Day 1Warsaw - Sightseeing the Old Town

Arrival in Warsaw. Transfer to hotel and check-in. In the afternoon, we will see the sights of Warsaw, a city of busy traffic routes, historical palaces, churches, monuments, enchanting boulevards and gardens. The programme includes an evening stroll in the Old Town (Warsaw’s Castle Square surrounded by townhouses, the Royal Castle, Sigismund’s Column and the Market Place with the Warsaw Mermaid Statue). Dinner in one of the restaurants in the Old Town to the accompaniment of classical music. Return to the hotel for the night.

Warsaw - The Old Town

Day 2 Warsaw - In the footsteps of Frederic Chopin

After breakfast, we meet our guide and see the sights related to the life and work of the great composer. The sightseeing starts with a visit to the Royal Baths Park, the former summer residence of the last King of Poland. Also, a stroll in a romantic park which features Frédéric Chopin’s Statue, and a visit to the Palace on the Island.

Optionally: Participation in a piano concert at the Royal Baths Park.

In the afternoon we visit the Old Town. The sightseeing includes the Czapski Palace which houses the Chopin Family’s Salon, where the composer spent the last few years before leaving the country. Then we move to the Holy Cross Church where in the left part of the main nave lies Chopin’s heart, brought, according to his will, to Warsaw after his death. This site is marked with a memorial plaque devoted to Chopin. Then we visit the Ostrogski Castle which is home to the Chopin Museum. The Museum holds numerous documents and memorabilia related to Frédéric Chopin, musical and epistolary manuscripts and subsequent editions of his works. After the sightseeing, we attend a piano recital in the Ostrogski Castle’s concert hall. Dinner in a restaurant and return to the hotel for the night.

Day 3 Warsaw - Żelazowa Wola - Brochów - Warsaw

The Chopin family's house in Żelazowa Wola

Breakfast. We travel to Żelazowa Wola, a village visited by great numbers of fans of Frédéric Chopin’s music. Here stands the house where the brilliant Polish composer was born. The renovated 18th century manor houses a small museum featuring copies of documents, portraits, decorative fabrics, musical instruments and furniture preserved in the period style. After the sightseeing, we attend a Chopin music concert. Then we go to Brochów situated about 10 km to the north-west of Żelazowa Wola. In the village is St. Roch’s Church where little Frédéric was baptised and, earlier, the composer’s parents took their wedding oath. After the sightseeing, we return to Warsaw. Free time for individual exploration of the city’s beauties. Dinner in the hotel restaurant in the evening. Overnight stay.

Optionally: After visiting Frédéric Chopin’s manor in Żelazowa Wola, we can travel to Radziejowice to visit the palace, currently the Artists’ Retreat, where music concerts are organised in the specially built concert hall.

Day 4 Warsaw - Kazimierz Dolny - Cracow

Breakfast. Check-out of hotel. We leave for Cracow. On the way, we visit Kazimierz Dolny, one of the most beautiful towns in Poland, dubbed ‘the pearl of the Polish Renaissance’. Kazimierz combines the beauty of its landscape with valuable architectural monuments, and, for years, has been attracting artists. The most precious historical sites in Kazimierz include the parish church with organs dating back to 1620, Renaissance bourgeois town houses, granaries from the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, and the ruins of the Gothic royal castle. In the vicinity of the Little Market there are preserved traces of Jewish culture. After the sightseeing, we have free time to drink a cup of coffee and shop for souvenirs. Then we continue our journey to Cracow. Arrival in Cracow. Check-in, dinner and stay in the hotel for the night.

Optionally: Cruise on the Vistula River . From the deck you may admire romantic views of the picturesque landscapes of Kazimierz and its surrounding.

Day 5 Cracow - The Old Town

Breakfast. We meet the guide and start our sightseeing of Cracow. This day is devoted to the exploration of the charms of Old Cracow. Sightseeing starts at Wawel Hill (the programme includes the Cathedral with the Royal Tombs and the Sigismund Bell, Royal Private Apartments, and a stroll in the castle courtyard). Then we continue our journey along the Royal Route via Kanonicza Street and Grodzka Street which features such gems of architecture as the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, and St. Andrew’s Church. We walk to the Main Market Square and then Collegium Maius, the oldest building of the Jagiellonian University. Frédéric Chopin visited this site in 1829 during his few days’ stay in Cracow (a stroll in the courtyard with picturesque cloisters). We finish the sightseeing with the visit to St. Mary’s Basilica where one can admire the famous altar by Veit Stoss. In the evening, we have dinner in a restaurant in the vicinity of the Main Market Square, and then attend a Chopin concert in one of the most beautiful and oldest churches in Cracow. Return to the hotel for the night.

Cracow - Sukiennice

Day 6 Cracow - Wieliczka - Cracow

Breakfast. We check out of the hotel and leave for Wieliczka. We visit the famous Salt Mine, in operation since the Middle Ages, which was entered to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Mine consists of several excavation levels forming a labyrinth of corridors, chambers and galleries. Visitors are admitted to follow the tourist route leading through this remarkable fairytale world. Wieliczka’s treasures include chapels carved out of salt. The most famous are St. Anthony’s Chapel, the Holy Cross Chapel and the exquisite St. Kinga’s Chapel decorated with salt sculptures and chandeliers made of salt crystals. Frédéric Chopin made a similar tour of the Mine in 1829. Transfer to Balice Airport and departure from Cracow.

Optionally:
1. Chopin concert in Wieliczka Salt Mine, 600 metres underground.
2. Chopin concert in a stylish interiors of Żelenskich’ Palace