Royal cities of Europe

Day 1: Arrival to Krakow 

Arrival to Krakow. Our Polish tour leader will meet you at the Krakow airport. Transfer to the hotel, check-in and dinner. Overnight stay.

 

Day 2:  Krakow 

After breakfast we explore Krakow, the former royal capital, which fully deserves its position on the first UNESCO World Heritage List ever published. We take a sightseeing tour of the Old Town including the Royal Way with all of its monuments before visiting St. Mary's church with the majestic wooden altar carved by Veit Stoss, and the medieval Cloth Hall in the heart of the main square. The tour ends on Wawel Hill as we take a guided visit to the Royal Cathedral and a walk around the outside of the Royal Castle. We then visit the Jewish quarter of Kazimierz which leads to the entrance of the Synagogue Remuh and its small historic graveyard. Return to the hotel where we have dinner and stay overnight.
 

Day 3:  Wieliczka – Krakow – Łagiewniki 

After breakfast we take an excursion to the nearby world-famous Wieliczka, which is home to a unique salt mine over 300 m deep. We will explore its magnificent underground chapels, lakes, and chambers carved from salt. Wieliczka is the oldest salt mine in the world still in operation. We return to Krakow where we then visit Lagiewniki and the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy. The church became a destination for pilgrimages after it was visited and consecrated by Pope John Paul II. Next we will visit the Center of John Paul II in Krakow. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

 

Day 4:  Krakow – Nowa Huta 

After breakfast we take an excursion to the Nowa Huta district of Krakow. It will be a travel back in time to Krakow’s communist era. Nowa Huta was one of the two cities in the world designed and built as a model Soviet city. We will see Solidarity Avenue, Plac Centralny, and Aleja Róż (Avenue of Roses) architecture, and buildings of Tadeusz Sendzimir Steelworks (former Lenin stellworks), the second largest steel plant in Poland. Next we will visit the Lord’s Ark, the Noah’s Ark-shape church demanded by Nowa’s peoples in the 1960s. The first corner stone was laid in 1969 by Cardinal Karol Wojtyła (later Pope John Paul II). The complete opposite of what Nowa Huta was meant to stand, this church is a remarkable building, and a true symbol of the Polish belief in Catholicism. If possible we will make an appointment with Cardinal Dziwisz (or during another day in Cracow). The possibility of meeting will depend on the Cardinal Dziwisz's personal schedule. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

 

Day 5: Jasna Góra - Krakow 

After breakfast we depart for Czestochowa. We will visit the Jasna Gora Monastery which is famous for the paintings of the Black Madonna and has been attracting pilgrims from around the world since the fourteenth century. The Virgin Mary was proclaimed the Queen of Poland by King Jan Kazimierz. We visit the Basilica, the Chapel of Our Lady with the revered Black Madonna, the Treasury, and the Armoury. Return to the hotel in Krakow, dinner and overnight stay.

 

Day 6: Wadowice – Auschwitz – Krakow 

After breakfast we visit Wadowice, the birthplace of St. Pope John Paul II to see the parish church and the house where he was born. Nowadays the house functions as a modern Papal Museum, mainly showcasing various moments from the saint’s life. We continue to Oswiecim where we visit the former concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. It is now a museum. It is a unique UNESCO site, as it is the largest extermination camp in the world and a world symbol of terror, genocide, and the Holocaust. It was established by the Nazi’s in 1940 on the outskirts of the industrial town of Oswiecim and, during Hitler’s occupation of the area, it was home to one of the largest mass killings of people, predominantly of Jewish origin. Among other things, the Auschwitz-Birkenau tour contains visiting Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe’s cell, a Franciscan priest who volunteered to take the place of a prisoner selected for death. Return to the hotel in Krakow, dinner and overnight stay.

 

Day 7: Olomouc – Prague 

After breakfast we depart for Prague. En route we will visit Olomouc, city in Moravia. 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 will continue to Prague. Check into a hotel, dinner and overnight stay. 

 

Day 8: Prague 

After breakfast we will explore the capital of Czech Republic. Our tour will start at Wenceslas Square. We will stroll through the Royal Way to Old Town Square with gothic and baroque architectural styles. We will see The Astronomical Clock (Orloj) on Old Town City Hall, and Charles University founded in 1348 (the oldest university in Central Europe). We will stroll across the Charles Bridge to Malá Strana a district of the city, and one of its most historic regions with marvelous baroque architecture. We will visit there the Wallenstein Palace, St. Nicholas Church and the the famous statue of the Holy Infant Jesus of Prague in the Church of Our Lady Victorious. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

 

Day 9: Prague 

After breakfast we will continue to enjoy the sights of Prague. We will explore Hradcany – Prague Castle area. See: Prague Castle with St. Vitus Cathedral, St. George’s Basilica (the oldest oldest surviving church building within Prague Castle), Loreta (pilgrimage destination in Hradcany), and famous Golden Lane. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

 

Day 10: Vienna 

After breakfast we will travel to Vienna. En route we will stop in Klosterneuburg Monastery, one of the most important sacred and cultural centers of Austria, founded in twelfth-century.  Next we will 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. Check into a hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

 

Day 11: Vienna 

After breakfast we will have a guided sightseeing tour of Vienna- 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 see other popular sights like Belveder Palace and Austrian Parliament Building. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

 

Day 12: Vienna – Krakow

After breakfast we will explore the Schönbrunn Palace we will visit the local gardens. Return to Krakow. Free time for last souvenir shopping and preparing for a return flight to the USA. Check into a hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

 

Day 13: Krakow 

After breakfast chack-out, transfer to the airport. End of services.