Day 1 (22nd of December)
Arrival to Krakow
Our guide will meet you at the airport/railway station to greet the group and give an introduction about Poland.
Drive to the hotel by coach
Dinner
Welcome drink in one of the most popular pubs in Krakow
Day 2 (23rd of December)
Breakfast
Morning: Polish Folk Tour
During this tour we visit an open-air museum presenting traditional wooden architecture. We see the interiors of the typical cottage houses and an 18th-century wooden church. This tour is a great opportunity to discover Polish culture and local customs. During the visit we also attend a workshop of a traditional glass painter! The tour ends with lunch in a traditional inn.
Duration: about 3.5h
Return to Krakow
Free time
Late afternoon: Salt Mine
The Salt Mine in Wieliczka is one of the oldest and largest salt mines in Europe. In 1978 it was entered on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Situated on nine levels, the mine reaches 327m below the ground and hides about 3,000 chambers. A 2.5km route, 64 to 135m below the ground level, is available for tourists. This underground guided tour gives you the only possibility of spending an unforgettable time in the salt mine, exploring magnificent salt chambers, statues, underground lakes and chapels – including the biggest underground chapel made of salt in the world! 135m below the ground you can have a break for a cup of coffee in the restaurant, for souvenir shopping, or mailing a postcard from the underground post office. Then a lift takes you back to the surface.
Note: guided tour; there are 800 steps down all together in the Salt Mine (divided in smaller sections). If some of the visitors may have problems with descending so many steps, please inform us in advance – we will arrange a lift (for an extra fee) to carry them down to the first level of the Salt Mine (there will be only 400 steps left). The temperature below the ground is 14-16 C. Duration: approx. 2.5h
Dinner
Day 3 (Christmas Eve, 24th of December)
Breakfast
Morning: Royal Krakow
This tour retraces the history of Krakow as the former capital of Poland. It is intended to give you a general view of the City. It shows the most famous historic sites that have become its landmarks: the Wawel Hill with the magnificent renaissance Royal Castle and Cathedral, the Main Square, Cloth Hall and St. Mary’s Basilica. We take the Royal Route lined with old tenement houses and numerous churches that form a unique mosaic of medieval and baroque architecture. During this tour you follow the charming medieval streets of the Old Town. Listening to old legends and mysterious stories you will feel the real spirit of our magical city.
After the tour we visit the exhibition of the unique Krakow's Christmas Jesus Child's cribs.
Note: guided walking tour, duration approx. 3.5h, entrance fees to St. Mary’s Church, the Royal Cathedral, Christmas cribs exhibition
Free time – our recommendation: shopping at the Christmas fair on the Market Square
Traditional Christmas Eve Dinner
We wait till the first star appears in the sky, and only then do we start our Christmas Eve dinner. Before we sit at the table, we share the wafer with each other saying wishes for Christmas time and the coming year to our relatives and friends. The dinner consists of 12 fast-day dishes-fish, mushrooms, pastry, cabbage, dumplings, etc. Afterwards it is the time for singing Christmas carols – we will be waiting for Santa Claus to bring us some small gifts… Of course he will bring them only to these who were good and polite all year…
At midnight all these who want to follow the Polish tradition can go to church to attend ‘Pasterka’ – the midnight mass to greet Infant Jesus.
Day 4 (Christmas Day, 25th of December)
Christmas breakfast
Morning: Sightseeing in Zakopane – the winter capital of 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.
We explore a village of Chocholow, famous for its numerous old wooden cottages.
We also visit a tiny wooden church built in the local Zakopane style. During the tour you have a chance to admire the spectacular panoramic view of the Tatras from the Gubalowka hill (there is a funicular that takes you to the top of the hill). Then you have time for shopping in the local market – another landmark of Zakopane.
Free time
Late afternoon: a sledging cavalcade in horse-drawn sleighs or carriages (depending on the weather). On the way we make a short break for a glass of hot wine with various spices.
Return to the hotel
Dinner and folk music evening (a traditional highlanders’ band will entertain you)
Day 5 (26th of December)
Breakfast
Morning: the Tatra Mountains Tour (the cabin aerial ropeway)
This tour is the only opportunity to get into the heart of the Tatra Mountains without any effort... The cable car takes us to the top of Kasprowy Wierch (1987m above the sea level) where we have a chance to admire the spectacular view of the mountains. We spend about 1h on the top to have some time for a cup of coffee and relax in the majestic nature.
Note: duration 4h;
Free time
In and around Zakopane there are numerous ski slopes – in the afternoon it is then possible to go skiing. For advanced skiers we recommend skiing at Kasprowy Wierch.
Dinner
Day 6 (27th of December)
Breakfast
Departure (drive to the airport/railway station in Krakow by coach)
Our offer includes:
● Accommodation at the *** hotel (3 nights in Krakow, 2 nights in Zakopane)
● Meals (5 breakfasts – Christmas breakfast included, 5 dinners – Christmas Eve dinner included)
● Transport
● Guide service (Krakow, Salt Mine, Polish Folk Tour, Zakopane)
● Assistant service for the duration of the tour
● Entrance tickets according to the itinerary
● Ticket for the funicular (Gubalowka) and the aerial ropeway (Kasprowy)
● Folk evening with the highlanders' band sledging cavalcade in horse-drawn sleighs or carriages (depending on the weather)
● Glass painter’s workshop
● Welcome drink
● Christmas gifts
● 24h help desk
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