Central Europe

Day 1: Arrive in Poland 

Travel from the airport to a hotel in Kraków. After settling in the hotel and dinner we will go for a walk to Kraków’s Old Town.  Return to the hotel for an overnight stay.

 

Day 2: Kraków – Łagiewniki 

After breakfast we will start a guided sightseeing tour of Kraków.  Among others we will see the Royal Cathedral on Wawel Hill, the courtyard of the Bishop’s Palace, the Franciscan Basilica, Jagiellonian University, the Collegiate Church of St. Anne, and St. Mary’s Basilica on the Main Market Square with the famous Veit Stoss (Wit Stwosz) altarpiece. After lunch we travel to the Łagiewniki district, where we will go to the Divine Mercy Sanctuary and celebrate Holy Mass. Afterwards we will go the St. John Paul II Sanctuary. We return for dinner and stay overnight at the Kraków’s center.

 

Day 3: Oświęcim (Auschwitz) – Wadowice 

After breakfast we will go to the town of Oświęcim, where we see the concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. After lunch we will travel to the museum devoted to St. John Paul II in Wadowice. There we will also see the Virgin Mary’s Offertory Minor Basilica, in which St. John Paul II was baptized, and celebrate Holy Mass. We return to the hotel in Kraków for dinner and an overnight stay.

 

Day 4: Canoeing along Dunajec – Zakopane 

After breakfast, we travel to Sromowce where we will canoe along the Dunajec. After having lunch we will go to  Zakopane – the capital of the Polish Tatras Mountains. We will visit the sanctuary devoted to Mary of Fatima located in Krzeptówki. There we will celebrate Holy Mass. We will also admire the Tatras Mountains from Gubałówka Hill once we arrive by cable car. We will have dinner in a regional tavern. In case of bad weather we will go to a thermal spa in Bukowina Tatrzańska. We return to Kraków for overnight stay late in the evening.

 

Day 5: Budapest  

Early in the morning we will celebrate Holy Mass. After breakfast, we will check out from the hotel and travel to Budapest for a guided sightseeing tour. We will see: St. Steven’s Basilica (inside), the House of Parliament (outside), and walk the alleys and avenues of downtown. Among the sights we will see: Castle Hill, the Fisherman’s Bastion, Matthias Church (inside), the statue of King St. Stephen, Millennium Square, and Castle Budaoski (outside). Settle into the hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.

 

Day 6: Danube Bend: Esztergom, Visegrád, Szentendre

After breakfast we will visit the Danube Bend. Travel to Esztergom – one of the oldest cities of Hungary. This is where King St. Stephen’s baptism and coronation took place, as well as the births of St. Kinga and her sister, Bl. Yolanda. Esztergom is the seat of the primas, the archbishop capital of Hungary’s primates. It is also called the „Hungarian Vatican.” Holy Mass. Next we travel to Visegrád for a short stay and panoramic view of the city. At the end of the day we will visit Szentendre – named for St. Andrew and called the Montmartre of the Danube – and walk to the Old Town. We will also see the Marzipan Museum and view the panorama from the Castle Mountain. We will invite you to a diamond-cutting shop and at the end of day take you to Gellert Hill. We return to the hotel for dinner. In the evening, we will cruise along the Danube. An overnight stay at the hotel.

 

Day 7: Bratislava 

After breakfast we will travel to Bratislava for a guided sightseeing tour of Old Town and St. Martin’s Cathedral. We will celebrate Holy Mass. We will also see the Bratislava Castle and St. Michael’s Tower. Afterwards you will be invited to cruise from Bratislava to Vienna, a two-hour trip that reaches the heart of Vienna. From there we will travel to a hotel, where we will settle in, have dinner, and stay overnight.

 

Day 8: Kahlenberg, Vienna

After breakfast, we travel to Kahlenberg Hill, where we can see the beautiful panorama of Austria’s capital. We will visit a local small church with memorabilia of King John III Sobieski. We will celebrate Holy Mass. Next we travel to Vienna and have a guided sightseeing tour - we will see Vienna’s Ringu buildings (outside), as well as the sights of Vienna’s Old Town - among others, the winter residence of the Habsburgs, and the location of the Opera and St. Stephen's Cathedral. We will also see the Capuchin Church and the tomb of Bl. Mark of Aviano - a friend of King Sobieski. Then we will go to Schönbrunn Palace, where we will visit the local gardens. In the evening we will travel to the hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.

 

Day 9: Olomouc – Tyniec in Kraków

After breakfast we will travel to Olomouc – with a local guide we will see St. Wenceslas’ Cathedral and the Archbishop’s Palace, followed by a short walk through the Olomouc Square, where we will see the Town Hall with the Prague astronomical clock, as well as the Holy Trinity Column, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After sightseeing, we travel to Tyniec. Once we are there we will see the beautifully situated Benedictine Abbey. There we will celebrate Holy Mass. After visiting the monastery and the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, we will have dinner. After that, we will travel to the hotel for an overnight stay in the center of Kraków.

 

Day 10: Departure from Poland 

In the morning, after breakfast, we check out from the hotel and travel to the airport in Balice.