Following John Paul II – an 8 day pilgrimage
An 8 day pilgrimage following Pope John Paul II. The programme includes the following places: Krakow, Kazimierz – the former Jewish district in Krakow, Wieliczka – the Salt Mine, Pieniny – sailing on wooden rafts on the Dunajec River, Debno Podhalanskie, Wadowice – the hometown of John Paul II, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, Zakopane, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Czestochowa, Warsaw. It's possible to realise the programme in 7, 6 or 5 days by the elimination or addition of other places. (Depending on the flight schedule and arrival destination).
Pope John Paul II
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Krakow
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Krakow
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Krakow
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Krakow - Castle
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Krakow
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Sanctuary of Divine Mercy
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St. Faustyna
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Czestochowa
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Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
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Tatra Mountains
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Tatra Mountains
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Tatra Mountains
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Auschwitz
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Wieliczka Salt Mine
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Weliczka Salt Mine
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Warsaw
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Warsaw
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Warsaw
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Warsaw
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Day 1 Arrival in Krakow
x Arrival in Krakow by plane or coach. Meeting with the tour leader from Ernesto Travel and transfer by coach to the hotel in Krakow. Check-in at the hotel. Dinner at the hotel or at a restaurant in the centre of Krakow (depending on the arrival time). [This program can begin in Warsaw, Katowice or another city according to the flight schedule]. Overnight stay in Krakow. -
Day 2 Krakow – the diocese of Monsignor Karol Wojtyla
8:00 Breakfast at the hotel. 9:00 Guided tour of Krakow. The Wawel Hill with the castle (optional sightseeing inside), its beautiful courtyard and the Cathedral (sightseeing inside). Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture of the Old Town (Stare Miasto), the biggest medieval market square in Europe (Rynek Glowny), the Town Hall, Collegium Maius – an ancient building belonging to the Jagiellonian University, the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), Saint Mary’s Church (Kosciol Mariacki – sightseeing inside) with the famous altar by Wit Stwosz. A walk to the antique walls of the Old Town with Florianska Gate and the Barbican. the Czartoryski Museum with Leonardo Da Vinci's famous painting called “Lady with an Ermine” (entrance). The Archbishop's Palace, where Karol Wojtyla lived as a cardinal and as Krakow's archbishop. The Franciscan Church, where he prayed. His favourite pew is located there. Sightseeing Krakow's Old Town and the Jagiellonian University, where Karol Wojtyla studied in 1938 - 1939 before World War II. Karol Wojtyla worked with students at Saint Florian's Church school, situated at the Matejko Square. He travelled a lot with his students, who called him “their Uncle”.
During sightseeing, there will be a multimedia presentation about the history of amber called “Polish Gold”. In 1978 Krakow was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. [There will also be a mass in one of the churches related to the Pope].
Guided tour of Krakow. The Wawel Hill with the castle (optional sightseeing inside), its beautiful courtyard and the Cathedral (sightseeing inside). Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture of the Old Town (Stare Miasto), the biggest medieval market square in Europe (Rynek Glowny), the Town Hall, Collegium Maius – an ancient building belonging to the Jagiellonian University, the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), Saint Mary’s Church (Kosciol Mariacki – sightseeing inside) with the famous altar by Veit Stoss. A walk to the antique walls of the Old Town with Florianska Gate and the Barbican. the Czartoryski Museum with Leonardo Da Vinci's famous painting called “Lady with an Ermine”. The Archbishop's Palace, where Karol Wojtyla lived as a cardinal and as Krakow's archbishop. The Franciscan Church, where he prayed. His favourite pew is located there. Sightseeing Krakow's Old Town and the Jagiellonian University, where Karol Wojtyla studied in 1938 - 1939 before World War II. Karol Wojtyla worked with students at Saint Florian's Church school, situated at the Matejko Square. He travelled a lot with his students, who called him their uncle. During sightseeing, there will be a multimedia presentation about the history of amber called “Polish Gold”. In 1978 Krakow was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. [There will also be a mass in one of the churches related to the Pope].13:30 Lunch at a restaurant in Krakow's Old Town. 17:00 Sightseeing in the former Jewish district – Kazimierz. This part of Krakow was the centre of the Jewish community's religious and social life until the deportations during the Nazi occupation (sightseeing inside 1 or 2 synagogues). A short stop in the front of Schindler's Factory. 20:00 Dinner with typical Polish food at the hotel or at a restaurant combined with a Jewish music (Klezmer)concert in Krakow. 22:00 Return to the hotel and the night is spent in Krakow. -
Day 3 Krakow – Lagiewniki – Wadowice – Kalwaria Zebrzydowska – Wieliczka – Krakow
8:00 Breakfast at the hotel. 8:30 Departure for Lagiewniki. 9:00 "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy". Sightseeing at the Monastery in Lagiewniki. The monastery features the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy is where Saint Faustina Kowalska lived and died. This Monastery was proclaimed "The center of Divine Mercy" by Pope John Paul II during his stay in Poland in 2002. On Divine Mercy Sunday (a week after Easter), thousands of people come there to participate in masses and pray in the antique church, where Saint Faustina Kowalska (founder of the cult of Divine Mercy) was buried. 11:00 Transfer to Wadowice, where John Paul II was born in 1920. 12:00 Visiting the Pope's home and the church where he was baptised. 13:00 A mass in the Pope's parish. 14:00 Lunch at a restaurant. 15:30 Transfer to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska. 16:00 Visiting the Bernardine Monastery complex in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, the 3rd most famous sanctuary in Poland. The entire Mannerist complex (including the sanctuary and the park) is a World Heritage Site of UNESCO. 17:00 Departure for the Wieliczka Salt Mine. 18:00 Guided tour in the Wieliczka Salt Mine – one of the oldest salt mines in the world. Many famous people have visited the place such as Mikolaj Kopernik, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Dmitrij Mendeleev, Boleslaw Prus, Ignacy Paderewski, Karol Wojtyla, etc. In 1978 year, Wieliczka Salt Mine is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. 20:00 Dinner at a traditional Polish restaurant in Wieliczka combined with a folk music concert. The last night in Krakow. -
Day 4 Krakow – Dunajec – Debno Podhalanskie – Zakopane
8:00 Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from the hotel in Krakow. 9:00 Departure by coach to Sromowce Wyzne. 11:00 Sailing on traditional wooden rafts down the Dunajec River, across the Pieninski National Park. Enjoying the beautiful view of the natural environment of the Pieniny Mountains. 13:30 Lunch at a restaurant in Szczawnica (or in Wadowice, or Zakopane if there is no rafting). 15:00 Transfer to Debno Podhalanskie. Sightseeing in the wooden Gothic church: one of the 6 wooden churches in southern Poland listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. 17:00 A mass in Saint Michael the Archangel's Church in Debno Podhalanskie. 18:00 Departure for the capital of the Polish mountains – Zakopane – a town filled with beautiful and unique national-style wooden houses. 19:00 Arrival in Zakopane. Check-in at the hotel. Dinner at the hotel or local restaurant. Overnight stay in Zakopane. -
Day 5 Zakopane and Tatra Mountains – the mountain-loving Pope's paradise
8:00 Breakfast at the hotel. 9:00 Sightseeing in Zakopane: Jaszczurowka, Peksowy Brzyzek, Villa Atma, Krzeptowki – Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima. The sanctuary was founded as a token of gratitude for saving the Pope’s life after the assassination attempt onn 13th May, 1983. [There will be a mass in the sanctuary]. Visiting the Krupowki promenade with many souvenir shops. Free time. 13:00 Lunch at a traditional Goral restaurant. 15:00 Going up to top of the Gubalowka by cable railway. Enjoying an amazing view of the Tatra Mountains. Walking downhill through a passage. Return to Zakopane. 20:00 Dinner at an old-fashioned restaurant in Zakopane combined with a traditional Goral music concert. 22:00 Return to the hotel. The last night in Zakopane. -
Day 6 Zakopane – Oswiecim (Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum) – Czestochowa
7:30 Breakfast at the hotel.Check-out from the hotel. 8:00 Departure for the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum (in Oswiecim). 11:00 Guided tour around the area of the former concentration camp in Auschwitz-Birkenau. The camp was built by Nazis during the Nazi occupation of Poland. More than a million people of different nationalities were killed in this place, the majority were of Jewish origin. Today this place is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. 14:00 Lunch at a restaurant in Oswiecim (or somewhere nearby). 15:00 Departure for Czestochowa. 17:00 Guided tour of the most important pilgrimage place in Poland – the Jasna Gora Monastery in Czestochowa with the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary called the Black Madonna. 19:00 A mass in the Sanctuary. 20:30 Check-in at the hotel. Dinner. Overnight stay in Czestochowa. -
Day 7 Czestochowa – Warsaw – the capital of Poland
8:00 Breakfast at the hotel. 9:00 Departure for Warsaw. 13:00 Lunch at a restaurant in the city centre. 14:00 Sightseeing inside the Royal Castle. 15:00 Guided tour of Warsaw: Lazienkowski Park with the Frederic Chopin monument, the Warsaw Ghetto, and Umschlagplatz – thousands of Jews were deported from there to the concentration camps – the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Palace of Culture and Science, Krakowskie Przedmiescie Street., the Old Town (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). The Castle (without entering) and St. John’s Cathedral. The Old Town was fully destroyed during World War 2 and reconstructed thanks to the commitment of the entire Polish nation. [A mass is also planned in one of Warsaw's churches]. 20:00 Dinner with a music concert at one of the local restaurants (optional). The last night in Warsaw. -
Day 8 Departure from Poland
x Breakfast. Check-out from the hotel. y Transfer to the airport. Departure.
