KRAKOW

WHAT'S INCLUDED
From 3 days duration
Departure dates throughout the year
Return regional flights (subject to availability)
Return airport transfers in Poland
From 2 nights 3 star inner city accommodation
2 nights half board


THE FOLLOWING IS A SAMPLE 5 ITINERARY

Day 1 Departing from London this morning we will arrive at Krakow airport where you will be met by our guide. We begin with a sightseeing tour of Royal Kraków that starts outside the medieval defensive walls and continues along the Royal Tract towards the Wawel Hill. En-route you will have a chance to see some historical burghers’ houses, the biggest market square of medieval Europe, the 11th oldest university in the world, various examples of architectural styles: romanesque, gothic, renaissance, baroque and art nouveau, etc. You will also visit the Royal Seat at the Wawel Hill along with the Castle and the Cathedral. The exhibition in the Royal Chambers presents uniquely woven 16th and 17th century Flemish tapestries depicting different scenes: biblical stories, animal and floral details, imaginary creatures, and coats of arms. These were commissioned in the 16th century by King Sigismund Augustus and designed exclusively to fit Wawel interiors. A great collection of renaissance paintings enrich the chambers. We continue on to the Cathedral, with its former function of a coronation and burial place. It is also the centre of worship of St. Stanislas - the bishop and patron saint of Poland together with St. Jadwiga - the honourable queen of Poland and founder of the Jagiellonian University. There are a chain of chapels built in different styles surrounding the nave the most recognisable of which is the Sigismund Chapel called "The Pearl of Renaissance north of the Alps". You will not find amore pure example of 16th century Italian-style chapel outside the Apennine Peninsula. You will see the largest market area in Europe and St. Mary’s Church, which has the most astonishing interior devotional decorated gothic wooden altar made by Wit Stwosz. This afternoon we have a sightseeing of Kazimierz, formerly inhabited by the Jews who before WWII constituted one third of the total population of Kraków. You will visit the traces of their culture, architecture and long lost unique atmosphere. We will also visit the oldest synagogue in Poland, the Old Cemetery and the place where Rabbi Moses Iserless preached four centuries ago. This area is also home to Schindler’s Factory of Enamelled Pots and Pans and Pankiewicz’s Pharmacy in the centre of Jewish Ghetto. Dinner is included this evening...

Day 2 After breakfast walking guided tour through Krakow’s museums. As a World Heritage Site, Kraków abounds in numerous collections of memorabilia and art. We will take you to: the Jagiellonian University Museum and its artefacts consisting of the 15th century globe carrying the first depiction of America and astronomical instruments used by Copernicus. Moving on we visit the Czartoryski Collection, which is the oldest Polish museum. This exquisite collection contains the genuine "Lady with an Ermine" by Leonardo da Vinci and "The Good Samaritan" by Rembrandt, as well as many other interesting paintings of high artistic value (16th century Italian paintings, Dutch portraits, and many more). A lite lunch will be included before your afternoon trip to the most charming amongst Polish National Parks, situated to the north of Krakow, which embraces rich plant and animal life, an unusual landscape made up of canyons up to 120 m deep and white limestone cliffs containing innumerable caves. The park was home of many watchtowers and castles. Driving along "The Trail of the Eagles’ Nests" you can admire amazingly beautiful landscape of gorges and rock formations including the famous "Hercules’s Club". We visit "Pieskowa Ska³a" Castle, which is the best preserved example of medieval bordering fortresses. The Castle was erected on a rocky pinnacle hanging over the Pradnik River valley in the 14th century (rebuilt in 16th century in Renaissance style) and nowadays affiliates with the Museum of National Wawel Art Collection. Dinner is included this evening.Day 3 This morning we include a local excursion to Wieliczka Salt Mine which is suitable for most visitors with awith air-conditioning, lighting, handrails and even surfaces and lifts for the disabled, making your visit a comfortable one. This is a superbly preserved world-class system of underground chambers and corridors. To get down you normally walk down a flight of stairs (380 steps), but if it seems tiring, we can order a lift (extra charged). Your guide who will accompany you around this unique attraction will tell you interesting stories of geological origin, types of salt, customs and beliefs that miners practised and still do, as well as underground bungee jumps and balloon flights that took place in the mine. With its abundance of salt statues, chapels, beautifully illuminated lakes and perfectly purified air make the visit an unforgettable one. Lunch is included today before we depart Wieliczka and drive to Niepo³omice where we include a sightseeing visit of the Gothic Castle, which dates back to the 14th century. This village was surrounded by a vast forest full of wild animals and so impressed was Kazimierz the Great by the landscape, that he decided to build a gothic castle here. During the reign of Wadysaw Jagieo the castle became the second official seat of the monarch, after Wawel Castle and underwent some changes by Zygmunt Stary and his sons. The present square form of the castle, the courtyard and the gallery inside it were then introduced while all wings of the building were raised by one storey. During the so called Swedish Deluge (Polish-Swedish War of 1655-57) all furniture, paintings, chandeliers and even oven tiles were stolen. Later on, the Austrians converted the castle into an ammunition dump! It wasn’t until the end of the 20th century when the renovation brought the castle back to its former splendour. At present, the castle is used as the local Culture Centre & the Royal Castle Foundation and a museum. It is a venue for numerous theatre and opera performances, knight shows or hunting and traditional gatherings. Dinner will be included in the vicinity of this last visit before returning to Krakow later this evening.

Day 3 This morning we include a local excursion to with air-conditioning, lighting, handrails and even surfaces and lifts for the disabled, making your visit a comfortable one. This is a superbly preserved world-class system of underground chambers and corridors. To get down you normally walk down a flight of stairs (380 steps), but if it seems tiring, we can order a lift (extra charged). Your guide who will accompany you around this unique attraction will tell you interesting stories of geological origin, types of salt, customs and beliefs that miners practised and still do, as well as underground bungee jumps and balloon flights that took place in the mine. With its abundance of salt statues, chapels, beautifully illuminated lakes and perfectly purified air make the visit an unforgettable one. Lunch is included today before we depart Wieliczka and drive to where we include a sightseeing visit of the which dates back to the 14th century. This village was surrounded by a vast forest full of wild animals and so impressed was Kazimierz the Great by the landscape, that he decided to build a here. During the reign of Wadysaw Jagieo the castle became the , after Wawel Castle and underwent some changes by Zygmunt Stary and his sons. The present square form of the castle, the courtyard and the gallery inside it were then introduced while all wings of the building were raised by one storey. During the so called Swedish Deluge (Polish-Swedish War of 1655-57) all furniture, paintings, chandeliers and even oven tiles were stolen. Later on, the Austrians converted the castle into an ammunition dump! It wasn’t until the end of the 20th century when the renovation brought the castle back to its former splendour. At present, the castle is used as the local Culture Centre & the Royal Castle Foundation and a museum. It is a venue for numerous theatre and opera performances, knight shows or hunting and traditional gatherings. Dinner will be included in the vicinity of this last visit before returning to Krakow later this evening.

Day 4 After breakfast we include an excursion to Auschwitz- Birkenau. This former concentration camp is a symbol of horror, inhumanity and the Holocaust. The camp was constructed by Nazis in 1940 for Polish citizens, from 1942 Auschwitz became the most of important camp for the mass extermination of European Jews. The ruins of the gas chambers, kilometers of barbed wire, wooden barracks, the train platform where people were unloaded and selected, remain as horrifying today as they were in 1940. In 1979 this former concentration camp was entered on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The photographs & documents recovered from the site as well as locks of hair & shoes serve as a testimony to the sheer scale of the atrocities committed. Lunch is at your leisure today. We return to Krakow where you will have some free time to see the Christmas market and enjoy time at your own pace before our finale dinner accompanied by Klezmer music at the Klezmer Hois Restaurant.

Day 5 Morning departure for Wadowice, Jagiewniki, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska. Wadowice is the birthplace of the late Pope John Paul II. Visitors have two points of interest: his birthplace and former home, which has been opened as a museum and the Church, where he was christened, which is situated on the same street. Kalwaria Zebrzydowska is entered on the UNESCO World Heritage List and here we visit the Sanctuary of Our Lady. The Pope as a child came here very frequently to pray and contemplate God. He said his faith and dedication to God grew stronger here. Apart from the main church there is a formerly common way of worshipping God. This is a complex of differently styled chapels on "the Way of The Cross", illustrating Christ’s passion. £agiewniki- Sanctuary of Divine Mercy, connected with the worship of St. Faustyna. This church became a destination place for pilgrimages after visiting and consecrating by John Paul II. Lunch is included today before we return to Krakow where we will take an afternoon flight back to the UK.

PRICES AND SUPPLEMENTS
Price on application
Single supplement and minimum  numbers apply

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