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 a 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 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 a marvellous courtyard of Collegium Maius building. After the tour we go the Benedictine Monastery in Tyniec, where we have lunch in the restaurant at the monastery. We taste specialities produced and prepared by the monks! Then we have a brief tour of the monastery. We go back to Krakow by boat on the Vistula River. Afternoon at leisure (optional trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau). Dinner, overnight stay.
Day 3
After breakfast we go to Tyskie Brewery, where we enjoy a visit to a unique historic brewery in operation! Tyskie Brewery is one of the oldest factories of this kind in Poland. At the end of the 19th century it became one of the largest one in Europe. During a guided tour we visit the impressive brewery, cellars, the bottling process and the museum. After the tour, beer tasting keeps us in a good mood! Return to Krakow. In the afternoon we head to Wieliczka to see one of the oldest and biggest Salt Mines in Europe (UNESCO). During the underground tour we discover the treasures of the mine: chambers, lakes, chapels, including famous St. Kinga’s Chapel with the magnificent decoration carved in salt. Return to Krakow. Dinner, overnight stay.
Day 4
After breakfast we leave for Zakopane. We enjoy a landscape tour around the region the Tatra Mountains, the highest mountain range in Poland. We visit Zakopane – the ski resort, known as the winter capital of Poland. Located in a picturesque valley at the foot of the Tatras, Zakopane 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 good, 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! In the evening we invite you to dinner in a traditional wooden inn with a folk highlander’s band (live) in the background! Overnight stay in Zakopane.
Day 5
After breakfast we go on a rafting trip to the Pieniny Mountains . During the tour we drive around the picturesque Pieniny Mountains region discovering all its highlights. We visit a unique wooden church in Debno Podhalanskie (15th century, UNESCO) with its 16th c. wall paintings. The biggest attraction of the tour, however, is the famous rafting on the Dunajec river. 12 people get on the wooden raft with 2 raftsmen who navigate it with a long wooden stick. During 2,20 h of a smooth and lazy rafting we admire the landscapes of Pieniny Mountains and a wonderful lime rock gorge of the Dunajec River. We also stop in Niedzica to take a look at the medieval castle picturesquely located on the bank of the lake. Here we enjoy some free time – for lunch, taking photos or just for a stroll through the dam on the Czorsztyn Lake. Return to Zakopane, afternoon at leisure (optional trip by cable car to Kasprowy Wierch peak, 1987 m ). Dinner, overnight stay.
Day 6
Breakfast. Transfer to the Krakow’s airport.