“The strains of Chopin’s Polonaise will be heard forever in the heart of Poland.”

                  - From Ignacy Jan Paderewski, 1940

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Poland

Poland is bound to surprise any American visitor. Any preconceived ideas of drab socialist cities rebuilt after the war melt away in the middle of Krakow’s Market Square and in the quiet beauty of the Renaissance town of Zamosc. Visitors will also see such splendors as the majestic peaks of the Tatras and the Dunajec River Gorge in the Pieniny National Park.

Krakow was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1978. Before the end of the first millennium, a royal residence was established on Wawel Hill. The life of the medieval city revolved around the Royal Court and Jagiellonian university, founded in 1364, one of the most prominent centers of learning in Europe. Through the Golden Age of the Renaissance and until this day, Krakow has maintained its status as the intellectual and cultural center of Poland.

Side trips from Krakow include the salt mines of Wieliczka, the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, the monastery of Jasna Gora in Czestochowa, the Tatra National Park and Zakopane. There are many spa facilities in the beautiful countryside.

The city of Warsaw is a symbol of the perseverance and strength of the Polish spirit. A section of the Warsaw Ghetto, dilapidated facades full of holes from the wartime fighting and bombing, is a grim reminder of Poland’s past in WW II. It was during the incessant bombing that Chopin’s Polonaise was played over loudspeakers to keep up the citizens’ resolve. Warsaw is truly a phoenix, which has risen from the ashes.

WARSAW, BUDAPEST, VIENNA & PRAGUE

• Professional Tour Guides
• Private piano recital in Warsaw spotlighting the music of Fryderyk Chopin
• Danube River Dinner Cruise
• Lunch at Vienna's Schonbrunn Palace with a demonstration of the art of preparing delectable strudel
• Nalahozeves Castle Evening with local wines and a tour of the private art collections in Prague
• Jasna Gora Monastery with the famous Black Madonna
• Visit Wawel Castle in Cracow
• Tour the Auschwitz memorial and museum
• Tour Cracow's Jewish Quarter or take a journey to the Wieliczka salt mines
• Private concert of Mozart and Strauss by the Vienna Orchestra
• City Tours
• Many other extras
  
  

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BUDAPEST, CRACOW AND PRAGUE

• Services of local hosts and guides in each city
• Sightseeing in Budapest, Cracow and Prague with a private care and guide
• Visit the Coronation Church in Budapest
• Explore the cobbled streets of Old Cracow and visit the Wawel Castle
• Take an optional tour to the Wieliczka Salt Mines or the somber memorial at Auschwitz
• Visit Prague's Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral and the Royal Palace