Day 1
Arrival in Krakow. Private coach transfer to the hotel. Dinner. Overnight stay in Krakow.
Day 2
After breakfast we follow the story of Oskar Schindler and the Schindler’s Jews. All the history shown in the Schindler’s List movie took here, in Krakow. We visit Kazimierz, the old Jewish town in Krakow, which became world famous thanks to the film, “Schindler’s List”, made here by Steven Spielberg. We discover the remains of the Jewish culture: the Old Synagogue, Remuh synagogue and the cemetery, Tempel synagogue, the old-fashioned crooked streets and the birthplace of Helen Rubinstein. We also follow the traces of the Holocaust: the Ghetto Square, the famous Schindler’s Factory and the Memorial in the Plaszow concentration camp.
In the afternoon we enjoy the tour in the Old Town of Krakow (UNESCO), and discover all the highlights: Main Market Square (the largest medieval square in Europe), splendid St. Mary’s Basilica (with the biggest medieval altar of Europe!), the Cloth Hall and the Wawel Hill with the magnificent Royal Castle and the Cathedral. We also see the oldest Polish university – the Jagiellonian University. Overnight stay.
Day 3
After breakfast we go to Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum. We visit the area of the former concentration and extermination camp retracing the life of a young girl who survived the Holocaust, Helen Birenbaum, described in the book “ Hope dies last” (..) In Auschwitz we see the exhibition in the brick blocks, where the prisoners were kept, the gas chamber and the crematorium. In Birkenau, the largest Nazi extermination camp where we see the Gate of Death, the wooden barracks and the Victims’ Memorial. After the tour we head to Łódź. Overnight stay in Łódź.
Day 4
After breakfast we enjoy the sightseeing of Łódź, the city where the famous piano virtuoso Artur Rubinstein was born. Not only do we see the places connected with the pianist, but also discover the richness of the Jewish heritage in this city. In the 19th century Łódź was known as the Cotton Empire for the cotton industry that was developing here. We see the palace of the famous “cotton emperor” Izrael Poznanski, his former factory, the marvelous Piotrkowska Street with 19th century Town houses and the monument of Rubinstein. We also visit the Jewish cemetery, which is the largest in Europe. In the afternoon we head to Warsaw. Overnight stay in Warsaw.
Day 5
After breakfast we start the sightseeing of Warsaw. We walk around the Old Town (UNESCO) to see all its highlights: the Royal Route, Royal Castle, St. John’s Cathedral and the picturesque Main Square with the monument of Mermaid – symbol of Warsaw. We also visit the beautiful Lazienki (Baths) Park with the famous statue of Fryderyk Chopin and the 18th century Palace on the Water. In the afternoon we discover the story of “Children in a jar” – the Jewish children who were saved by the Pole Irena Sendlerowa. During the tour we see the traces of the Holocaust (ghetto area, Umschlag Platz), but we also learn about the Jewish culture that used to flourish in Warsaw before World War II, when the largest Jewish community in Europe could be found here! Overnight stay in Warsaw.
Day 6
After breakfast we go for a full day trip to Lublin. Discovering the highlights of the city: the Old Square, the castle, Catholic or Orthodox churches, and the synagogues. We retrace the multicultural history of the city, where Poles, Jews, Greeks and Italians used to live together. We focus on the remains of the splendid Jewish culture, whose symbol is Szalom Szachna, one of the most famous rabbis in the history. In the afternoon we visit Majdanek, the second largest extermination camp built by the Nazis in Poland. Here we see the wooden barracks, the gas chambers and the Memorial. Return to Warsaw. Overnight stay.
Day 7
After breakfast we leave for the airport.