CityWeeks: Berlin, Prague, Vienna

Last Revision: July 23, 2013 
CONCEPT: The CityWeeks format is simple–one city, one week, one hotel. I will schedule enough activities to get you oriented, but will leave enough free time for you to explore these great cities on your own. In all three weeks, I’ll get you in from the airport, give you a great place to stay, feed you well, provide an orientation tour or two to get you acclimated, and provide public transportation passes throughout.
HOTELS: In Berlin, our home for the seven nights will be the Hotel i-31 It opened in March and is very close to the U6 U-Bahn stop.. In Prague, we will stay in the ultra modern Hotel Maximilian, centrally located in Old Town, a five-minute walk from Prague’s Old Town Square. Our Vienna hotel, the  Boutique Hotel Stadthalle, prides itself in being “green” but this doesn’t mean that they scrimp on comfort. My room was small, but without a doubt was the best designed hotel room I have ever experienced. All of the hotels offer free WiFi, so bring along your electronic devices since the flat screen, HDTV in your room only offers two channels in English–CNN and Euronews. In all three hotels you will find the English speaking front desk staff to be friendly and knowledgeable.
MEALS: The hotel breakfasts are all rich, generous buffets with heart-healthy choices along with the usual bread, rolls, coffee, tea, fruit, cereals, juices, cold cuts, bacon and eggs. You can even order omelets or Eggs Benedict at the Prague hotel. I have chosen three restaurants in each of the cities and will base subsequent choices on group preferences. It will not be all beer and bratwurst though we will definitely explore the local cuisine. Drinks will be included, of course.
TRANSPORTATION: Airport and train transfers to and from the hotels are provided. In Berlin you will take a taxi in and I will reimburse you. In Prague, the hotel will arrange the transfers. In Vienna there is a convenient airport shuttle which goes to the Westbahnhof station. From there it is an easy 8-minute walk to the hotel (I timed it). All three of the cities have excellent public transportation systems and I will provide tickets or passes throughout. Berlin is a bit tricky, but Dr. Thomson will combine his presentation of Berlin 1945-1989 with a solid grounding on how to get anywhere in Berlin using the S-Bahn and U-Bahn. In Prague, we are centrally located so you can walk to most attractions. However, tickets will be available if you would prefer using the tram or the Metro. I found the Vienna U-Bahn and S-Bahn the easiest to use. You will have a one-week pass for the duration.
ATTRACTIONS/ENTERTAINMENT: To help you get started, I will schedule guided city tours at the beginning of each week–Dr. Thomson will do the honors in Berlin with his on site presentations of Berlin from 1945 to 1989. A local guide in Prague will take us up to the Castle complex on the first day and then to Old Town and the Jewish quarter on the second. I will also hire a local guide for Vienna to help us navigate the transportation system. I will include any entrance fees when we are together as a group. In addition, each city will have a special treat–Dr. Thomson in Berlin, a full day excursion to Cesky Krumlov from Prague, and a bus/boat excursion to Wachau on the Danube when we are in Vienna.
PRICES: Each of the CityWeeks is priced at $1985 per person in a twin/double room. The single supplements vary, based on what the hotels are charging: Berlin–$410, Prague–$540, Vienna–$325. All of these prices are based on $1.00 = €0.7736 and $1.00 = CzK19.4932. Senior BETVet discounts apply to all three CityWeeks. (The Senior BETVet discount is my simple loyalty program. After three tours, I deduct $100 from the price of any subsequent tours.) In addition, if you do two or more of the CityWeeks, I will include not only a First Class rail ticket between the cities, but will also deduct an additional $200 $250 from your bill. Don’t hold my feet to the fire, but this deduction could grow to $400 if we can get on average 15 people per week.
NOT INCLUDED: Personal expenses such as laundry, room service, FAX or telephone charges, internet connections where there is a charge (the hotels all have free WiFi, but one hotel offers the option of super high speed access), excess luggage fees, or sightseeing and meals which are not included in the itinerary, gratuities for guides and drivers.
AIRFARE ARRANGEMENTS: Since group fares are a thing of the past, you will need to book your own flight. Start checking for flights now–start with Kayak and/or Orbitz to help find the best connections and price. Email me a copy of your tickets after you book. See below for the specific flight dates needed.
ENROLLMENT: The tours have already “made.” I have conceived of the tours for 10 to 20 people for each city.