Prague Excursions

One of the benefits of studying abroad is the ability to venture outside your host city and explore the surrounding area. Excursions are offered for all semester, year, and summer programs. You will receive a calendar of the specific CEA excursions offered for your program during orientation. To give you an idea of the possibilities, we have collected typical experiences from some of the tours and trips we may offer to our students.

Dresden & Berlin

Baroque Dresden, planned by Augustus the Strong (18th century King of Poland), was a city of culture and sophistication. In February 1945, it was annihilated by Allied Forces bombing during World War II. The CEA city tour will begin with the most ambitious of all the reconstruction projects after the reunification of Germany in 1990: The Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche), in the heart of the Old Town. Additional stops during the tour include Zwinger Palace, the most important late baroque building in Germany; the Renaissance-style Semper Opera House; the Katholische Hofkirche; Brühl's Terrace, which overlooks the Elbe River; and the Old Masters Gallery, which houses many great works of art.

The following day the group will move to the capital city of Germany, Berlin, where East meets West. The city now offers a great combination of history and modernism. Students will visit the Brandenburg Gate and the Berlin Wall Museum. They will also visit the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, the former crossing point between East and West Berlin, where you can see the remnants of the Berlin Wall. The museum is a treasure trove of Cold War history and artifacts. Later there is the Holocaust Memorial and the Museumsinsel (Museum Island) to see, and more.

Budapest (Semester Only)

Budapest is the capital of Hungary and one of the most fascinating cities in Central Europe. A grand metropolis of architectural delights, ornate bath houses, gourmet restaurants and classic coffee houses, Hungary's capital has much to offer those in search of a unique travel experience. The city consists of two parts, Buda and Pest, which are separated by the beautiful blue Danube and connected by a series of bridges. There is so much culture and history everywhere in this intriguing city and the city sightseeing tour will show students Budapest’s main attractions. This includes the Royal Castle, the neo-Gothic Parliament, the Great Synagogue, Heroes’ Square and the State Opera House. During the tour, students will also learn much about Budapest's rich and often tragic history. They may also wish to visit Statue Park, where huge statues of Marx, Lenin and other communist-era figures have been sent into exile, or Pest’s main pedestrian street, Váci utca-- a great place to stroll and shop, or just sit and people watch. Great Market Hall is the largest indoor food market in Hungary and has an outstanding selection of typical Hungarian delicacies to sample. Another great shopping experience is the Ecseri Piac, one of the biggest and best flea markets in Central Europe. Students can round off the perfect weekend in beautiful Budapest with a visit to a museum, a cruise on the Danube, or an indulgentdip in the world-famous Géllert baths. Students will be overwhelmed by the magnificence of this city.

Kraków and Auschwitz - Birkenau (Semester Only)

Kraków ranks with Prague, Vienna and Budapest as one of the architectural gems of Central Europe. Unlike its neighbor, Warsaw, Krakow miraculously escaped unscathed from WWII. Students will tour the main sights of this UNESCO World Heritage site including Rynek Glówny, the largest town square in medieval Europe and the hub of the city since 1257; Cloth Hall, the world’s oldest shopping mall which has been in business for 700 years; St. Mary's Basilica with its giant Gothic alter carved from wood by Veit Stoss and the cathedral, royal chambers, stately rooms and beautiful arcaded courtyard of Wawel Castle, home to three dynasties of Poland's monarchs. In the old Jewish quarter of Kazimierz, the Old Synagogue and the Remuh Synagogue and cemetery will remind students that the area was once a thriving Jewish community. The Schindler's List Tour will introduce sites which are both historical and recognizable scenes from Spielberg's movie about the Nazi occupation of Kraków, including Oskar Schindler's factory. The tour of the Martyrdom Museum in Auschwitz-Birkenau is one of the most sobering experiences and yet it remains a must-see. Camp buildings, barbed wire fences, watchtowers, and the entrance gate inscribed "Arbeit Macht Frei" all remain to bear witness to the atrocities of the holocaust. The last century has been very rocky for Poland, so seeing it now makes for a unique experience.

Vienna

Scenic Vienna, the capital city of Austria, it is also the world's music capital. Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Strauss, Brahms and Schubert, the world’s greatest classical composers, all lived and worked in Vienna. Students will walk in the footsteps of the Hapsburgs, visit the splendid baroque Schönbrunn and Belvedere Palaces, and stroll along Ring Boulevard to see the Imperial Palace. A sense of the glitz and glory of the old empire can be experienced by visiting St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Spanish Riding School, the Giant Ferris Wheel at the Prater and the Imperial Vault. Students interested in Art History will particularly enjoy the visiting the Kunsthistorische (Art History) Museum, one of the finest art collections in the world. This is an amazing weekend in perspective!

Ceský Krumlov

Ceský Krumlov is one of the most wonderful medieval cities in Central Europe and is one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. This romantic and charming town, located in Southern Bohemia, is a wonderful getaway from the bustling city. Students will visit the State Castle and the Baroque Theatre before spending the rest of the day wandering through the historical center of this fairytale town. There are many activities available, including hiking, cycling and canoeing down the Vltava River on a trip that lasts about one and a half hours. The scenery is incredible and students will get a great work-out. For students looking for a less physical experience, there will be plenty of time to relax in Krumlov's cozy cafés and restaurants before heading back to Prague in the evening.

Karlovy Vary

Beethoven, Casanova, Chopin, Freud, Kafka, Mozart, Tolstoi and Wagner have all taken a dip in the hot springs of Karlovy Vary, one of Central Europe's most famous spa towns. Legend has it that King Charles IV came upon the springs in 1360 and promptly named the area in honor of himself. Students will walk around the historical city center and visit some charming stores and boutiques. They can even purchase crystal glasses at the Moser glass factory before having a typical Czech lunch of Smažený Sýr (fried cheese) in the famous Thermal hotel. In the afternoon, CEA will spend a couple of hours at the open-air swimming pool in the hotel, filled with natural thermal water. After returning to Prague early evening they still have time to go to the university disco with some Czech friends.

Hiking in Czech Paradise

This hiking trip to Ceský ráj (Czech Paradise) introduces students to the awe-inspiring beauty of Czech scenery. They will start the day in Turnov, a town known for its Czech garnet jewelry, and hike along the Golden Path to an old grove in a beautiful pine forest where a picnic will be served. Along the way, a guide will speak about the history of the region and point out the flora and fauna. The many different plants and animals of the area make it easy to see why this nature preserve was the first in the country to be declared as "protected" in 1955.

Moravia

Moravia is a very distinct and pictoresque region of the country. While Czechs are, generally speaking, an atheist nation, Moravia folks attest to the opposite, its shining renovated churches being a clear proof. It is here where you can still see, in villages that is, the locals dressed in traditional costumes going to a Sunday Mass. Also, the rest of the Czech Republic may be beer thirsty but there is no doubt that Moravia prefers wine - a hilly vineyard-dotted countryside stretching for miles on end is a peaceful, refreshing sight. Students will visit a remarkable viticulture village where the oldest wine cellars date from the 15th century. Later they will see the beautiful Lednice chateaux and its surrounding resplendent park, the largest artificial landscape/park in Europe and perhaps in the world, one of many Czech UNESCO World Heritage sites. On a bumpy ride, a local quaint train will move them closer to the next destination, The Baťa Canal - the pride of one of the most outstanding Czechoslovak entrepreneurs of the 30´s, world renowned shoe maker Tomáš Baťa.

Šumava mountains

The territory of the Czech Republic is conveniently enveloped by a green ring of mountains forming a natural frontier. Visiting at least one of them is a must. On their way to the West Bohemian mountains, students will first make a stop in the city of Plzeň, the paragon of superior beer making, to visit the Pilsener Urquel Brewery´s museum but also the third largest Jewish synagogue in the world, among other things. Then they will continue to Churáňov in Šumava, which has many moving stories to tell – those of the dauntless first-republic soldiers who at the brink of World War II had built a series of forts along the Czechoslovak border, determined to defend the country against the Nazis, only to be ordered to retreat unconditionally without a fight, or the dim post-war stories of left-over German fighters – the so called wherwolves - attacking the locals meliciously, or later those of the opponents of the communist regime who sought illegaly to cross the borders and escape into the free part of Europe. In Šumava, students will spend a nice sporting weekend, mushroom picking – a popular Czech pastime -, going on a hiking tour, and horse riding trip.

Jizerske Mountains

The Czech Republic has several mountain ranges. As a weekend trip devoted mainly to sports, CEA may organize excursion to Jizerske Mountains north of Prague. Students will stay at a unique hotel (also a TV tower) on top of the Jested mountain, an architectural site that was awarded the world famous UIA Auguste Perret prize in 1969. They can enjoy the splendid view while cross country or down hill skiing or hiking in the forrest. In the evening they can relax at the Babylon Aquapark in the town of Liberec below Jested. On the way back to Prague on Sunday, we can also visit the Sychrov castle.

Kuks Chateaux

Kuks is an unusual complex of late 17th century and early 18th century Baroque buildings near the historical town of Dvůr Králové nad Labem, founded by King Přemysl Otakar II in 1270. Kuks´ owner Špork was known for his love of the arts, as well as for supporting artists. One of them, sculptor Matyáš Braun created for him an impressive series of 24 statues, paragons of twelve Virtues and Vices. It´s hard to imagine he had only spent about a month carving each one of them. They are considered to be the Baroque sculptoral highlights in Bohemia. He also carved a marvellous Bethlehem into small natural sandstone rocks in the nearby Nový les (New Forest), unique in the world of art and one of the most valuable Baroque works of art in Europe. On the way back to Prague, students will stop at the mighty octagonal-shaped fortress called Josefov, built by Emperor Joseph II in 1789.