Pearls of Poland                                                                                       • Warsaw • Czestochowa • Zakopane • Krakow •

Duration: 9 Days / 8 Nights                                                                                                                      • Wieliczka • Oswiecim • Wadowice •

Guaranteed Departures

Day 1 / Saturday / Warsaw

Arrival assistance and transfer from airport to hotel. (D)

Day 2 / Sunday / Warsaw

Morning city sightseeing tour. Before World War II, Warsaw was called ‘the Paris of the North’. Ninety percent of Warsaw’s Old Town was destroyed during WWII. The brightly painted old-town houses, churches and the Royal Castle are all a result of post-war reconstruction. In 1980, the Old Town was listed by UNESCO as an example of perfect reconstruction work making use of what had survived from the original buildings. Afternoon free. Dinner at a local restaurant with folklore show. (B,D)

Day 3 / Monday / Warsaw - Czestochowa - Zakopane

This morning leave Warsaw and drive to Czestochowa, one of the most important places of religious worship in the Christian world with pilgrimages going back to the 14th century. Stop at the Jasna Gora Monastery, a religious and spiritual center in Poland to see the famous Black Madonna, a painting on a wooden panel that depicts the Virgin Mary with the Child. See the Treasury Room with its collection of precious gifts given to the Monastery over the years. Zakopane, the capital of the Polish Tatra Mountains located in the valley between Gubalowka and Giewont. This is the most popular resort in Poland and one of the most beautiful places due to its picturesque location. See many beautiful wooden churches, each with its own history. (B,L)

Day 4 / Tuesday / Zakopane

Morning sightseeing in Zakopane, Poland's 'winter capital.' The main street of Zakopane, is always lively and full of shops, stands, restaurants and street artists. Excursion by cable car to Mt. Gubalówka. Afternoon free. Dinner with highlanders' folklore show. (B,D)

Day 5 / Wednesday / Zakopane - Krakow

A unique experience in Europe – ride down a mountain river on a wooden boat through the breathtaking Dunajec River Gorge in the Pieniny Mountains. Lunch. Afternoon arrival in Krakow. Krakow is undoubtedly one of the most interesting cities of Europe as a whole. For over a thousand years, it has been a centre of Polish science, culture and art. Krakow survived the destruction of World War II, which enabled the Old Town to preserve its former glory. The Old Town is a major historical complex in Poland, entered on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Krakow is lively with many pubs, cafes and restaurants. (B,L)

Day 6 / Thursday / Krakow - Warsaw

Morning tour of Krakow, Poland’s cultural capital, with about a quarter of all thecountry’s museums and the European City of Culture for the year 2000. Afternoon visit to the stunning Wieliczka Salt Mine with beautifully carved chambers, chapels and an underground lake, all made in salt. The mine is frequently referred to as The Underground Salt Cathedral of Poland. (B,D)

Day 7 / Friday / Krakow – Oswiecim – Wadowice – Krakow
Drive to the medieval town of Oswiecim, where during World War II the Nazis built a death camp in the neighbourhood and called it Auschwitz. The site and the memorial museum set up there after the war are a grim destination for thousands wanting today homage to those who died there. Return to Krakow via Wadowice, internationally recognized

as the birthplace of Pope John Paul II. (B,D)

Day 8 / Saturday / Krakow - Warsaw
Return to Warsaw. Farewell dinner. (B,D)