THE TOUR INCLUDES: - Top category seats for 8 performances as listed - 9 nights accommodations at the 4-star deluxe hotel Pariz Praha in Prague and the 5-star Hotel Ambassador in Vienna. Both are ideally located in the Old Town centres. - Full breakfast daily, 3 lunches, 3 dinners and 1 special brunch. - private highlights tours in each city, plus the Janácek Museum in Brno, the picture gallery at Upper Belvedere and Schönbrunn Palace. - private Airport-Hotel transfers - luxury minicoach transfer between cities. - tour direction by an Aria Tours director - a comprehensive tour handbook containing travel info, performance synopses and a detailed daily itinerary Cost: $6745 US Single Supplement: $1050 US Optional Štefan Margita/ .... ........Chorea Bohemica: $100 US Optional Rusalka: $150 US Optional Die Fledermaus: $250 US Deposit: $2500 Balance due: October 23, 2007

OPTIONS FLIGHTS We will be happy to make any flight arrangements, including reward travel with your preferred carrier, for $75 per person. Inbound flights should be made to Prague, departing December 23 (from North America); return flights should be from Vienna, departing January 2. AIRPORT-HOTEL TRANSFERS We include airport-hotel transfers (group) on the published tour dates. Transfers are not included for early arrivals or extended stays, although we can easily make these arrangements for you. TOUR ADDITIONS The itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and desires. Please call us to discuss any changes or amendments you wish to make. INSURANCE We strongly recommend that all tour members purchase cancellation insurance upon registration. We can assist you with this, though you are welcome to purchase a policy at your own discretion. If you would like information on the policies offered by our supplier, please contact us for details, or click HERE for an insurance brochure and application.

Prague is quite simply one of the most stunning cities in Europe, a UNESCO World Heritage listed gem much eulogized as the ‘City of a Thousand Spires’ and countless other clichés. Even the most hardened cynic cannot fail to be impressed strolling across Charles Bridge or unfurling into the Old Town Square for the first time. This is a city where just ambling around the impressively well-preserved historic core (stopping off for a fortifying glass of one of the excellent local beers, popping into boutique shops or one of the myriad museums, whilst admiring the smorgasbord of architectural styles that crowd all around on the way) is the real pleasure.

Part of Prague’s charm is that it is a rewarding place to visit at any time of year, but at Christmas it is magical--whether listening to the abundant strains of seasonal music or trudging across the crisp snow of Old Town Square and enjoying a glass of mulled wine at the Christmas Market, the slick, but still deeply characterful Czech capital seldom disappoints.

We will stay at the superb and charming Art Nouveau Hotel Pariz Praha, and attend operatic performances at both the State Opera and Estates Theatre.

Vienna (Wien) is a unique blend of the historic and the modern, so full of tradition it can be read on the face of the city, yet with a forward-looking approach that will surprise the visitor. Vienna’s role as the seat of the Hapsburg Empire for centuries can be seen in the wealth of architecture and in the city’s artistic and musical heritage. Many of the world’s most important composers, including Beethoven and Mozart, have lived and performed behind Vienna’s Baroque façades. In addition to this Baroque splendour, there are excellent examples of the Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) architecture that also flourished here.

Vienna’s location on the east-west trade route along the River Danube played an important part in its history – an empire that once covered a large part of Europe was ruled from here. Even today, Vienna is the financial and administrative capital of Austria and home to a number of international organisations, including the United Nations. And with the fall of Communism, Vienna is once again at the centre of Europe.

We will stay at the elegant Hotel Ambassador Wien, steps from The Vienna State Opera and the Stephansdom. In addition to several operatic performances (to be announced in May), we will attend concerts at the Musikverein (Strauss) and Konzerthaus (Beethoven's 9th Symphony), and we will enjoy New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Kaiserball at Hofburg Palace.

THE ITINERARY

Sunday, December 23...Departures for Prague
Departures (from North America) for Prague. For those who wish to arrive today, you will be able to attend either a special Christmas concert at the Estates Theatre (7:00 pm) featuring the Chorea Bohemica (program details will follow), or a classical concert by Czech tenor Štefan Margita at the National Theatre (7:00 pm). Please request upon registration. Cost: $75 US for either performance.

Monday, December 24...Prague
Arrivals in Prague. You will be met at the airport and transferred to the Hotel Pariz Praha, a masterpiece of classic Art Nouveau architecture in the heart of Old Town. After settling into your room, in the early evening you will join the group for a festive Holiday Welcome Dinner in the hotel's Restaurant Sarah Bernhardt. Afterward, you will have the option of attending the moving Midnight Holy Mass at the St. James Church near our hotel.

Tuesday, December 25...Prague
Spend the morning at leisure, celebrating in your own fashion. In the afternoon we attend a performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Estates Theatre (2 pm), where Mozart premiered the work in 1787. If you prefer, there is an optional classical Christmas Concert at the State Opera House. This evening, we offer an optional performance of Dvorak's Rusalka at the Estates Theatre ($125 US; please request upon registration).

Wednesday, December 26...Prague
After breakfast we meet for a coach and walking tour of Prague, featuring New Town, Wenceslas Square, the Old Town and picturesque Mala Strana, Prague Castle, Saint Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace and the stunning views over the whole of Prague. We end by crossing the Charles Bridge on our way to the Old Town Square. As we go, we uncover the origins of one of the best-preserved medieval cities in the world. Lunch is included following the tour at the renowned Triton Restaurant. This evening, we attend a performance of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) at the State Opera.

Thursday, December 27...Prague
Today we visit Prague's historic Jewish Quarter, the best preserved complex of Jewish historical monuments in the whole of Europe. Six synagogues remain, plus the Jewish Town Hall and the Old Jewish Cemetery - the most remarkable in Europe. We will also have the option of visiting the museums devoted to composer Bedrich Smetana and Art Nouveau artist Alfons Mucha. This evening, we attend a performance of Verdi's Rigoletto at the State Opera.

Friday, December 28...Prague to Vienna
After breakfast, we transfer by luxury mini coach to Vienna. We drive through the beautiful Moravian countryside along the way, stopping in the historic UNESCO World Heritage Site city of Brno. We enjoy lunch and a visit to the homestead of composer Leoš Janácek. Upon arrival in Vienna, we check in to our hotel, the 5 star Ambassador Wien, an elegant and historic property in the heart of Old Town Vienna's pedestrian Kärntnerstrasse. Once settled, the afternoon is at leisure. This evening we attend a performance of Friedrich von Flotow's Martha at the Volksoper Wien. Cast tba.

Saturday, December 29...Vienna
After breakfast we meet for a guided walking tour of Old Town Vienna, giving us unique insight into the city's rich history and musical past. We visit Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral), Austria's most eminent Gothic edifice and home to a wealth of art treasures, some of which can only be seen during a guided tour. We also explore the Imperial Hofburg Palace, which, for seven centuries-until 1918-was inhabited by the Habsburg family and was the centre of its empire. Today, the Gothic Imperial Chapel, where the Vienna Boys' Choir performs during High Mass on Sunday, is a remnant of the Imperial Palace during the Middle Ages. On our tour, we will also walk in the footsteps of Mozart, who spent his last ten years in Vienna and died here on December 5, 1791. Following the tour, we enjoy lunch at the landmark Café Landtmann. This evening we make the short walk to the Vienna State Opera for a performance of Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia. Fabio Luisi conducts a cast which includes Antonino Siragusa, Wolfgang Bankl, Michaela Selinger, Roberto de Candia and Ain Anger.

Sunday, December 30...Vienna
This morning we tour the superb picture gallery at Upper Belvedere Palace. Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663 - 1736), the most brilliant military mind of his age, commissioned Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt to design and build the garden palace Belvedere as a summer residence outside the walls of the city. The exquisite Baroque structure consists of two palaces (Upper and Lower Belvedere). In the Upper Belvedere, the Austrian Gallery of the 19th and 20th Centuries shows a marvelous collection of Austrian as well as international art from the last two centuries: the highlight is "Vienna around 1900 and the Art of the Classical Modern" featuring the largest collection of Klimt paintings (including his gilt pictures The Kiss and Judith), and a number of works by Egon Schiele. It also contains prominent works of the French impressionists, the most important paintings of the Viennese Biedermeier era (with works by Waldmüller, Amerling, and Fendi) and major paintings by Romako, Makart, Boeckl, Wotruba, Hausner, Lehmden, Hundertwasser and many others.

In the afternoon, we visit Schönbrunn, the former summer residence of the imperial family, considered one of the most beautiful baroque palaces in Europe. The Habsburgs resided here the better part of each year. Emperor Franz Joseph, who later married the enchanting Sisi and reigned from 1848 to 1916, was born here in 1830. The monarch spent his last years entirely in the palace, which became the property of the new Republic of Austria only two years after his death. Today, the palace is part of UNESCO's cultural heritage due to its historic importance, its unique grounds and its splendid furnishings.

This evening we dine at the historic Drei Husaren, the finest traditional restaurant in Vienna. Afterward, we will attend a concert at the Musikverein by the Wiener Ring-Ensemble, composed of first chair musicians from the Vienna Philharmonic.

Monday, December 31...Vienna
Enjoy the day at leisure in Vienna. In the early evening, we meet and transfer to an unforgettable performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony at the Konzerthaus, with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Afterwards, we return to the hotel to prepare for the greatest of all New Year's Eve celebrations-the Imperial Kaiserball at the Hofburg Palace. There are musical ensembles in every salon in the palace (be sure to visit them all!). We will enjoy a light dinner, waltz to our hearts' content, and ring in the New Year together.

Tuesday, January 1...Vienna
After a well-deserved sleep-in, we take late morning New Year's Brunch in the hotel and enjoy the televised broadcast of the New Year's Concert from the Musikverein (those interested in tickets to the Musikverien for the concert will be accommodated. Please call for pricing and reservation). Today you will have the option of attending the traditional performance of Strauss's Die Fledermaus at the Staatsoper ($250; please request upon registration. Bertrand de Billy conducts; cast includes Michael Roider, Alexandra Reinprecht, Michaela Selinger, Hans Peter Kammerer, Teodora Gheorgiu and Walter Schmidinger). For all others, the final day is at leisure to say goodbye to Vienna as you see fit.

Wednesday, January 2...Vienna homeward
Transfers to the airport for departure flights are included.