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Due to the ongoing pandemic, HAT Tours, LLC – European Opera Tours has not cancelled but postponed the 2020 tours. All the rescheduled tours will be carried out in 2022. The dates of the listed tours will depend on the reopening of the venues, and the safety of travel. If you are interested in any of our listed tours, please contact us through the inquiry form to save your spot. Please check our Terms and Conditions for further details.
GERMANY, CZECH REPUBLIC & HUNGARY - 2022
Dresden, Prague, Budapest
Departure: June 15, 2022 - 11 Days
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Return: June 24, 2022
You will see performances of the opera TOSCA by Puccini in Dresden, splendidly situated on the banks of Elbe River, the opera RIGOLETTO by Verdi in Prague and the Opera LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST by Puccini in Budapest.
We will visit the world famous ZWINGER MUSEUM of fine arts in Dresden and the architectural treasures of Prague and Budapest.
The Opera TOSCA by Puccini will be conducted by Ivan Repusic, Tosca will be sung by Maria Agresta, Scarpia by Alexey Markov, Cavaradossi by Dmytro Popov and Angelotti by Lawson Anderson. RIGOLETTO will be conducted by Vicenso Milletari and sung by Nikolaz Lagvilava or Daniels Luis de Vicente. The young Czech stage director Barbora Horakova Joly will direct the opera.
Opera Performances
June 18 – Tosca by Puccini
In Prague:
June 19 – Rigoletto by Verdi
In Budapest
June 22 – La Fanciulla del West by Puccini
Itinerary
Wednesday, June 15. (D*). DEPART FOR DRESDEN
Depart this evening aboard any airline of your choice to Dresden, Germany arriving the next morning. Dinner and light breakfast served on the plane.
Thursday, June 16. (B.D). DRESDEN
Upon arrival at Dresden airport, take a taxi to the five stars KEMPINSKI TASCHENBERG PALAIS HOTEL where you will stay three nights. In the evening we will have a briefing and cocktails followed by our and Gala Welcome dinner at the hotel’s gourmet restaurant.
Friday, June 17. (B). DRESDEN
This morning we stroll through the old part of this great Baroque city.
During our tour we will see The Frauenkirche, the Procession of Princes, a 101 metre- long mural, the Brühl’s Terrace, Dresden Cathedral and the Augustus bridge, which crosses the River Elbe.
DRESDEN, splendidly situated on the banks of the Elbe River, is known as the “Florence of the North,” and has long held an attraction for artists. Dresden has been home to Friedrich Schiller, master of German poetry and drama, who while spending the years 1785 to 1787 here wrote the drama Don Carlos, upon which Verdi based his opera of the same name, and the Ode to Joy, which forms the text of Beethoven's Ninth, or Choral Symphony. Composer Carl Maria von Weber lived and worked here, as did Richard Wagner. Besides the Zwinger Palace, Dresden's second major attraction is the rebuilt Semperoper, named for its architect, Gottfried Semper. Wagner and von Weber conducted, and many Richard Strauss’ operas had their premiers here. It was during his tenure as the Saxon courts Kappelmeister that Richard Wagner decided to compose a work around the Nibelungen legend, and indeed the first reading of the draft libretto was held in Dresden.
Saturday, June 18. (B). DRESDEN
This morning we will have a guided tour of the Old Masters Gallery located in the magnificent Zwinger Palace, displaying paintings of Rembrandt to Ruben from the 15th to the 18 centuries. This evening we will see the opera TOSCA at the Semperoper with its lavish auditorium and excellent acoustics.
Sunday, June 19. (B). DRESDEN - PRAGUE
This morning we drive by bus to the Czech Republic to arrive in Prague and stay three nights at the centrally located PALACE HOTEL. This evening we will see the opera RIGOLETTO by Verdi at the State Theater.
Monday, June 20. (B,D). PRAGUE
Our sightseeing this morning will take us by bus to the Castle District where we will visit Hradcany Castle, the Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral, and the Golden Lane. Afternoon at leisure. This evening we will have dinner at a gourmet restaurant.
PRAGUE is called the Golden City of One Hundred Spires. If you stand on the ramparts of Prague Castle and look across the old town, you understand why. As far as the eye can see, the sun is reflected on the glittering surfaces of the spires, steeples and domes. It is also one of the loveliest cities in all of Europe. Hradcany Castle and the Old Town are fine examples of Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance architecture.
Tuesday, June 21. (B). PRAGUE
This morning we have a walking tour to visit the Old Synagogue and Museum, the Jewish Cemetery as well as the Old Town Square with its world-famous Astronomical Clock and the Charles Bridge. Afternoon at leisure.
Wednesday, June 22. (B). PRAGUE – BUDAPEST
This morning we drive southwest through the lovely, picturesque Bohemian countryside of the Czech Republic and cross the border into Hungary and reach Budapest where we stay three nights at the deluxe HOTEL MARRIOTT located next to River Danube. This evening we will see the opera La FACIULLA del West by Puccini at the Hungarian State Opera.
Thursday, June 23. (B). BUDAPEST
Morning sightseeing by bus in this famous twin city will start in Buda with a visit to the 13th century Matthias Church and the Fisherman Bastion. In Pest, the famous commercial centre, we will see St. Stephen’s Basilica, the Hungarian Parliament, Hero Square, and the newly restored Synagogue. Afternoon at leisure.
BUDAPEST is that paradox among Eastern European capitals, a city where the pleasure of the table has lost none of its zing. Happily, for visitors enticed by monuments to an opulent past, Hungary’s former imperial city is filled with architectural treasures that have been handsomely preserved. Divided by the wide stately bends of the Danube River, Budapest is two cities in one. The halves present a startling contrast. On the east bank modern, bustling, industrial Pest spreads across the low-lying Hungarian piedmont. On the west, 2000-year-old Buda – the historic heart of the city and a pedestrian’s delight – wanders into a bastion of secluded hills.
Friday, June 24. (B,D). BUDAPEST
Today is free to take a boat ride on the Danube River or take one of hot baths in Buda or visit any of the fine museums. This evening we will enjoy our Gala Farewell dinner at the famous GÜNDEL Restaurant.
Saturday, June 25. (D). BUDAPEST – BACK HOME
You will arrange transfer for your flight back home arriving the same afternoon.
*B-Breakfast, L-Lunch, D-Dinner (including wine)