Austria
All ages
Heritage
Our Story Central Europe
Overview
Join us in the heart of Europe to explore the story of our People – their enduring accomplishments, their world-changing ideas, and their sorrows – on this moving Jewish and world heritage travel experience for all.
Our Story spans up to 15 days of guided touring – covering Poland (Warsaw & Krakow), Hungary (Budapest), Slovakia (Tatra Mountains & Bratislava), Austria (Vienna & Wachau Valley), Czechia (Prague & Terezin), and Germany (Dresden & Berlin). However, travelers have the option to begin and end their Our Story travels at pre-defined points to accommodate different touring interests and availability (see route options).
A professional Jewish educator and local European guides lead the tour. The itinerary highlights Jewish and world heritage sites, with opportunities for adventure, culture, and self-discovery along the way. Groups are limited to 28 adult travelers for your comfort.
- Arrive to Warsaw Airport, and take a taxi to our hotel in Warsaw
- For those arriving early – Meeting #1 at 9:00am in the hotel lobby
- Explore the acclaimed Museum of the History of Polish Jews
- Visit the historic Nozyk Shul in the heart of Warsaw
- For those arriving today – Meet at 3:00pm in the hotel lobby
- Uprising! – Explore the remains of the Warsaw Ghetto and learn about the Jewish community's famous revolt along the Route of Heroes, Rappaport Memorial, Umschlagplatz, and Mila 18
- Orientation walking tour of Warsaw's Old Town
- Welcome dinner at a central Warsaw restaurant (kosher)
Meals Included: Dinner
- Depart from Warsaw and travel to Krakow in the morning
- Explore Kazmierz – the historic center of Jewish life Krakow, including the Ramah Synagogue, Temple Synagogue, and Old Synagogue
- Check-in to our hotel in central Krakow with dinner on your own
- Evening: Explore the annual Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow, a world-renowned celebration of modern Jewish culture and tradition that embodies the renewal of Jewish life in contemporary Europe (June start dates only)
Meals Included: Breakfast
- Arrive at the grounds of Auschwitz II - Birkenau where the full horror of the extermination of 1.5 million Jewish People is palpable (packed lunch provided)
- Continue on to Auschwitz I, the original camp that served as the administrative center for the entire complex. We will tour the watchtowers, fences, cell blocks, wall of death, crematoria as well as the Arbeit Macht Frei Gate
- Reflections and ceremony at the restored Oświęcim Synagogue near Auschwitz
- Return to Krakow in the late afternoon
- Option to celebrate Kabbalat Shabbat with the Jewish community of Krakow
- Shabbat dinner is served in Kazmierz – the Jewish Quarter of Krakow
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Walking tour of Old Town Krakow, including the grounds of the Wawel Castle
- Shabbat lunch is at the Krakow JCC, the center of modern Jewish life in Krakow
- Continue on for a walking tour of the Krakow Ghetto and the Oscar Schindler Factory building – now the Historical Museum of the City of Krakow
- Free evening and dinner on own
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
- Check-out of Krakow accommodations and depart for Budapest
- Break along the way in the Slovakian mountain village of Donovaly where we ride the gondola to the top of a local ski resort for a panoramic view of the Tatra Mountains
- Check in and get refreshed at our Budapest accommodations
- Evening: Get oriented to Budapest over a group dinner at the Kosher Deli Budapest in the Jewish Quarter
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
- Begin our day at the Shoes on the Danube Bank installation and view the Chain Bridge, a landmark 19th-century suspension bridge connecting historic Buda and Pest
- Ascend Castle Hill to take in views from Fisherman's Bastion and explore the remains of a Medieval-era synagogue that was once active here
- Break for lunch and wandering in the Great Market Hall of Budapest
- Enter the Jewish Quarter and tour the Dohany Street Synagogue museum, Wallenberg Memorial, and Weeping Willow
- Our day ends with a visit to Hősök Tere – "Heroes Square"
- Evening: Option to visit the thermal Szechenyi Baths (on your own)
Meals Included: Breakfast
- Depart Budapest for Vienna in the morning
- Break along the way in Bratislava for a visit to the Chatam Sofer's grave
- Arrive to Vienna where we will stop for lunch on your own in the Naschmarkt – a colorful 16th-century market in the heart of the city
- Afternoon: Discover the high culture of Europe at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien of Vienna and visit Heldenplatz, the site where Hitler announced the annexation of Austria in 1938
- Check-in to our accommodations in the Austrian capital
- Visit the historic Jewish neighborhood of Leopoldstadt and visit the Leopoldstädter Temple Memorial, once the largest synagogue in Vienna until its destruction on Kristallnacht
- Evening: Option to visit Prater, an old-world amusement park in the heart of Vienna, and ride the iconic 19th-century Riesenrad giant Ferris wheel (on your own)
Meals Included: Breakfast
- Walking tour – Explore Judenplatz, the center of Vienna's Jewish life since the Middle Ages, including a visit to the Shoah Memorial and the Stadttempel – the only Vienna synagogue that survived the November 1938 pogrom
- Walk along Berggasse Street where we'll learn about the world-changing ideas of Sigmund Freud and Theodore Herzl who both lived here
- Continue on to explore the opulent Schönbrunn Palace – The summer home of Habsburg Royalty
- Free evening and dinner on your own in Vienna
Meals Included: Breakfast
- Embark on a Danube river cruise to Weißenkirchen in the Wachau Valley
- Sample local wines at Domaine Wachau and explore picturesque Dürnstein village with the option to hike up to the ancient castle towering above the town
- Depart from Austria, and continue on to Prague – check in to our hotel in the historic Old Town
- Attend a classical music performance staged in the historic Spanish Synagogue of Prague
- Evening: Enjoy dinner at a local Prague restaurant (kosher)
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
- Today we explore Josefo – Europe's best-preserved Jewish Quarter where we'll visit the Old Jewish Cemetery, the Altneuschul (Old-New Synagogue), and Jerusalem Shul
- View Franz Kafka's home in the Jewish Quarter and learn about the Prague Golem, the supernatural Jewish legend that once stalked the dark corners of Josefov
- Cross the famous Charles Bridge – Discover the peculiar connection between a European folk song about the Vlata River and Israel's HaTikvah national anthem
- Ascend Petrin Hill for a panoramic view of the Czech capital from the Strahov Monastery
- Tour Prague Castle – the world's largest ancient castle – including the Golden Lane
- Option to celebrate Kabbalat Shabbat with the Jewish community of Prague (egalitarian and traditional options)
- Evening: A traditional Shabbat dinner is served at Chabad's Prague Grill Restaurant
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
- Free morning to enjoy Prague on your own
- Wrap-up session and closing lunch celebration
- Afternoon: Walking tour of Prague's Old Town Square, including a visit to the Astronomical Clock, the Klementinum library, and view the Prague Metronome
- Free evening and dinner on own
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
- Depart Prague and spend the morning visiting the Terezin Ghetto and Concentration Camp
- Continue north into Germany where we will spend the afternoon exploring Dresden, a city destroyed during World War II and meticulously restored to its pre-war glory
- Arrive to Berlin – check-in to our hotel and enjoy dinner on your own
Meals Included: Breakfast
- This morning we tour the Reichstag –home to Germany's parliament (Bundestag) – that was restored with an iconic glass dome when it reopened following Germany's reunification
- Walk through the monumental Brandenburg Gate and experience Berlin's striking Holocaust Memorials – honoring the memory of the Jews, LGBTQ, Roma and other groups persecuted by Nazis
- Break for lunch on your own in the Hackescher Markt, located in Berlin's historic Jewish Quarter and view the grandeur of the 19th century New Synagogue
- Learn about the Stolpersteine Memorial project and how it forces contemporary Germans to grapple with their history in the course of their daily lives
Take part in a project to clean Stolpersteines and honor those memorialized by them - Learn about Germany's Cold War history, visiting Checkpoint Charlie, and then finish the day wandering the East Side Gallery – a place where artists from all over the world have come to paint murals on this segment of the Berlin Wall
Meals Included: Breakfast
- Travel outside of Berlin to tour the Wannsee House – where the Nazis charted the course of their "Final Solution" – and visit the Platform 17 Memorial at Grunewald Station along the way
- Arrive to Potsdam – the City of Palaces – where we'll break for lunch on your own and exploration time at the historic Brandenburger pedestrian mall
- This afternoon we tour Cecilienhof Palace, where the Potsdam Conference took place, deciding the fate of Germany after World War II
- We conclude our time in Potsdam wandering through Sanssouci Gardens, stopping to view the New Palace and Sanssouci Palace
- Return to Berlin for a closing dinner celebration at a local kosher restaurant
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
Say your farewells following breakfast at the hotel
Included
- A professional guide/educator leads the group on a 24/7 basis and expert city guides join our group most days
- Centrally located 4* and 5* hotels with porterage included (e.g., InterContinental chain or similar)
- Breakfast daily and additional meals according to the itinerary (kosher and vegetarian)
- Private air-conditioned touring vehicle
- All programming and site entrances according to the itinerary
- Wireless touring headsets for groups with 20+ travelers
Not Included
- Flights to/from Europe
- Airport transfers
- Travel insurance (optional)
- Gratuities (suggested $150-$250/traveler)
- Hotel incidentals, and meals not marked as included