One day in Cracow

City tour program
You will begin your tour by visiting the Jewish District of Kazimierz to explore the area which used to be inhabited by one of the most diverse Jewish communities in Europe. Then a short drive will take you up the Wawel Hill which is the embodiment of Poland's former monarchical glory. Its summit is the Royal Castle and a 14th-century cathedral which hosted almost all coronations and funerals of the Polish monarchy. Having descended the hill, we stroll along Kanonicza and Grodzka Streets to reach Collegium Maius (Great College), the oldest building of the Academia Cracoviensis. After visiting the charming Gothic courtyard we continue to the Main Market Square. This bustling heart of the city is a perfect place for picking up souvenirs, especially in the Cloth Hall which has been the local market place for centuries. Complete your tour by visiting St Mary's Church, where the stunning medieval altar sculpted by Veit Stoss is located and a bugle call sounds towards the four corners of the world every hour on the hour. The tour lasts approx. 4 hours.

Price: 35 Euro / person

Price includes: English speaking guide, hotel pick up from selected hotels and places, admission to Wawel Castle and Royal Cathedral, admission to St Mary's Church.

Departure time and place: see schedule.

Additional info: daily tour, The Royal Chambers of the Wawel Castle are closed to the public every Monday. On Monday the Collegium Maius is visited instead.

Tour program
As you walk down 360 steps into the salt mine, you get the impression of entering a vast underground city, complete with huge caverns and underground lakes. This underground world has earned a place on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list thanks to the creativity of the miners who carved chapels out of the walls, hundreds of metres below the surface. You will visit the largest of the chapels dedicated to St Kinga, the patron saint of salt miners. This subterranean church is richly decorated with chandeliers, sculptures, and religious figures carved out of salt. As you follow the 2 1/2-kilometre walk, you'll pass statues dating back to the 18th century depicting mythical, historical and religious figures. The last stop in the mine is the souvenir shop and snack bar. From here, the lift carries you back to the surface. The tour lasts approx. 4 hours.

Price: 35 Euro / person.

Price includes: English speaking guide, hotel pick up from selected hotels, admission to Wieliczka Salt Mine, guided walk through Wieliczka Salt Mine, lift pick up to the ground level on exit.

Departure time and places: see the schedule.

Additional info: tour twice a day, temperature 14 °C/57 °F of all year round.

Tour program
Nowa Huta Tour gives you a unique chance to see the town built by communists after the Second World War, mainly to destroy aristocratic and intellectual character and traditions of Cracow, by erecting a huge "Lenin" Steelworks with its "healthy working class" neighbourhood. The tour starts in Central Square, in the very heart of Nowa Huta, near which an enormous statue of the city’s patron – Lenin – used to stand for years. Afterwards, the tour continues to the Steelworks – now owned by the "Mittal Steel" Company, which closed its gates for visitors, but we will be still able to admire its size and learn about its history. After that we will pay a visit to the Museum of Nowa Huta, which holds exhibitions dedicated to the history and tradition of the city. After that we will see the Nowa Huta Cross which symbolizes the bloody fights for the establishment of a church in the town. Later we will visit "the Lord’s Ark Church". The final stop of our tour is the Monument Commemorating the Site of Bogdan Włosik’s Death, which is dedicated to all victims of Martial Law, imposed in Poland in 1981. Our journey into the past ends in a typical communist era bar, where over a glass of communist times booze you will find out more about the absurdities of life under the communist rule. The tour lasts approx 4 hours.

Price: 45 Euro / person.

Price includes: English speaking guide, hotel pick up from selected hotels, admission to the museum, a drink in Stylowa Restaurant (Avenue of Roses).

Departure time and places (on Tuesday and Friday only): see the schedule.

Additional information: minimum number of participants - 2 persons.

 Tour program
Named after the king who invited Jews to Poland in the 14th century, Kazimierz became the flourishing centre of Jewish religion and culture. Due to the policy of religious tolerance that prevailed in Poland from the 15th century, Kazimierz became a safe heaven for diverse groups of Jewish refugees from all over Europe. The tour aims to retrace this diversity which resulted in the construction of numerous synagogues (including the oldest of the preserved synagouges in Poland) and a very unique atmosphere which is still present there. Also, you might recognise some of the sights that appeared in the Oscar winning Schindler's list which was shot in this area. The tour ends with a visit to the monument commemorating the victims of the former Nazi concentration camp in Płaszów.

Price: 35 Euro / persosn

Price includes: English speaking guide, hotel pick up from selected hotels, admission to the Old Synagogue, Remuh Synagogue and Cemetery.

Departure time and places: see schedule.

Additional info: tours organized Wednesdays and Friday with min 2 persons group.

Your evening program
We would like to invite you to a Jewish style dinner complete with traditional Jewish music at ARIEL – a very special place in the old Jewish district of Kazimierz. The Ariel gallery was transformed into an artistic café several years ago and is decorated with many paintings, drawings and ceramics. Today, Ariel is actually a three-in-one establishment housing a restaurant, café and a gallery all with delightful ambience. The restaurant's culinary delights feature splendid traditional dishes including various roasts.  As Jewish music concerts and performances are held here every night, you can dine and listen to klezmer music – traditional Jewish folk melodies and songs in Yiddish – or to a performance of a musical theatre drawing on Jewish, Polish, Russian and Ukrainian culture.

Price: 28 Euro / person
(minimum 2 persons)

Price includes: three-course dinner, coffee or tea and mineral water, Klezmer music concert.

Additional info: meeting point - ARIEL RESTAURANT, 18 SZEROKA ST.

Available dates: March, November: Friday, Saturday, Sunday
April – October: daily.  

Tour program
Discover the most spectacular gorge of Europe – the Dunajec River gorge.

This undoubtedly one of the Poland's prime tourist attractions gives you a chance to admire some of the most amazing scenery of the Polish highlands. Usually referred to as "the raft trip down the Dunajec river" this in fact a rather leisurely drift in large wooden punts. Highly experienced guides make sure you have a smooth ride and keep you informed about the sights you see and the history of the trips, which goes back to 1840s . The voyage down the winding Dunajec offers breathtaking views of mighty limestone cliffs plunging into the water as well as stunning native vegetation both protected by the second oldest international national park in the world. Also, while sailing down the river you can spot some rare bird species including the Black Stork. Another attraction of the tour is a visit to Niedzica Castle which was originally built in the 14th century by the Hungarians to protect an important trade through the Dunajec valley. Nowadays the castle towers over a large water reservoir and an impressive dam built in mid 90s. While visiting the castle you can admire the delightful view over the artificial lake and learn an amazing story of Inca refugees that found shelter there. Our trip begins at Niedzica Castle, then continues to the wharf in Sromowce Niżne and ends 15 km later in Szczawnica. The voyage lasts two to three hours, depending on the water level of the river. It is advisable to bring rainwear or a sun hat depending on the weather.

Price: 85 Euro / person

Price includes: English speaking guide, hotel pick up from selected hotels, admission to the raft trip, admission to Niedzica Castle.

Departure times and places: See our schedule here.

Additional info: the tour runs in April-October on Mondays nad Thursdays. Other days on request only.

Show description
Ralf Schmidt from Germany: “We are here, friends from all over the world. Every year for the last 23 years, we have met in different cities. Nowhere have we seen a show like this.

Unique! Truly superb!”

Kurt Siebel from Zurich: “I liked the show very much. It talked about the family, sex, booze and money – really, really funny. Poles must like to have fun and to drink as we do. The show made clear and courageous statements. I have never seen anything like this before”.

The Cabaret show entitled “Entertain the Dragon” is an introduction to Poles and Polishness. It is performed in English.

During the break the guests are invited to help themselves to some Polish specialties laid out on a buffet table.

Price: 40 Euro / person

Price includes: traditional Polish buffet dinner, cabaret programme.

Time and place: MOLIERE THEATER CAFÉ, 4 SZEWSKA ST. Fridays between 7.00-09.00 p.m.

Additional info: JULY 4TH – AUGUST 15TH ONLY

Cracow- an ancient magic city.
Cracow offers a wide spectrum of museums, art galleries full of exhibitions, theatres, historic cellars, clubs, cafes & restaurants with live music, is an exciting destination for the travelers on the world map!
The city’s cultural heritage is mirrored in its intellectual achievements – the Jagiellonian University is the oldest in Poland. The student population of the city numbers almost 100,000 and this large student population fires a lively nightlife scene that burns brightly in the atmospheric cellar bars away from the tourists above. Cracow has sharply contrasting seasons with cold, snowy winters and fresh springs and autumns. Visitors should beware of the locals’ use of the word fresh – an optimistic reference to blatantly cold weather. The labyrinthine cellars of the Old Town are an ideal place to escape the winter chill. However, come summer, the quintessential Cracow experience is relaxing in a pavement café on the main square enjoying one of the long and balmy nights.

Cracow (Krakow) is now well established as a major tourist destination. At the height of summer, Poland’s fourth largest city throngs with tour groups, all manner of tourist tack and countless pavement cafés that seem to occupy every cobble of the main square. Out of season, late at night or even in the first slivers of morning light, it is clear why so many people flock to visit. This magical city, situated in the southeast of the country, between the Jura uplands and the Tatra Mountains, on the banks of the Wisla (Vistula) River, has one of the best-preserved medieval city centres in Europe. Dozens of churches cover almost every architectural period and are surrounded by monasteries and abbeys – walking through the Old Town streets is like drifting back through the musty pages of a historical novel.

Cracow – a tourist horn of plenty
Cracow, Poland's former royal capital, is one of the most attractive spots on the tourist map of Europe. This is a place where legends, history and modernity intertwine. The city, which lies on the banks of the Vistula River, is famous for its priceless historical monuments of culture and art.

Auschwitz-Birkenau (Oświęcim-Brzezinka in Polish)
All over the world, Auschwitz has become a symbol of terror, genocide, and the Holocaust. It was established by the Nazis in the suburbs of the city of Oswiecim which, like other parts of Poland, was occupied by the Germans during the Second World War. The name of the city of Oswiecim was changed to Auschwitz, which became the name of the camp as well. June 14, 1940, when the first transport of Polish political prisoner deportees arrived in Auschwitz, is regarded as the date when it began to function. Since 1940 it was the location of a concentration and later of the extermination camp. By January 1945 around 2 million people had been killed here, mostly Jews but also Gypsies, as well as political and war prisoners. The camp was designed to be an organized death factory. Everything was thoroughly put into accounts. On leaving the camp, the SS blew up part of the facilities. The barracks once crammed with prisoners, the torture and execution sites and the rail-tracks leading straight to the camp remained on place to stand witness to this appalling cruelty. Tourists can watch the movie made by the Soviet troops during the camp’s liberation. This memorial site can be visited every day. It was added to UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.

general info:
spa: lowland spa
climate: lowland climate, moderately stimulating
height: 250 m above sea level
postal code: 32-020 Wieliczka
telephone area code: +48-12

Main treatment areas:
respiratory system diseases, particularly bronchial asthma, and rheumatic disorders.

Natural therapeutic features:
therapeutic microclimate in a salt excavation site with salt particles in the air, in the salt mine at a depth of 200 m.

Location:
Wieliczka lies on the border between Sandomierska Valley and Wielickie Upland, 15 km from Cracow. The town centre is in a hollow surrounded by hills. The development of the spa, famous for its historical salt mine, began in 1964, when the world's first underground anti-allergy sanatorium was established in the mine's chambers.

Treatment facilities:
spa hospitals with 153 beds.

Attractions and cultural events:
It is worth visiting the historical Salt Mine, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After 700 years of exploitation, the mine forms an extensive subterranean town. Sights include wonderful salt lakes, unique chapels with salt sculptures, and mining machinery and equipment. Banquets, concerts and seminars are held in the mine's underground rooms. In the town above ground, interesting sights include historical military stables with characteristic arcades similar to Cracow's Cloth Hall, and the architecture of Wieliczka's town centre.

Tourism and sports:
indoor swimming pool, 3 tennis courts, numerous hiking and biking routes in the area. It is not far to Ojcowski National Park, which has a lot of unusual rock formations and old trees.
Wieliczka is famous for one of the world's oldest salt mines, which is open to sightseers. The valley of the Pradnik River, part of the Ojcowski National Park, is a unique nature reserve with a fairy-tale landscape carved from limestone. The ruined Gothic castle in Ojców and the beautifully preserved Renaissance castle in Pieskowa Skała are two more reasons to visit the park. Just 35 km south of Cracow is the Beskidy mountain range and 100 km away in the Tatra Mountains lies Zakopane the winter capital of Poland.

Time Departure places – hotels names

8:30 Apis
8:35 System Premium
8:40 Ruczaj
8:45 Novotel - Bronowice, Sympozju, Qubus
8:50 Wyspiański, Chopin, Express Holiday by Inn
9:00 Ester, Batory, System POP
9:05 Sheraton, Major, Matejki Sq
9:10 Holiday Inn, Andel's
9:15 Ibis Centrum, Royal
9:20 Novotel Centrum, Logos, Radisson SAS
9:30 Cracovia

Morning tours

Time and departure places – hotels names

8:30 Apis
8:35 System Premium
8:40 Ruczaj
8:45 Novotel - Bronowice, Sympozju, Qubus
8:50 Wyspiański, Chopin, Express Holiday by Inn
9:00 Ester, Batory, System POP
9:05 Sheraton, Major, Matejki Sq
9:10 Holiday Inn, Andel's
9:15 Ibis Centrum, Royal
9:20 Novotel Centrum, Logos, Radisson SAS
9:30 Cracovia

Afternoon tours

Time and departure places – hotels names

02:00 Apis
02:05 System Premium, Ruczaj
02:10 Novotel Bronowice, Symposjum
02:30 Chopin, Andel's, Express by Holiday Inn
02:35 Ester
02:40 Matejko Sq., System Pop
02:45 Major
02:50 Wyspiański, Batory
02:55 Royal
03:00 Ibis, Holiday Inn, Logos
03:05 Sheraton, Novotel Centrum, Radisson SAS
03:15 Cracovia

Morning tours

 
Afternoon tours  

Time and departure places – hotels names

8:30 Apis
8:35 System Premium
8:40 Ruczaj
8:45 Novotel - Bronowice, Sympozju, Qubus
8:50 Wyspiański, Chopin, Express Holiday by Inn
9:00 Ester, Batory, System POP
9:05 Sheraton, Major, Matejki Sq
9:10 Holiday Inn, Andel's
9:15 Ibis Centrum, Royal
9:20 Novotel Centrum, Logos, Radisson SAS
9:30 Cracovia

Time and departure places – hotels names:

8:30 Apis
8:35 System Premium
8:40 Ruczaj
8:45 Novotel - Bronowice, Sympozju, Qubus
8:50 Wyspiański, Chopin, Express Holiday by Inn
9:00 Ester, Batory, System POP
9:05 Sheraton, Major, Matejki Sq
9:10 Holiday Inn, Andel's
9:15 Ibis Centrum, Royal
9:20 Novotel Centrum, Logos, Radisson SAS
9:30 Cracovia

Time and departure places – hotels names

8:30 Apis
8:35 System Premium
8:40 Ruczaj
8:45 Novotel - Bronowice, Sympozju, Qubus
8:50 Wyspiański, Chopin, Express Holiday by Inn
9:00 Ester, Batory, System POP
9:05 Sheraton, Major, Matejki Sq
9:10 Holiday Inn, Andel's
9:15 Ibis Centrum, Royal
9:20 Novotel Centrum, Logos, Radisson SAS
9:30 Cracovia

Time and departure places – hotels names:
 
8:30 Apis
8:35 System Premium
8:40 Ruczaj
8:45 Novotel - Bronowice, Sympozju, Qubus
8:50 Wyspiański, Chopin, Express Holiday by Inn
9:00 Ester, Batory, System POP
9:05 Sheraton, Major, Matejki Sq
9:10 Holiday Inn, Andel's
9:15 Ibis Centrum, Royal
9:20 Novotel Centrum, Logos, Radisson SAS
9:30 Cracovia