11 Day Spirit Of Poland 5 Star Experience

Welcome to Krakow! Upon arrival at Krakow airport your transfer will drive you to your hotel for tonight. The rest of the day is free for you to explore Krakow at leisure or simply relax and make the most of your hotel's facilities.

Enjoy a lazy and easy start. After a hearty breakfast at your hotel you will joining a private tour of Krakow Old Town. Krakow is known as the cultural capital of Poland with Old Town listed as UNESCO Heritage. During the tour you will see Barbican and defensive walls with Florian's Gate, the Main Market Square with Sukiennice Cloth Hall, St Mary's Church and Town Hall Tower. You will then continue to the Jagiellonian University, pass by Archbishop Palace (where John Paul II used to live) as well as St Andrew's Church and Paul's Church to reach the Wawel Hill.

Today you will join a guided tour of Auschwitz concentration camp museum. All over the world, Auschwitz has become a symbol of terror, genocide and the Holocaust. It was established by the Nazis in 1940, in the suburbs of the city of Oswiecim (Auschwitz in German) which, like other parts of Poland, was occupied by the Germans during the Second World War. A visit to concentration and extermination camp museum might help you comprehend the incomprehensible.

Today is free for you to explore Krakow at your own pace and perhaps join any of the below optional activities.

Wieliczka Salt Mine
Transfer from Krakow to Wieliczka the most beautiful and the oldest operating salt mine in the world (UNESCO Heritage). From over 700 years it was a source of Polish fortune and a physical fundament of culture. Today, Wieliczka is the most willingly visited Polish tourist object with magnificent chapels, charming underground lakes and original tools and equipment. During this tour you will see a number of excavated chambers on 3 levels adorned with beautiful sculptures made of salt as well as a salt museum. Transfer back to Krakow.

Price includes: hotel pick up and drop off, transportation, guided visit in the mine, entrance to the Wieliczka Salt Mine.
Duration: 4hrs

Tychy brewery & Pszczyna Castle
Transfer from Krakow to Pszczyna Castle; a XIII century gothic castle, later rebuilt in a renaissance style and finally adorned from the outside in a baroque style. It was a residence of Polish Piast nobles. In 2009 it was voted as one of the """"Seven Architectural Wonders of the Silesian Voivodeship"""" by the
Silesian authorities and is often described as one of the most beautiful castle residences in Poland. Visit to the castle. Transfer to the brewery in Tychy. Discover the secrets of one of the largest polish breweries and taste the most typical Polish beer brand – Tyskie, which name comes from this city! Transfer
back to Krakow.

Price includes: hotel pick-up and drop off, transportation, English speaking guide-driver, entrance to the Pszczyna Castle Musem + audioguide in English (Monday closed), Entrance to the brewery in Tychy and a guided tour in English + beer degustation – one per person (Monday closed).
* participants 15 yrs or younger are not admitted to visit brewery, those who are at least 16 yrs can visit brewery only with written permission of their parents.
Duration: 6hrs

Tatra Mountain + Zakopane
The Tatra Mountain is a beautiful section of the Carpathian mountain range and the only one of Alpine character in central Europe. The whole Polish Tatras area constitutes the Tatra National Park (UNESCO Biosphere Reserve). During this tour you will walk through a village of Chocholow, take a trip by the cable and ground railway to Gubalowka Mountain and have a chance to stroll around streets of Zakopane, a town that is the heart of this tourist region. Transfer back to Krakow.

Price includes: Hotel pick up and drop off, English speaking guide, transportation as described
Duration: 8-9hrs

After a delicious breakfast you will be transferred to Krakow train station to board your express train to Warsaw. Upon arrival to Warsaw train station you will be transferred to your hotel.

This morning you will enjoy a private sightseeing tour of Warsaw. During this tour, you will visit the most important spots in the city and will have an opportunity to become acquainted with the sometimes tragic past of Warsaw and the history of Poland. Start the tour by visiting the Old Town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the New Town. Then, continue your journey to Krasinski Palace, the Supreme Court building and the Warsaw Uprising Monument. After that, visit the Lazienki Royal Park where you will see the famous monument dedicated to Frederic Chopin and have an opportunity to relax in the beautiful rose garden and among the dazzling natural elements of the park. You will truly forget that you are in a major European Capital City.

Today is free for you to explore Warsaw at your own pace and perhaps join any of the below optional activities.

Chopin’s concerts in a unique concert hall
Nestled in the cobblestone streets of the Old Town of Warsaw stands a unique neoclassical concert hall with original “plaster stucco” walls, crystal mirrors, and stylish nineteenth century decorations. As you walk through the doors, you will step into the era of Chopin for a two-part ensemble of Chopin’s greatest pieces played by internationally recognized pianists. During the intermission, you will be invited to a glass of sparkling wine, orange juice, or water. This concert is both a perfect start and/or finishing touch to a romantic evening in the Old Town. If you are starting your night with the concert, you may choose to end it in one of the many restaurants that our beautiful old town has to offer.

Price includes: 60 mins concert (including the break) in an air-conditioned room, a glass of wine/orange juice/water, presentation in English.
Duration: 1hr

Unique Polish Folklore Workshops - Boleslawiec Pottery Decorating
Get to know famous ceramics from Boleslawiec. We will teach you how to decorate a ceramic vessel just as the Artists in Boleslawiec do. We provide lessons so that your work can become something really special. The workshop covers the basics of decorating with Boleslawiec stamps, painting with brushes, and the elements of composition. The workshop lasts 60 minutes, and then the vessel is sent for glazing. Glazing lasts from 3 to 7 days and only then the work is ready for pickup. It is also possible to send burnt works to
any place in the world. There is a shop on site, where you can buy unique ceramics from Boleslawiec as a travel souvenir or a unique gift.

Duration: 1hr

Wilanow Palace & Garden Tour
Wilanow Palace is one of the most beautiful architecture monument in Warsaw called "The Little Versailles". The typical baroque palace is remarkable for its original architecture, a blend of the European art with the Old-Polish building tradition. During this trip you could visit the royal summer residence of the King John III Sobieski on the outskirts of a city with a beautiful French style garden and a landscape park.

Price includes: Foreign language speaking guide, transportation during the tour, entrance fee to Wilanow Palace Museum and park.
Duration: 3hrs

Frederic Chopin's Heritage Tour
The Frederic Chopin’s Heritage Tour is an obligatory route for all the lover of the Chopin’s music. During the tour we will visit the places connected with the childhood and youth of the great Polish composer. Transfer from Warsaw to Zelazowa Wola - the birthplace of Frederic Chopin. Visit to the museum in a manor house in the park, visit to Brochow fortified church where Chopin's parents as well as his sister got married and he was baptised there. Transfer back to Warsaw.

Price includes: Foreign language speaking guide, transportation during the tour, entrance fee to Zelazowa Wola Frederic Chopin Museum and park
Duration: 4hrs

After a delicious breakfast you will be transferred to Warsaw train station in time to board your express train north to the city of Gdansk. Upon arrival to Gdansk train station you will be transferred to your hotel.

This morning you will enjoy a privately guided sightseeing tour of Gdansk. The charm of Old Town Gdansk attracts millions of travellers each year. You will start by taking a
walk down Dluga Street, which is one of the most beautiful European markets - nestled in a dazzling selection of renaissance buildings. Visit the Golden Gate and pass by the Town Hall, Neptune fountain, Arthur's Court finishing by the Green Gate - overlooking the Motlawa River. On a way you may visit The Museum of Arthur's Court and the Amber Chamber where you will see an amber polishing demonstration with a short lecture on amber. The tour continues to the Old Crane, which happens to be one of the most popular symbols of the city. After that, the tour finishes at the church of St Mary, Europe's biggest gothic brick church. Free afternoon.

Today is free for you to explore Gdansk at your own pace and perhaps join any of the below optional activities.

Malbork Castle (6h)
Transfer from Gdansk to Malbork Castle, the medieval capital of the Teutonic Order in Eastern Europe. You will have a guided visit to the biggest red brick gothic castle in the world which earned it the title of being a “UNESCO World Heritage Site”. This is not only your chance to admire beautiful architecture, but also to experience what life was like in the past, see their technology, and an antique collection of arms. The Castle's cellars also host the "History of Amber" exhibition presenting an astounding collection of Baltic Sea amber including jewelry, and other products made out of amber. After this extraordinary visit, we will transfer back to Gdansk.

Price includes: Hotel pick up, transportation, entrance fee & audio guide.
Duration: 6hrs

Stutthof Concentration Camp Museum
Located only 40 km from Gdansk, Stutthof was the first concentration camp in Poland that was built by the Nazis in 1939 and the last one to be liberated in 1945 by the Soviet Army. During this period 65 000 people were victims of genocide. A visit to this camp will be a chance to bear witness to the gas chamber where many were ruthlessly murdered, the crematorium, the prisoners’ barracks and the guard’s tower that are all reminders of this horrific time. We will then transfer back to Gdansk.

Price includes: Hotel pick up, transportation, Stutthof Museum guide, entrance fee to the Stutthof Museum.
Duration: 6hrs

Torun - City of Copernicus
On this magical journey, we will transfer from Gdansk to Torun. Torun is the best example of a medieval gothic town, which is why it has the honor of being on the list of “UNESCO World Heritage Sites” and also happens to be the birthplace of the great Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus who discovered that the Earth is not the center of universe. During the walk through the Old Town we would see the Copernicus House and the Cathedral with a bell tower offering a splendid view over the city. Following those visits, you will partake in a souvenir hunt that could be a chance to try the main delicacy of the city, Gingerbread. Gingerbread in Torun is baked according to old recipes and methods dating back to the 16th century passed down by generations. We will then transfer back to Gdansk to end our day.

Price includes: Hotel pick up, transportation during the tour, English speaking guide, entrance fee to the Copernicus House, entrance fee to the Cathedral & bell tower.
Duration: 10hrs

After one more delicious breakfast and at the appropriate time you will be transferred to Gdansk airport in time to board your ongoing flight.