Poland and the Czech Republic: UNESCO sites & Jewish Heritage

Day 1: Warsaw
Arrival and overnight in Warsaw.

Day 2: Warsaw
In the morning, you will have a full-day sightseeing tour of the Polish capital. For centuries Warsaw was one of the great Jewish centers of Poland. In 1939 there were an estimated 380,000 Jews living in and around the city. Most of Jewish Warsaw was destroyed after the Ghetto Uprising, and just a few traces remain. Most of the monuments and memorials are located within the wartime ghetto area and include Nozyk Synagogue, which is open for worship, the Ghetto Heroes Monument, the Jewish Cemetery, the Jewish Historical Institute, the Ghetto Wall, and the Jewish Theatre, performing in Yiddish. In the afternoon you will visit the Old Town, which is included on the UNESCO list as an example of faithfully reconstructed architecture that also contains fragments of the original buildings. Looking at the city today, it is difficult to believe that it was virtually razed to the ground during the Second World War. Once known as the “Paris of the North,” the beautiful 18th century buildings were bombed and completely destroyed. The colorful townhouses, the surrounding defensive wall, church towers, and the Royal Castle have all been rebuilt from scratch. Amidst the capital’s glass skyscrapers and broad streets you will discover restored palaces, period houses, and entire streets. A real treasure is the Lazienki, a 17th century architectural park complex. Overnight in Warsaw.

Day 3: Warsaw – Kraków
Today you will leave the Polish capital and head towards Krakow by train (approx. 3 hrs). In the early afternoon we will take you on a sightseeing walking tour of the thousand-year-old city of Kraków, whose Old Town was included on UNESCO’s first list of World Heritage Sites in 1978. The highlight is the Market Square, the largest in Europe, whose layout has remained unchanged since the city’s foundation in 1257. Apart from the Old Town itself, the Royal Castle, the seat of Polish rulers on top of Wawel Hill, is also on the heritage list. Overnight in Kraków.

Day 4: Kraków – Auschwitz
After breakfast you will travel to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp Museum of Martyrdom. The Museum provides one of the most memorable lessons in modern European history. The visit includes a film showing the camp’s liberation, the flower-strewn Death Wall, national memorials, the railway line and ramp, the remains of hundreds of barracks, all of which constitute a moving testimony to the number of lives lost through Nazi atrocities across occupied Europe.

In the afternoon visit the Jewish quarter of Kazimierz in Kraków. Kazimierz has been a major historic center of Jewish culture since the 16th century. Its soul perished during the traumatic events of the Second World War, but many of the district’s buildings, some still with Yiddish inscriptions, have survived. Today Jewish life and culture is undergoing a revival in Kazimierz. Many buildings have been restored, and the district’s fashionable cafés, restaurants, and bars are nowadays filled with tourists from all over the world, curious to learn more about Jewish culture. The district’s main attractions are Szeroka Street where “Schindler’s List” was filmed, the Remu’h Synagogue and its cemetery, and the “Pod Orlem” (Eagle) Pharmacy. Dinner and Jewish music at a Jewish restaurant in Kazimierz. Overnight in Kraków.

Day 5: Kraków – Wieliczka – Prague
After breakfast you will go to Wieliczka, the home of the world’s oldest continuously operating company. Salt has been mined in Wieliczka since the 13th century. Your tour of the mine will pass through 20 chambers on three underground levels where you will see lakes, chapels with salt figurines, bas-reliefs, and chandeliers. In the evening you will leave Krakow and head towards Prague by night train (approx. 9 hrs).

NOTE: At the beginning of the Salt Mine Tour everyone must walk 370 steps downstairs. Then there is about 2 hours sightseeing of the salt mine. The way out is by lift. In some cases we are able to arrange the lift down but it is very hard to confirm this during the high season (as there is only one lift) and there is an extra cost for this.

Day 6: Prague
Morning arrival in Prague. After early check in at your hotel and breakfast you will have a leisure time. In the afternoon we will take you for a sightseeing tour of Prague, one of the most interesting and beautiful cities in Central Europe. Your tour will include a visit to Wensceslas Square, the medieval Charles Bridge adorned with its many Baroque figures, St. Nicholas’ Church, and Prague Castle, which was built in the 9th century. On entering the castle you will see St. Vitus’ Cathedral. Overnight in Prague.

Day 7: Prague
After breakfast you will experience a unique walking tour of Prague’s famous Jewish history. During this tour you will see the only Central European Jewish Town-Quarter that survived the holocaust. You will stroll through the Old Jewish Cemetery and visit some synagogues. You will then walk through Maiselova Street and reach the Old Town Square. The Prague Jewish Quarter (Josefov) was named after the emperor Josef II, whose reforms helped to ease living conditions for the Jews. The Jewish Quarter contains the remains of Prague’s former Jewish ghetto. As many of the Jewish died during WWII and were forced by the communist regime to leave the country, the current Prague community numbers 5000 – 6000 people. There are two figures synonymous with this part of the city, Franz Kafka (1883 – 1924) and the mystical homunculus Golem created by Jehuda ben Bezalel, also known as Rabi Löw. Farewell dinner in a local restaurant in Prague. Overnight in Prague.

Day 8: Prague
Departure.

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