The Polish Dream Tour

Independent arrivals to Warsaw hotel.
Evening:
Meeting with your tour leader, personal travel expert and other travellers. After a short introduction, enjoy a hearty welcome dinner.
Overnight in Warsaw.

Morning:
We start the day with a tour covering the best of Warsaw. First, the colorful and charming Old Town, listed high on the UNESCO World Heritage List after reconstruction from the rubble of the war; the historical Jewish Ghetto area, where you can see some original fragments of the wall that separated Jews and Poles during the occupation. We will also take you to the Royal Lazienki Park, a magnificent palace and park complex, Warsaw’s most attractive green area.
Afternoon:
After free time for lunch, you will visit the ultra-modern, poignant Warsaw Uprising Museum which commemorates the uprising of 1944, the single most important event that has defined today’s Warsaw. Alternatively, you can choose to have free time to explore the city further.
Evening:
A classic Polish dinner in Warsaw Old Town. We will end the day with a private Chopin piano concert. With a glass of sparkling wine in your hand you will hear a selection of six to eight of Chopin’s masterpieces, such as études, mazurkas, polonaises, nocturnes, impromptus, préludes, and scherzos.
Overnight in Warsaw.

Morning:
After an early breakfast, we will like to take you to the Masurian Lake district, an area of outstanding natural beauty with almost 3,000 lovely lakes. At the mid-point of the trip, we will stop in Warmia region and visit Ethnographic Park in Olsztynek, one of the eldest open-air museums in Poland.
Afternoon:
Arrival at Gizycko, an important holiday centre in the lakeland. Free time to discover this natural paradise and a fantastic little town. Places definitely worth seeing include the Boyen Fortress, the unusual swing bridge, a neo-classical Evangelical church, the Teutonic castle, several other churches and a number of places to sit back, relax and admire the charming views.
Evening
Dinner and overnight stay in Gizycko castle converted into an elegant hotel.

Morning:
Morning we will spend in the heart of Masurian forests where the brooding ruins of Hitler’s wartime headquarters are located. This was the place where Hitler spent almost 3 years (1941-44) commanding all the German army operations. The bunker was also the site of the famous assassination attempt in 1944, known from the film, ‘Valkyrie’.
Afternoon:
Near Mrągowo, on the edge of Lake Dejnowa, is Swieta Lipka, a beautiful and important pilgrimage shrine. This is a monument of exceptional value, listed as possibly the most magnificent object of the late baroque in Poland today. You cannot miss the pipe organ concert which is organised there!
Evening:
Free time. Second overnight stay in Gizycko.

Morning:
After breakfast, we will board our coach and travel towards the Baltic Sea in the west. On the way, we will visit first a farm called the Lavender Fields which as the name suggests promises an unusual and fragrant experience as well as an insight into the everyday life of the region.
Afternoon:
Arrive at Malbork, the largest medieval castle in Europe! Built in the late 13th century as Marienburg, to serve as the residence of the Grand Masters of the Knights of the Teutonic Order. This imposing red-brick fortress consists in fact of three castles and is rightly listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Evening:
Check-in to one of the best hotels in Gdansk. Dinner and overnight.

Morning:
Gdansk is a historic and cultural centre with outstanding examples of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture. During sightseeing, you will see the Old Town, St. Mary’s cathedral (the largest Gothic church in Poland!) dominating the town, the Neptune Fountain and the Artus Court. After we drive to Oliwa, one of Gdansk’s most attractive districts, with a large Cistercian monastery complex including the Oliwa Cathedral. The cathedral is home to a rare 18th-century pipe organ, one of the largest of its kind in the world. After an organ concert, you will have free time for lunch.
Afternoon & evening:
Free time. Overnight stay in Gdansk.

Morning:
You can either enjoy some free time in Gdansk or choose another recommended activity:
- travel from Gdansk to Sopot and spend the day in the beautiful seaside resort,
- visit the modernist port of Gdynia further to the north,
- take a cruise in a replica of a galleon Gdansk – Westerplatte (site of the opening shots of the Second World War) – Gdansk.

Evening:
Free time. Overnight in Gdansk.

Morning:
After breakfast, we will depart from Gdansk and travel south to Torun.
Torun is one of Poland’s most interesting and best-preserved historic cities. It’s easily covered on foot, full of delightful architectural surprises: a decorative frieze here, a stained-glass window there. We will get a taste of gingerbread, the most famous culinary product and see the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus, the great astronomer who stopped the Sun and moved the Earth.
Evening:
Dinner and overnight stay in Torun to get a feel why our guests call it one of the most pleasant and captivating destinations in Poland.

Morning:
On our way to Wroclaw we will make a stop in Gniezno, the first capital of Poland. Its 14th-century Gothic cathedral houses the tomb of Poland’s first patron saint and features a fascinating Romanesque bronze door. After visiting the cathedral, quick view of the city centre before further route.
Afternoon:
Nice stop in Poznan for a short city walk with a guide. Don’t forget to taste local sweet baking, St Martin Croissant! Afterwards transfer to Wroclaw.
Evening:
Dinner in a superb local restaurant. Overnight stay.

Morning:
Wroclaw is yet another dream destination – the centre is a sheer pleasure to walk around and there is a lot to see and to do. Shortly after breakfast, we will take a short walk in Old Town with a local guide. The walk includes Cathedral Island with its narrow lanes, gas lamps and countless bridges. From there we head to the University district to admire the historic academic headquarters of the city’s main college. We will also stroll through the old butchers’ lane with its quaint shops on our way to the magnificent main square, the heart of the city, where locals and visitors enjoy themselves in one of the many beer gardens.
Afternoon:
You are welcome on a complimentary trip to Swidnica, a small town located one hour from Wrocław. Swidnica is home to the enormous wooden Church of Peace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built to commemorate the end of the Thirty Years’ War, it is the largest wooden church in Europe; and – what’s more – it was built in less than a year (1656-57) without the use of a single nail!
Evening:
Free time and overnight in Wrocław.

Morning:
Journey east and a change in atmosphere, towards our saddest stop at one of the most poignant places on earth. Built in 1940, Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest German concentration camp complex with two areas covering in total 40 sq km. Now it’s a museum, Holocaust Memorial and the National Museum of Martyrdom. It’s a place of reflection on European history and conflict.
Afternoon:
After lunch, we continue south to Zakopane, the main and picture-perfect resort of the Tatra Mountains.
Evening:
Free time and overnight in Zakopane.

Morning:
Zakopane is a gateway to one of Poland’s greatest natural treasures, the beautiful High Tatras alpine mountain chain. We will take a walk through this small town. You will have an opportunity to take a ride up a funicular railway to the top of Gubalowka Hill, one of the most beautiful peaks in the Tatras boasting the best view of the whole mountain range.
Afternoon:
Free time for strolling and buying some souvenirs along Krupowki Street.
Evening:
We take a horse carriage ride to one of the best local restaurants. Experience the highlander show with musicians and dancers to get a taste of the lively folk customs, the local dishes and the strong “highlander tea”. Overnight in Zakopane.

Morning:
We start the day with a very gentle raft ride on the Dunajec River winding through the extremely beautiful Pieniny gorges. The two-hour excursion, which covers about 15 km, beginning in Sromowce and ending in Szczawnica, is an unforgettable experience.
Afternoon:
On the way to Krakow we will visit the amazing Wieliczka Salt Mine – a labyrinth of corridors, splendid halls and a chapel hewn in rock salt more than 100 meters under the ground. Listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage sight, this is Poland’s most unique and fun historic monument.
Evening:
Dinner and overnight in Krakow.

Morning:
We will visit the Underground Museum located beneath Krakow’s main square to explore the medieval history of the city.
Afternoon:
Free time or the chance to visit a Polish winery! On the outskirts of Krakow, on the grounds of a beautiful monastery is a picturesque vineyard; an opportunity to taste Polish wine in a beautiful setting overlooking the Vistula River.
Evening:
We invite you to a delicious dinner in an excellent local restaurant with a special opportunity to learn how to prepare our national dish – “pierogi” ( filled dumplings).
Last overnight in Krakow.

Morning:
The last highlight of our tour – Czestochowa. This is the most important Catholic shrine in Poland for the veneration of the Virgin Mary. Pilgrims arrive here throughout the year from around the world. Even for the non-religious, the monastery is an impressive display of Polish piety and patriotism. We will see not only the famous Black Madonna but also the monastery premises in a tour, led by a resident Pauline monk.
Afternoon & evening:
Arrival in Warsaw at approximately 6 pm and drop-off possibility at: the Chopin Airport, Hotel Novotel Airport, Hotel Airport Okecie and Hotel Sofitel Warsaw.