Day 1
Arrival in Krakow. Our guide greets the group at the airport. Private coach transfer to the hotel Dinner. Overnight stay in Krakow.
Day 2
After breakfast we enjoy the tour in the Old Town of Krakow (UNESCO). We 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 (famous among the souvenir hunters) and the Wawel Hill with the magnificent Royal Castle and the Cathedral – the main Coronation church of Polish kings. We also drop into the students’ quarter to see the oldest Polish university – the Jagiellonian University and marvellous courtyard of Collegium Maius building. After lunch break we head to Wieliczka to see one of the oldest and biggest Salt Mines in Europe (UNESCO). During the underground tour we discover treasures of the mine: chambers, lakes, chapels, including famous St. Kinga’s Chapel with its magnificent decoration carved in salt. Return to Krakow. Dinner, overnight stay.
Day 3
After breakfast we go to Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum. We visit the area of the former concentration and extermination camp in Auschwitz . Here we see the exhibition in the brick blocks ,where the prisoners were kept, the gas chamber and the crematorium. After a short break we go to Birkenau (Auschwitz II), the largest Nazi extermination camp where we see the Gate of Death, the wooden barracks and the Victims’ Memorial. Return to Krakow. Free time in the afternoon. In the evening we walk around Kazimierz, the former Jewish town, that has become world famous due to the film The Schindler’s List made here by Steven Spielberg. We see well known Szeroka Street with its numerous synagogues, cemetery and the old mikveh house. After the brief tour we enjoy dinner in one of the local restaurant with the sounds of Jewish Klezmer music in the background.
Day 4
After breakfast we take a landscape trip to the Tatra Mountains region. During this tour we visit Zakopane – the ski resort, known as the winter capital of Poland, located in a picturesque valley at the foot of the Tatras. It attracts visitors with its unique atmosphere, traditional wooden architecture, magnificent cuisine and the folk culture of the local mountaineers. We see the traditional wooden church, the best example of the Zakopane style, a famous local market (time for souvenir hunters!), we go by the funicular to the top of Gubalowka Hill (1123 m ) to admire the panoramic view of the Tatras (if the weather is fine we go back by chair lift). We also stop in Chocholow – a traditional village with the old wooden cottage houses, that are more than 100 years old. After the tour we enjoy some free time in Zakopane! Return to Krakow, spare time . Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 5
After breakfast transfer to the airport