Religion & Arts (8 days)

Arrival in Warsaw. Sightseeing of the Old Town. In the late afternoon visit the St. Stanislaw Kostka Church with the grave of Father Popiełuszko, murdered in 1984 by the communist secret police. Dinner.

Morning departure for a small village Niepokalanów with the Basilica of Blessed Virgin Mary and the Franciscan Monastery, founded in 1927 by St. Maksymilian Kolbe, martyr murdered in Auschwitz concentration camp. Lunch en route. Return to Warsaw. Relax in the Łazienki Park, a summer residence of the King Stanisław August Poniatowski, last king of Poland. Dinner.

Drive to Częstochowa. Visit the Pauline Monastery of Jasna Góra, a religious and spiritual centre of Poland. Holy Mass in the Chapel with the Miraculous Icon of the Black Madonna – Queen of Poland. Visit the Treasure House. Lunch in Częstochowa. Drive to Kraków. Arrival in Kraków in the late afternoon. Check in at hotel. Walk and dinner in the old town.

Guided tour of the city. Visit the Royal Cathedral on the Wawel hill with the relics of St. Stanislaw. Then a walk along the Royal Way and visit the St Mary’s Church with the famous wooden alter by Veit Stoss. Lunch in the Old Town. After lunch, drive to the nearby Łagiewniki. Visit the Congregation of Sisters of the Divine Mercy with the tomb of Sister Faustyna. Dinner.

Early departure for Oświęcim. Visit the former Auschwitz concentration camp including the cell of the martyr St Maksymilian Kolbe. Lunch en route. Arrival in Wadowice – a birthplace of Karol Wojtyła, later pope John Paul II. Visit his family house now turned into museum, and his parish church. Further drive to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, a village with the 12th century Bernardines Monastery. Visit the monastery and walk along the famous Via Dolorosa with 42 chapels built on the nearby hills. Arrival in Kraków in the evenig. Dinner.

Excursion to the nearby Wieliczka salt mine. Lunch. Free afternoon. Overnight in Kraków.

Morning drive to the picturesque region of Tatra Monutains. En route a visite to Ludzmierz, a small mountain village, with the miraculous statue of Our Lady, called a Mother of all highlanders. Next, drive to Chochołów, a villige with the unique highlander’s wooden architecture. Lunch in Chochołów. Drive to Zakopane, a Polish capital of winter sports.. A short guided tour of the town. Dinner and overnight in Zakopane

Departure after breakfast.