Fascinating Poland

Your journey begins aboard at Chicago O’Hare, where you will board your overnight flight to Krakow.

An Insight host will meet you at the airport and take your group to the hotel where there is time to settle in and relax. Meet your Travel Director at 5:00pm for a picturesque walk around the Rynek Główny, Europe’s largest and most beautiful town square. See the famous Sukiennice Cloth Hall, St. Mary’s Church and the many historic townhouses, palaces, and churches. Be sure to listen for the trumpeter’s call! Later, enjoy getting to know your fellow guests over a fabulous Welcome Dinner. 

Meals: Welcome Dinner with Wine 

Hotel: Mecure Krakow Stare Miasto Hotel or similar 

Ascend Wawel Hill to see the Renaissance castle with a Local Expert. Visit the cathedral, the final resting place of the Kings of Poland and the former seat of Archbishop Karol Wojtyła, later known to the world as Pope John Paul II.  Head across the former Jewish Quarter of Kazimierz, and then to Podgórze to see Ghetto Square. This afternoon, why not join an Optional Experience to visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine or explore on your own browsing the shops for traditional folklore products? Tonight enjoy a generous selection of traditional Polish cuisine and drinks in the countryside outside Krakow. A local, beautifully dressed folk group and live band will entertain you with songs and dances and you might even get to join them for a polka or two! 

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine 

Hotels: Mecure Krakow Stare Miasto Hotel or similar 

Journey into the Tatras, the highest range of the Carpathian Mountains. Stay in the resort town of Zakopane, famous for its wooden houses and winter sports. On arrival, join your Travel Director for an orientation of the city. Spend free time shopping for local specialties in the markets of Krupówki Street or ascend a nearby mountain for panoramic views across the Tatras into Slovakia. In the evening, enjoy a rousing Highlight Dinner, accompanied by Goral Highlander folklore entertainment at a local restaurant. 

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine 

Hotels: Radisson Blu Hotel Zakopane or similar 

Traveling past the birthplace of Pope John Paul II, your first stop will be the city of Oświęcim, better known throughout the world by its German name, Auschwitz. With a Local Historian, experience a moving visit to the memorial and museum of Auschwitz and a stop at Birkenau. Travel along the Oder River to the city of Wrocław, known in Polish as Miasto Spotkań or the meeting place. During its long history, Wrocław has belonged to Poland, Bohemia, Austria, Prussia and Germany. With your Local Expert, see the brightly colored facades of the noble mansions and the flower markets on the Plac Solny. Take in the Baroque splendor of the Rynek and be introduced to Wrocław’s cheeky gnomes. This evening join, your Travel Director for a Craft Beer at the Piwnica Świdnicka, the oldest restaurant/cellar in Poland, founded in 1273 (subject to availability). 

Meals: Breakfast 

Hotel: Radisson Blue Hotel Wroclaw 

Continue to Poznan where you will drive out to Ostrów Tumski, known as Cathedral Island. It’s considered as the birthplace of Poland in the 10th century and is a fascinating place of legend, often overlooked by other visitors. Immerse yourself in the history of the city and enjoy a walking tour with a Local Expert. Later, learn the secrets behind the St. Martin’s croissant, a local delicacy, and enjoy a tasting. 

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine 

Hotel: Sheraton Poznań Hotel or similar 

Stop at Gniezno to visit the cathedral and see the famous winged bronze doors. Then continue to Toruń, founded by the Teutonic Knights in 1233 and birthplace of astronomer, Nicolaus Copernicus. Join a Local Expert to discover this outstanding example of medieval architecture, now a living museum and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, meet an artisan baker for a taste of gingerbread, baked following a traditional recipe and using only locally sourced ingredients (subject to availability). Spend time exploring at your own pace. Follow the Vistula River north to magnificent Gdansk, Poland’s Baltic trading port with more than 1000 years of history. 

Meals: Breakfast 

Hotel: Radisson Hotel and Suites Gdańsk or similar 

Spend the morning with a passionate Local Expert. Learn captivating and fun facts about the city and see the Westerplatte, the scene of the first fighting between Polish and German troops in 1939, and the Gdańsk Shipyards where Lech Wałęsa formed the anti-Soviet Solidarność in 1980. Continue through the medieval city, where buildings date back to the time of the Hanseatic League. Enjoy a free afternoon and perhaps choose to visit the elegant seaside town of Sopot.  This evening join in one of Gdansk’s best dining venues, located in a former 17th-century granary on the bank of the Motława river (subject to availability). Enjoy a superb dinner of local Baltic specialties and be introduced to the thousand-year-old brewing tradition of Gdansk by tasting several of the restaurant’s very own micro-brewed craft beers. In the Middle Ages, Gdansk was one of the wealthiest ports of the powerful Hanseatic League, and its fine buildings continue to be painstakingly rebuilt following WWII. After dinner enjoy a short walk through the illuminated old city. 

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine 

Hotel: Radisson Hotel and Suites Gdańsk or similar 

With a Local Expert, visit the Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork, founded in 1274 by the Teutonic Knights on the banks of the Nogat River. The castle is a stunning example of a medieval fortress and the largest brick Gothic castle in the world. The spirit of Warsaw and the music of Chopin go hand in hand. In a concert venue located in the center of Warsaw, enjoy an enchanting recital of his music performed by a celebrated Polish pianist, with sparkling wine served during the intermission. 

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: The Westin Warsaw or similar 

See the Palace of Culture and the Chopin Monument in Łazienki Park with a Local Expert. Visit the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, followed by a walk-through Warsaw’s Old Town, entirely rebuilt since World War II.  At your Celebration Dinner, enjoy a fine selection of local dishes with wine at a cozy Warsaw restaurant. 

Meals: Breakfast, Celebration Dinner with Wine 

Hotel: The Westin Warsaw or similar 

Your journey comes to an end with a group transfer to the Warsaw airport. 

Meals: Breakfast