CRACOW AND SURROUNDINGS

FIRST DAY:

Arrival to Cracow

evening
Arrival at Cracow's airport. Meeting with the driver or tour leader in hall of the airport. Transfer to the hotel. Dinner at the restaurant or in the hotel.

SECOND DAY:

Visit of Cracow and former Jewish district Kazimierz

morning
Breakfast in the hotel. Meeting with the guide and visit of Cracow: the Wawel Royal Castle (the visit of the cathedral and courtyard), the Market Square, the Cloth Hall, Saint Mary's Church, the Jagiellonian University, St. Florian's Gate and the Barbican.

afternoon
Lunch at the one of Cracow's restaurants. Second part of the visit: the former Jewish district Kazimierz. Free time.

evening
Dinner (optional: dinner with Jewish music concert).

THIRD DAY:

Cracow – Oswiecim – Brzezinka (Auschwitz-Birkenau) – Cracow

morning

Breakfast in the hotel. Departure for the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum. Visit of the former concentration camp Auschiwitz-Birkeanu. The Auschwitz concentration camp was one of tree camps which were the part of the whole complex based near Auschwitz (in Polish Oswiecim). The second part of the complex was the extermination camp based in Birkenau (in Polish "Brzeiznka") and the third - the labor camp Monowitz (in Polish "Monowice"). In 1979 the whole camp was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Departure for Cracow.

afternoon
Lunch at the restaurant in Cracow. Free time.

evening
Dinner at the restaurant or in the hotel.

FOURTH DAY:

Cracow – Czestochowa – Cracow

morning
Breakfast in the hotel. Departure for Czestochowa. Visit of the Czestochowa Shrine, one of the most important places of the Catholic cult in Poland. It is visited by over four millions of pilgrims every year. In Jasna Gora Monastery (lat. Mons Clara, eng. Luminous Mount) we can find the image of the Black Madonna who is so precious for Polish people that they gave her the title of the Queen of Poland. 

afternoon
Lunch in Częstochowa. Departure for Cracow. Arrival to Cracow. Free time.

evening
Dinner at the restaurant of in the hotel.

FIFTH DAY:

Cracow – Schindler's Factory – Nowa Huta (former communist district) – Wieliczka (salt mine) – Cracow

morning
Breakfast in the hotel. Guided visit of Schindler's Factory, one of the symbols of the Second World War not only in Cracow, but thanks to Steven Spielberg's famous film, in the whole world. Needless to say that it is also a positive symbol, because it is the place where many human lives were saved thanks to its owner – Oscar Schindler. Guided visit of Nowa Huta – the former communist district, which was built after the Second World War next to the enormous steelworks that were 5 times bigger than Cracow's city centre. The district situated about 9 kilometers from Cracow was planned by the communists as an ideal communist city. The other idea of the goverment was to make this district „the city without God', but it was quickly shot down by the citizens, who organized protests in order to build a church in Nowa Huta (today's Lord's Ark, which was eventually built thanks to the help of Karol Wojtyla). This way Nowa Huta became a stronghold of „Solidarnosc” - a trade union that played a very significant role in the process of democratic changes in Poland.

afternoon
Lunch in the restaurant. Departure for Wieliczka. Guided visit of the salt mine: the Wieliczka Salt Mine, located about 13 km from Cracow's city centre, was opened in 13th century. It is one of the oldest salt mines in the world (the table salt was produced until 2007). The main attractions of the mine are the cathedral carved by local miners, three chapels and dozens of statues. In 1978 the mine was inscribed on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites. Wieliczka Salt Mine is one of the most popular attractions in Poland - each year over 1 million tourists visit this place.

evening
Dinner (optional: dinner with Polish folklore spectacle).

SIXTH DAY:

Departure from Cracow

morning
Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to the Cracow's airport.