HERITAGE JOURNEY · 10 DAYS · FOUR COUNTRIES
Habsburg Jewish Heritage: Ten Days Across Mitteleuropa
A route for families whose history reaches across the former lands of the Habsburg monarchy — Galicia, Bohemia, Lower Austria, and Hungary. Ten days, one Mercedes V-Class, one chauffeur across four borders. Six days of scholar accompaniment coordinated among the Polish, Czech, Austrian, and Hungarian academic communities. A full kosher operation across four capitals. The journey opens in Kraków, passes through Prague with Josefov and Terezín, Vienna with the Stadttempel and Zentralfriedhof, and closes in Budapest beneath the Dohány Synagogue and at the memorial on the Danube embankment.
Overview
Dla kogo ta podróż
Trasa dzień po dniu
Plan podróży
Arrival and Kazimierz Orientation
Arrival at Kraków-Balice (KRK). Meet and greet, V-Class transfer to a premium 5-star hotel in the Old Town (about thirty-five minutes). After check-in, a two-hour orientation walk through Kazimierz with our coordinator — the layout of the quarter, the location of the Remuh, Old, and Tempel synagogues. Welcome kosher dinner at the hotel.
Miejsca: Kazimierz — orientation · Plac Nowy · Szeroka Street
Posiłki: Welcome kosher dinner (certified catering)
Kazimierz, Podgórze, and Birkenau
In the morning, the Remuh Synagogue and cemetery, the Old Synagogue, and the Tempel Synagogue with a Polish scholar. Kosher lunch in Kazimierz. In the afternoon, a short visit to the former Podgórze Ghetto (Plac Bohaterów Getta, the Pankiewicz Pharmacy). Return to the hotel in the evening. Alternative variant: if the family wishes to see Auschwitz-Birkenau on this day, we move Kazimierz to the third day and drive to Oświęcim in the morning (museum entry 10:30, return around 19:00).
Miejsca: Remuh Synagogue · Remuh Cemetery · Old Synagogue · Tempel Synagogue · Plac Bohaterów Getta
Posiłki: Breakfast at the hotel, kosher lunch in Kazimierz, kosher dinner
Cross-Border Transfer and First Evening in Josefov
Departure at 8:00, crossing the PL/CZ border to Prague — about six hours by V-Class on the D1 motorway. Kosher lunch box prepared in Kraków. A short stop in Brno (half an hour) to stretch. Arrival in Prague around 15:00, check-in at a premium 5-star hotel in the Old Town within walking distance of Josefov. A short orientation walk through Josefov (Old Town Square, Pařížská, Maiselova) — without entering the synagogues, only the geography. Kosher dinner at the hotel or at a certified restaurant in Josefov.
Miejsca: Josefov — orientation · Pařížská · Old Town Square
Posiłki: Breakfast at the Kraków hotel, kosher lunch box en route, kosher dinner in Prague
Josefov Deep Dive — Altneuschul and the Old Cemetery
A full day with a scholar coordinated through the Czech community of Josefov historians. In the morning, the Altneuschul (Old-New Synagogue) from the thirteenth century — Europe's oldest active house of prayer, the site bound up with the legend of the Maharal and the Golem. The Old Jewish Cemetery with twelve thousand surviving matzevot layered in twelve levels (the oldest from 1439, the latest from 1787). A visit to the grave of Rabbi Judah Loew (the Maharal). The Maisel Synagogue with its exhibition on the history of the Jews of Bohemia. Kosher lunch in Josefov. In the afternoon, the Pinkas Synagogue — a memorial bearing the names of seventy-seven thousand Czech Jewish victims (each name written by hand on the walls). The Spanish Synagogue (a nineteenth-century synagogue in Moorish style). Evening free, or Kabbalat Shabbat if the weekend falls here.
Miejsca: Altneuschul · Old Jewish Cemetery · Grave of the Maharal · Maisel Synagogue · Pinkas Synagogue · Spanish Synagogue
Posiłki: Breakfast at the hotel, kosher lunch in Josefov, kosher dinner
Terezín — The Showpiece Ghetto and the Truth
Departure at 9:00 for Terezín — an hour's drive north of Prague by V-Class. A visit to the Mala Pevnost (Small Fortress) — the Gestapo prison, a place of execution and torture. Kosher lunch box. In the afternoon, the Velka Pevnost (Large Fortress) — the grounds of the former Nazi ghetto created for Czech and German Jews, a transit site before transports to Auschwitz. A visit to the Ghetto Museum, the Magdeburg Barracks Museum with its exhibition of art created in the ghetto, the crematorium, and the Jewish cemetery, where some 30,000 victims of the ghetto rest. Return to Prague around 18:00. A quiet kosher dinner at the hotel. Evening free.
Miejsca: Small Fortress · Large Fortress · Ghetto Museum · Magdeburg Barracks · Terezín Jewish Cemetery
Posiłki: Breakfast at the hotel, kosher lunch box, quiet kosher dinner
CZ → AT Transfer and Leopoldstadt Orientation
Departure at 9:00, crossing the CZ/AT border to Vienna — about four hours by V-Class. Kosher lunch box. Arrival around 14:00, check-in at a premium 5-star hotel in central Vienna (Innere Stadt or Leopoldstadt). In the afternoon, orientation in Leopoldstadt — Vienna's second district, home to more than 60,000 Jews before 1938 (out of 200,000 in Vienna as a whole). The monument on Judenplatz (Rachel Whiteread's "Library" installation, 2000), the Misrachi House, and the locations of synagogues razed in the November Pogrom of 1938. Kosher dinner at a restaurant under the supervision of the Wiener Beit Din.
Miejsca: Leopoldstadt — orientation · Judenplatz Memorial · Misrachi House
Posiłki: Breakfast at the Prague hotel, kosher lunch box, kosher dinner in Vienna
Stadttempel, Jüdisches Museum, and Zentralfriedhof
A full day with a local scholar. In the morning, the Stadttempel (City Synagogue, Seitenstettengasse 4) — the only one of Vienna's 94 synagogues to survive the November Pogrom of 1938, thanks to its concealed entrance within an ordinary residential building. A walk through the Innere Stadt in the footsteps of the Habsburg Jewish bourgeoisie (the Wittgenstein family home, Café Central, Café Landtmann). A visit to the Jüdisches Museum Wien with its exhibition on the history of the community from the twelfth century to the present. Kosher Mehadrin lunch. In the afternoon, the Zentralfriedhof — the Jewish section (Tor IV, the oldest from 1879) — graves of Theodor Herzl (until 1949, when his remains were transferred to Israel and a memorial stone remained), Arthur Schnitzler, and Friedrich Torberg. Return to the hotel in the evening, kosher dinner.
Miejsca: Stadttempel · Jüdisches Museum Wien · Zentralfriedhof Tor IV · Theodor Herzl memorial
Posiłki: Breakfast at the hotel, Mehadrin kosher lunch, kosher dinner
AT → HU Transfer and Erzsébetváros
Departure at 9:00, crossing the AT/HU border to Budapest — about two hours and forty minutes by V-Class on the M1 motorway. Kosher lunch box. Arrival around 13:30, check-in at a premium 5-star hotel in central Budapest (Pest side). In the afternoon, orientation in Erzsébetváros (the VIIth district) — the historical Jewish ghetto, today the cultural and culinary centre of the community. A visit to the exterior of the Dohány Synagogue and the Kazinczy Synagogue, in preparation for the following day. Kosher dinner at a restaurant in the quarter (Budapest has a strong network of kosher vendors under Orthodox rabbinical supervision).
Miejsca: Erzsébetváros — orientation · Dohány Synagogue (exterior) · Kazinczy Synagogue (exterior)
Posiłki: Breakfast at the Vienna hotel, kosher lunch box, kosher dinner in Budapest
Dohány, Kazinczy, Kozma Cemetery, and Shoes on the Danube
A full day with a local scholar. In the morning, the Dohány Synagogue — Europe's largest active synagogue (3,000 seats), in Moorish style from 1859. The Jewish Museum within the Dohány complex, the Holocaust Memorial Park with Raoul Wallenberg's tree (every leaf bearing the name of a victim). The Kazinczy Synagogue — Orthodox, in daily use, the heart of Budapest's Orthodox community. Kosher Mehadrin lunch. In the afternoon, Kozma Cemetery (Kozma utcai zsidó temető) — Hungary's largest Jewish cemetery, with bourgeois family mausoleums and a section for victims of the Budapest ghetto of 1944-1945. In the evening, a visit to the memorial "Shoes on the Danube Embankment" (Cipők a Duna-parton) — sixty pairs of iron shoes along the riverbank, the monument to Jews murdered at the Danube by the Arrow Cross in the winter of 1944-1945. Kaddish if the family wishes. Return to the hotel. Farewell kosher dinner.
Miejsca: Dohány Synagogue · Holocaust Memorial Park · Kazinczy Synagogue · Kozma Cemetery · Shoes on the Danube
Posiłki: Breakfast at the hotel, Mehadrin kosher lunch, farewell kosher dinner
Wallenberg House and Departure from Ferenc Liszt
A short morning visit to Raoul Wallenberg's house (Erzsébetváros) and to the building of the International Red Cross, where the Swedish diplomat issued the protective passports (schutzpass) that saved tens of thousands of Jews in 1944. V-Class transfer to Ferenc Liszt Airport (BUD) according to the family's ticket. The V-Class and our coordinator remain at the family's disposal up to passport control. Farewell.
Miejsca: Wallenberg House · Wallenberg Monument
Posiłki: Breakfast at the hotel, flexible lunch
W cenie
Co jest zawarte
- ✓ Mercedes V-Class for the entire journey (ten days, approximately 1,800 kilometres, four countries, one chauffeur)
- ✓ Premium 5-star hotels in Kraków (2 nights), Prague (3 nights), Vienna (2 nights), Budapest (2 nights)
- ✓ Six days of scholar accompaniment coordinated among the Polish, Czech, Austrian, and Hungarian academic communities
- ✓ Pre-trip genealogical research covering four countries (eight to twelve weeks before arrival, printed dossier)
- ✓ Complete kosher operation — certified vendors in all four capitals
- ✓ Entry to the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, the Terezín Memorial, the Josefov complex (six synagogues and the Old Cemetery), the Stadttempel, the Jüdisches Museum Wien, the Dohány Synagogue, the Kazinczy Synagogue, and the Jewish Museum in Budapest
- ✓ Meet and greet at Kraków-Balice (KRK) and farewell transfer to Ferenc Liszt Airport (BUD)
- ✓ Welcome kosher dinner in Kraków, farewell kosher dinner in Budapest
- ✓ Family dossier: cadastral maps of four cities, copies of archival documents, local contacts in each capital
- ✓ our team 24/7 across four countries
- ✓ Operator-side travel insurance
Nie zawarte
Co poza zakresem
- — Airfares to Kraków and from Budapest
- — Schengen visas, if required for non-EU citizens (the family is responsible for the visa; we supply documentation confirming the hotel and transport reservations)
- — Personal health insurance for passengers
- — Personal expenses, gratuities for hotel staff
- — Meals not listed in the programme
Inwestycja
Budżet
Opcje dodatkowe
Rozszerzenia podróży
Ultra-luxury hotel upgrade
Lifting the standard to palace-class hotels (Vienna: Hotel Sacher / Imperial class; Prague: Four Seasons Old Town class; Budapest: Four Seasons Gresham Palace class; Kraków: Bonerowski class). Materially adds to the budget but changes the character of the journey.
Cantor accompaniment for Shabbat
A cantor accompanying the family for Shabbat (usually in Prague or Vienna) — leading Kabbalat Shabbat, coordinating with the local synagogue, leading zmirot at the Shabbat table. A cantorial profile from the Polish, Czech, or Austrian tradition.
Genealogy across four countries
Extended genealogical work across archives in four countries — Poland (AGAD, voivodeship archives), the Czech Republic (Národní archiv Prague), Austria (Österreichisches Staatsarchiv), and Hungary (Magyar Nemzeti Levéltár). Twelve to sixteen weeks of work.
Documentary filmmaker
A documentary filmmaker accompanying the family across all ten days. Discreet presence, delivery of a 30-45 minute film within four months of the journey's end.
Private museum access after hours
Coordinated after-hours access to selected museums (Jüdisches Museum Wien, Pinkas Synagogue in Prague) for families that wish to avoid crowds or require longer contemplation of a particular exhibition.
Local rabbi consultations
Meetings with local rabbis in each of the four cities — the Kazimierz rabbi, the Josefov rabbi, the Stadttempel rabbi, the Dohány or Kazinczy rabbi. Conversations about the present state of the community and the chance to ask questions about specific fragments of the family's history.
FAQ
Pytania o tę trasę
Do we need a separate visa for each country?
No. The four countries on the route (Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary) all belong to the Schengen Area. A single Schengen visa covers the whole journey. It is required for citizens of non-EU/non-Schengen countries — Israel has a visa-free agreement (up to 90 days), and so do the United States and Canada, but each family should verify the current status with their consulate. The we provide documentation confirming hotel and transport reservations for the visa application, if the family needs it.
How does the scholar work across three languages (Czech, German, Hungarian)?
Each of the local scholars (Prague, Vienna, Budapest) leads narrative in English — the academic standard to which all partners on the journey are prepared. If the family prefers Hebrew, French, or another language, we fix this during route design. A Polish scholar accompanies the family through the first two Kraków days; in the other cities we coordinate with local historians who know the geography and specificity of their own quarter.
Where does Shabbat fall on this route?
The journey is normally set to begin on a Sunday so that Shabbat (days 5-6 or 6-7, depending on the configuration) falls in Prague or Vienna. Prague — a hotel within walking distance of the Altneuschul or the Spanish Synagogue, Kabbalat Shabbat at the synagogue, Shabbat dinner with the local community through the Jewish community. Vienna — a hotel close to the Stadttempel, coordinated with the Stadttempel rabbi. The vehicle is not used between Friday evening and Saturday evening. Shabbat logistics are agreed with the family during route design, depending on the level of observance.
Can I add Lviv, Warsaw, or another city?
Warsaw — yes, the route can be extended by two days (POLIN, the Warsaw Ghetto, the Okopowa cemetery). Lviv — we do not currently include it on this journey, owing to the security situation in Ukraine. Bratislava (Slovakia) is an optional stop on the Prague → Vienna transit day (only 80 km from Vienna; one surviving synagogue and a significant cemetery). Tarnów, Bobowa, and the Kraków surroundings can extend Day 2 in Kraków. We discuss any extension during the consultation.
How long does the average day run at this pace?
A standard heritage day begins at 8:30 with breakfast and ends between 19:00 and 20:00 with the return to the hotel. Transfer days (Kraków → Prague 6h, Prague → Vienna 4h, Vienna → Budapest 2h40min) are lighter on substantive content — most of the day is spent in the car with a lunch box. Fixed days (Kazimierz, Josefov, Vienna, Budapest) are substantively intense — six to eight hours of scholar narrative with two or three breaks. Three-generation families travelling with seniors typically ask for shorter days — we redesign with the option to return to the hotel for an hour's break in the afternoon.
Does the chauffeur really drive with us across four countries?
Yes. One chauffeur for the entire journey, across four borders, for ten days. This is one of the foundational methodological decisions of Heritage Journeys — the client knows the driver; the same person is at the car every morning; the same person drives to Birkenau and from Birkenau, to the gate of the Dohány and from the gate of the Dohány. The chauffeur is qualified to drive in all four countries, speaks English and German and basic Hungarian, and has taken part in the internal Heritage Journeys briefing.
Begin
Rozpocznij swoją Heritage Journey
Habsburg Jewish Heritage is our flagship route — we design it eight to ten times a year for families who understand that their history does not end at a single border. We begin with a written brief covering the family history across four countries, level of observance and kashrut requirements. After the initial exchange we prepare a personalised itinerary with a budget, a payment schedule, and a genealogical timeline. Acceptance triggers the genealogist's work across four countries and the hotel reservations, which we typically close twelve to sixteen weeks before the family's arrival. We invite you to a conversation.
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