Cornerstones of Culture

See all the major sights including The National Theatre, the Powder Gate, Wenceslas and Charles squares, and the renowned Dancing House. Continue to the Lesser Quarter, dominated by St. Nicholas Church. Visit the Old Town Square and see the town hall and astronomical clock.

Visit the Jewish District of Kazimierz, once inhabited by one of the most diverse Jewish communities in Europe. A short drive will take you up Wawel Hill, the embodiment of Poland's former monarchical glory. On its summit is the royal castle and a 14th-century cathedral. Descend the hill and stroll along Kanonicza and Grodzka streets to reach Collegium Maius, also known as the Great College. After visiting the charming Gothic courtyard, we continue to the Main Market Square. This bustling heart of the city is the perfect place for picking up souvenirs. Complete your tour by visiting St. Mary's Basilica, home to the stunning medieval altar sculpted by Veit Stoss.

Journey back in time to the dark days of World War II and take part in a moving history lesson about the Nazi Holocaust. Founded by the Nazi Party in 1940, Auschwitz-Birkenau became both a symbol of human suffering and a witness to physical and emotional exhaustion. As the largest concentration camp operated by the Nazis, it became the final resting place for millions of people, mostly Jews, put to their death in the hideous gas chambers. Journey to the museum and memorial in the suburbs of Oświęcim. Spend time exploring on your own, and then meet a professional guide who will show you around the site and speak of its terrible history. Visit the first camp at Auschwitz for about 2.5 hours and then get a 10-minute break to gather your thoughts. Then, visit the second camp at Birkenau, where mass killings took place as part of the Nazi's infamous "Final Solution to the Jewish Question". Spend about 1.5 hours at the Birkenau camp, before meeting your driver for the return journey to Kraków at around 4:00 p.m.

As you walk down the 360 steps into the salt mine, you have the impression you are 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. 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 2.5-kilometre walk, you'll pass statues dating back to the 18th century depicting mythical, historical and religious figures. The last stop in the mines is the souvenir shop and snack bar. From here, the lift carries you back to the surface.

See the Old Town, with its Royal Castle, St. John's Archcathedral, Market Square and Barbican. Continue to see the New Town, the Warsaw Uprising Monument, the site of a former Jewish Ghetto area with a Monument the Ghetto Heroes, Umschlagplatz and Anielewicz's bunker. You'll also see the Royal Route with superb aristocratic residences, churches and famous monuments, including the Holy Cross Church with an urn containing the heart of Frédéric Chopin, the Presidential Palace, Nicolaus Copernicus Monument, Warsaw University and more. View the beautiful Łazienki Park, with its "Palace on the Water," the lavish summer residence of the last King of Poland, Stanisław August Poniatowski. Other important places of interest included in your tour are the National Opera Building, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Monument to the Victims of Katyń.