Sweet Poland

Arrival in 2015: May, 2, 16 and 30; June, 13 and 27; July, 11; August, 1, 15 and 29; September, 12 and 26; October, 10 and 24.

Day 1. Warsaw

Arrival in Warsaw and overnight at the hotel. Night in Warsaw.

Day 2. Warsaw

City tour of the Polish capital. Walk through the Royal Lazienki Park (The Royal Baths) with monument to Frédéric Chopin, the Palace on the Water and the Theatre on the Island.
Transfer to the ancient Jewish part of town: the grounds of the former ghetto and monuments commemorating the places where the martyrdom of the Jews had happened at the time of the Second World War as Umschlagplatz and the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes. Transfer to the Old Town (UNESCO).
Walk through the medieval streets from the Royal Palace and the cathedral, passing the Market Square and the Barbican to the New Town. Visit to the Museum of Warsaw Uprising.
Night in Warsaw.

Day 3. Warsaw – Kazimierz Dolny – Zamosc

Kazimierz Dolny is the city of artists located on the Vistula River. Walk through its most important places: the Market Square surrounded by noble houses of Renaissance style, Baroque parish church, the Castle ruins and the mountain of the Three Crosses, from which a wonderful view of the valley of the Vistula River, Kazimierz and the castle in Janowiec extends. This wonderful landscape of fields, forests, meadows and hop gardens forms the framework of Kazimierz Landscape Park.
Free time in the Old Town for lunch and admire the works of regional craft presented in numerous art galleries.
In the afternoon, transfer to Zamosc. A short walk through the city also known as "Padua of the North", a perfect example of the Renaissance city of the sixteenth century that maintains its original layout and fortifications and also a number of buildings that combine Italian architecture and the traditional one of the Central Europe. Therefore, its historic center is listed as World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Overnight in Zamosc.

Day 4. Zamosc – Zalipie – Krakow

After breakfast departure to Zalipie. This small town, for almost 80 years, marvel with exquisite ornamentation technique characterized by the colorful design of the walls of the houses, chapels and furniture.
Visit to the Farm Felicja Curylowa, a branch of the Museum of Tarnow where several examples of traditional Polish folk art of the area are presented. Walk around the village. Home lunch with traditional dishes is included.
In the afternoon, transfer to Krakow. Night in Krakow.

Day 5 Krakow – Wieliczka – Krakow

Krakow, the former capital of Poland, has earned the title of World Heritage in the first list created by UNESCO. Visit to the Wawel Hill, where the Castle with arcaded courtyard, the former seat of the Kings of Poland, and the cathedral are located. Walk around the Market Square in the Old Town with emblematic monuments such as the Cloth Hall, the church of the Virgin Mary or the Tower of City Hall. Continue to the Barbican and the walls which were surrounding the medieval city.
Free afternoon in Old Town. Night in Krakow.

Optional: In the afternoon, excursion to Wieliczka. Visit to the oldest salt mine in the world which is still functioning (UNESCO) to see the magnificent chapels, underground lakes and original tools and equipment. Return to Krakow.

Day 6. Krakow – Oswiecim (Auschwitz) – Czestochowa – Warsaw

In the morning transfer to the Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau in Oswiecim.
Auschwitz-Birkenau (UNESCO), the concentration camp and the largest extermination, is a global symbol of terror, genocide and the Holocaust. It was built by the Nazis in 1940 on the outskirts of Oswiecim town. During the army of Hitler occupation this region was the site of greatest sacrifice of people from different European countries (mainly Jewish).
Transfer to Czestochowa. Free time for lunch.
Visit to the monastery of Jasna Gora known by the image of the Black Virgin of Czestochowa, which since XIV century attracts many pilgrims from around the world. The Virgin was proclaimed as Queen of Poland by King of Poland John Casimir (Jan Kazimierz). Visit to the basilica of Jasna Gora, the chapel of Virgin Mary with miraculous painting, the Treasury and the Armory.
Arrival in Warsaw. Night in Warsaw.

Day 7. Warsaw

After breakfast leaving Warsaw.

Optional: Excursion to the Royal Palace of Wilanow, one of the most beautiful architectural monuments in Warsaw. This unique Baroque residence owes its exceptional character to the original construction, being a mixture of European and Polish canons of art. The Wilanow complex is one of the most important monuments of Polish history. During the tour we will visit the palace built by King John III Sobieski, which was his summer residence. Then we’ll pass through the beautiful French and English garden surrounding it.

The price includes:
6 nights in a double room in central 4* hotels planned or similar:
   2 nights in 4* Mercure Grand Hotel in Warsaw
   1 night in 4* Artis Hotel in Zamosc
   2 nights in 4* Qubus Hotel in Krakow
   1 night in 4* Mercure Grand Hotel in Warsaw
6 x breakfast buffet for each hotel
1 x homemade lunch with traditional dishes
Guide throughout the tour (driver-guide for groups of less than 7 pax)
Transportation throughout the tour (by car o minivan)
Tours and excursions as indicated in program
All entries mentioned:
   to the Warsaw Uprising Museum
   to the mount of Three Crosses in Kazimierz Dolny
   to the house-museum in Zalipie
   to the arcaded courtyard of Wawel Royal Castle in Krakow
   to the Cathedral on Wawel Hill in Krakow
   to the museum of concentration camp in Auschwitz - Birkenau with local guide
   to the Monastery of Jasna Gora in Czestochowa

The price does not include:
Excursion to the Salt Mine in Wieliczka with the local guide
Excursion to the Royal Palace in Wilanow with the local guide
Transfer airport-hotel-airport or hotel.