Discovering Poland

You’re on your way to Poland, a land of amazing castles, poignant history and a welcoming culture.
Hotel Name: Hotel Mercure Warszawa Grand

Welcome to Warsaw! This city features a blend of old-world charm and modern energy. Tonight, join your fellow travelers for a welcome dinner in a traditional Polish restaurant.
Dinner Included

Visit Area: Warsaw
This is the capital and largest city of Poland, located on the Vistula River in east-central Poland. The metro population is about 2.6 million. It became the capital in the 16th century, moving from Krakow when Poland was allied with Lithuania. It became part of the Russian Empire in the 19th century, and was not independent again until 1918 when modern Poland was formed. Its Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and has been well restored since the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989. The symbol of the city is a mermaid, represented in the coat of arms and also by a statue in the Old Town Market Place. Warsaw is a sister city with both Chicago and San Diego.

This morning, embark on a Warsaw city tour with your local guide and embrace the city’s moving history as you discover the main sights and the Old Town. Gain a different perspective of Warsaw’s past by learning about the city’s communist history during a scenic bus tour. Continue on by foot and marvel at the cobblestone alleys and medieval buildings throughout the Old Town. After, you can dive deeper into the history of Warsaw by joining a Jewish heritage walking tour. The afternoon is at leisure to take in the alleyways, visit a quaint café in Warsaw’s Old Town, explore a museum, or simply relax.

Breakfast Included
Hotel Name: Radisson Blu Hotel, Old Town

Admittance: Malbork Castle
Explore Malbork Castle, one of the largest castles in the world. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was built by German crusaders and is 700 years old. Get a glimpse into the world of the Knights of the Teutonic Order with an expert guide.

Depart Warsaw and stop in the town of Malbork, home to Malbork Castle, one of the largest castles in the world. On a guided tour of this 700-year-old structure, gain an introduction to the world of the Knights of the Teutonic Order. Later, continue to Gdansk, a port city on the Baltic coast of Poland. This evening, enjoy traditional Polish cuisine.

Breakfast Included
Dinner Included

Visit Area: Gdansk
A Polish city located on the Baltic Coast, Gdansk is Poland’s principal seaport and the center of the country’s fourth-largest metropolitan area. The city was the birthplace of the Solidarity movement which under the leadership of Lech Walesa, played a major role in bringing an end to Communist rule across central Europe. Gdansk was largely destroyed during World War II, but was rebuilt in the aftermath and today is regarded as one of Europe’s most beautiful port cities.

Start your morning with a local expert in Gdansk. Get to know this port city’s history stopping at the Gdansk Shipyards, site of the creation of the anti-Communist Solidarity movement in 1980 that helped liberate Poland from Soviet rule. Continue on a tour highlighting City Hall and St. Mary’s Church. Peek into Poland’s age-old culture of amber, which dates back to the Neolithic period. Later, it’s your choice! Embark on an excursion to the seaside resort town of Sopot -OR- remain in Gdansk and enjoy a boat ride on the Motlawa River and see this important city from a different perspective. The evening is yours to stroll through a city square, shop for local handicrafts, or soak in the seaside atmosphere.

Breakfast Included
Hotel Name: The Bridge Wroclaw MGallery

Visit Area: Solidarity Shipyards
The Gdansk Shipyard is a large polish shipyard located in the city of Gdansk. The shipyard gained international fame when Solidarity, a Polish trade union, was founded there in September 1980. Leading up to Solidarity there was a massive strike by 17,000 ship builders. This move was one of the first successful steps in a campaign of civil resistance that contributed to the eventual collapse of Communism across Eastern Europe.

Enjoy a morning at leisure before you hop on a train and discover Poland’s countryside from a different perspective. After, depart to Wroclaw – one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in Poland. Crisscrossed by numerous tributaries and channels, it is an exceptional city of 12 islands and more than 100 bridges. Get a taste of the culture when you join your fellow travelers for some locally-brewed beer and a traditional “home-style” dinner at a local restaurant.

Breakfast Included
Dinner Included

Admittance: Choice on Tour
Embark on an excursion to the seaside resort town of Sopot -OR- remain in Gdansk and enjoy a boat ride on the Motlawa river and see this important city from a different perspective.

Start your morning on a tour of Wroclaw, bringing this 1,000-year-old city to life. In the Old Town, discover a diverse blend of ethnicities and religions all coexisting within a unified Polish mindset. In the afternoon, enjoy lunch in a local restaurant. The remainder of the day is yours. You can visit idyllic parks, immerse yourself in the captivating culture, or even search for the many dwarf statues hidden on the streets of the city.

Breakfast Included
Lunch Included

Visit Area: Wroclaw
Known as the largest city in western Poland, Wroclaw is a city growing business center. The city was first established in the 10th century from its origins as the intersection of two trade routes, the Via Regia and the Amber Road. During the Napoleonic Wars, Wroclaw was occupied by an army of the Confederation of the Rhine, however the city was not affected during World War II. The city has over a thousand years of history that has influenced the culture and atmosphere. Wroclaw, today is currently growing in population, due to its innovative areas in business.

The day is yours. Take a stroll along Wroclaw’s cobblestone streets, people watch at the square or relax at one of the parks. The Market Square is a beautiful place to take a stroll and soak up the atmosphere. Perhaps you’ll join a full-day optional tour to Poland’s countryside.

Breakfast Included
Hotel Name: Mercure Krakow Old Town

Admittance: Jasna Góra Monastery
The Jasna Góra Monastery is home to one of the most revered symbols of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland - the portrait of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa. This painting of Our Lady and the Christ Child is called the "Black Madonna" because of the dark discoloration that has occurred over centuries as candle soot collected on its surface. The story goes that St. Luke the Evangelist created this work of art while standing on a plank from a table built by Jesus. Today, the painting is recognized as miraculous. Over the centuries there have been many reports of pilgrims experiencing miracles in its presence. Records of these miracles are stored in a monastery church.

Leave Wroclaw for Czestochowa, the spiritual capital of Poland. Every year, over 5 million pilgrims journey to pay their respects to the famous Black Madonna in the Jasna Góra monastery. Venture inside for an up-close look at this miraculous image. Depart for Kraków, an enchanting city famous for its well-preserved town center. Get acquainted with the city during an evening at leisure.

Breakfast Included

Admittance: Black Madonna
Black Madonna or the Black Virgin is a statue or painting of Mary in which she is depicted with dark skin, especially those created in Europe in the medieval period or earlier. Black Madonnas are typically found in Catholic countries and the icons are Byzantine in style. The Black Madonna in Poland is housed at the Jasna Gora Monastery. It is a four foot high painting depicting the Virgin Mary as the “Hodegetria” (One Who Shows the Way). The icon of the Black Madonna has been intimately associated with Poland for the past 600 years. The origins of the icon however are unknown due to the fact that the original image was painted over after being damaged by Hussite raiders in 1430. According to various legends, the icon traces its origin back to St. Luke, who painted it on a cedar table top from the house of the Holy Family. The same legend says that the painting was discovered in Jerusalem in 326 by St. Helena.

Join a local expert on a panoramic tour of Kraków, including Market Square, St. Mary’s Church and the university. You will also see the famous Wawel Castle, the former residence of Polish kings. The rest of your day is at leisure. Perhaps you’ll stroll the quaint side streets of Kraków’s famous Old Town, have coffee in one of the largest squares in Europe, or visit the Schindler Museum. Consider taking an optional excursion to discover the history of Jewish Kraków as you visit Kazimierz and Podgórze.

Breakfast Included

Visit Area: Kraków
A city that has grown from a Stone Age settlement to Poland’s second most important city, Kraków is one of the oldest cities in Poland, dating back to the 7th century. The historic city has traditionally been one of the leading centers of Polish academic, cultural and artistic life and is one of Poland’s most important economic hubs. The 15th and 16th centuries were known as Poland’s Golden Age, when many works of Polish renaissance art and architecture were created. In 1978, UNESCO placed Krakow Old Town on the first-ever list of World Heritage Sites. In Kraków visitors will see notable renaissance buildings, synagogues, as well as modern buildings featuring new architectural styles.

Embark on a poignant journey through history as you travel to Auschwitz.* A local expert guides you through the former concentration camp, where you will learn about the sobering history as well as the resilience of the human spirit. This evening, celebrate traditional Polish culture during a folklore show and dinner, complete with wine and beer.

Breakfast Included
Dinner Included

Admittance: Auschwitz
This town was called Oswiecim by the Poles, and in 1940 the Nazi occupiers of Poland established a camp here to house Polish political prisoners, part of a network of concentration camps which began to appear in the 1930s. It was part of a large network of camps by the end of the war. In 1941, the Nazis began a second camp, Birkenau, nearby to house the ever-increasing number of prisoners. Also in 1941, Auschwitz-Birkenau became the largest of the Nazi death camps, when mass exterminations began using Zylon B gas. The exact death toll will never be known, but it is estimated to be between 1.5 and 2 million dead, with as many 900,000 Jews in that number. The SS destroyed most records, and the estimates have been put together from many other sources, such as train records. Joseph Mengele conducted numerous medical experiments here, especially on twins and dwarfs. The camp was liberated in January of 1947 by the Red Army.

Your tour comes to a close today.

Breakfast Included

Admittance: Folklore Show & Dinner
Guests can expect an entertaining night out in Krakow during an evening show and dinner. In a traditional venue, this experience brings together the culinary and entertainment delights of Polish heritage in the form of a folk dancing and singing ensemble while tasting regional culinary specialties and sipping local drinks. Polish folk music was collected in the 19th century by Oskar Kolberg, as part of the Polish national revival. With the coming of the World Wars and the the Communist state, folk traditions were oppressed or subsumed into state-approved folk ensembles. The sound is a homogenized mixture of Polish styles. Unfortunately the Communist sanitized the sound of folk music as a whole, which was not well received by many, and so many traditions dwindled rapidly. While folk music lost popularity in Poland, especially in urban areas, the tourist destinations has retained its traditions lively.