Day 5 (Tuesday)
Budapest – High Tatras - Zakopane

This morning, you journey northward into Slovakia and the rich forests and quaint villages of the Tatra Mountains. A famous winter resort area, especially popular with skiers, this countryside is pristine in its beauty. You have lunch in one of the picturesque villages.

Crossing the Polish border this afternoon, you check into the Orbis Kasprowy with spectacular views of the majestic mountains, so close you want to reach out and touch the peaks. The panorama is dotted with little wooden huts; the air is crisp and crystal clear. Join your travel companions for an à la carte dinner in the hotel restaurant and an evening of relaxation amid the mountains. (B,L,D)

You have a relaxing morning in Zakopane – well known for beautiful wooden houses characteristic of the area. And you also visit Wadowice, birthplace of Pope John Paul II. In the afternoon, you arrive in Cracow - a graceful city nestled in the valley of the Vistula River. It is unknown which people originally settled here, but there is archeological evidence that the area was inhabited 50,000 years ago.

Today, Cracow is the 3^rd largest city in Poland and the country’s cultural center; the 14^th-century Jagiellonian University is located here. Our hotel, the Hotel Sheraton, is the most highly regarded establishment in town, overlooking the river and just a few minutes from the historic center of town. This old section (Stare Miasto) is replete with literally hundreds of ancient houses, churches, and palaces that hold artistic wonders. This evening, you have an à la carte dinner in the city’s old Jewish district, Kazimierz, an area rich in history. (B,L,D)

Atop the Wawel Hills is the Royal Castle; here you see huge rooms, their walls covered with tapestries and original Byzantine paintings. You visit Cracow’s main square (Rynek Glowny), which is Europe’s largest medieval marketplace and dates back to 1257; it has been compared to Venice’s Piazza San Marco in size and grandeur. Outside the city, you go to the unique salt mines of Wieliczka, first mined in 1044 and on the UN’s list of protected sites. Incredibly, within the mines, a huge 180-foot chapel has been carved out of the rock salt. The underground tunnels stretch for more than 100 miles.

In the area surrounding Cracow, the people have taken care to preserve the folklore of the region. Traditional national costumes are worn often in the local villages. Local craftsmen continue to use the methods and tools to build homes that their forefathers used. You return to the city for some leisure time before going to dinner at the Wierzynek restaurant - a local dining tradition since 1364. This establishment has been a favorite of Charles de Gaulle, Indira Gandhi, Francois Mitterand, Michail Gorbachov, King Juan Carlos, and George Bush. (B,L,D)

On this day, you set off in a southwesterly direction to Brno – capital of the Czech province of Moravia and second largest city in the Czech Republic. It sits in a valley where two rivers join, and hills and forests flank three sides of this fertile southern Moravian wine area. At the beginning of the 19^th century, Brno was a center of contemporary Czech culture; in architecture, the city was ranked with the other great European cities. Its location has traditionally connected the industrial northern area with the agricultural south of the country. You have lunch here in a restaurant offering a range of dishes typical of the area.

Later this afternoon, you arrive in Prague – "golden" capital of the Czech Republic – and the crossroads of Europe. Located on the Vltava River, the city was originally five separate towns that today represent various districts of Prague. It was one of the few central European cities that did not suffer significant damage during the two World Wars; as a result, there is a host of lovely historical buildings that remain in their original state. You check into the Hotel Four Seasons, where its central location provides you with easy access to the city’s key sights. This evening, you make your à la carte selections in the hotel’s restaurant, with lovely illuminated views of the city at night. (B,L,D)