tour of Vienna
With your expert local guide you will see:
- Ringstrasse, a circular boulevard around the Inner Town district
- Parliament, a columned building that serves as Vienna's center of government
- Rathaus, Vienna's flower-adorned city hall
- Hofburg, the presidential residence and former imperial palace
Visit Schönbrunn Palace, an elegant palace with beautifully landscapes gardens where Marie Antoinette spent her childhood
Add this in-depth excursion:
Classical Viennese concert
Enjoy an evening of classical music in one of Vienna's many traditional concert halls. Famed musicians such as Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Strauss, Brahms, and Schubert all have ties to the Austrian capital.
-
Day 12: Depart for home
Confidence • Curiosity • Global perspective • Empathy • Adaptability • Relatability • Self-Awareness
Your experience includes
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Round-trip airfare
Your price includes round-trip airfare for your whole group
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Accommodations
Safe, comfortable hotels with private bathrooms will be waiting for you at your destination.
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On-tour transportation
Land transportation
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Regional-style meals
Daily breakfasts and select local dinners are included in your program. Generally, we leave lunch up to you so your group has an opportunity to explore its own tastes.
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End-to-end support
Your team helps to secure administrative approval and academic credit, provides recruiting tools and helps establish your program's ongoing presence on campus.
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Full-time Tour Director
Your Tour Director is with your group 24/7, providing deep local insight while handling all program logistics.
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Expert Local Guides
Your expert Local Guides are natural historians, adding cultural insight and enhancing teaching moments wherever your curriculum takes you.
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Guided sightseeing
Gain insider knowledge and cultural perspective from licensed local guides who join your group for select experiences on tour.
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Entrances
Danube Evening Cruise, Wawel Cathedral, Auschwitz and Birkenau, St. Vitus Cathedral, Golden Lane; with extension: Schönbrunn Palace
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Worldwide support, safety and security
EF has over 500 schools and offices in more than 50 countries worldwide. We provide 24-hour emergency support service along with a comprehensive $50 million liability policy that covers you and your institution while abroad.
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Flexible payment options
Give more students the opportunity to study abroad by offering them two different payment plan options, along with our TripFunder website to help fundraise for the program.
