Nowadays in Europe, it seems like everyone is offering Jewish heritage tours. Kosher tours in Europe have exploded, and Jewish tours everywhere from Eastern European destinations to Western European cities have become more popular.
There are many opportunities for Jewish travel, but not all Jewish heritage tours in Europe are created equal. Finding the right tour guide is essential, as the best tours are often given by a local Jewish tour guide, or someone from the local Jewish community with a strong knowledge of the Jewish history and community in the area.
During a Jewish heritage tour, you will feel like you’re walking through history, learn about a place you may have never seen before, and experience walking in the footsteps of fellow Jews who called these European cities home for hundreds of years.
Why Choose a Walking Tour?
If you’re looking to get an authentic experience from the next city you visit, consider walking its streets. This will allow you to spot historic sites and gaze upon the impressive architecture, all while immersing yourself in the local color.
Booking a walking tour is a fantastic way to explore and learn about a new city and its one-of-a-kind culture through the lens of a local guide who will efficiently show you the best the area has to offer and so much more thanks to their in-depth knowledge of the city and its streets.
Today, all types of walking tours are available for every passion and budget. From a cost-effective group tour to luxury private walking tours, there is something out there for everyone!
Here are a few benefits of embarking on a walking tour in Europe:
- No Planning Needed
Overwhelmed by the thought of creating an itinerary for your next trip abroad? Booking a walking you takes out all that stress by doing the planning for you! Simply have to show up at a predetermined location, and your local guides will take care of the rest. The tour’s schedule will ensure that you hit all of the top landmarks efficiently while still leaving you with enough time to uncover the city’s best-kept secrets!
- Flexibility
Are you looking for a more relaxed pace while touring your next destination? Walking to the city’s streets is the perfect solution. This is especially true if you’re visiting a European city such as Budapest or Berlin where many landmarks are in the nearby vicinity. It allows for more time to delve into each landmark’s significance and ensures that you have a chance to really appreciate the sites and surroundings at your leisure.
Are you planning a luxury Jewish heritage tour in Europe? Your guide will undoubtedly be accommodating to your preferences, such as the tour schedule and your interests.
- You Get to Meet New People
If you are traveling alone or your group would like to meet like-minded sightseers with similar interests, joining a walking tour is a fun way to do it. By taking part in a Jewish heritage walking tour in Europe, you get the opportunity to forge connections and potential lifelong friendships with people who have a shared travel goal and passion.
- Get Travel Advice from a Local Tour Guide
Due to their connection to the area and its community, local tour guides are very passionate about teaching the city’s history and will often go the extra mile to create an unforgettable experience. They bring the streets to life through real stories, little-known facts, and recommendations on which places to visit, what to avoid, and the best eats in the area – all while navigating you through the city’s winding streets!
If you’re on a Jewish walking tour in Europe, they may also be able to recommend where you can find the city’s best kosher dining, mikvehs, and synagogues in your hotel’s area.
Now that you’ve decided that you want to go on a walking tour, how do you choose the right city for your Jewish heritage tour in Europe?
We’ve compiled a list of our favorite cities in Europe for Jewish walking tours, so all that is left for you is to decide when and where!
Berlin Jewish Walking Tour
Berlin is one of the best places for a Jewish heritage walking tour, not only because of its connection to the Holocaust and to World War II, but because of its unique Jewish history before and after the war. For centuries, Germany had a significant Jewish population and was home to one of the first Ashkenazi Jewish communities. Its capital city, Berlin, known for its expertise in memorialization, resulting in amazing Jewish exhibits throughout the city.
Residents of this city walk through history each day, from restaurants in abandoned Jewish schools to train stations famous for deportations. The country has made an effort to mark those spots as a reminder to its citizens and the world of the past.
Look out for the gold tiles on the street commemorating the places where Holocaust victims lived and the signs all over the city marking places impacted either by World War II or communism.
There are many great attractions to visit in Berlin on a Jewish walking tour, whether you are interested in learning about the Great Synagogue, Jews in Communist Berlin, or Jews during the Holocaust. Many are run by Israelis and Jews living in Berlin, so your tour guide is likely to have a deep emotional connection to the content and can shed light on modern Jewish community life.
Warsaw’s Old Town Walking Tour
Eastern European tours are fascinating, especially those specializing in Jewish heritage. Warsaw in Poland holds an important place in Jewish history. The city has been known to be home to many Jews for many years before WWII and a huge cultural hub with many well-known Jews impacting the culture in the surrounding area. Thus,
Choosing to go on a Jewish heritage walking tour in Warsaw will help you better understand what the community life and the culture looked like before the war.
However, there are also difficult historical sites to see across the city that have been forever memorialized in the story and sacrifice of the Jewish Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, including Umschlagplatz- the main deportation square, Mordechai Anielevich’s bunker, and more. By taking a walking tour through the city, you will be able to explore them and soak in the significance of these locations.
A Jewish tour of Warsaw would also include the historic Nozyk Shul, the remains of the Warsaw Ghetto, and several monuments of famous Polish Jews.
One of the most important parts of a tour of Warsaw is the Polin: Museum of the History of Polish Jews. This spectacular site is a great way to get context for Jewish life in Poland before the Holocaust. For centuries, Poland was home to Ashkenazi communities. The museum focuses on the lives and contributions of generations of these Jews, and not just their deaths.
Krakow Walking Tour
Krakow is an important Polish city in its own right, but its connection to Jewish history is unmatched in Europe.
Some of the most important sites include the Schindler’s Factory Museum and Kazimierz district, where you can walk around and experience their historic value and enjoy the modern restaurants and cafes. This is a great place to stop for some local kosher cuisine. Furthermore, you can also visit the synagogue and the Jewish cemetery, which are located within walking distance.
Another part of a Jewish tour of Krakow is a visit to the Temple Synagogue, the Old Synagogue, and Ramah Synagogue. You can plan your trip to Krakow in time for the annual Jewish cultural festival and include a stop at the event as part of your tour. *If you are interested in visiting the oldest synagogue in Europe, read this post.
Last but not least, don’t forget to visit the Jewish Community Center of Krakow for the chance to interact with Krakow’s Jewish community and learn about its history and traditions.
Bratislava Jewish Heritage Tour
A great stop if you’re also traveling to Austria is Bratislava – home to the Wall of Memories, the Chatam Sofer’s grave, and many other significant Jewish heritage sites.
Jewish history in the Austro-Hungarian empire is unique and fascinating. Maria Theresa and her son Joseph the II allowed many Jews to settle in Bratislava, so the city became an important center for Jewish education.
On a Jewish walking tour, you should expect to visit former locations of Jewish homes and synagogues, as well as the Pressburger Yeshiva, which has moved to Jerusalem. Other sites to see include a Jewish cemetery, a museum of Jewish culture, a monument dedicated to the Holocaust, and a former Jewish quarter with another cemetery.
Vienna Special Place For A Jewish Walking Tour
Vienna is a feast for the eyes of anyone interested in the history of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Much of the world we know today was impacted by the empire, and much of Jewish history was at the whims of its leaders.
A Jewish tour in Vienna generally includes the Judenplatz, a center of Viennese Jewish life, the Monument against War and Fascism, Heroes Square, the Shoah Monument, and its famous Jewish quarter, now well-known through the play of the same name, Leopoldstadt.
There are two Jewish museums in Vienna that you can visit on a walking tour, both on the same ticket. One museum includes an ancient underground synagogue where archaeologists have uncovered clues about historical Jewish life in Vienna. At the other synagogue , you can see Theodor Herzl’s bicycle and learn about Vienna’s modern Jewish community.
Prague A Beautiful Walking Tour
Prague–city of alchemy, ghosts, and the Golem. One of Central Europe’s top tourist destinations and one of the most beautiful cities for walking, Prague is a city of mystery where you can visit an alchemist’s lab underground or eat in a pub that’s hundreds of years old.
A Jewish walking tour of Prague should include the many synagogues that make up a part of the Prague Jewish Museum, a tour of the famous cemetery where the Maharal is buried and many Jewish souls are buried on top of each other due to a lack of space, and a walk around the city’s Jewish quarter.
If you get hungry on your tour, the city offers several great kosher restaurants near the Jewish area to choose from, making Prague a great destination for kosher tours in Europe.
Prague is home to one of the most impressive Jewish museums in the world- a combination of several synagogues that make up the entire complex. A walking tour of each part of the museum should take at least a day.
Budapest Unique Jewish Walking Tour
Budapest is one of the best places to go on a Jewish heritage tour. It is home to one of the first Holocaust memorials of its kind in Europe, the Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial, as well as several memorials for righteous Gentiles.
But Jewish history–and the way it’s depicted– is complicated in Budapest, so finding a tour guide who is extremely educated on the topic is vital.
Timea Tarjani, a Budapest local and descendant of Hungarian Holocaust survivors, offers the best Jewish walking tour in Budapest. Not only is she knowledgeable about Budapest’s Jewish history, infusing her own family’s stories, but she is also connected to the current Jewish community in Budapest. Due to the latest revival, the city has undergone significant changes and now has the largest Jewish community in all of Central and Eastern Europe.
Explore the Budapest Jewish Quarter now a nightlife center of the city, see the second largest conservative synagogue in the world, medieval prayer houses and other memorial places in the area, all connected to Budapest’s rich Jewish history. As a local, Timea can also show you places where today’s Budapest Jews spend their time, shops, restaurants, a mikveh, cafes, and art galleries. Due to the Jewish community’s impressive size, those looking to embark on a kosher tour in Europe will not go amiss in this eastern European capital!
Whether you’re interested in the magical city of Prague or the imperial city of Vienna, a Jewish heritage walking tour is a great way to get to know the Jewish history of these cities and how different Jewish communities across the centuries have lived and continue living today.
Ready to take the next step on your Jewish travel journey and learn more about Jewish heritage travel and Jewish heritage tours in Europe? Book a custom trip with our Travel Agency.
