POST-CONGRESS VISITS

CONDITIONS 

 

    • The organiser reserves the right to cancel any tour in case less than 10 delegates registered.
    • On-site requests for guided tours are welcome but cannot be guaranteed. There will be a Info point where the available tours will be for onsite sale.
    • A cancellation free of charge is possible until 1 September 2023. In case of later cancellation, it is not possible to process any refund.

Full Day Excursions

South Bohemia – Hluboká nad Vltavou, Holašovice (UNESCO), Český Krumlov (UNESCO)

 

7 October – 8 October 2023

Ticket: 255

A landscape of forests and fishponds with beautiful countryside, fairytale chateaux and rural farms. 

South Bohemia is a dream paradise to spend time sightseeing or relaxing. The countryside here offers endless possibilities for visiting places of natural beauty, but also has lots of historical monuments. The most charming cities in the area are Český Krumlov and the village of Holašovice; both places have been listed as UNESCO monuments! The neo-Gothic Hluboká Chateau is a romantic spot that will be part of the tour. 

Český Krumlov – protected monument reservation in the center, a large collection of the work of Egon Schiele, a fascinating photo studio, and one of the most beautiful castles and chateaus in the Czech Republic. Thanks to its unique preserved medieval core, Český Krumlov is included on the UNESCO list. 

Holašovice is surely the most charming village in the whole of the Czech Republic. The pride of this place is the wonderful Baroque farms set around the extensive village green, which even ensured the inclusion of Holašovice in the UNESCO world heritage list. 

Spa Triangle (UNESCO) – Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně, Františkovy Lázně    

 

7 October – 8 October 2023

Ticket: 255

Spa care in the Czech lands has a tradition going back hundreds of years. It has earned a reputation as one of the best in the world, and some famous visitors have come to the Czech spa towns to find out about for themselves. Let yourself be pampered in a world of elegant spa houses, exquisite, blossom-filled gardens and high culture as you sample specialities produced in the region, thus creating an experience for all the senses! So come and visit the key spa towns of Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně, Františkovy Lázně. 

Eastern Bohemia – Litomyšl (UNESCO), U Cihelny fortress (alt. Hanička), Kuks, Kladruby nad Labem (UNESCO)

7 October – 8 October 2023

Ticket: 255

East Bohemia – rock cities, ancient stud farms, and a tradition of steeplechases, sweet gingerbread and nativity scenes. 

Do you like mysterious rock cities and table mountains? You will get your fill of them here. Military monuments constitute a rarity here, for example the U Cihelny fortress or locations commemorating the Battle of Hradec Králové in 1866. We will be visiting the wonderful Renaissance Litomyšl Chateau, which is listed as a UNESCO monument, and also the Baroque complex at Kuks , as well as National Studat Kladruby nad Labem the oldest establishments of its kind in the world, the stud in Kladruby nad Labem, is home to the oldest indigenous Czech horse breed – the Kladruber. 

POST-congress visit Southwestern Slovakia – Bratislava, Cultural Programme, Red Stone Castle, Small Carpathian Wine Route – Rača

 

6 October – 8 October 2023

€ 490 / person

3 days

 

Day 1 

15:00 – 20:00: Departure transfer to Bratislava from Prague

20:00 – 20:30: Accommodation at Hotel Apollo ****

20:30 – 22:00: Dinner at the restaurant at Hotel Apollo****

Day 2 

07:00 – 8:30: Breakfast at the hotel

09:00 – 11:00: Cultural program – walk around the historical centre of Bratislava

11:00 – 12:00: Professional excursion – bus tour of bridges in Bratislava with designers ending in Pezinok

12:00 – 13:30: Lunch in the restaurant – MATYŠÁK Vinum Gallery Bozen in Pezinok

14:00 – 15:30: Red Stone sightseeing tour

16:30 – 19:00: Small Carpathian trip – Rača wine route

19:30 – 22:00: Dinner at the Apollo Hotel ****

Day 3 

7:00–10:00 Breakfast at the hotel 

10:00–15:00 Departure for the transfer to Prague 

POST-congress tour – Southwestern Slovakia – Bratislava’s historical centre, Professional Programme, Cultural Programme, Red Stone Castle, Small Carpathian Wine Route – Rača 

 

Day 1 

Departure from Prague and arrival in Bratislava at the hotel Apollo**** will be arranged from in front of the Congress Hall in Prague, where those interested in the post-congress activity will be picked up by a bus and brought exactly in front of the hotel in Bratislava.

The four-star Apollo Hotel is located between the Old Town and Bratislava’s business district, 1.5 km from the new Slovak National Theatre building. It includes a gourmet restaurant. All the rooms were refurbished in 2016, 2017 and 2018. The Apollo is a traditional hotel in Bratislava’s prime location, in a residential neighbourhood on the edge of the city centre with a unique local atmosphere. Within walking distance are a new, modern bus station, the Eurovea premium shopping centre with a promenade on the bank of the Danube, and a local market selling fresh local produce. 

Dinner will be served at the hotel. Apollo Hotel**** boasts the award-winning St. Hubert’s Restaurant with a ten-year history. 

Day 2 

The day will start with an exquisite breakfast at Apollo Hotel****, after which a guided walk of Bratislava’s heritage centre will follow.  

    • Michael’s Gate is one of the essential symbols of Bratislava. Of the original four gates providing access to the fortified medieval city, only the gate in Michael’s Tower has survived.  
    • Primate’s Palace is a classicist-style palazzo from the 18th century, on whose premises the representatives of the French and Austrian Emperors signed the Peace of Pressburg following Napoleon’s victory in the Battle of Austerlitz. At present, it is a gallery keeping a rare collection of six English tapestries. 
    • A parish church is the pride and joy of any Christian town. This applies without a doubt to St Martin’s Cathedral – Bratislava’s largest, oldest, and most elaborate church dating back to the 14th century. St Martin’s Cathedral was the coronation church from 1563 to 1830. 
    • Tourists will stop by for downright ceremonial photo opportunity with the Man at Work statue. Rybárska brána (Fishermen’s Gate) is a short lane in Bratislava’s historical centre.
    • The Presidential Palace is the dominant landmark in Hodža Square. It was built after 1760 as a garden palace for Anton Grassalkovich with a decorative garden. 
    • Church of St Elisabeth (Blue Church) is an Art Nouveau ecclesiastical sight in Bratislava’s Old Town.
    • Bratislava Castle is a set of structures within a heritage complex, which takes up the summit of a hill on a southwest cliff of the Small Carpathian ridge on the left bank of the Danube in Bratislava. Dominating the castle is the monumental former royal palace, which defines the signature panorama of Slovakia’s capital. Having played a significant role in the history of the Great Moravia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and modern Slovakia, Bratislava Castle is a major monument of the social and historical development in the area. 

    The coach trip for lunch will actually constitute a technical visit focused on the solutions addressing traffic situation in Bratislava, stemming from the necessity to commence building a ring road and erect several bridges over the Danube. Currently, the city is traversed by the D1 and D2 motorways, managed by the National Motorway Company (three bridges over the Danube) and the D4 motorway (one bridge over the Danube), which is being managed by the D4/R7 concession company (Zero Bypass) and constructed as a PPP project. Two bridges on the city’s roads are under the City of Bratislava’s management. 

    Lunch will be served at the MATYŠÁK Vinum Galéria Bozen restaurant. The restaurant is located in a heritage winemaker’s house, more than 300 years old, in Holuby Street in Pezinok. This exquisite dining venue offers its guests fresh culinary experiences every day, serving a Slovak origin and character with a pinch of international inspiration. The fact that Slovak cuisine and its tradition can be presented in a tasty and attractive manner was also confirmed by the evaluators of the Trend weekly who bestowed a four-star rating on the restaurant. 

    The coach will then continue to the Red Stone Castle for a guided tour. Situated just a few dozen kilometres from Bratislava, the Red Stone is the most beautiful castle in the Small Carpathians and one of Slovakia’s best-preserved monuments. In the 16th century, it was rebuilt into a massive fortress whose fortification system was among the best in terms of the period military and defensive strategy. The Fugger family is responsible for remodelling a former regal castle dating back to the 13th century into the massive fortress in the first half of the 16th century, but the Pálffy family owned the property from 1583 until World War II. The premier Hungarian noble family gradually rebuilt the castle into a presentational residence with extensive stucco and fresco decorations in the interiors. The Pálffy family lived at the castle until 1945. Visitors have an opportunity to admire reminders of the castle’s famed times and scenes from its illustrious past during events such as fencing festivals and falconry shows. It is also possible to experience a unique atmosphere during night-time tours in the summer. 

    The trip will then continue to Rača for a tour of vineyards on the Small Carpathian Wine Route with accompaniment courtesy of the Miloš Máťuš vinohradníctvo a vinárstvo winemaking firm. Rača’s wines are among the finest in the Small Carpathians region and are always sold at a premium compared with others. It was often used to improve other wines or sold as dessert wine. It was exported to Silesia via Austria, and large quantities sold in Bratislava as well. The local wines are made predominantly using the traditional method except for controlled fermentation of certain white wines. As a result, they retain a natural bouquet and flavour, typical of the grapes grown on the local Rača soil. All of this is achieved without using aromatic yeast or enzymes affecting flavour and bouquet. Following the careful and gentle processing, the wines age in stainless steel tanks, oak barrels and/or barriques. 

    Finally, a well-deserved and exquisite dinner will be served back at the Apollo Hotel**** and its famous St Hubert’s Restaurant. 

    Day 3 

    After breakfast at the Apollo Hotel ****, the program concludes for those attending.

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