Day 1: Origin Airport – Krakow
Meet at the origin airport to catch our flight to Krakow. Upon arrival, we will transfer to our hotel. Dinner. Overnight in Krakow.
Day 2: Krakow
Visit Krakow, one of Poland’s oldest and most beautiful cities. We will see Wawel Hill, where the Castle with the Renaissance courtyard is located (external view, without Royal Chambers), the Gothic Cathedral (included entrance), the Old Town (Stare Miasto), Europe’s largest market square (Rynek Glowny), the Town Hall tower, the old Cloth Hall, the Church of St. Mary (included entrance) with the altar by the brilliant sculptor Veit Stoss, a brief visit to the old wall near St. Florian’s Gate, and the Barbican. Lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, continue the visit to the Kazimierz district, which was the Jewish city. Here, its two synagogues stand out, the Old Synagogue, which houses a Jewish museum, and the Remuh Synagogue, which is still used for religious purposes. The dramatic extermination of Krakow’s Jews was the subject of Steven Spielberg’s film “Schindler’s List,” filmed in the original setting of Kazimierz. Originally, the district was founded in the 14th century as a separate city from Krakow, with its own Market Square and City Hall (only external views). Accommodation at the hotel. Overnight in Krakow. Full board.
Day 3: Krakow · Auschwitz · Wadowice; Museum of Saint John Paul II · Krakow
Departure to Oswiecim. Visit Auschwitz (Oswiecim) (included entrance), the former concentration camp during World War II, now converted into the Martyrdom Museum. Guided tour of the camp built by the Nazis in 1940, which together with another camp built in 1942 in Brzezinka (Birkenau) became the site of the extermination of one and a half million people. (1.5 hours, without Birkenau) Departure to Wadowice. Lunch at a local restaurant. Visit Wadowice: visit the museum of Pope John Paul II (included entrance), and the 15th-century parish church, we will see the Church of St. Peter, built as a gift by the city in gratitude for the Pope’s recovery after the 1983 attack. Return to Krakow. Accommodation at the hotel. Overnight in Krakow. Full board.
Note: The program’s order may change depending on the confirmation of the Auschwitz visit.
Day 4: Krakow · Lagiewniki; Sanctuary of Divine Mercy · Wieliczka Salt Mines · Krakow
Breakfast. Departure to Lagiewniki. Visit the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy where Saint Faustina Kowalska lived and worked, the missionary and preacher of Divine Mercy. There, we will find her tomb, relics, and a copy of the wonderful image of Merciful Jesus, and the nearby Sanctuary of Saint John Paul II, which guards his relics. Lunch at a local restaurant. Departure to Wieliczka. Visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine (included entrance), an impressive labyrinth of galleries, underground lakes, chambers, and chapels carved into saline rock 700 years ago, at a depth of over 300 meters. Apart from its exceptional beauty, the mine is the oldest in Europe and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Return to Krakow. Overnight in Krakow. Full board.
Note: The visit to the Wieliczka Salt Mine is subject to confirmation.
Day 5: Krakow · Prague (535 km)
In the morning, we will transfer to Prague. Upon arrival, we will go to our hotel and have free time. Full board. Overnight in Prague.
Day 6: Prague
After breakfast, we will dedicate the whole day to the guided tour of this city. Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic and the dreamy region of Bohemia. The city, with over a million inhabitants, is also known as the City of a Hundred Spires or the Golden City and has become a major tourist center. We will visit Hradcany, the district where Prague Castle is located, a construction from the 9th century, considered the largest medieval fortress in the world. Free lunch. We can admire other points of interest in this magnificent city, such as St. Vitus Cathedral or the Old Town Hall with its famous astronomical clock. We can visit the Church of St. Mary of the Victory and St. Anthony of Padua, where the Infant Jesus of Prague is located, an image considered to be from 16th-century Spain. Full board. Overnight in Prague.
Day 7: Prague – Karlovy Vary – Prague
After breakfast, we will spend this day on an excursion to the spa town of Karlovy Vary with a local guide. Upon arrival in Karlovy Vary, we can appreciate the “retro” atmosphere of old Karlsbad, whose most glorious times date back to the 19th century when royalty, aristocracy, the upper bourgeoisie, and the world of culture went there to take the waters. There remains a harmonious mixture of sumptuous hotels, majestic thermal facilities, and pedestrian zones. Lunch in Karlovy Vary and free time. Return to Prague. Full board. Overnight in Prague.
Day 8: Prague – Origin Airport
After breakfast, at the specified time, we will transfer to Prague Airport to catch the return flight to our place of origin. Arrival. End of the trip and our services.
