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Warsaw Communist Tour - Cracow - the Tatras tour
This is an actual tour proposal provided to people interested in coming to Poland. This tour was finally commissioned by the clients. It is shown here as an example of what can be done. You are invited to use it as a base plan and have a proposal modified to suit your particular needs. A custom tour can be made for you. And we can send you a complete list of tours if you contact us by going to this page called Get Poland Travel And Tour Information And Personal Help Here
Other tour proposals can be seen at Tour Itineraries
Tour Itinerary
DAY I - Arrival and accommodation The communist Warsaw tour Arrival in Warsaw, accommodation in a hotel The communist Warsaw (this is mainly a drive-around tour). - starting with the Palace of Culture and Science (if not visited on the previous day) - erected in the early 1950's, commissioned by Stalin as "a gift from the Soviet nation" the Palace marks off the very city centre, dominating the skyline with its 231 m tower, a visit to its viewing platform at the 30th floor will present the magnificent Warsaw panorama and will allow you to grasp the general whereabouts of the city- the former Communist Party Central Office, now turned into a financial centre - the MDM district was built right after WWII to provide housing for the working classes; the monumental apartment blocks surround a large square which was meant to serve as a community centre. In the evening you will be invited to a dinner with a folk music and dance show
DAY II - Czestochowa and the medieval castles Accommodation in Cracow Leaving Warsaw at around 9 AM, you will drive to Cracow via Czestochowa, stopping at the following sites along the way- a visit to the Polish Catholics' jewel in the crown - the medieval church and monastery of Jasna Góra, followed by a stroll around the historic market square and the surrounding houses in the Old Town- the ride to Cracow will follow the so called "Trail of the Eagle Nest Castles" - a chain of medieval castles, each located at the very top of once hardly accessible rock or mountain (hence the name) towering over its neighborhood; now most of them in ruins, they still present a picturesque view - definitely worth a few hours driving around and stopping at one or two of them to climb up the steep paths. A visit to a castle and the views will reward every effort - suggested sites at Ogrodzieniec and Mirów- Bobolice. Arriving in Cracow on late afternoon, accommodation in a hotel, free time.
DAY III - Auschwitz-Birkenau Wadowice Wieliczka Salt Mine Auschwitz-Birkenau Holocaust Memorial The tour will present the sad fate of over 1.5 million people who passed through this death camp, their daily appalling living conditions, the Nazi means of terror, torture and extermination. The tour takes 2-3 hours. It takes a little over 1 hour to get from Cracow to Auschwitz (one way).Having visited Auschwitz you will be transferred to Wieliczka, stopping on the way at Wadowice - the hometown of Pope John Paul II, where you will be invited for a complimentary snack at a local cafe to try the famous cream cakes (Pope's favorite in his childhood). Wieliczka Salt Mine The Salt Mine, now on UNESCO's Worldwide Heritage List, is of medieval origin. Some of its underground chambers are enormous, decorated with salt pieces of art (eg. Sculptures) - all in all an unforgettable sight. The tour will start at around 5 PM, followed by a dinner in the folk restaurant next to the museum.
DAY IV - Cracow city tour The Royal Cracow Cracow is the city with over a 1000 years history, the seat of the Polish kings for more than five centuries, it still exudes an air of glamour and dignity as you walk along its medieval walls. It is best to visit the historic Old Town by following the traditional route which was always taken by legates to the king. Starting off from Florianska Str. and passing through the Florian Gate you will find yourself within the Old Town's walls. Florianska Street will get you to the medieval market square (Europe's largest medieval square) where each house has a different history to tell; the medieval trading house occupying the centre of the square now houses souvenir stalls as well as a collection of the 19th century Polish art. It is also a must to see St. Mary's Church with its magnificent decorations and Europe's largest, three-winged Gothic altar .Leaving the Market Square through Grodzka Str. you will be taken straight to the castle hill. Wawel, as it is called, witnessed nearly all of the royal coronations and burial in the Polish history. A visit to the royal chambers, the treasury or the castle chapel simply cannot be missed (visiting included). On your way back to the Old Town it is also worth having a look at the Jagiellonian University (one of Europe's oldest). The building of the first university college - Collegium Maius survived intact and presents the original early 15th c. style. The Jewish Cracow The district of Kazimierz in Cracow, once a separate town, is one of the best preserved traditional Jewish settlements in Europe. Established in 14th century, it was occupied by the Jewish community until WW II, then being the site of the Cracow Ghetto .The tour (ca. 4-5 hours) will start from Szeroka Street - a street whose layout bears clear traces of the original medieval market square, being the heart of the Jewish community for ages. Szeroka Street is the location of the following sites: the Old Synagogue (Alte Schul) - the oldest Jewish building in Poland dating back to 15th c., now housing the exhibition on the history and culture of the Cracow Jewish community, the Remuh Synagogue and cemetary (est. 1530's - 1550's), the Mikvah - the ritual bath house (1567), the Wolf Popper Synagogue (est. 1620). From Szeroka Street you will walk into Miodowa Str. to see the Temple Synagogue (1860) and then moving on to the Kupa Synagogue (1740's) and the Isaak Synagogue (1640's). Leaving the Isaak Synagogue, it is only a few steps to enter Plac Nowy (the Nowy Square) with a round pavilion occupying its centre - the 1920's and '30's ritual slaughterhouse for poultry. Walking out of the square you will walk into Jozefa Str. to see the High Synagogue (est. 1550's-60's).The tour in Kazimierz will then continue to the Schindler's factory - the site of events as portrayed in S. Spielberg's "The Schindler's List" movie. The day will close with a dinner at a Jewish restaurant in Kazimierz with a live Klezmer music concert.
DAY V - Zakopane and the Tatras Leaving Cracow after breakfast, it will take up to 2 hours to arrive in Zakopane. You will be accommodated in a top quality local bandb - an excellent opportunity to get a few more glimpses in to the folk highlander lifestyle. In the afternoon you will be taken on a mountain trip. To get the flavour of these mountains we suggest a cable car ride to the Kasprowy Peak (1998) and then a walk along one of the main ridges to admire the whole Tatras panorama (going down by cable car as well) or taking a horse-drawn carriage ride to the Morskie Oko Valley to view one of the most beautiful mountain lakes and admire the surrounding steep rocky peaks. In the evening a dinner with mountaineer live music and the best of local cuisine will enhance the experiences of this folk day.
DAY VI Zakopane Zakopane is a typical skiing resort in winter, yet it has a lot to offer all year round, being a typical, stylish highlanders' settlement. Your walk around the town (morning activity) will present the best of the typical mountaineer architecture - the famous 'Zakopane style" wooden villas of the 19th c. Some free time at midday for shopping in Zakopane. The afternoon will be spent on driving around the area, visiting little villages - the jewels of traditional highlander style and architecture (see below).Koscielisko/Witów/Chocholów - typical highlander villages, dating back to 16th-18th c., full of wonderful highlander style architecture (some as old as the villages)Czarny Dunajec - 14th century settlement with a little market square surrounded by manor-style houses .You can enjoy a free quiet evening or a bonfire/sausage roasting.
DAY VII Return to Warsaw Leaving Zakopane after breakfast, it will take 6-7 hours to drive to Warsaw, but we recommend stopping about half-way through at a village of Tokarnia to visit the open air museum which exhibits 18th and 19th century architecture (examples of small town buildings, country manors and typical village housing) followed by a lunch at the museum restaurant - a re-creation of a traditional 19th/20th century folk inn, serving a fine selection of traditional Polish food; a brief outing (drive + a short walk) afterwards to visit the nearby remains of the 14th c. castle at Checiny. Arriving in Warsaw at ca. 5-6 PM, accommodation in a hotel
DAY VIII Warsaw city tour The Royal Warsaw Take a walk along the so called Royal Route; you will see the first part of the Route when moving along Nowy Swiat and Krakowskie Przedmiescie Streets, passing by palaces, churches and the historic Warsaw University campus. You will eventually get to the Royal Castle, visiting the royal chambers with their collection of art and historic furniture. Leaving the Castle you will immediately enter the Old Town with its medieval layout of tiny narrow streets, merchant houses and churches and the magnificent Market Square - now all re-built from scratch after WWII and being one of UNESCO's Worldwide Heritage sites. While sightseeing the Old Town area you will also be guided around the Old Town sites which witnessed the most severe fights during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 (to be followed up later on in the early evening with a visit to the newly opened Warsaw Uprising Museum). This part of the tour will also include a visit to the Warsaw History Museum for a movie show presenting pre-war Warsaw and the scale of its wartime destruction .Continuing the Royal Route sightseeing you will move to Wilanow - once an out-of-town Royal residence, often referred to as the Polish Versailles for its grandeur and beauty .The Jewish Warsaw Before WWII Warsaw was the home of Europe's largest Jewish community (nearly 400,000 Jewish residents). Nowadays, only a few remnants of this grand past can still be traced around the city (as pictured, for example in Roman Polanski's "Pianist" movie):- visit Plac Grzybowski and the adjoining streets - the pre-war heart of the Jewish community; now a few houses and shop-fronts have been finely renovated to depict the 19th century splendour of the place; it is also the site of Warsaw's only preserved synagogue- Jewish Holocaust in Warsaw - the ghetto - see the yard of Sienna 55 with one of the last remains of the Ghetto wall, look at the neighboring hospital building at Sienna 60 (formerly the Jewish children hospital), stop at Umschlagplatz at Stawki 10 and continue the Ghetto tour along the Tract of the Jewish Martyrdom and Fighting of 1940 - 1943. Finish the tour with a visit to the Jewish Cemetary at Okopowa Str.At midday you will be invited for a complimentary snack either at the Blikle cafe or We del cafe (Polish most famous and oldest chocolate manufacturer).
DAY IX Warsaw city tour - cntd. Departure In the morning you will continue the Warsaw tour (depending on how much was seen on the previous day) and will also have some shopping time available. Transfer to the Warsaw airport for departure, leaving for the airport at around 3PM.
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