The Magic of Poland

6:00PM, meet your guide and the rest of the group in the hotel lobby. Drive along the beautifully renovated Royal Route

with its historical monuments and residences. Stop at Castle Square for a short walk through Old Town, and then join us

for welcome dinner at a local restaurant. Your meal will include typical Polish dishes and famous Polish vodka,

“Zubrowka”.

This morning we introduce you to the highlights of Warsaw. A half-day sightseeing tour includes Old Town, beautifully rebuilt after World War II, with the impressive Royal Castle, the seat of the kings of Poland. Here the Constitution of May 3rd was proclaimed in 1791, the second oldest constitution, after the US Constitution, in the world. You will admire some of its 300 rooms and see the Canaletto Room with 23 of his paintings, the Throne Room, the magnificent Knight’s Hall with six large paintings by Marcello Bacciarelli, the Marble Room with its 22 portraits of Polish kings, and the largest and most impressive of all the castle’s chambers, the Ballroom. Continue our tour with a drive to the area of the former Warsaw Ghetto. En route, you will see the building of the National Opera House and Town Hall. Following lunch on your own, we will invite you to the famous Warsaw chocolate factory “Wedel” to taste the delicious hot chocolate at the “Wedel Old Fashioned Shop”.

This evening you will take an unforgettable musical journey through the world-famous compositions of our greatest composer, Frederic Chopin, at a two-part piano recital.

After breakfast we depart for Zakopane – one of the most popular vacation resorts in the Tatra Mountains. Enroute we stop in Czestochowa to visit the Jasna Gora Monastery and the Black Madonna Shrine with its miraculous icon. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant. In the evening we arrive in Zakopane beautifully situated at the foot of the Tatra Mountains, in the valley between Gubalowka and Giewont. It is the most popular resort in Poland and one of the most beautiful places in all of Poland, owing to its picturesque location. Once,

In the morning you will have a sightseeing tour of Zakopane, whose wooden architecture blends with the natural landscapes and it is copied in other parts of Poland - known as Zakopianski Style. You will visit the Jaszczurowka Chapel, a great example of the wooden architecture in Zakopane, and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima at Krzeptowki, which was built by the people of Zakopane to thank the Lady of Fatima for saving the Pope after an attempt on His life.

Admire the breathtaking views of the Tatras from the top of Gubalowka* Mountain and shop for souvenirs of arts and crafts of the Highlanders (Gorale) in the local shops. After lunch on your own, we continue on to Krakow. Enroute we take a spectacular rafting trip on the Dunajec River** in Pieniny National Park. Tonight’s dinner will be served upon arrival at the hotel.

Important note:

*Funicular to Gubalowka Mountain (subject to confirm on spot; service depends on the weather and funicular technical conditions) **Dunajec Raft Trip (subject to confirm on spot; service depends on the weather and the level of the river)

The morning sightseeing tour will feature Wawel, the Royal Castle, home to three dynasties of Poland’s monarchs. Its stately halls and exquisite chambers are filled with priceless art, valuable period furniture and rare ancient objects. The collection of monumental 16th century tapestries is matchless. You will also visit the Wawel Cathedral, the place of the cult of St. Stanislaw and St. Jadwiga, Queen of Poland. Its 18 chapels are true architectural masterpieces. The giant bell, Zygmunt from 1520 ranks with the world’s largest. This is the place where Polish kings were crowned and buried. Following a short break for coffee and cake at the famous Krakow cafeteria, a place designed by local artists with beautiful glass-painted windows and interesting drawings, we drive to Old Town with its restored Main Square of magnificent houses and palaces. There, you stop at St. Mary’s Basilica where to see the magnificent wooden altar by Wit Stwosz. In the middle of the square is Cloth Hall built before 1349, but renovated in the 16th century with many shopping stalls inside.

After lunch, we drive to Auschwitz to visit the Martyrdom Museum of the former Nazi concentration camp, the infamous factory of death.

In the morning time on your own.

Coffee and cake at the famous Krakow caféteria and a visit to Czartoryski Museum, that presents most valuable art collection in Poland, and one of the most valuable in Europe. “The Lady with an Ermine” by Leonardo da Vinci or the “Landscape with the Good Samaritan” by Rembrandt van Rijn, as well as many other masterpieces of not only painting, but also sculpture, crafts, military, applied arts are presented in the renovated interiors of the museum.

Evening and dinner on your own.

Buffet breakfast at the hotel ends your tour.