Memoirs of the Polish composer and virtuoso pianist Frederic Chopin
An 8-day cultural journey across Poland including places, where you can walk in Chopin's footsteps.The programme includes the following places: Warsaw, Zelazowa Wola, Wilanow, Czestochowa, Krakow, Kazimierz – the former Jewish district in Krakow, Wieliczka – the Salt Mine, Pieniny – sailing on wooden rafts down the Dunajec River, Debno Podhalanskie, Wadowice – the hometown of Pope John Paul II, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, Auschwitz-Birkenau.
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Day 1 Arrival in Warsaw
x Arrival in Warsaw by plane (Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport) or coach. Meeting with the tour leader from Ernesto Travel and transfer by coach to the hotel in Warsaw. Check-in at the hotel. Dinner at the hotel or at a restaurant in the centre of Warsaw (depending on the arrival time). [It's possible to begin the programme in Krakow, Katowice or another city according to the flight schedule]. Overnight stay in Warsaw. -
Day 2 Warsaw – Chopin's city
8:00 Breakfast at the hotel. 9:00 Guided tour of Warsaw: Lazienkowski Park with Frederic Chopin monument (a 1:1-scale replica of Szymanowski's Art Nouveau statue is found in Warsaw's sister city of Hamamatsu in Japan). The Warsaw Ghetto, Umschlagplatz (thousands of the Jews were deported from there to the concentration camps), the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Palace of Culture and Science, Krakowskie Przedmiescie Street (optionally visiting the Chopin Family Drawing-Room at the Academy of Fine Arts – it was a part of Chopin's family's house before moving abroad). The Old Town (which is on the World Heritage List of UNESCO), St. John's Cathedral (sightseeing inside), the Main Market Square. The Old Town was completely destroyed during World War II and reconstructed thanks to the commitment of the Polish nation. 13:00 Lunch at a restaurant in the centre of Warsaw. 14:30 Sightseeing inside the Royal Castle. 16:30 Leisure time in the centre of Warsaw. Optionally – concert in Warsaw's Grand Theatre or Lazienkowski Park. 20:00 Dinner with a music concert at one of the local restaurants (optionally). Overnight stay in Warsaw. -
Day 3 Warsaw – Zelazowa Wola – Wilanow – Warsaw
8:00 Breakfast at the hotel. 9:00 Departure for Zelazowa Wola – the place where Frederic Chopin was born. Visiting the famous Chopin House Museum. Attending a concert of his music (depending on the tourist season). Departure for Wilanow and sightseeing at the estate residence of the Polish kings – the Palace and park. 13:00 Return to Warsaw. Lunch at a restaurant in the Old Town. 14:30 Visiting Warsaw's Holy Cross Church with the pillar containing Chopin's heart (sightseeing inside). Later, a visit at the Frederic Chopin Museum in Ostrogski Castle. 20:00 Dinner at a restaurant. Return to the hotel. Overnight stay in Warsaw. -
Day 4 Warsaw – Czestochowa – Krakow
8:00 Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from the hotel in Warsaw. 9:00 Departure for Krakow via Czestochowa. 13:00 Late lunch at a restaurant in Czestochowa. 14:30 Guided tour of the most important pilgrimage place in Poland - the Monastery in Czestochowa: Jasna Gora, with the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary – the Black Madonna. 17:30 Departure for Krakow. 20:00 Arrival in Krakow. Check-in at the hotel. Dinner at the hotel or at a restaurant in the city centre. -
Day 5 Krakow – the heart of Poland, Kazimierz – Jewish district and Wieliczka – The Salt Mine
8:00 Breakfast at the hotel. 9:00 Guided tour of Krakow. Wawel Hill with the castle (optional sightseeing inside) and its beautiful courtyard and Cathedral (sightseeing inside). Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture of the Old Town (Stare Miasto), the biggest 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 through Florianska Gate and to the Barbican. The Czartoryski Museum with the famous Leonardo Da Vinci painting “Lady with an Ermine”. During the sightseeing: multimedia presentation about the story of amber called "Polish Gold". In 1978, Krakow was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. 13:30 Lunch at a restaurant in Krakow. 15:00 Visiting 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 in 1 or 2 synagogues). Short stop in front of Schindler's Factory on the way to the Salt Mine in Wieliczka. 17:00 Transfer to Wieliczka (10 km from Krakow). 17:30 Guided tour in the Wieliczka Salt Mine – one of the oldest salt mines in the world. Many famous people have visited this place, such as Mikolaj Kopernik, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Dmitrij Mendeleev, Boleslaw Prus, Ignacy Paderewski, Karol Wojtyla, etc. In 1978, the Wieliczka Salt Mine was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. 20:00 Dinner at a traditional Polish restaurant in Wieliczka combined with a folk music concert. Return to the hotel and the night is spent in Krakow. -
Day 6 Krakow – Pieniny and Dunajec – Debno Podhalanskie – Wadowice – Kalwaria Zebrzydowska – Krakow
7:30 Breakfast at the hotel. 8:00 Departure by coach for Sromowce Wyzne. 10:00 Sailing on traditional wooden rafts down The Dunajec River, across The Pieninski National Park. [Attention: if rain makes it impossible to sail rafts down the Dunajec river, a trip to the Polish mountain capital – Zakopane - will be arranged instead, which will include visiting the town and riding the funicular railway or chairlift up to Gubalowka for a beautiful view over the Tatra Mountains.] 13:00 Lunch at a restaurant in Szczawnica (or Wadowice or Zakopane, if there is no rafting). 14:00 Transfer to Debno Podhalanskie. Visiting the wooden Gothic church there, which is one of the wooden churches in the South of Poland on the UNESCO's World Heritage List. 15:00 Transfer to Wadowice, where Pope John Paul II was born in 1920. 17:00 Visiting the Pope's home and the church where he was baptised. Transfer to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska. 18:30 Visiting the Bernardine Monastery complex in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, one of the most famous sanctuaries in Poland. The whole Mannerist complex (including the sanctuary and a park) is also listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. 19:30 Departure for Krakow. 20:00 Dinner at a restaurant (with a concert of Chopin's music during dinner or after dinner – depending on availability). -
Day 7 Departure from Poland
x Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from the hotel in Krakow. y Transfer to the airport. Departure from Poland.
