Urban Environments & Culture in Eastern Europe
🔹 Curated experiences: Every program is intentionally designed to feature guided learning, cultural engagement, and independent exploration experiences to drive global competency development, denoted on each itinerary with a blue diamond. Learn more about these experiences.
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Day 1: Fly overnight to Hungary
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Day 2: Budapest
Meet your Field Director at the airportTake a walking tour of Budapest
With your Field Director you will see:
- Fisherman’s Bastion, a fortification that has 7 turrets representing 7 Hungarian tribes
- Parliament, Hungary's sprawling center of government
Enjoy dinner in Budapest
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Day 3: Budapest
🔹 Guided learning: Take a tour of Budapest
With an expert local guide you will see:
- Heroes’ Square, featuring statues of famous Hungarian personalities
- Castle Hill, where Buda Castle is located
- Gellért Hill, where you can catch some of the city’s best views
Visit Matthias Church, famous for its colorful tiled roof
🔹 Cultural engagement: Enjoy an evening river cruise on the Danube as you hear about its Hungarian past, and cap off your memorable evening listening to the Blue Danube Waltz
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Day 4: Budapest • Kraków
Travel via Slovakia and the Tatra mountains to Kraków, Poland’s former capital
Enjoy dinner in Kraków
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Day 5: Kraków
Take a tour of Kraków
With an expert local guide you will see:
- Wawel Hill, perched high above the Vistula River
- Glowny Square, passing Sukiennice Cloth Hall and the Jagiellonian University
- Take time to reflect at a former Jewish ghetto
Visit Wawel Cathedral, where kings were crowned and Pope John Paul II once served as archbishop
Add this in-depth excursion:
Kraków Salt Mines
Discover a subterranean labyrinth of giant caverns, underground lakes and chapels on this half-day guided excursion. The salt mine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has existed for 900 years. Descend into the earth on a mining elevator and explore chambers where miners and artists have crafted salt sculptures and bas reliefs. Comfortable shoes and warm clothes are recommended.
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Day 6: Kraków
🔹 Cultural engagement: Visit Auschwitz and Birkenau with an expert local guide, where upwards of 1.5 million people died; walk through its barracks that serve as a chilling reminder and observe a moment of remembrance
Spend time exploring Kraków on your own
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Day 7: Kraków • Prague
Travel to Prague, the "City of One Hundred Spires"
Take a walking tour of Prague
With your Field Director you will see:
- Old Town Square, a historic square in the Old Town quarter
- Astronomical Clock, a large clock that tells the date, time, astrological information, and more
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Day 8: Prague
🔹 Guided learning: Tour Prague with an expert local guide
Walk down the Golden Lane and see eleven historical buildings that mark it
Visit St. Vitus Cathedral, a Gothic cathedral where Czech Kings and Queens are coronated
Explore Prague on your own this afternoon
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Day 9: Prague
Add this in-depth excursion:
Kutná Hora
To learn that a rustic medieval mining town formerly named “Bohemia” is a UNESCO World Heritage Site is not too surprising. But to learn that the church within the town is decorated with the bones of 40,000 people—some of which have been turned into chandeliers and royal crests—is somewhat of a shocking discovery. This ossuary is a chilling but beautiful homage to mortality, and is just one of the many wonders in this beautiful town.Enjoy dinner in Prague
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Day 10: Depart for home
Add more days
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Day 10: Prague • Vienna
Travel to Vienna, residence of the imperial court for six centuries
Take a walking tour of Vienna
With your Field Director you will see:
- Opera House, one of the leading opera houses in the world
- Kärntnerstrasse, Vienna's main boulevard
- St. Stephen’s Cathedral, central to Austrian history and iconic for its tiled roof
Enjoy a traditional Weiner Schnitzel dinner in Vienna, typically consisting of fried veal or pork with traditional seasonings
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Day 11: Vienna
🔹 Cultural engagement: Take a guided tour of Vienna
With your expert local guide you will see:
- Ringstrasse, a circular boulevard around the Inner Town district
- Parliament, a columned building that serves as Vienna's center of government
- Rathaus, Vienna's flower-adorned city hall
- Hofburg, the presidential residence and former imperial palace
Visit Schönbrunn Palace, an elegant palace with beautifully landscapes gardens where Marie Antoinette spent her childhood
Add this in-depth excursion:
Classical Viennese concert
Enjoy an evening of classical music in one of Vienna's many traditional concert halls. Famed musicians such as Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Strauss, Brahms, and Schubert all have ties to the Austrian capital.
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Day 12: Depart for home
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Day 1: Fly overnight to Hungary
-
Day 2: Budapest
Meet your Field Director at the airportTake a walking tour of Budapest
With your Field Director you will see:
- Fisherman’s Bastion, a fortification that has 7 turrets representing 7 Hungarian tribes
- Parliament, Hungary's sprawling center of government
Enjoy dinner in Budapest
-
Day 3: Budapest
🔹 Guided learning: Take a tour of Budapest
With an expert local guide you will see:
- Heroes’ Square, featuring statues of famous Hungarian personalities
- Castle Hill, where Buda Castle is located
- Gellért Hill, where you can catch some of the city’s best views
Visit Matthias Church, famous for its colorful tiled roof
🔹 Cultural engagement: Enjoy an evening river cruise on the Danube as you hear about its Hungarian past, and cap off your memorable evening listening to the Blue Danube Waltz
-
Day 4: Budapest • Kraków
Travel via Slovakia and the Tatra mountains to Kraków, Poland’s former capital
Enjoy dinner in Kraków
-
Day 5: Kraków
Take a tour of Kraków
With an expert local guide you will see:
- Wawel Hill, perched high above the Vistula River
- Glowny Square, passing Sukiennice Cloth Hall and the Jagiellonian University
- Take time to reflect at a former Jewish ghetto
Visit Wawel Cathedral, where kings were crowned and Pope John Paul II once served as archbishop
Add this in-depth excursion:
Kraków Salt Mines
Discover a subterranean labyrinth of giant caverns, underground lakes and chapels on this half-day guided excursion. The salt mine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has existed for 900 years. Descend into the earth on a mining elevator and explore chambers where miners and artists have crafted salt sculptures and bas reliefs. Comfortable shoes and warm clothes are recommended.
-
Day 6: Kraków
🔹 Cultural engagement: Visit Auschwitz and Birkenau with an expert local guide, where upwards of 1.5 million people died; walk through its barracks that serve as a chilling reminder and observe a moment of remembrance
Spend time exploring Kraków on your own
-
Day 7: Kraków • Prague
Travel to Prague, the "City of One Hundred Spires"
Take a walking tour of Prague
With your Field Director you will see:
- Old Town Square, a historic square in the Old Town quarter
- Astronomical Clock, a large clock that tells the date, time, astrological information, and more
-
Day 8: Prague
🔹 Guided learning: Tour Prague with an expert local guide
Walk down the Golden Lane and see eleven historical buildings that mark it
Visit St. Vitus Cathedral, a Gothic cathedral where Czech Kings and Queens are coronated
Explore Prague on your own this afternoon
-
Day 9: Prague
Add this in-depth excursion:
Kutná Hora
To learn that a rustic medieval mining town formerly named “Bohemia” is a UNESCO World Heritage Site is not too surprising. But to learn that the church within the town is decorated with the bones of 40,000 people—some of which have been turned into chandeliers and royal crests—is somewhat of a shocking discovery. This ossuary is a chilling but beautiful homage to mortality, and is just one of the many wonders in this beautiful town.Enjoy dinner in Prague
-
Day 10: Depart for home
Add more days
-
Day 10: Prague • Vienna
Travel to Vienna, residence of the imperial court for six centuries
Take a walking tour of Vienna
With your Field Director you will see:
- Opera House, one of the leading opera houses in the world
- Kärntnerstrasse, Vienna's main boulevard
- St. Stephen’s Cathedral, central to Austrian history and iconic for its tiled roof
Enjoy a traditional Weiner Schnitzel dinner in Vienna, typically consisting of fried veal or pork with traditional seasonings
-
Day 11: Vienna
🔹 Cultural engagement: Take a guided tour of Vienna
With your expert local guide you will see:
- Ringstrasse, a circular boulevard around the Inner Town district
- Parliament, a columned building that serves as Vienna's center of government
- Rathaus, Vienna's flower-adorned city hall
- Hofburg, the presidential residence and former imperial palace
Visit Schönbrunn Palace, an elegant palace with beautifully landscapes gardens where Marie Antoinette spent her childhood
Add this in-depth excursion:
Classical Viennese concert
Enjoy an evening of classical music in one of Vienna's many traditional concert halls. Famed musicians such as Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Strauss, Brahms, and Schubert all have ties to the Austrian capital.
-
Day 12: Depart for home
Confidence • Curiosity • Global perspective • Empathy • Adaptability • Relatability • Self-Awareness
What's Included
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Transportation
Various modes of transport are tailored to your program. While some transfers are included, others may come at additional cost.
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Accommodations
Safe, comfortable lodging will be waiting for you at your destination.
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Select meals
Enjoy a combination of included meals and the freedom to explore local cuisine on your own.
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End-to-end support
Your dedicated EF team helps secure administrative approval and academic credit, provides enrollment tools, and helps establish your program’s ongoing presence on campus.
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EF Global Learning Toolkit
We offer various tools to help educators facilitate student growth abroad and on campus, including academically enriched travel programs, industry engagement opportunities, global learning resources, and a Global Competencies Assessment tool.
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Guided exploration
Gain insider knowledge and cultural perspective from licensed local guides: natural historians who provide cultural insights to enhance learning moments throughout the program.
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Field Visits
Experience academics in action during engaging visits with relevant organizations, thought leaders, and partners.
