Overview
View itinerary for the optional pre-tour extension to Helsinki
Sunday 21 May
Recommended flights, Philadelphia to Berlin:
17.45–07.40 (+1) Philadelphia to Frankfurt, LH 427 (Lufthansa)
Monday 22nd May
08.45–09.55 Frankfurt to Berlin Tegel, LH 176 (Lufthansa)
Currently it is not possible to book these flights on the Lufthansa website. We recommend you book by calling Lufthansa on 800 645 38 80 or through your local travel agency.
Day 1 (22 May)
Berlin. Gather at the hotel. Leave at 2.45pm for a private coach tour to some of Berlin’s most significant historic sights. These include the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag building (Parliament), Checkpoint Charlie and Alexanderplatz (some stops, no interior visits). First of two nights at the Hotel Regent, Berlin.
Day 2
Berlin. There are special visits to the Philharmonie, home to the Berlin Philharmonic, and to the adjacent Museum of Musical Instruments, one of the best collections of historic instruments in the world. In the afternoon, there is the option of staying in the vicinity to visit the Gemäldegalerie, one of the finest Old Master collections in Europe. Otherwise the afternoon is free. Evening concert at the Konzerthaus: Curtis Symphony Orchestra: Ravel, Suite No.2; Penderecki, concerto doppio for violin and viola; Brahms, Concerto No.1 in D minor. Second and final night in Berlin.
Day 3
Berlin, Dresden. Spend the morning on ‘Museums Island’; among the msueusms here are the Altes Museum, a major Neo-Classical building, the Alte Nationalgalerie with a collection of 19th-century paintings and the Pergamon Museum, famous for its Near Eastern antiquities. Visit the Reichstag, a ponderous 1880s structure scarred by the vicissitudes of the 20th century, the shell now brilliantly rehabilitated by Norman Foster and topped by the famous glass dome. Lunch is at the rooftop restaurant. Drive c.200 km South to Dresden. Evening concert at the Kulturpalast: Curtis Symphony Orchestra: Brahms, Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor Op.15; Strauss, Ein Heldenleben, Op.40. First of two nights in Dresden.
Day 4
Dresden. Visit the Residenzschloss to see the wonderful Green Vault and its content, one of the world’s finest princely treasuries, once again displayed in their original venue. In the afternoon take in the the Zwinger, a unique Baroque confection, part pleasure palace, part arena for festivities and part museum for cherished collections. Visit the the fabulously rich Old Masters Gallery, particularly strong on Italian and Netherlandish painting. Evening opera at the Semperoper: Der Wildschütz (Lotzring). Second and final night in Dresden.
Day 5
Pillnitz, Prague. Travel by boat upstream to Pillnitz, a summer palace in Chinese Rococo style, with collections of decorative art and a riverside park. Lunch is included here. Drive south to Prague, arrving at c.4.00pm. Evening concert at the Rudolfinum: Alexander Lonquich (piano), Vilde Frang (violin), Nicolas Altstaedt (cello): Brahms, Piano Trio in C major Op. 87; Klein, Piano Sonata; Dvořák, Piano Trio in F minor. Overnight in Prague.
Day 6
Prague, Hluboká. Drive up to Prague Castle for a visit to this extensive and fascinating hilltop citadel, residence of Dukes and Kings of Bohemia from the 10th century and now of the President of the Czech Republic. The Old Royal Palace rises from Romanesque through Gothic to Renaissance and has the largest stone hall in Europe with extraordinary vaulting. There follows privileged access to a wonderful sequence of halls not open to the public, dating from the 1570s to the 1930s (state occasions permitting). Drive through rolling, enchanting countryside to Hluboká in south Bohemia. Its white tower visible from afar, Hluboká castle had mediaeval and Baroque incarnations before the lavish Gothic Revival refurbishment inspired by visits to Britain. There is the opportunity to walk in the grounds or relax in the hotel with its spa facilities. Overnight in Hluboká.
Day 7
Český Krumlov, St Florian, Salzburg.Clustered around a bend in the upper reaches of the Vltava, Český Krumlov is a highly picturesque little town. The hilltop castle was largely rebuilt in the 16th and 18th centuries; among its treasures are a unique hall painted with masked revellers, an excellently preserved Baroque theatre, perhaps the best survivor of its kind, and a large formal garden. After lunch, drive to St Florian near Linz (Austria). The buildings of the great Augustinian monastery of St Florian span the Baroque era, beginning with the church by Carlo Carlone and culminating in the mighty Marble Hall by Jakob Prandtauer. Anton Bruckner is buried here.
Continue to Salzburg. First of two nights in Salzburg.
Day 8
Salzburg. A guided walk includes a visit to the 18th-century Mirabell Gardens, Mozart’s birth house and the former Mozart family home. Then a private guided tour of the Mozarteum’s Autograph Vault, containing original letters and manuscripts. The afternoon is free for independent exploration. The city has several museums – a recent addition is a Museum of Contemporary Art in a cliff-top location overlooking the city, and the city’s principal museum has been re-established in a part of the Archbishop’s palace known as the Neue Residenz. Evening concert at the Mozarteum, Großer Saal: Curtis Symphony Orchestra: Ravel, Suite No.2; Penderecki, concerto doppio for violin and viola; Brahms, Concerto No.1 in D minor. Second and final night in Salzburg.
Day 9
Vienna. Travel by train to Vienna, a journey of around two-and-a-half hours. There is some time to check-in and refresh in the hotel before an afternoon walk around the Roman and mediaeval core of the city taking in the Cathedral, the greatest of Gothic buildings in the Danubian lands, distinguished for its late mediaeval sculpture, and the Hofburg, the sprawling winter palace of the Habsburgs. Evening concert at the Wiener Musikverein, Großer Saal: Curtis Symphony Orchestra: Ravel, Suite No.2; Penderecki, concerto doppio for violin and viola; Brahms, Concerto No.1 in D minor. First of two nights in Vienna.
Day 10
Vienna. Leave the hotel on foot for a tour of Vienna’s muscial heritage. Walk across the Karlsplatz park to the Theater an der Wien, which was built by Emanuel Schikaneder and opened in 1801; Beethoven had a residency here. Access is by special arrangement and subject to rehearsals. Some time for refreshments before a further walk via the Burggarten (pass the 1896 Mozart monument) to the Collection of Historic Musical Instruments, probably the finest such collection in the world. In the afternoon, continue to the Applied Arts Museum (MAK), an exceptional collection particularly strong on Art Nouveau and Jugendstil. A walk through the adjacent Stadtpark passes memorials to Beethoven, Bruckner and Johann II Strauss, and finishes at the Konzerthaus. The most ambitious of the most prolific of theatre architects, Fellner & Helmer, Vienna’s Konzerthaus, opened in 1913. Private tour of the auditoria (subject to rehearsals). Evening opera at the Vienna State Opera: Der Rosenkavalier (R. Strauss). Second and final night in Vienna.
Day 11 (Thursday 1 June)
Recommended flights, Vienna to Philadelphia:
10.10–11.40 Vienna to Frankfurt, LH 6347 (Lufthansa)
13.10–16.05 Frankfurt to Philadelphia, LH 426 (Lufthansa)
Price, per person
Two sharing: £7,120. Single occupancy: £7,840.
A portion of the price will be used to offset administrative expenses related to the Curtis Institute of Music’s management of this travel program.
Additional nights and hotel upgrades
Additional nights at the hotel before and after the tour and room upgrades are available on request.
Included
Private coach throughout; first-class train travel; accommodation as described below; breakfasts, five lunches and seven dinners with wine; concert and opera tickets for seven performances; all admissions; tips for waiters, drivers, guides where required; all taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager.
Transatlantic flights are not included in the tour price.
Airport transfers
Airport transfers in Berlin can be booked on request. On Day 11 a coach transfer to Vienna airport is included in the package price.
Accommodation
The Regent Berlin: elegant 5-star hotel decorated in Regency style, close to Unter den Linden. Rooms are of a good size and excellent standard. Hotel Taschenbergpalais Kempinski, Dresden: a 5-star hotel in the heart of the Old Town, 2-minutes walk from the Semperoper and the Zwinger. The Four Seasons, Prague: probably the most luxurious hotel in the city, and excellently located on the river Vltava with views across to the castle hill. There is a supplement for rooms with a castle view. Hotel Stekl, Hluboká nad Vltavou: a 4-star hotel converted from an auxiliary building belonging to the neighbouring mansion. Hotel Sacher, Salzburg: a long-standing hotel with an excellent reputation, the Sacher is situated on the banks of the Salzach river and is a 5-minute walk from both the Mirabell Palace and the old town, and a 10-minute walk from the cathedral. Hotel Bristol, Vienna: a 5-star hotel on the Ringstrasse near the opera house, traditionally furnished and decorated. Its location is almost without rival for ease of access on foot to so many of Vienna’s important sites.
How strenuous?
There is a fair amount of walking and standing around in palaces and museums.
Are you fit enough to join the tour?
Group size
Between 10 and 22 participants.
Travel advice
Before booking, please refer to the FCDO website to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting.
