Bus Route Through Central Europe

Meeting Points: 19:00 Kadıköy Marriage Office Parking Lot 19:30 In front of Mecidiyeköy İstikbal Altunbaş 20:00 In front of İncirli Ömür Plaza 21:00 Selimpaşa Metro Rest Area 22:00 Çorlu Metro Rest Area After meeting our guests at the departure points specified in the tour program, we will proceed by following the Istanbul–Edirne highway, with necessary breaks, to the Edirne–Kapıkule Land Border Gate. After completing our exit procedures there, we will continue via Bulgaria to Belgrade, Serbia. Overnight on our bus.

Upon our arrival in Belgrade, during the short city tour by bus, we will see the daily life of the city, important buildings, and the Ministry of Interior buildings, which are said to have been deliberately left in the middle of the city and bombed by NATO. Continuing our tour, on the walking tour we will take after getting off the bus, the places to be seen are: Belgrade Fortress, Damat Ali Pasha Tomb, Clock Tower, Sokullu Mehmed Pasha Fountain, Military Museum, Istanbul Gate, Zindan Gate, Leopold Gate, Stefan Lazarević Monument, Nebojsa Tower, Kalemegdan, Cathedral Church, Republic Square, Terazije Square, and Tašmajdan. We complete our city tour with a walk along Knez Mihailova Street, considered the heart of the city. Here, until the meeting time announced by our guide, you may enjoy free time during which you can shop at the Christmas market or enjoy the stylish cafés on the street. You may also join the Danube and Sava River Boat Tour (30 €), organized as an extra by our guide. We meet back on our bus and transfer to the hotel. Guests who wish may also join our extra Serbian Night with dinner (50 €).

After breakfast at the hotel, we depart for Budapest. Upon arrival in Budapest, during our city tour we will see the following sights: Erzsébet Bridge, Gellért Hill, Fisherman’s Bastion, St. Matthias Church, Chain Bridge, the Parliament Building, and Heroes’ Square. After the tour, free time at the Christmas market. At the end of the free time, transfer to our hotel. Overnight at the hotel. In the late afternoon, guests who wish may join the extra optional Boat Tour with drinks served on the Danube River (40 €), organized by our guide. At the end of the tour, transfer to our hotel.

After our breakfast in the morning, the first place we will visit will be Esztergom, the first capital of Hungary and the center of the Roman Catholic Church. During our tour, we will visit the Esztergom Basilica, the largest church in Hungary and the archbishopric center. The famous Esztergom Castle, located on the same hill, is now a museum exhibiting artifacts, frescoes, maps, tools, and weapons that tell the history of Esztergom. It is also possible to see traces from the Ottoman rule of the 16th and 17th centuries here. From the hill where the castle and basilica are located, the Danube River flowing in the west-east direction and the territory of Slovakia just across the river can be seen. Then we head to Szentendre, also known as the artists’ town; with its narrow, winding streets and architecture, it reflects the atmosphere of a typical Mediterranean town. Today, Szentendre is the beginning of the summer resort area called the Danube Bend, where Budapest residents have their summer houses. In the city, which has many churches, it is very pleasant to sit in the street cafés or take a walk through its authentic narrow streets. This region, one of the most visited places in Hungary, has therefore become a shopping paradise. There are dozens of shops selling handmade tablecloths, porcelain and glassware, wine, dolls, folkloric costumes, and wooden souvenirs. At the end of the tour, transfer to Budapest and our hotel. In the evening, guests who wish may join the Gypsy Night tour (60 €), organized as an optional extra by our guide, featuring a folkloric dance group, dinner, and unlimited drinks. At the end of our tour, transfer to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and leave the hotel with our luggage, then begin our journey to Prague. Along the way, we visit Bratislava. After the city tour and seeing the Christmas market there, we continue on to Prague. Upon arrival in Prague, we begin our panoramic city tour. The places to be seen during the tour include Hradcany Castle District, Loretta Church, the Presidential Palace, St. Vitus Cathedral, whose construction took 600 years and which incorporates Neo-Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque features, the Alchemists’ Street, Franz Kafka’s house, Charles Bridge, built in the 13th century by Master Builder Peter Parler and featuring 31 statues of saints, the Old Town Square, the historic Astronomical Clock Tower, built in the 15th century and depicting the 12 Apostles, and Týn Church. After our city tour, free time for shopping at the Christmas market. Following the free time, transfer to our hotel and check-in to our rooms. Overnight at our hotel. In the evening, guests who wish may join the Dinner Cruise on the Vltava River (60 €), organized as an extra tour by our guide.

After breakfast at the hotel, we depart from our hotel for the Karlovy Vary tour. We begin our journey to Karlovy Vary, the city of spas in the Czech Republic, accompanied by your guide’s delightful commentary. Upon arrival in Karlovy Vary, we will take a city tour. We will see the hotel where Atatürk stayed in 1918, and the houses of Dvorak, Mozart, Goethe, Beethoven, and Pushkin, and visit the thermal colonnades where 12 different thermal springs emerge, with temperatures ranging from 30–72°C. At the end of the tour, we transfer to our hotel. In the evening, guests who wish may join the Folkloric Czech Night tour with dinner and unlimited drinks, organized as an extra by our guide (70 €). Overnight at our hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel, we complete our check-out procedures and depart with our luggage, heading toward Vienna. On the way, we will take a tour of the medieval town of Český Krumlov. Český Krumlov is one of the precious gems of the Czech Republic and is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Having fallen into disrepair during the most dominant period of communism, Český Krumlov began to flourish again from the 1990s onward and impresses visitors greatly with both its architecture and natural beauty. After a short break in the town, we continue our journey to Vienna. Upon arrival, we begin our city tour of Vienna. The Opera House, University, Parliament Building, Theater, Prater, Hofburg Palace, Hundertwasser House, and the museum district will be seen panoramically, as well as Schönbrunn Palace. At the end of the tour, free time at the Christmas market. Afterwards, transfer to our hotel and check-in to our rooms. Guests who wish may join the optional Grinzing tour, organized by our guide for an additional fee of €60, including dinner and limited drinks. In this tour, Grinzing Village, a wine-growing village especially renowned for its white wines, has become a favorite destination for tourists with its authentic buildings and typical restaurants. In Grinzing, about 20 minutes outside Vienna, while having dinner accompanied by accordion and violin, we experience an unforgettable Central European evening. At the end of the tour, transfer to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel.

After our breakfast, we depart for Novi Sad, the capital of Vojvodina, Serbia’s most economically developed autonomous region. During our walking tour in the city where Albert Einstein also lived for a period, the places to be seen panoramically include Freedom Square, the Statue of Svetozar Miletić, the Catholic Cathedral, the Orthodox St. George Cathedral, St. Nicholas Church, and the Synagogue. During the free time given here, you can enjoy the cafés in this lively city. At the end of our tour, transfer to Belgrade and our hotel. Overnight at our hotel.

After breakfast, we set off for Bulgaria and Sofia. Upon arrival in Sofia, during our city tour we will see St. Nedelya Church, the Russian Church, the Rotunda Church, the Church of St. Sophia, the parliament, Sofia University, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the prime minister’s office, and the National Palace of Culture (NDK). We will also have the opportunity to see the military club where the ball was held that Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk attended wearing a Janissary uniform. After our tour, we gather at our bus and depart for Istanbul. After entering the Republic of Turkey, we continue on our way to Istanbul. Arrival in Istanbul in the early hours of the morning and the end of our tour.