Eastern Europe Tour Schedule 2025

(travel times are estimated generously, should actually be shorter)
(social times with local Rotary clubs to be added as established)

Tour going south, Tallinn, Estonia to Budapest, Hungary
May 10 – 20, 2025

Saturday, May 10 arrive in Tallinn, Estonia

Options:

• Walking tour of Old Town Tallinn, 30-45 minute stroll one way. This jumble of 14th- and 15th-century architecture with its medieval walls, needling spires and twisting, cobblestone streets is also the site of many of the city's important historic attractions and museums including the House of the Brotherhood of the Blackheads, St. Catherine's Guild and the 15th-century Guildhall that now houses the History Museum. We will walk up Toompea Hill in central Tallinn. From this overlook you'll have picturesque views over the towers and red-tile rooftops in the Estonian capital's lower town. See Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, built in the Russian Orthodox–style of Moscow's 17th-century churches. Then go through narrow, cobbled streets to St. Mary's Cathedral. Descend to the Town Hall Square for a look at the imposing Tallinn Town Hall, a Gothic structure completed in 1404. Stroll through the cobblestone walkway of St. Catherine’s Passage, sprinkled with artist studios and a collection of medieval tombstones located next to Dominican Monastery Claustrum. Tour the Walls of Tallinn, 16th-century fortifications that comprised Tallinn’s elaborate defense system.

• Small KGB museum, https://viru.ee/en, 12 euro.

7:00 p.m. dinner

Spend night in Tallinn - Radisson Blu Hotel Olümpia  ****

Sunday, May 11, Tallinn to Riga, Latvia

7:00 Breakfast in hotel

7:30 Tallinn to Parnu, 127 kilometers, 1 hour 32 minutes per Google Maps. Enroute hear lectures: Why Eastern Europe, Introduction to the European Union, and the slides for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

9:30 Parnu, walk the beach

10:30 Parnu to Riga, 182 kilometers, 2 hours and 21 minutes per Google Maps

1:00 arrive in Riga for lunch.

3:30 Take a walking tour of Old Town Riga. Things to see include Saint Peter‘s Church, Town Hall Square, Riga Cathedral, Swedish Gate, Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, House of the Blackheads, the Freedom Monument and Riga Castle.

 https://theculturetrip.com/europe/latvia/articles/the-top-10-things-to-do-and-see-in-riga-s-old-town/

6:00 Dinner  

Spend the night Rixwell Old Riga Palace Hotel ****

House of the Blackheads                 Freedom Monument

Monday, May 12, Riga to Klaipeda, Lithuania

7:00 Breakfast in hotel

7:30 Riga to The Hill of Crosses, 124 kilometers, 1 hour and 40 minutes per Google Maps

            Hill of Crosses                Klaipeda Harbor

Tuesday, May 13, Klaipeda to Vilnius, Lithuania

7:00 breakfast in hotel

8:00 Klaipeda to Trakai Castle, 292 kilimeters, 2 hours 58 minutes per Google Maps

11:30 Trakai Castle. Trakai Island Castle is an island castle located in Trakai, Lithuania, on an island in Lake Galvė. The construction of the stone castle was begun in the 14th century by Kęstutis, and around 1409 major works were completed by his son Vytautas the Great, who died in this castle in 1430. Entrance ticket is $9.11, included in tour price. Very worthwhile to see!

12:30 Lunch in Trakai

1:30 Trakai Castle to Vilnius, 29 kilometers, 27 minutes per Google Maps

3:30 Walking tour of Old Town Vilnius, former Jewish Ghetto. Old Town, a stunning UNESCO World Heritage Site, is renowned for historic buildings in a range of styles, from baroque and Gothic churches to the neoclassical Town Hall. Medieval Gediminas Castle Tower offers city views, and Vilnius University dates from the 16th century. Vilnius Cathedral and Cathedral Square was the site of the Pope’s visit in September, 2018.  Small shops on narrow streets sell amber jewelry, wood carvings, or Lithuanian cheese, while bars, clubs, and international eateries dot the area.

Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum, Naugarduko st. 10/2, Vilnius 01309, Lithuania, closes at 5:00, 16 euros, included in tour cost.

6:00 Dinner

Spend the night in Vilnius - Ibis Vilnius Centre ***

Wednesday, May 14, Vilnius to Warsaw, Poland

7:00 Breakfast. 

7:30 Vilnius to Warsaw, 527 kilometers hours, 5 hours 27 minutes, a 30 minute driver break will be needed. This will be a lunch break for the driver, with complimentary bag lunches provided.

1:00 (have gained 1 hour) Walking tour of Old Town Warsaw. The Old Town is a bustling tourism hub, with cobblestone alleys and medieval buildings reconstructed after WWII. At its heart is Rynek Starego Miasta, a busy square lined with burgher houses and upscale Polish eateries. Nearby, St. John's Archcathedral dates back to the 14th century and hosts summer concerts. The area is also home to the restored apartments and manicured gardens of the Royal Castle. This area was totally destroyed by the Nazis in WW II, but rebuilt in the original styles.

6:30 Dinner

Options:

• Intimate Chopin Concert in historical building, 7:00, at Chopin Point, Krakowskie PrzedmieScie 62, Warsaw 00-322, Poland, $17.09, 1 hour Recommended

• Chopin Concert in the Old Town, lac Zamkowy 8 (left wing of the Royal Castle), Old Town, Warsaw, $16.30, 1 hour.

• The POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews is great. Anielewicza 6, 00-157 Warszawa, Poland. I spent 4.5 hours in it before I even got to the Holocaust portion. 27 PLN plus 10 PLN (zloty) for optional audio guide.
  
  
• The Museum of Warsaw Uprising (Grzybowska 79, Warsaw 00-844) is good, about the 1944 Polish Resistance fighting the Nazis before the Nazi retreat. Tragic, really. Allow an hour and a half. 30 zloty, plus 10zl for the audioguide. If 20 for senior, 30 total or $7.85 US. Recommended.

Spend the night in Warsaw - IBIS Warszawa Stare Miasto RE1 ***

Thursday, May 15, Free day in Warsaw

Spend the night in Warsaw - IBIS Warszawa Stare Miasto RE1 ***

Friday, May 16, Warsaw to Auschwitz to Ostrava, Czech Republic.

7:00 Breakfast

7:30 Warsaw to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, 318 kilometers,  3 hours 48 minutes per Google Maps

11:30 Lunch

12:30  Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, 90 minutes each site. Spend waiting time by visiting Jewish Museum (The Auschwitz Jewish Center), Pl. Ks. J. Skarbka 5, 32-600 Oświęcim, Poland. Included in tour cost.

3:30 - 5:00 (depending on wait at museum) Drive to Ostrava, 91 kilometers, 1 hour 20 minutes per Google Maps

6:30 Time on your own in Ostrava. Explore, see what you can find and report back to the group! Or

6:30 Dinner on your own, perhaps in the hotel.

Spend the night in Ostrava - Best Western Hotel Vista****

 Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum

Saturday, May 17, Ostrava to Vienna, Austria

7:00 Breakfast in hotel

7:30 Ostrava to Vienna, 301 kilometers, 3 hours and 15 minutes per Google Maps

12:00 Lunch

1:00 Walking tour of Vienna. Vienna, Austria’s capital, lies in the country’s east on the Danube River. Its artistic and intellectual legacy was shaped by residents including Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund Freud. The city is also known for its Imperial palaces, including Schönbrunn, the Habsburgs’ summer residence. In the Museums Quartier district, historic and contemporary buildings display works by Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt and other artists.

6:00 Dinner

Options:

• Vienna City Hop-on Hop-off Tour (includes walking tour, but probably only in early morning), $29.21 Recommended!

• Mozart Concert at Schonbrunn Palace, 8:30, $51.26, 2 hours (very nice)

• Vienna Supreme Concerts at Albertina Museum, Albertinaplatz 1, 1010 Wien, Austria 8:15, $45.50, 1.5 hours

Spend the night in Vienna - Hotel Gabriel ***

Sunday, May 18, Free day in Vienna -

Spend the night in Vienna - Hotel Gabriel ***

Monday, May 19, Vienna to Bratislava, Slovakia to Budapest, Hungary

7:00 Breakfast in hotel

7:30 Vienna to  Budapest, Hungary, 243 kilometers, 2 hours and 35 minutes per Google Maps.

Along the route is Bratislva, Slovakia. We do a quick walking tour of Old Town Bratislava. It is not as big or impressive as some others, but cute. time enough to catch an early lunch or wait until Budapest.

12:30 Arrive in Budapest, check in hotel. Take a short stroll for in the Heroes Square area close to the hotel, followed by lunch, perhaps in Alice Terrace..

3:00 Walking tour of Budapest.

6:00 Dinner

Options:

• Big Bus Budapest Hop On Hop Off bus, $27.68, 1.5 hours if don‘t get off, but you will want to, includes evening tour.  Recommended if you don‘t do the walking tour.

Spend night in Budapest - Benczur Hotel ***

                                  Bratislava, Slovakia

Tuesday, May 20

 Return home (or pursue other options)

8:45 Taxi or airport shuttle to airport, about 30 minutes

Option: Stay another night in Budapest. If you want to do this, let Rick Olson know. Recommended, as one day is not sufficient time to do Budapest justice.

Return trip, Budapest, Hungary to Tallinn, Estonia May 20 -June 1, 2025

Monday, May 20, fly from home.

Tuesday, May 20, arrive in Budapest, Hungary

Dinner on your own

Spend night in Budapest, Hungary - Benczur Hotel ***

Wednesday, May 21

Free day in Budapest, rest, recover from jetlag, tour the city

Options:

• Walking tour of Budapest.

• Big Bus Budapest Hop On Hop Off bus, $27.68, 1.5 hours if you don‘t get off, but you will want to, includes 2 day pass, evening tour and river cruise. 28.8 euro. Recommended, especially if you don‘t do the walking tour.

Thursday, May 22, Budapest to Vienna, Austria

7:00 Breakfast in hotel

7:30 Budapest to Vienna, 243 kilometers, 2 hours and 35 minutes per Google Maps. Enroute give lectures: Why Eastern Europe, Introduction to the European Union, and the slides for Hungary, Slovakia and Austria.

Along the route is Bratislva, Slovakia. We do a quick walking tour of Old Town Bratislava. It is not as big or impressive as some others, but cute.

12:30 Arrive in Vienna, time on your own. Vienna, Austria’s capital, lies in the country’s east on the Danube River. Its artistic and intellectual legacy was shaped by residents including Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund Freud. The city is also known for its Imperial palaces, including Schönbrunn, the Habsburgs’ summer residence. In the Museums Quartier district, historic and contemporary buildings display works by Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt and other artists.

The Hop-On Hop-off tour below is a good option for either this day or the next day's free day. It is optional, but if several wish to do this as a group, we can do that. This is a good way to get a good overview of the city and get oriented.

6:00 Dinner

Options:

• Vienna City Hop-on Hop-off Tour (includes walking tour, but probably early morning), $29.21 Recommended!

• Mozart Concert at Schonbrunn Palace, 8:30, $51.26, 2 hours (very nice)

• Vienna Supreme Concerts at Albertina Museum, Albertinaplatz 1, 1010 Wien, Austria 8:15, $45.50, 1.5 hours

Spend night in Vienna - Hotel Gabriel ***

Friday, May 23, Free day in Vienna

Spend night in Vienna - Hotel Gabriel ***

Saturday, May 24, Vienna to Prague, Czech Republic

7:00 breakfast in hotel

7:30 Vienna to Prague, 337 kilometers, 3 hours 37 minutes per Google Maps.

Eat complimentary bag lunch while driver takes 30 minute break.

1:00 arrive in Prague. Dropped off at Prague Castle, Hradčany, 119 08 Prague 1, Czechia. Bus driver will take bags to hotel. Prague Castle is a castle complex in Prague, Czech Republic, built in the 9th century. It is the official office of the President of the Czech Republic. The castle was a seat of power for kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman emperors, and presidents of Czechoslovakia.

2:00 Walking tour of Old Town Prague. Old Town, or Staré Mesto, is a lively cobblestoned hub with landmark attractions such as the medieval Astronomical Clock and the Gothic Church of Our Lady Before Týn, on Old Town Square. The Rudolfinum concert hall hosts classical music, while the Estates Theatre stages ballet and opera. From here, you can catch the Hop On Hop Off bus if time permits.

Take public transportation to hotel.

Option

• City Sightseeing Prague Hop-On Hop-Off Tour, $25.06,

6:30 Dinner

Spend the night in Prague - - Hotel Stary Pivovar  ****

Sunday, May 25, Prague to Krakow, Poland

7:00 breakfast

7:30 Prague to Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, 467 kilometers, 4 hours 59 minutes per Google Maps. Will need 30 minute driver rest and eat complimentary bag lunch.

1:00 Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum 3 hours. Spend waiting time by visiting Jewish Museum (The Auschwitz Jewish Center), Pl. Ks. J. Skarbka 5, 32-600 Oświęcim, Poland. Included in tour cost.

5:00 Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum to Krakow, 75 kilometers, 1 hour 4 minutes per Google Maps

6:30  Arrive in Krakow. Kraków, a southern Poland city near the border of the Czech Republic, is known for its well-preserved medieval core and Jewish quarter. Its old town – ringed by Planty Park and remnants of the city’s medieval walls – is centered on the stately, expansive Rynek Glówny (market square). This plaza is the site of the Cloth Hall, a Renaissance-era trading outpost, and St. Mary’s Basilica, a 14th-century Gothic church. Explore on your own.

7:00 Dinner on your own

Spend night in Krakow - Campanile Cracovie

Krakow

Monday, May 26, Krakow to Warsaw, Poland

7:00 Breakfast

7:30 Krakow to Warsaw, 302 kilometers, 3 hours 27 minutes

11:30 Lunch in Warsaw

12:00 Walking tour of Old Town Warsaw. The Old Town is a bustling tourism hub, with cobblestone alleys and medieval buildings reconstructed after WWII. At its heart is Rynek Starego Miasta, a busy square lined with burgher houses and upscale Polish eateries. Nearby, St. John's Archcathedral dates back to the 14th century and hosts summer concerts. The area is also home to the restored apartments and manicured gardens of the Royal Castle. This area was totally destroyed by the Nazis in WW II, but rebuilt in the original styles.

5:00 - 6:00 Dinner

Options:

• The Jewish Museum is great. Anielewicza 6, 00-157 Warszawa, Poland. I spent 4.5 hours in it before I even got to the Holocaust portion. 27 PLN plus 10 PLN (zloty) for optional audio guide.

• The Museum of Warsaw Uprising (Grzybowska 79, Warsaw 00-844) is good, about the 1944 Polish Resistance fighting the Nazis before the Nazi retreat. Tragic, really. Allow an hour and a half. 20 or 25 zloty, plus 10zl for the audioguide. If 20 for senior, 30 total or $7.85 US. Recommended.

• Intimate Chopin Concert in historical building, 7:00 p.m. $17.09 at Chopin Point, Krakowskie PrzedmieScie 62, Warsaw 00-322, Poland 1 hour Recommended

• Chopin Concert in the Old Town, lac Zamkowy 8 (left wing of the Royal Castle), Old Town, Warsaw, $16.30 1 hour

Spend night in Warsaw - IBIS Warszawa Stare Miasto RE1 ***

Tuesday, May 27

Free day in Warsaw.

Spend night in Warsaw - IBIS Warszawa Stare Miasto RE1 ***

Wednesday, May 28, Warsaw to Vilnius, Lithuania

7:00 Breakfast.

7:30 Warsaw, Poland to Vilnius, 468 kilimeters 5 hours 35 minutes. Will need 30 minute driver rest. Eat grab and go lunch then.

2:30 (will have lost one hour) Arrive in Vilnius

3:30 The Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights, previously Museum of Genocide Victims, closes at 6:00 p.m.. Aukų g. 2A, Vilnius 01400, Lithuania 4 euros. Included in tour cost.

Walking tour of Old Town Vilnius, former Jewish Ghetto. Old Town, a stunning UNESCO World Heritage Site, is renowned for historic buildings in a range of styles, from baroque and Gothic churches to the neoclassical Town Hall. Medieval Gediminas Castle Tower offers city views, and Vilnius University dates from the 16th century. Vilnius Cathedral and Cathedral Square was the site of the Pope’s visit in September, 2018.  Small shops on narrow streets sell amber jewelry, wood carvings, or Lithuanian cheese, while bars, clubs, and international eateries dot the area.

6:30 Dinner

Spend night in Vilnius - Ibis Vilnius Centre ***

Thursday, May 29, Vilnius to Klaipeda, Lithuania

7:00 Breakfast in the hotel

7:30 Vilnius to Trakai Castle, 20 kilometers, 27 minutes

8:30 Trakai Castle. Castle may be closed, but can walk around it.

9:30 Trakai Castle to Klaipeda, 293 kilimeters, 3 hours 3 minutes per Google Maps

1:30 Lunch in Klaipeda

2:30 Tour of LCC International University,  coffee/tea and tour, hopefully with LCC President Dr. Marlene Wall

4:00 Walking tour of Old Town Klaipeda

6:00 Hands on project and dinner social time with Klaipeda Rotarians.)

Spend the night in Klaipeda - Memel Hotel ****

            Hill of Crosses                Klaipeda Harbor

Friday, May 30, Klaipeda to Riga, Latvia

7:00 Breakfast in hotel

7:30 Klaipeda to Palanga, 27 kilometers, 28 minutes per Google Maps. Drive by (with quick photo stop) the restored 19th-century Tiškevičiai Palace and the Palanga Botanical Garden, home of the Amber Museum.

8:00 Walk to Palanga beach, Lithuania‘s most popular summer place. (Drop off at east end of pedestrian street, pick up near beach.)

9:00 Palanga to The Hill of Crosses, 158 kilometers 1 hours 59 minutes per Google Maps

11:00  The Hill of Crosses, 30 minutes. Over the generations, the place has come to signify the peaceful endurance of Lithuanian Catholicism despite the threats it faced throughout history. The site took on a special significance during the years 1944–1990, when Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union. Continuing to travel to the hill and leave their tributes, Lithuanians used it to demonstrate their allegiance to their original identity, religion and heritage. It was a venue of peaceful resistance, although the Soviets worked hard to remove new crosses, and bulldozed the site at least three times (including attempts in 1963 and 1973).

11:30 The Hill of Crosses to Riga, 123 kilometers, 1 hour 41 minutes per Google Maps

1:30 Lunch

5:00 Take a walking tour of Old Town Riga. Things to see include Saint Peter‘s Church, Town Hall Square, Riga Cathedral, Swedish Gate, Museum of the Occupation of Latvia (if we have time) and Riga Castle.

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/latvia/articles/the-top-10-things-to-do-and-see-in-riga-s-old-town/

7:00 Dinner

Spend night in Riga - Rixwell Old Riga Palace Hotel ****

House of the Blackheads                 Freedom Monument

Saturday, May 31, Riga to Tallinn, Estonia

7:00 Breakfast in hotel

7:30 Riga to Parnu, Estonia, 182 kilometers, 2 hours 14 minutes

10:30  Walk the beach, lunch in Parnu (or wait until we get to Tallinn)

11:30 Parnu to Tallinn, Estonia,  127 kilometers, hour and 31 minutes per Google Maps

1:00 Arrive in Tallinn

4:30 Walking tour of Old Town Tallinn. This jumble of 14th- and 15th-century architecture with its medieval walls, needling spires and twisting, cobblestone streets is also the site of many of the city's important historic attractions and museums including the House of the Brotherhood of the Blackheads, St. Catherine's Guild and the 15th-century Guildhall that now houses the History Museum. We will walk up Toompea Hill in central Tallinn. From this overlook you'll have picturesque views over the towers and red-tile rooftops in the Estonian capital's lower town. See Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, built in the Russian Orthodox–style of Moscow's 17th-century churches. Then go through narrow, cobbled streets to St. Mary's Cathedral. Descend to the Town Hall Square for a look at the imposing Tallinn Town Hall, a Gothic structure completed in 1404. Stroll through the cobblestone walkway of St. Catherine’s Passage, sprinkled with artist studios and a collection of medieval tombstones located next to Dominican Monastery Claustrum. Tour the Walls of Tallinn, 16th-century fortifications that comprised Tallinn’s elaborate defense system. 

6:00 Dinner

Spend night in Tallinn -  Radisson Blu Hotel Olümpia  ****

Sunday, June 1, return home from Tallinn or take the 2 hour ferry to Helsinki and fly home from there (most do this).

Option: Stay an additional day or two in Helsinki. Let Rick know if this is something you wish to do.

Back to top of page