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

Southwestern Slovakia

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

7 October – 8 October 2023

 Tour is not available.

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

 Tour is not available.

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

 Tour is not available.

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

 Tour is not available.

Day 1 

Departure from Prague and arrival in Bratislava to a four-star hotel will be provided from the Prague Congress Centre, where a coach will pick visitors interested in the tour up and bring them right in front of the hotel in Slovakia’s Capital, Bratislava.

The 4-star hotel is situated within the broader centre of Bratislava. It offers easy access on foot directly to the city’s historical centre, which stretches all the way to the Danube River through a promenade, 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 its promenade on the bank of the Danube, and a local market selling fresh local produce.

After the check-in, dinner will be served at a restaurant offering traditional Slovak cuisine.

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 16^th 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 13^th century into the massive fortress in the first half of the 16^th 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. Rača is famous primarily for its extensive winemaking tradition dating back to the times of Roman legions. The quality of Rača’s winemakers’ output has always been vastly superior even to the famed Small Carpathian winemaking centres. The popularity of wines from Rača increased even further when Empress Maria Theresa granted the Rača winemakers the right to sell their Blaufrankisch wine to the imperial court in Vienna. The Rača wines are among the finest in the Small Carpathians region and are always sold at a premium compared with others. They have often been 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.

Finally, a well-deserved and delicious dinner will be served back at the hotel.

Day 3

Following breakfast at the hotel, your programme will end and you will need to arrange your transfer to the train/bus station or to the airport in Bratislava and/or Vienna on your own.

If need be, please do not hesitate to contact us – we can give you advice and help on transport.