Warsaw, Prague and Krakow – 3 capitals of 2 countries
A cultural journey through Poland and the Czech Republic in 10 days. The programme includes the following places: Warsaw, Zelazowa Wola – Frederic Chopin's birthplace, Czestochowa, Prague, Wadowice – hometown of Pope John Paul II, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, Krakow, Kazimierz – the former Jewish district in Krakow, Wieliczka – the Salt Mine, Pieniny – sailing on traditional wooden rafts on the Dunajec River, Debno Podhalanskie, Auschwitz-Birkenau.
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Day 1 Arrival in Warsaw
x Arrival in Warsaw at x, flight number y. Meeting with the tour leader from Ernesto Travel and transfer by coach to the hotel in Warsaw. Arrival and check-in at the hotel. Dinner at the hotel or at a restaurant in the city centre (it depends on the arrival time). [The program can begin in Katowice or another city according to the flight schedule]. The night is spent in Warsaw. -
Day 2 Warsaw – the capital city of Poland
8:00 Breakfast at the hotel. 9:00 Guided tour of Warsaw: Lazienkowski Park with the Frederic Chopin monument, the Warsaw Ghetto, Umschlagplatz (thousands of the Jews were deported from there to the concentration camps), the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Palace of Culture and Science, Krakowskie Przedmiescie Street, the Old Town (listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO), St. John’s Cathedral. 13:00 Lunch at a restaurant in the city centre. 14:30 Sightseeing inside the Royal Castle. 16:30 Leisure time in the city centre. 20:00 Dinner with a music concert at one of the local restaurants (optional). The last night in Warsaw. -
Day 3 Warsaw – Zelazowa Wola – Czestochowa
7:00 Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from the hotel in Warsaw. 8:00 Departure for Zelazowa Wola. 9:30 Arrival in Zelazowa Wola, where Frederic Chopin was born. Visiting the Zelazowa Wola Museum located in Chopin's family house. Depending on the season: a concert of Chopin’s music. 11:00 Transfer to Czestochowa. 14:00 Arrival in Czestochowa and lunch at a rustic restaurant in Czestochowa. Check-in at the hotel in 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. 19:30 Dinner at the hotel. 20:30 Optionally: an evening walk to the shrine. 22:00 Return to the hotel in Czestochowa. -
Day 4 Czestochowa – Prague
8:00 Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from the hotel in Czestochowa. 9:00 Departure for Prague. 13:00 Lunch during the trip. afternoon Arrival in Prague. Check-in at the hotel. A panoramic visit in Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic. 20:00 Dinner at a restaurant. Overnight stay in Prague. -
Day 5 Sightseeing in Prague in 2 parts
8:00 Breakfast at the hotel. 9:00 1st part of sightseeing: religious Prague: the church of the House of Nazareth – Prague's Loreto, visiting the castle and St. Vitus Cathedral with the funeral chapel of St. Venceslao, Czech Republic's patron saint. The cathedral is also the eternal resting place of St. John Nepomucen. Visiting St. George's Basilica, the Golden Lane, Starahovski's convent, the church of the Virgin of Victory with the famous statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague. 13:30 Lunch at a restaurant. 15:00 2nd part of sightseeing: bohemian Prague: walk to Jozefov, the former Jewish quarter. Charles' Bridge, a walk along the Royal Route: Celetna Street, Na Prikope Street. Market Square with the Municipal House. 18:00 Leisure time. 19:00 Dinner at a restaurant. 20:30 A Black Light Theatre spectacle (optional). 22:00 The last night in Prague. -
Day 6 Prague – Wadowice – Kalwaria – Krakow
7:00 Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from the hotel in Prague. 8:00 Departure for Krakow. 14:00 Lunch at a restaurant in Wadowice. 16:00 Visiting Pope John Paul II's home and the church where he was baptised. 18:00 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. 20:30 Arrival in Krakow and check-in at the hotel. 21:00 Dinner at the hotel. Overnight stay in Krakow. -
Day 7 Krakow – the heart of Poland 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. 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). 17:00 Transfer to Wieliczka. 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 concert of Jewish music called klezmer. 22:00 Return to the hotel. -
Day 8 Krakow – Pieniny and Dunajec – Zakopane – Krakow
8:00 Breakfast at the hotel. 9:00 Departure by coach for Sromowce Wyzne. 11:00 Sailing on traditional wooden rafts down the Dunajec River, across the Pieniny National Park. (on condition that the weather is good). 13:00 Lunch at a restaurant in Szczawnica. 14:00 Departure for Zakopane. 16:00 Sightseeing in Zakopane. 19:00 Dinner at an old-fashioned restaurant in Zakopane combined with a traditional Goral music concert. 20:00 Return to the hotel in Krakow. -
Day 9 Krakow – Oswiecim-Brzezinka (Auschwitz-Birkenau) – Krakow
7:30 Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from the hotel in Krakow. 8:30 Departure for the 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 UNESCO. 13:00 Lunch at a restaurant. 14:00 Departure for Krakow. 15:00 Arrival in Krakow and leisure time. 20:00 Dinner in Krakow. 22:00 Return to the hotel. -
Day 10 Departure from Krakow and from Poland
x Breakfast. Check-out from the hotel in Krakow. y Transfer to Balice airport. Departure from Krakow and from Poland.
