Central & East Europe
Essential Poland
Photo credit: Filip Kwiatkowski / Stołeczne Biuro Turystyki / Warsaw Tourist Office
Warsaw and Krakow: Two of Poland’s Finest Cities
Overview
Modern Poland is one of Europe’s most exciting countries, brimming with lively urban centers, beautiful countryside, saw-toothed mountains, cultural treasures, and deep beliefs. Survey Poland’s capital, animated Warsaw, and the former royal city of Krakow, with its medieval town square and underground pubs. On this focused tour, visit four Polish UNESCO sites in six days – Warsaw’s Old Town, Krakow’s Historic Center, the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, and the Wieliczka Salt Mine.
Travels to: Poland
Map
Itinerary
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Days 1-2: Warsaw (Poland)
In the capital, take a walking tour of the reconstructed Old Town, passing the powerful Royal Castle, home of Poland’s kings from the 16th century up to the country’s partition. Visit elegant Lazienki Royal Gardens and, in the summertime, enjoy an outdoor concert of Chopin’s music.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Poland’s capital, Warsaw, with its UNESCO-listed Old Town and Market Square, rebuilt from the ground up after WWII
- Lazienki Park along the banks of the Vistula River, landscaped in 1764 as part of the king’s residence
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Days 3-6: Krakow
Board a day train to Krakow, Poland’s royal capital from the 11th to the 16th century. Wander the largest remaining medieval town square in Europe, Rynek Glowny, the Main Market Square, laid out in 1257. Explore Wawel Castle, the seat of Polish kings for hundreds of years. Pay your respects at Auschwitz-Birkenau, the concentration camp where over 1.1 million people, primarily Jews, were systematically murdered by the Third Reich. In the Wieliczka Salt Mine, admire the Chapel of the Blessed Kinga, where everything, including statuary and chandeliers, is carved from salt.
HIGHLIGHTS
- UNESCO-listed Krakow, Poland’s royal capital from the 11th to the 17th century
- Wieliczka Salt Mine, a UNESCO Site with beautiful chambers and chapels carved out of salt
- Pay a visit of remembrance to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Auschwitz-Birkenau, a ghastly reminder of the atrocities committed during WWII
Dates & Prices
Please note:
- Private trip prices vary by season and are subject to hotel availability for your travel dates.
- Listed prices below are based on double occupancy and a 2-traveler minimum.
- Hotel upgrades, additional nights, and solo traveler prices are available on request.
Land tour price, per person, starting from:
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2023 Dates
Available: January - September, November - OctoberTour, double occupancy$2,995Single supplement$695
What's Included
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Tour Includes
- Shared accommodations as noted in the itinerary. Contact MIR for hotel upgrade prices.
- Meals, as noted in the itinerary.
- Restaurant tips for included meals.
- One arrival and one departure transfer. Additional arrival and departure transfers available at additional cost.) MIR will arrange for travelers to be met upon arrival and seen off on departure, whether or not we make your air arrangements.
- Ground transportation throughout itinerary by private vehicle (Type of vehicle depends on number of travelers in your group).
- Services of experienced, English-speaking local guides, drivers, and other staff, as noted in the itinerary.
- Guided sightseeing tours and entrance fees, as outlined in the itinerary.
- Special events, excursions, and cultural performances, as outlined in the itinerary.
- Complete pre-departure information, including detailed packing list, reading list, and Touring with MIR handbook with country-specific information, maps, and travel tips.
- Final document packet, including luggage tags, final updates, and more.
- Assistance booking your custom flight arrangements, on request. (Please note that international airfare is not included in the land tour cost).
- Train tickets from Warsaw to Krakow.
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Not Included
- International airfare and taxes/fuel surcharges.
- Meals and drinks not specified as included in the itinerary.
- Single supplement if requested or required.
- Baggage handling.
- Gratuities to local guides, drivers, porters, and other service personnel.
- Expenses incurred as a result of delay, modification, or extension of a tour due to causes beyond MIR’s control.
- Travel-related insurance including cancellation, medical, and evacuation insurance.
- Visa fees, excess-baggage charges, airport departure taxes, vaccination and other medical costs.
- Optional pre- or post-tour extensions.
- Items of a personal nature such as phone calls, email, laundry, and alcohol.
Activity Level
Level 2: Moderate, but Customizable
This ‘Essential’ itinerary in modern and cosmopolitan Poland, which is designed for private travel, features long days walking and standing, and some possibly long days in the touring vehicle. Only those fit to travel and who accept the local conditions should consider joining this program.
There is a significant amount of touring on foot, and those travelers planning to take the program as written should be able to walk one to two miles a day comfortably. Footing can be an issue and travelers should be able to negotiate cobblestones, uneven surfaces (possibly steep and/or wet), and deal with situations without handrails or ramps. Please note: Wieliczka Salt Mine is accessed by a 10-story descent by stairs only. (Elevator access for the descent may be possible at additional cost, but cannot be guaranteed due to the logistics in the mine.) Expect crowded conditions and a long climb down. The elevator is used for the ascent at the end of the tour. Touring at Auschwitz/Birkenau and at Wieliczka Salt Mine is done with a mixed public group of other travelers, with expert site guide and personal ear piece, rather than as a private excursion.
Some attractions are only accessible via steep staircases. Museums rarely have elevators and hotels may not have elevators as well.
Past travelers have also encountered challenges with plumbing, bureaucratic service, variety of locally available foods, and availability and quality of public restrooms.
Accommodations in the basic program are generally three- to four-star hotels, some quite small with basic amenities and services. Upgrades may be available, please call for details.
Gallery
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1/8 Bochnia Salt Mine in Poland. Polish National Tourist Board -
2/8 Auschwitz-Birkenau entrance gate in Poland. Martin Klimenta
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3/8 Old Town Market Square in Warsaw. Martin Klimenta
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4/8 Panoramic view of Warsaw. Filip Kwiatkowski/Stołeczne Biuro Turystyki/Warsaw Tourist Office
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5/8 View of Wawel Royal Castle in Krakow, Poland. Martin Klimenta
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6/8 Warsaw city walls. Martin Klimenta
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7/8 Lazienki Park in Warsaw, Poland. Martin Klimenta
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8/8 Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland. Maciej Leszczełowski / Stołeczne Biuro Turystyki / Warsaw Tourist Office
