Day-By-Day Program:

DAY 1   SAT    ●           WARSAW

Upon arrival, transfer on your own to your centrally located hotel in Warscawa. Afternoon is free.
6 pm: meet your guide and the rest of the group in hotel lobby. Drive along the beautifully renovated Royal Route with its historical monuments and residences. Stop at Castle Square for a short walk through Old Town, and then join the group for a Welcome dinner. Your meal includes typical Polish dishes and the famous Polish Zubrowka vodka (D)

DAY 2    SUN   ●           WARSAW

This morning you will be introduced to the highlights of Warsaw. A half-day sightseeing tour includes Old Town, beautifully rebuilt after World War II, with the impressive Royal Castle, the seat of the Polish kings.
Walk through some of its 300 rooms and view the Canaletto Room with 23 of his paintings, the Throne Room, the magnificent Knight’s Hall with six large paintings by Marcello Bacciarelli, the Marble room with its 22 portraits of Polish kings and the largest and most impressive of all the castle’s chambers, the Ballroom. After lunch at a local restaurant continue sightseeing and drive to the former Warsaw Ghetto. En route, you will see the buildings of the National Opera House and Town Hall 

This evening you will take an unforgettable musical journey through the world famous works of the Polish great composer, Frederic Chopin, in a piano recital (B,L)

DAY 3   MON    ●          WARSAW – CZESTOCHOWA – AUSCHWITZ – KRAKOW

The road to Krakow, Poland's most beloved city, leads us past Czestochowa, site of Jasna Gora and the Black Madonna, venerated as Poland’s holiest icon. Lunch at a local restaurant in Czestochowa. En route to Krakow, we also stop at Auschwitz, the site of the concentration camp, where millions lost their lives in the crematoria during the Holocaust (B,L)

DAY 4   TUE    ●           KRAKOW

In the morning you will be offered a panoramic city tour featuring Wawel Royal Castle, home to three dynasties of Poland’s monarchs. Its stately halls and exquisite chambers are filled with priceless art. The collection of monumental 16th century tapestries here is matchless.

Also visit Wawel Cathedral, the place of the cult of St. Stanislaw and St. Jadwiga, Queen of Poland. Its 18 chapels are true architectural masterpieces. This is the place where Polish kings were crowned and buried. A short break for coffee and cake at the famous caféteria.

Drive to Old Town with its renewed Main Square of magnificent houses and palaces. There, you will stop at St. Mary’s Basilica to see the magnificent wooden altar by Wit Stwosz. In the middle of the square is Cloth Hall built before 1349, and renovated in the 16th century with many shopping stalls inside worth exploring. The afternoon is at leisure (B)

DAY 5   WED   ●           KRAKOW – ZAKOPANE

In the morning we visit Kazimierz, the Jewish quarter of Krakow established in 1335 by Polish King Casimir the Greatest. Surrounded by defensive walls with its own Town Hall the district became ofe of the European centres of Jewish religion, learning and culture. 
After lunch on your own we drive to Zakopane, a prestigious resort high in the Tatra Mountains, internationally known for its scenic beauties and culture (B)

DAY 6   THU   ●            ZAKOPANE

In the morning, you will have a sightseeing tour of Zakopane, whose wooden architecture blends with the natural landscapes. Copied in other regions of Poland, it is known as Zakopianski Style. You will visit the Jaszczurowka Chapel, a great example of wooden architecture in Zakopane, and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima at Krzeptowki, which was built by the people of Zakopane to thank the Lady of Fatima for saving the Pope after an attempt on His life. Take the funicular up the Gubalowka Hill for the breathtaking view from atop the mountain, shop for souvenirs and crafts of the Highlanders (Gorale). Lunch on your own and free time (B)

DAY 7   FRI    ●           ZAKOPANE – WADOWICE – WROCLAW

Today we depart for western Poland and the historic city of Wroclaw, the historic capital of Lower Silesia and one of Poland's oldest cities perched on the Odra River. En route, stop in Wadowice, the birthplace of John Paul II. After lunch, visit the house where He was born and grew up. From the window of His bedroom He used to see a clock with the sign "Time flies, eternity awaits".

In the Basilica of Wadowice, where Karol Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II, was baptized you can still see a special plaque that commemorates this fact as well as a stone font where the Pope prayed during His first pilgrimage to Poland in 1979. Lunch in Wadowice. Continue your journey to Wroclaw, the Cultural Capital of Europe 2016. This city is widely recognized as a gem of urban Gothic Renaissance architecture (B,L)

DAY 8   SAT   ●           WROCLAW – POZNAN

After breakfast enjoy the sightseeing tour of Wroclaw with its colorful Old Town dominated by the the gothic Town Hall from the 14th century. Also see the Salt Market Square lined with Renaissance burgher houses and the nearby Wroclaw University of the 18th century. You will also visit Ostrow Tumski, the residence of bishops and princesin the early Middle Ages. Its major landmark is the enormous Gothic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist of the 13th century. After sightseeing we drive to Poznan for dinner and overnight (B,D)

DAY 9   SUN      ●            POZNAN – TORUN

Today depart for Torun.  A brief stop for sightseeing in the historic city of Poznan. The first settlement here goes back to early 9th century. The most interesting part of the city is Old Town with its famous Renaissance Town Hall, now housing the Historic Museum. In the middle of the attic, above the clock, you can see two metal goats butting their horns 12 times every day at noon. After lunch continue on to Torun (B,L)

DAY 10   MON    ●           TORUN – GDANSK
Morning tour of Torun, the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus and one of the most magnificent historic cities of Poland. Its Old Town has been included in the UNESCO’s list for its impressive 13th century Town Hall, superb churches and streets that remind of Torun's past glory. Lunch is served at a local restaurant in Torun. In the afternoon, we drive to Gdańsk for a brief walking tour of its Old Town (B,L)

DAY 11   TUE    ●           Gdańsk – GDYNIA – SOPOT - Gdańsk
Today we tour Gdańsk in more detail. The city of Gdańsk (Danzig in German) is a princial sea port city on the Baltic coast of Poland. At the center of its Main Town, reconstructed after World War II, are the colorful facades of Long Market, now home to shops and restaurants. Nearby is Neptune Fountain, a 17th-century symbol of the city topped by a bronze statue of the sea god. We start from the Upland Gate - a fragment of the city's former fortifications and one of its main gates. Just behind it, we pass by a baked-brick construction consisting of the Prison Tower and the Torture House - relics of the 15th c. Gothic defense walls. 
The Golden Gate, situated next to the Prison Tower, opens onto a Long Market, a magnificent street, with grand mansions decorated with late Renaissance and Baroque facades. A real feast for travelers' eyes! It is here that the richest burghers of Gdansk once lived. Next, we come upon the Main Town and the Artus Court - a building used for Hanseatic League meetings.

It is renowned as the most beautiful court among all of Europe’s Hanseatic cities. Just behind it stands the tower of St. Mary's Basilica, part of the most precious and largest red-brick Gothic church in Gdańsk. On our way back we pass by Mariacka Street, with its gabled terraced houses and elegant boutiques.
It is worth noting that Gdańsk is also a center for the world’s amber trade; boutiques throughout the city sell the ossified resin. 
After lunch on your own, we drive to the town of Gdynia, the youngest of the Tri-city complex, which also includes Sopot. Continue on to Oliwa to visit Oliwa Cathedral famous for its one-of-its-kind pipe organ.

Finally, we drive on to Sopot, the fashionable seaside resort. Among its many landmarks is its unique wooden pier, the oldest and the longest pier in Europe. The balance of the day is free for independent activities or shopping for Baltic crafts and amber jewelry (B)

DAY 12   WED   ●           GDANSK – OLSZTYN
After breakfast enjoy some free time for independent activities, we drive to Olsztyn.
After lunch on your own, we travel to Olsztyn, a town located in the region of scenic beauty, with a multitude of pristine  lakes, rivers and forests. The most attractive part of the city is the Old Town encircled by fortified walls. En route, we stop in the village of Gietrzwarld for an open-air picnic with folklore entertainment (B,D)

DAY 13   THU   ●           OLSZTYN – OLSZTYNEK – LOWICZ – WARSAW

After breakfast return to Warsaw. En route we visit the Ethnographic Park in Olsztynek, site of the Museum of Folk Architecture, one of the oldest open-air museums in Europe. The Museum contains many unique samples of folk architecture, including houses, barns, windmills and other traditional buildings. A particular attraction of the Ethnographic Park are the interiors of old houses, the evangelical church, a smithy, a pottery stand, a Dutch windmill as well as various temporary displays representing items of traditional craftsmanship and modern folk art and handicraft from the region.
In the afternoon, as we continue our drive to Warsaw, we stop in Lowicz, a typical Mazovian town famous for folk art: noteworthy are the colorful costumes.

You will be invited for a home-hosted dinner by a local family, whose charming cottage is located at the foot of the former Lowicz Castle. You will be welcomed with bread & salt. Enjoy your meal served by a young married couple in their lovely house. You will have time to chat about their everyday life and have your dessert in a beautiful garden. After dinner depart to Warsaw (B,D)

DAY 14   FRI   ●           WARSAW

After breakfast transfer to airport for your flight home (B)

Learn More: 

Warsaw Highlights  

Zakopane Highlights

Krakow Highlights 
Wroclaw Highlights
Gdansk Highlights  

Olsztyn Highlights