Classic Poland-South - (5 days)
If you plan a shorter visit with focus on the most beautiful part of Poland this progamme would be the best choice. The tour could be part of a longer trip including neghbourhood countries like Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria or Germany.
 Places included:
Krakow, Wieliczka Salt Mine, Tyniec Abbey, Wadowice, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, Zakopane and Chocholow, Debno, Dunajec River Gorges, Lipowiec-museum of traditional village, Pieskowa Skala and Ojcow National Park, Auschwitz-Birkenau
Details
1st Day: Cracow and Wieliczka
08:30-12:30 Visit of Cracow- walk along the Royal Way with stops at churches of St. Andrew, St. Peter and Paul; the Jagiellonian University with the Collegium Maius -Copernicus' college; the Main Market Square- the largest square of medieval Europe with the Sukiennice (the Cloth Hall) building and the Dormition of Virgin Mary Basilica holding a treasure of the North European late gothic-the Veit Stoss Altar;the Czartoryski Museum with famous paintings of Leonardo da Vinci (the Lady with Ermine) and Rembrandt (Landscape with the Good Samaritan); the Barbican with St. Florian Gate-remains of medieval city walls
12:30-14:00 dinner in a resturant
14:00 departure for Wieliczka
15:00-17:30 visit of the salt mine in Wieliczka – one of the UNESCO World Heritage Monuments. Tour of a real underground city with miles of corridors and hundreds of chambers-the most bautiful included in the tour with underground lakes, chapels adorned with real works of art made by hands of miners
17:30 return to Cracow, dinner in the hotel
2nd Day : Cracow, Kazimierz and Tyniec
08:30-12:30 Visit of Cracow- second part. The tour begins with the Wawel Castle- the Royal Residence with famous collection of Flemish tapestries, Italian paintings and the Cathedral where Polish king were crowned and buried- a mixture af various styles including one of the best examples of the Italian Renaissance style -the King Sigismundus' Chapel; visit to the Jewish quarter of Kazimierz – a famous Jewish cultural centre for the Central and Eastern Europe-synagogues -Old Synagogue, Isaac's Synagogue, Remuh Synagogue , former market square, mykvas, cementaries.
13:00-14:30 lunch in a restaurant
16:00 departure for a cruise on the Vistula River towards Tyniec
18:00 visit of the the ancient Benedictine Abbey at Tyniec and participation in Gregorian Chants in the abbey's church
19:00 dinner at the Abbey with food prepaired according to benedictines receipts.
return to the hotel
3rd Day : Pieskowa Skala and Ojców, Lipowiec and Auschwitz
08:00-11:30 Departure for the National Park of Ojców, created in a Pradnik River valley. 400 caves, 350 varioues species of plants unique for the park, 30 various kinds of bats and white rock natural forms like the Hercules's Club, the Krakow Gate. Along the Pradnik River samples of 19th century wooden houses including small chapel built 'on the river'. Visit of the Pieskowa Castle called 'the Little Wawel'
11:30 Departure for Lipowiec
12:30-14:00 lunch in a regional restaurant in Lipowiec.
14:00-15:00: short visit of the Wooden Farmhouses Museum with a collection of wooden houses, storage houses, stables mills from old villages of the southern Poland
15:00 departure to Auschwitz
15:30-18:30 visit of the extermination camps Auschwitz-Birkenau
Special tour of places where 1,5 mln people mainly Jews from all Europe lost heir lives. Place that shouldn't be forgotten
19:00 : return to Cracow, dinner in the hotel
4th Day: Dunajec Gorges, Debno and Zakopane
07:30: departure towards mountains along pictoresque road to Zakopane
09:30-13:30: Embarkment on rafts guided by highlanders and trip on river Dunajec Gorges within the Pieniny National Park to Szczawnica. Pieniny are small but one of the beautiful among Polish mountains. White rocks take beautiful shapes like Trzy Korony ( the Three Crowns Mountain) or Sokolica (the Falcon's Nest). The park is a shelter for many protected plans and animals like black stork or royal eagle.
13:30-14:30 lunch in Szczawnica
14:30-15:30 Tour continued to Debno a village with the 15th century wooden church built without nails! Internal decoration with medieval polychromies and sculptures made this church one of the most precious monuments of Polish wooden architecture being includend on the UNESCO list.
15:30 Trip continued to Zakopane, winter capital of Poland. Panoramic visit of the town with traditional architecture
19:00 check in the hotel in Zakopane and dinner.
5th Day: Chocholów, Wadowice and Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
09:00: Departure from Zakopane and trip across Tatra Mountains and Podhale Valley. Short stop at Chocholow with wooden traditional houses- place famous of wooden art, glass paitnings and 'oscypek' -higlander's smoked cheese
12:30-13:30 lunch in Wadowice -the birhplace of John Paul II. After a meal in the 19th century 'dwór'-manor house short visit of the town.
14:30-16:00- tour continues to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska - a complex of 43 churches and chapels built as a 'model of Jerusalem'. Francescan convent, pictoresque pathways with chapels built on hills and valleys with a forest around is pat of the UNESCO World Heritage. During the Holy Week thousands of pilgrims are contemplating last days of Christ. The Stations of the Cross are followed by 100000 people on Good Friday; no less people participating for the Assumption of Virgin Mary procession. Place very close to John Paul II's heart.
17:00- Return to Cracow
19:00 Farewell dinner with folklore in Cracow
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