Jewish Heritage Tour in Poland

Arrival in Warsaw. Transfer to the hotel and overnight in Warsaw.

Day 2, Warsaw

Warsaw City Tour allows us to immerse ourselves in and observe the many contrasts of the Polish capital city. The tour starts with a walk around the Lazienki Royal Park. Here we will see the famous monument dedicated to Frederic Chopin, the Palace on the Water, and the Theater on the Island. We will continue with transfer to the Old Town (UNESCO) and a short walk around the Old Town: from the Royal Castle, passing next to the Saint John Cathedral, the Market Square and the barbacane to the New Town. We will continue to the Krasinski Palace, the Supreme Court building. Our itinerary will continue with the Grand Theatre and the National Opera, the Jablonowscy Palace, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Saxon Garden. Overnight in Warsaw.

Day 3, Warsaw – Treblinka – Warsaw

During the excursion we will see the old Jewish part of the city, we will visit the synagogue and the Kirkut Jewish cemetery. We will also see other places related to the history and tradition of Polish Jews, including the area of the former ghetto that was completely destroyed during the Second World War and the monuments that commemorate the martyrdom of the Jews in the times of the Holocaust. Visit POLIN Museum that present the history of Polish Jews through centuries, that is considered to be one of the best museums in Europe. In the afternoon: Excursion to Treblinka (4h) to see the museum in the former concentration and extermination camp built by the Germans in the Polish lands during the second world war. In just 16 months when the camp in Treblinka was in operation, it is estimated that almost 800,000 people were killed in its gas chambers, which makes it the second largest Nazi death camp apart from Auschwitz. Return to Warsaw. Overnight in Warsaw.

Day 4, Warsaw – Lodz – Warsaw

Morning train transfer to Lodz – one of the biggest Polish  cities. During your visit you would find traces of the four cultures: Polish, Jewish, German and Russian that coexisted there and became one. Furthermore, you would admire modernist and industrial arquitecture. Thanks to its numerous factories, Lodz was also called the „Polish Manchester”. During the route you would see the Old Town and the industrial complex of Poznanski family, the famous Manufaktura. Visit to the museum of the Poznanski Factory, one of the richest Jews in the city of its time. In the end, you would discover Piotrkowska Street, the most popular walkway full of shops, pubs, restaurants, and sculptures that commemorate famous inhabitants of Lodz. Finally, we will visit the sites related to the Jewish heritage of Lodz, the cemetery, and the remains of the ghetto. Lodz is also a birthplace of famous pianist Arthur Rubinstein and the famous architect Daniel Libeskind, author of master plan of the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan and designer of One World Trade Center (Freedom Tower). Return to Warsaw. Overnight in Warsaw.

Day 5, Warsaw – Lublin

Morning train transfer to Lublin, the largest city in southeastern Poland, with a long history and very interesting historical buildings. In was here where the Lublin Union was signed in 1569 – a pact that sealed the constitutional union of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania creating a free republic associated with a single Parliament, an elected king, a currency, and ethnic and religious tolerance. The Lublin sites stand out as physical reminders of an important milestone in the development of the principles of European democracy, four  centuries

before the EU was created. During the walk through the beautiful old town, we will discover many interesting monuments to finish next to the castle. Lublin is one of the Polish cities where the Hebrew culture could develop freely over the centuries, so first Jewish settlers came over already in XV century. Flourishing Hebrew sciences caused the city to be called the Jerusalem of the Polish Kingdom, and even the Jewish Oxford as it was here when in the 16th century, the first Hebrew books and prayer books were published. The Jewish legacy of Lublin could be seen in the castle and old town area as well as in the old University of Wise Men (Jesziwas Chachmej Lublin), in which the old assembly hall is preserved, that formerly operated as a synagogue. Overnight in Lublin.

Day 6, Lublin – Majdanek – Lezajsk – Krakow

In the morning visit to the museum in Majdanek, an extermination camp built by Nazi Germany, in German-occupied Poland 4 km from the city of Lublin, near the border with Ukraine. This proximity meant that the Germans did not have time to destroy the field in retreat, so it is preserved as it was at the time of World War II. Transfer from Lublin to Lezajsk where there is a tomb of Rabbi Elimelech Weissblum of Lezajsk (Lizhensk) a Polish rabbi and one of the great founding Rebbes of the Hasidic movement. Further transfer to Krakow. Overnight in Krakow.

Day 7, Krakow

Krakow is the cultural capital of Poland with Old Town listed as UNESCO Heritage. During the tour you will see Barbican and defensive walls with Florian’s Gate, the Main Market Square with Sukiennice Cloth Hall, St Mary’s Church, and Town Hall Tower. We would proceed to the Jagiellonian University, pass by Archbishop Palace (where John Paul II used to live) as well as St Andrew’s Church and St Peter and Paul’s Church to reach the Wawel Hill. During the walk we will taste “obwarzanek” (bagel) a typical Krakow pastry, that was brought by Jewish population to North America and right now is extremely popular mostly in New York and Montreal areas. In the afternoon we will explore Krakow Kazimierz (Jewish District) known from Schindler’s List. Kazimierz used to be a separate town close to medieval city of Krakow. It was mostly populated by Jewish community. Throughout years it became Krakow’s district, but the abundance of markets, synagogues and kirkuts (Jewish cemeteries) shaped character of this part of town. As Kazimierz depicts the history of Polish Jews, some shots of Steven Spielberg Schindler’s List were captured here. During this tour you would discover this charming part of Krakow with its monuments and complexed history. Visit to the museum “Oscar Schindler’s Factory” in Krakow included. During our trip, you will have the opportunity to learn about history, monuments, and impressive culture in a part of Krakow still little known to tourists. Overnight in Krakow.

Day 8, Krakow – Oswiecim (Auschwitz) – Wieliczka – Krakow

Transfer to Oswiecim. Visit the museum of Auschwitz – Birkenau (UNESCO), the famous concentration camp and extermination, a symbol of terror, genocide, and holocaust. It was established by the Nazis in 1940, in the suburbs of the city of Oswiecim (Auschwitz in German) which, like other parts of Poland, was occupied by the Germans during the World War II. A visit to concentration and extermination camp museum might help you to comprehend what incomprehensible.

Transfer to Wieliczka the most beautiful and the oldest operating salt mine in the world (UNESCO Heritage). From over 700 years it was a source of Polish fortune and a physical fundament of culture. Today Wieliczka is the most willingly visited Polish tourist object with magnificent chapels, charming underground lakes and original tools and equipment. During this tour you could see a number of excavated chambers on 3 levels adorned with beautiful sculptures made of salt as well as a salt museum. Transfer to Krakow. Overnight in Krakow

Day 9, Krakow

Transfer to the airport in Krakow

• 8 nights in DBL/TWIN rooms in centrally located hotels:
  • 4 nights in Warsaw
  • 1 night in Lublin
  • 3 nights in Krakow
• 8 x buffet breakfast in all hotels
• Degustation of “obwarzanek” (bagel) a typical Krakow pastry
• Transfer from / to airport
• Transportation during a tour by train and private car / minivan
• All excursions as per the itinerary
• Local English-speaking guides
  • Warsaw
  • Lublin
  • Krakow
  • Auschwitz-Birkenau
  • Wieliczka
• Entrances to:
  • POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
  • Treblinka concentration & extermination camp museum
  • Factory Museum in Lodz
  • Majdanek concentration & extermination camp museum
  • Museum “Oscar Schindler’s Factory”
  • Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration & extermination camp museum
  • Wieliczka Salt Mine

Price excludes:

• Meals (except breakfast)