Tours out of Krakow

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.