Poland in 8 days: 7 nights and 5 places listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO
Poland for everybody
A cultural journey across Poland in 8 days. 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, Wroclaw, Poznan, Gniezno, Warsaw.
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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. 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 front of Schindler's Factory on the way to the Salt Mine in Wieliczka. 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. 22:00 Return to the hotel and the night is spent 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 Pieniny 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 sightseeing in 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 raft trip). 14:00 Transfer to Debno Podhalanskie. Visiting the wooden Gothic church: one of the wooden churches in the south of Poland listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. 15:00 Transfer to Wadowice, where Pope 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. 20:00 Dinner with typical Polish food at the hotel or at a restaurant with a Jewish music (Klezmer) concert in Krakow. The last night in Krakow. -
Day 4 Krakow – Oswiecim-Brzezinka (Auschwitz-Birkenau) – Wroclaw
7:30 Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from the hotel in Krakow. 8:00 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 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 Departure for Wroclaw. 21:00 Arrival in Wroclaw and check-in at the hotel. Dinner at the hotel. Overnight stay in Wroclaw -
Day 5 Wroclaw – Poznan
8:00 Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from the hotel in Wroclaw. 9:00 Guided tour of Wroclaw: the Gothic Town Hall, the University, the Ostrow Tumski complex with the Cathedral, the Leopoldine Hall. Because of the bridges and islands on the Odra River, Wroclaw is nicknamed “the Venice of Poland”. The tour ends at the Market Square 13:00 Lunch at a restaurant in the centre of Wroclaw. 14:00 Free time. 17:00 Departure for Poznan. 20:00 Arrival in Poznan and check-in at the hotel. Dinner at a restaurant in the old town or at the hotel. Overnight stay in Poznan. -
Day 6 Poznan – Gniezno – Warsaw
8:00 Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from the hotel in Poznan. 9:00 Sightseeing in Poznan. 13:00 Lunch at a restaurant in Poznan. 14:30 Departure for Gniezno – the first capital of Poland. 16:00 Sightseeing in Gniezno. Visiting the Cathedral, where the first Polish kings were crowned. 17:30 Departure for Warsaw. 20:00 Arrival in Warsaw and check-in at the hotel. Dinner at the hotel. Overnight stay in Warsaw. -
Day 7 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. The Old Town was completely destroyed during World War II and reconstructed thanks to the commitment of the Polish nation. 13:00 Lunch at one of the restaurants in the centre of Warsaw. 14:30 Sightseeing inside the Royal Castle. 16:30 Leisure time in the centre of Warsaw. 20:00 Dinner with a music concert at one of the local restaurants (optional). The last night in Warsaw. -
Day 8 Departure from Poland
x Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from the hotel in Warsaw. y Transfer to the airport. Departure from Poland.
