Tours out of Krakow

Europe in the second half of the previous century, the century of genocide, became Europe without Jews. Millions of them died in Holocaust, invented by the devilish ideology of the Nazism. Also the almost thousand-years’ history of Polish Jews burned in the ashes of the Second World War and will never be reborn. It is important to realize that Poland without Jews is not the same any more – a unique atmosphere of the markets, where Jews used to sell their goods, or the close neighborhood of the churches and the synagogues disappeared. More than fifty years ago Poland, as it lasted for centuries, was burned down in Hitler’s crematories on the Polish soil; still more dramatic is the fact that it all happened on the eyes of helpless and mostly indifferent world.

When Doctor Tytus Chalubinski discovered Zakopane as a beneficial place for all people with lung problems at the end of the 19th century, nobody suspected how popular it would become among writers, poets, painters, actors and other eccentrics... and later among everybody! Zakopane gives us the exceptional opportunity to see the life of the highlanders, which looks much the same as it did centuries ago, when it mingled with the life of Polish aristocrats and artists, who used to spend their holidays there, eventually turning the little village into the most popular resort in Poland. Zakopane is called the winter capital of Poland for its perfect conditions for skiing. It is a town picturesquely situated at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. In summer it attracts visitors with its unique atmosphere and the genuine folk culture of the highlanders. In addition to the traditional architecture, magnificent folk costumes and jewellery have also survived here to this day.

To understand who Karol Wojtyla - the Pope John Paul II – really was, it is indispensable to go to his hometown - Wadowice. It was there, where young Karol (‘Lolek’), through the window of his flat, could read the inscription, quoted by him years later: ‘Time is running - the eternity is waiting’. These words were painted on the wall of the church in which he was baptized and attended masses as an altar-boy for many years; his school was only a few yards away. It was in Wadowice that his parents and masters taught him about life and the love of God and one’s neighbour. After the death of his mother and brother, Karol moved with his father to Krakow, where his adventure with the Jagiellonian University and theatre started and where he eventually found the sense of his life.

The Benedictine Abbey in Tyniec, beautifully located on the high, rocky bank of Vistula river on the outskirst of Krakow (15 minutes from the historical center), was founded end of 11th century and throughout the ages it continued to be a living center of the spirituality and organical work, according to the Rule of the St. Benedict.

Jasna Gora in Czestochowa is the seat of the 14th-century monastery of St. Paul the Hermit. This place became the most famous and the biggest shrine devoted to Our Lady in Poland. The miraculous painting of Our Lady, widely known as the Black Madonna, attracts pilgrims from all over the world. The Holy Icon in Jasna Gora next to Rome, Lourdes and Fatima, makes Czestochowa one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in the world today. Every year it is visited by millions of the pilgrims.

Attending this trip you will discover one of the most picturesque parts of the Southern Poland – the Pieniny mountain range and the region of Spisz. It is a landscape tour through the villages, the small towns known as the health resorts and the National Park of Pieniny. The old architecture, medieval castles and the beautiful views of the Pieniny make this place one of the most popular tourist attraction in summer time. But most of the visitors come here for one reason: to take part in a unique rafting through one of the most beautiful river gorges in Europe. The rafting is a kind of a dry and completely safe experience (no rapids) as it is done in a traditional, old fashioned way – the local raftmen take not more than 12 people on the traditional wooden raft to follow the current of the Dunajec river. The gorge cuts the limestone mountains forming 7 curves and going between the rocky walls. It seems to be the best way to relax in the nature!

This tour is a kind of relaxing sightseeing of the region of Little Poland (Malopolska). It might be the opportunity to see picturesque countryside nearby Krakow with its traditional architecture and a unique landscape of the National Park of Ojcow. It is the smallest from 23 national parks in Poland but it is especially precious for the botanists and the zoologists as it protects the unique and rare species of flora and fauna. Among the tourists it is famous first of all for its marvelous landscapes with deep valleys created in limestone, outstanding rocks fantastically shaped and 400 caves!