A 5-day cultural journey across the Malopolska region (Little Poland). The programme includes the following places: Krakow, Kazimierz – the former Jewish district in Krakow, Wieliczka – the Salt Mine, Pieniny – sailing on wooden rafts on the Dunajec River, Debno Podhalanskie, Wadowice – the hometown of Pope John Paul II, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, Auschwitz – Birkenau, Czestochowa.
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Krakow
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Krakow
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Florian`s Gate
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Main Market Square
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Main Market Square
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St. Mary`s Church
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Barbicane
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Old tram
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Barbicane
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Old Synagogue
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Collegium Novum
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Day 1 Arrival in Krakow
x Arrival in Krakow by plane or coach. Meeting with the tour leader from Ernesto Travel and transfer by coach to the hotel in Krakow. Check-in at the hotel. Dinner at the hotel or at a restaurant in the centre of Krakow (depending on the arrival time). [It's possible to begin the programme in Warsaw, Katowice or another city according to the flight schedule]. Overnight stay in Krakow. -
Day 2 Krakow – the heart of Poland, Kazimierz – Jewish district and Wieliczka – the salt mine
8:00 Breakfast at the hotel. 9:00 Guided tour of Krakow. Wawel Hill with the castle (optional sightseeing inside) and its beautiful courtyard and Cathedral (sightseeing inside). Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture of the Old Town (Stare Miasto), the biggest market square in Europe (Rynek Glowny), the Town Hall, Collegium Maius – an ancient building belonging to the Jagiellonian University, the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), Saint Mary’s Church (Kosciol Mariacki – sightseeing inside) with the famous altar by Veit Stoss. A walk to the antique walls of the Old Town through Florianska Gate and to the Barbican. The Czartoryski Museum with the famous Leonardo Da Vinci painting “Lady with an Ermine”. During the sightseeing: multimedia presentation about the story of amber called "Polish Gold". In 1978, Krakow was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. 13:30 Lunch at a restaurant in Krakow. 15:00 Visiting the former Jewish district – Kazimierz. This part of Krakow was the centre of the Jewish community's religious and social life until the deportations during the Nazi occupation (sightseeing in 1 or 2 synagogues). Short stop in the front of Schindler's Factory. 17:00 Transfer to Wieliczka (10 km from Krakow). 17:30 Guided tour in the Wieliczka Salt Mine – one of the oldest salt mines in the world. Many famous people have visited this place, such as Mikolaj Kopernik, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Dmitrij Mendeleev, Boleslaw Prus, Ignacy Paderewski, Karol Wojtyla, etc. In 1978, the Wieliczka Salt Mine was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO . 20:00 Dinner at a traditional Polish restaurant in Wieliczka combined with a folk music concert. Return to the hotel and overnight stay in Krakow. -
Day 3 Krakow – Pieniny and Dunajec – Debno Podhalanskie – Wadowice – Kalwaria Zebrzydowska – Krakow
7:30 Breakfast at the hotel. 8:00 Departure by coach for Sromowce Wyzne. 10:00 Sailing on traditional wooden rafts down The Dunajec River, across The Pieninski National Park. [Attention: if rain makes it impossible to sail rafts down the Dunajec river, a trip to the Polish Mountain capital – Zakopane - will be arranged instead, which will include visiting the town and riding the funicular railway or chairlift up to Gubalowka for a beautiful view over the Tatra Mountains.] 13:00 Lunch at a restaurant in Szczawnica (or Wadowice or Zakopane, if there is no rafting). 14:00 Transfer to Debno Podhalanskie. Visiting the wooden Gothic church: one of the wooden churches on the south of Poland listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. 15:00 Transfer to Wadowice, where John Paul II was born in 1920. 17:00 Visiting the Pope's home and the church where he was baptised. Transfer to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska. 18:30 Visiting the Bernardine Monastery complex in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, one of the most famous sanctuaries in Poland. The whole Mannerist complex (including the sanctuary and a park) is also listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. 19:30 Departure for Krakow. 20:00 Dinner with typical Polish food in a restaurant combined with a Jewish music (Klezmer) concert in Krakow. Overnight stay in Krakow. -
Day 4 Krakow – Oswiecim (Auschwitz – Birkenau) – Czestochowa – Krakow
7:30 Breakfast at the hotel. 8:00 Departure for Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum. 10:00 Guided tour of the area of the former concentration camp in Auschwitz-Birkenau. The camp was built by Nazis during the Nazi occupation of Poland. Today this place is a World Heritage Site of The UNESCO. 13:00 Lunch at a restaurant. 14:00 Departure for Czestochowa. 16:00 Guided tour of the most important pilgrimage place in Poland – the monastery in Czestochowa: Jasna Gora with the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary – the Black Madonna. 18:00 Return to Krakow. 21:00 Arrival in Krakow. Dinner at the hotel. -
Day 5 Departure from Krakow and from Poland
x Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from the hotel in Krakow. y Transfer to the airport. Departure from Poland.
