A Jewish Heritage Tour of Europe: Four Routes, Country by Country

The heritage routes through Europe follow the history: Central Europe, from Berlin to Budapest, for the Ashkenazi world and the memorial sites; Spain and Portugal for Sepharad; Italy for the oldest communities and the first ghetto; and Amsterdam with Paris for the West. Ten to twelve days covers one route without hurrying. Most travellers start with Central Europe, where the surviving quarters, the museums and the memorials are closest together.

Each route below names the cities, the days to give them and the tour that anchors each stop. The prices are the tours’ from prices, checked October 2026.

Route 1: Central and Eastern Europe, 10 to 12 days

From prices checked October 2026.

Berlin to Prague, Prague to Kraków or Budapest, and Budapest to Vienna are all served by train, with night trains on the longer legs; a short flight saves time between Prague and Kraków. Warsaw fits as a detour from Kraków, for the POLIN Museum and the ghetto’s traces.

The order matters for one reason: the Saturdays. Put the memorial visits, which open every day, on the Saturdays, and the synagogues and Jewish museums, which close on Shabbat, on the weekdays. The closures guide sets out what closes where.

Check dates for the Kraków walk →

Route 2: Sepharad, Spain and Portugal, 10 to 12 days

Córdoba and Toledo keep the three medieval synagogues still standing in Spain; Seville, Girona and Barcelona their old quarters; Portugal the story of the converts who kept their faith in secret, in Lisbon, Tomar and Belmonte. The Sephardic route guide gives the order and the tours.

See dates for the Córdoba tour →

Route 3: Italy, 7 to 9 days

• Venice, 2 days. The Ghetto, established in 1516, and its synagogues, visited only with a guide; Hili’s synagogue tour costs from $55 plus the synagogue tickets. See dates →
• Florence, 1 day. The Great Synagogue of 1882 and its museum, from $10 for the ticket. See dates →
• Rome, 3 days. The former Ghetto, the Great Synagogue and the Jewish Museum of Rome; City Stories Tours’ Ghetto walk from $34. See dates →
• Lecce, optional. The underground Jewish Museum in the south.

Venice, Florence and Rome are on one high-speed rail line. See Jewish heritage in Italy.

Route 4: Amsterdam and Paris, 6 to 7 days

Amsterdam’s Anne Frank walks and the Jewish Cultural Quarter fill two or three days; reserve the Anne Frank House itself on annefrank.org as soon as your dates open; no tour includes it, but the guided walks around it are sold for any date. Paris adds the Marais, the rue Pavée synagogue and the free Mémorial de la Shoah, with Lyon as an extra day by train. See Amsterdam and Paris.

Reserve an Anne Frank walk →

Which route first

Choose by what you want the trip to be about:

Figures as of October 2026: the shape of the market, not a quote. Check the price and the conditions on the date you choose.

Packaged tour or day tours?

The verdict: build the route from day tours if you are happy to book your own trains and hotels; take a packaged escorted tour if you want one booking, a tour leader throughout, or kosher meals arranged for you.

Start the route: see dates for the Kraków walk →

The routes above are built from single-city tours: a guide in each place, and your own trains and hotels between them. That gives the most freedom and the best local guides, and it costs less than a packaged trip. The alternative is a multi-day escorted heritage tour sold by a travel company, with a tour leader, hotels and transfers included; none are sold on this site. For what private and group guides cost city by city, see private or group heritage tours, and for a slower pace, heritage tours for older travellers.