POLAND IN ONE WEEK

FIRST DAY:

Arrival to Warsaw

afternoon
Arrival to Warsaw's airport, meeting with the tour leader in the hall of the airport and transfer to the hotel.

evening
Dinner in the hotel or at the restaurant.

SECOND DAY:

Visit of Warsaw

morning

Breakfast in the hotel. Meeting with the guide at the hotel reception desk for the visit of Warsaw. In the 18th and 19th century Warsaw was known as the “Paris of the North”, thanks to its wide, tree-lined streets and classical architecture. However, during the Second World War, the city was almost completely destroyed and the following reconstruction changed its character and urban layout. Despite the reconstruction of the major monuments and historic parks, the aspect of Warsaw is indelibly marked by the architecture of socialist realism. It is clear from one of the symbols of the city and its most important landmark, the Palace of Culture and Science (Palac Kultury i Nauki), an example of socialist realism monumental architecture. This huge building, constructed between 1952 and 1955, situated beside the Warsaw Central Railway Station, is located in what is now the Warsaw's commercial and financial centre. The most picturesque part of the city is the Old Town (Stare Miasto) which roughly corresponds to the “Old Warsaw”, the first urban core of the city that dates back to the 13th century. The Barbican, built in 1548, leads us to the New Town (Nowe Miasto) located to the north, outside the medieval walls dating back to the 15th century. In the southern part of the Old Town, there is the "Castle Square" (Plac Zamkowy) with the Royal Castle (Zamek Królewski) towering above it. The Royal Castle was erected in the 14th century and then rebuilt after it was completely destructed by the Nazis in 1944. On the square, there is also the “Sigismund's Column” which commemorates King Sigismund III Vasa, who in 1596 had moved Poland's capital from Cracow to Warsaw. Among the places of artistic interest, we must mention the great “Lazienki Park”, established in the 18th century at the behest of King Stanislaw August Poniatowski. In the Park, we can admire the beautiful neoclassical buildings such as the "Palace on the Isle” (Palac na Wodzie) and the “Theatre on the Isle” built on the bank of the Lazienki Lake. In many places in the city, the Jewish culture and history resonate down through time. The tragic pages of Warsaw’s history are commemorated in places such as the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, the Umschlagplatz, fragments of the Ghetto wall on Sienna Street and a mound in memory of the Jewish Combat Organization.

afternoon
Lunch at the restaurant. Visit of the Royal Castle.

evening
Dinner in the hotel or at the restaurant.

THIRD DAY:

Warsaw – Czestochowa – Cracow

morning
Breakfast in the hotel. Departure for Czestochowa.

afternoon

Lunch at the restaurant in 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. Departure for Cracow.

evening
Arrival to Cracow. Dinner in the hotel or at the restaurant.

FOURTH DAY:

Visit of Cracow, Kazimierz – Jewish district

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).

FIFTH DAY:

Cracow – Dunajec River – Zakopane – Cracow

morning
Breakfast in the hotel. Departure for Sromowce Wyzne. Dunajec River rafting in the Pieniny Mountains (in case of rain the trip by a funicular railway to the top of Gubalowka mountain in Zakopane). Arrival to Szczawnica. Departure for Zakopane.

afternoon
Lunch in Zakopane. Visit of Zakopane – the capital of Polish mountains. The visit includes: the town's most popular street Krupowki, Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima in Krzeptowki (the church is a votive offering in thanksgiving for John Paul's II life saved from the assassination attempt).

evening
Dinner.

SIXTH DAY:

Cracow – Oswiecim – Brzezinka (Auschwitz-Birkenau) - Wieliczka – 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. 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 folclore concert).

SEVENTH DAY:

Departure form Poland

morning
Breakfast in  the hotel. Check-out. Transfer to the airport.