Imperial Weekend - Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava

Breakfast will be waiting for you when you arrive in Budapest on Friday morning, after which you will take a guided tour of the city before checking in to your four star hotel and enjoying either a free day in Budapest on Saturday or a guided excursion to Bratislava.  Sunday morning you will make a change of venue to Vienna, where you can immerse yourself in Austrian art, opera and culture or visit the lively Prater amusement park. On Monday you will see the beautiful gardens of 

Spaces on the Imperial Weekend trips often sell out quickly. Whether you choose to board the bus in Kaiserslautern or Baumholder, make sure to reserve your space today with Army Outdoor Recreation! Adventures begin here!

Estimated Timeline:

Thursday: Check in

After settling into your seat, lean back and relax while your comfortable coach whisks you away to Budapest, the first destination in your multi-city trip. Don’t forget the essentials for your overnight ride. Blankets, pillows, power banks, and drinks will all help make your overnight journey to Hungary more enjoyable.

Friday: Budapest

After you arrive in Budapest, drop off your luggage at your four star hotel and have breakfast, you will take part in a guided orientation tour of the city. Budapest was created by joining two cities, Buda and its royal castle on the hill, and Pest, the city center across the Danube river. After your morning tour you will be free to enjoy the city however you like. Shopping on the Vaci Utca, visiting the Turkish Baths, and enjoying the riverside promenade are always popular choices. Fans of the James Bond film “Goldeneye” will not want to miss Memento Park, the resting place of 40 Soviet statues, plaques and memorials which were removed at the end of the Cold War. 

Saturday: Free day or optional excursion to Bratislava*

Will you visit Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, today, or enjoy more of Budapest’s culture and attractions? The choice is yours. Also on the Danube, the city of Bratislava is also a former Hapsburg Imperial Capital, and features a castle and a small but interesting city center along the river. This is your chance to eat at the UFO restaurant on the peak of the Most SNP, the bridge crossing the Danube River from the city center. Your evening will be spent in Budapest, and will be another opportunity for you to enjoy Hungarian cuisine and hospitality.

Sunday: Vienna

When you arrive in Vienna, the capital of Austria, and the home of the Imperial Hapsburg family, you will be stepping back in time to the 19th century. While the city has all the modern conveniences, including a Hard Rock Café, the city center maintains its 19th century appearance and feel, complete with horse and carriage rides and much more. After an orientation tour of the Imperial Capital, you will be free to explore the Hofburg, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, watch a performance of the Lipizzaner Stallions at the Spanish Riding School or the Vienna Boy’s Choir, or visit the Prater amusement park. Your tour manager can even assist with making plans for the evening, if you would like to go to the opera, concerts or dinner. 

Monday: Return to Kaiserslautern

After breakfast, a stop at Schönbrunn Palace** will allow you to visit the gardens before depart for Germany.

*Optional Excursion registered with and paid to Tour Manager

** Admission Not Included 

Price:

• Double Occupancy: $729 per person
• Single Occupancy: $959
   
• Up to 2 Children under 12 with 2 paid adults in triple or two double rooms: $599 per child
• Infants under 4 sharing existing bedding with adult: $249
   
• Due to the use of multiple hotels over the course of the trip, each with their own room inventories and configurations, it is not possible to guarantee specific room types larger than double rooms to any individual traveler/group of travelers, or to guarantee whether groups including children will be assigned to connected rooms, family rooms, or neighboring rooms.  
• Infant price does not apply in triple rooms.
• Room assignments for families will be determined individually by the hotels based on their specific capacity and available room types.  
• Neither Kaiserslautern Outdoor Recreation, nor the trip vendor guarantees that the room configuration requested by the customer will match the room configuration assigned by the hotel. 

Deadlines and Discounts:

• Empty hotel rooms will be cancelled on Wednesday, May 7
• Registration on or after Thursday, May 8 will be possible if the hotels have rooms available and may be subject to hotel rebooking fees or price supplements.

Trip Includes:

• Round trip tour bus transportation
• 2 overnights at Mercure Budapest Castle Hill**** or equivalent
• 1 overnight at Hotel Exe Vienna**** or equivalent
• Daily breakfast (including upon arrival in Budapest)
• Guided tour of Budapest
• Guided tour of Vienna
   
• Admission to Schoenbrunnen Palace not included

Optional Excursions (Paid cash directly to tour manager):

• Day trip to Bratislava: €40 per person

What to Bring:

• Comfortable, weather appropriate shoes and clothing
• Credit/Debit Card or Euro and Hungarian Forints
• Powerbanks (ODR cannot guarantee charging availability on 3rd party contracted busses)
• Military ID and Passport
  • Any required paper or electronic travel documentation is the responsibility of each individual traveler. 

Departure:

• 5 p.m. from Wagon Wheel Theater, Smith Barracks
• 6 p.m. from Kaiserslautern Outdoor Recreation, Pulaski Barracks, bldg. 2905

Return:

• Around 11 p.m. to Kaiserslautern Outdoor Recreation
• Around midnight to Wagon Wheel Theater