Poland & Baltics

VARSAW-CRACOW-CHESTOKOVA-GDANSK-MALBORK-SUVALKIA-VILNIUS

Day 01 - VARSAW Arrival & transfer to the hotel, accomodation in Warsaw.

Day 02 - VARSAW-CRACOW (365 km) Breakfast. Visit of the capital, which
resurged from the destruction over the WWII, visit the Royal Castle, the
Cathedral of St John, the market square & the Lazienki parc. After lunch
way to Cracow. Accomodation in Cracow.

Day 03 - CRACOW Breakfast. Visit of what it was the former capital of the
Kingdom for more than 500 years. Cracow is the polish town that less
suffered under the nazi troops, so here we can apreciate the architecture
of the old town, around the Royal Palace of Wawel, the Cathedral, the Market
square, the church of St. Mary, etc... After lunch we´ll aproach to the Salt mines in Wieliczka, excavated under this city on 9 levels that reach 327 meters deep. Accomodation in Cracow.

Day 04 - CRACOW-CHESTOKOVA-TORUN (300 km) Breakfast. We go the spiritual center of this catholic country.
Visit to the monastir Jasna Gora, where the Black Virgin is devoted. in contraste we´ll also approach to one of the horrible examples of the nazi holocaust, in Oswiecim, where the Auschwitz force camp is located. After that we´ll head to Torun, birthplace of Copernico, & where we´ll walk through its midages citadel, the townwall towers, the former market´s square,.... Accomodation in Torun.

Day 05 - TORUN -CHELMNO-GRUDZIADZ-GDANSK (180 km) Breakfast.
We keep visiting the beautiful Torun, & after that following the Vistula river,
we´ll stop at the Old Town of Chelmno, where both Town Hall & the Saint
Mary Church are a must-see, later & before crossing the Vistula through
a bridge, we´ll stop at the Town wall of Grudziadz. After lunch, in Gniew,
a Teutonic Castle from XIII c. was once the residence of king John III
Sobieski during XVII c., in the way to Gdansk, in Pelplin spectacular gothic
Basilica. Arrival & accomodation in Gdansk.

Day 06 - GDANSK (180 km) Breakfast. Gdansk is the biggest port
city of the socalled urban triangle, together with Gdynia & Sopot.
We´ll walk through the Dluga st., the old town hall, Neptune´s fontaine,
the town wall, the St. Mary Basilica & the Cathedral Oliwa.
Accomodation in Gdansk.

Day 07 - GDANSK-MALBORK-FROMBORK-RYN (300 km)
Breakfast. Way to visit the impressive midages Castle of Malbork,
that was fortress for the Teuthonic knights. After a walk through the
picturesque town of Elblag, we´ll go to the region of Suvalkia, that
comprises a wide area of forests & lakes, divided between Poland
& Lithuania. Accomodation in Ryn.

Day 08 - SUVALKIA-WIGRY-MARIJAMPOLE-KAUNAS (300 km)
Today we cross through the region of Suvalkia, later we´ll cross to Lithuania, stoping by the town of Marijampole in the way to Kaunas, the second biggest town & former capital between 1920-41, when Vilnius was occupied by Poland. We´ll make a walking tour around the old fortress & the Town hall, where the Cathedral & the St. George Church stand, close to the gothic brick house of Perkunas is located by the Nemunas river. Accomodation in Kaunas.

Day 09 - KAUNAS-TRAKAI-VILNIUS (100 km) Breakfast. In the way to Vilnius, first stop to visit the Rumsiskes Open Air Etnographic Museum that displays all the typical farms & buildings from the different regions of the country, later visit of Trakai, the former capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania is located 27 km west of Vilnius and is one of the favourite places for outings. The Trakai Castle, situated on an island in the midst of Lake Galve is the most famous and most photographed castle in Lithuania. Lunch in Trakai, free time & return to Vilnius. Accomodation in Vilnius.

Day 10 - VILNIUS Breakfast. Guided visit of Vilnius, capital of Lithuania. Panoramic view of the historic town´s center from the three crosses hill, & way through the barroque church of S. Peter & S. Paul, the neoclassic Cathedral, the gothic ensemble of St. Anne church & the Bernardines monastir, Gates of Dawn, the old townhall, the University. Free time. Accomodation in Vilnius.

Day 11 - VILNIUS Breakfast. Transfer to the airport at the accorded time. END OF TRIP.

Price includes:
- 10 B/B overnights at 3* or 4* hotel.
- 5 lunches in Chestokowa, Chelmno, Frombork, Wigry & Trakai (3 courses menu, incl. coffee/tea and table water).
- Transport in comfortable coach with air conditioned during all trip.
- Escort english speaking guide for all the trip.
- Excursions with english speaking local guides as indicated in program.
- Tickets as below:
Poland: Palace Lazienki, Cathedral of St. John, Castle of Wawel,
Church of St. Maria, Salt Mines of Wieliczka, Monastir Jasna Gora,
Auschwitz, Cathedral Oliwa, Castle of Malbork,
Lithuania: Rumsiskes Etnographic Museum, Castle of Trakai, University of Vilnius,

Price does not include:
Tips, porterage at hotels & anything not specified in the program.

Hotels 3* :
Warsaw: HOTEL MERCURE F. CHOPIN *** www.
Cracow : HOTEL ASTORIA *** www.
Torun: HOTEL GOTYK *** www.
Gdansk: HOTEL NOVOTEL CENTRUM *** www.
Ryn: HOTEL ZAMEK ****
Kaunas: HOTEL REVAL NERIS ***
Vilnius: HOTEL EUROPA CITY *** www.europacity.lt

Hotels 4* :
Warsaw: HOTEL NOVOTEL **** www.
Cracow : HOTEL NOVOTEL CENTRUM**** www.
Torun: HOTEL GOTYK *** www.
Gdansk: HOTEL HOLIDAY INN **** www.
Ryn: HOTEL ZAMEK ****
Kaunas: HOTEL DAUGIRDAS ****
Vilnius: HOTEL REVAL LIETUVA **** www.revalhotels.com

The stay will be in the above mentioned hotels or in others of same or superior category depending on availability. In case hotels would be different, price may slightly vary.