In the footsteps of John Paul II

Day 1
Arrival to the Cracow airport, where our tour guide meets you. Then a visit the sanctuary in Cracow – Łagiewniki, famous with sister Faustina and her grave. Visit the Shrine of Jesus. Dinner and overnight stay in hotel.

Day 2
Breakfast, guided tour of Cracow: the Main Market, St. Mary’s Basilica and historical trade pavilions of the Cloth Hall, the Royal Route, Collegium Maius, Wawel Hill with its renaissance Royal Castle and Cathedral (the seat of Cardinal Karol Wojtyla before he became Pope John Paul II). Dinner in the restaurant on Old City, overnight.

Day 3
Breakfast. Departure to Ludzmierz. Visit the oldest Parish and church (founded in 13th century) in Podhale region. Sanctuary visited by John Paul II in 1979 during his first visit in Poland as a Pope. Departure to Zakopane. City tour with visiting sanctuary of The God's Mather of Fatima and wooden Jaszczurówka Chapel. Dinner and overnight.

Day 4
Breakfast. Departure to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, the most important pilgrimage centre in Małopolska Region. Walk along the Via Dolorosa, built in 17th century by Zebrzydowska Family and visit Bernardine Church. Departure to Wadowice, birthplace of John Paul II. Visit his former home - a Museum nowadays, and a parish church. Transfer to Oświęcim. Visit the former Nazi German concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, where St Maxymilian Kolbe and St Edith died. Dinner and overnight.

Day 5
Breakfast. Departure to Częstochowa. Visit to Jasna Góra - Czestochowa monastery the most important place for Polish Catholicism. The tour includes the Paulinian’ s Hill, the Treasury and the Chapel with the famous icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Dinner in Czestochowa, transfer to Cracow. Dinner and night at hotel in Cracow.

Day 6
Breakfast and transfer to the Cracow airport.


Tour dates:
- June 13th - 18th 2017
- September 19th - 24th 2017
(other tour dates, on your private request)

Price: USD 890 / per person
(minimum 6 person group required)

Price includes:
- transfer by a luxury bus,
- accommodation at 3* selected hotels in a double, twin bed rooms with private bathroom,
- 5 breakfasts and 5 dinners,
- service of our professional tour guide,
- all local guides services in Cracow, Zakopane, Auschwitz and Częstochowa,
- entry tickets,
- VAT and local taxes.

The price for your private group tour depends on standard of accommodation, number of visiting persons and date of your visit. Let us know these details to get the best price grzegorz.b@excitingpoland.com

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.

our first choice! the capital of Polish Tatras.
From here, you can reach virtually every single mountain nook in Tatras. Starting your day with a thrilling climb, continuing emotions in a great theatre, ending in one of Zakopane's numerous bars and pubs, your stay here will certainly be remembered. Tourists will find many attractions in Zakopane, starting with walks through the picturesque mountain valleys, wild terrain bicycle rides and horse rides and line railway rides to Kasprowy Wierch, Gubałówka and Butorowy Wierch. In winter the enthusiasts of white madness come to Zakopane to ski down the professionally prepared routes. On the lighted, evened-out with ratracks slopes of Nosal, Gubałówka and Polana Szymoszkowa you can see people skiing till late evening, sometimes even night hours. Krupówki, the cult walking place of Zakopane, is crowded all day and evening long. You can rest from the bustle of everyday life and regain your vigour here.

Wadowice (280 – 300 m) is located in the west of Malopolska Voivodship on the bank of the Skawa river at the foot of the Beskid Mountains at the crossroads of the main routes between Silesia and Podhale and Kraków and Cieszyn.

We recommend the tourists and pilgrims to visit:
- Minor Basilica – the Church of the Presentation of Blessed Virgin Marry - the oldest part of the church – rectangular, gothic presbytery, comes from 15th century. The church strictly connected with Karol Wojtyła’s childhood and youth.
- Museum – Family House of Karol Wojtyła - the building is Pope’s birthplace. The Museum is led by the Sisters of Nazareth.
- Church of St. Peter - the temple was built in years 1986-1991 as thanks for the election of Karol Wojtyła as Pope and for the life of the Holy Father  after the assassination attempt on the 13th May 1981 in St. Peter’s Square.
- Monastery of the Order of the Discalced Carmelites - Monastery of the Order of the Discalced Carmelites was built in the years 1897–1899. There is Father Raphael’s cell in the  monastery which is accessible to visit.
- Town Museum - the building is from 1800. The museum gathers keepsakes and exhibits connected with the town and surroundings.

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.