Poland, East Germany & World War II

Welcome to Warsaw! At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and travel companions for a welcome dinner at a local restaurant. (D)

Remarkable Restorations, Enjoy a guided sightseeing tour to get you acquainted with Warsaw, Poland’s capital city. Walk through history when you visit the UNESCO-listed Stare Miasto (Old Town). As you marvel at the colorful facades look out for symbols of Syrenka, the mermaid warrior who vowed to protect the city. Enjoy free time this afternoon and evening to explore more of the city. (B) TOUR HIGHLIGHT Rebuilt almost entirely after World War II, when about 85% of it was destroyed, Warsaw’s Old Town is less a relic than a deliberate act of resilience. Using detailed 18th century paintings by Canaletto as guides, architects reconstructed its streets with striking precision. What stands today is not just a copy of the past, but a city pieced together from memory. Get acquainted with Warsaw as you follow your Local Guide on a sightseeing tour of

History Lessons Depart Warsaw and travel south ,arriving early afternoon in Auschwitz/Birkenau for a moving guided visit of both former concentration camp sites. See the ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ gates and other haunting reminders of the atrocities that took place here. Later, continue to Krakow. (B,D) TOUR HIGHLIGHT A visit to Auschwitz and Birkenau is a sobering and moving experience; a chilling reminder of an era in human history we shall never forget. This opportunity to see the sites where so many lives were affected by the cruelty of the Third Reich during WWII is an unforgettable lesson in history and a cautionary tale for the future. In fact, the subject of the Holocaust is a mandatory part of German school curriculum, with almost all students having visited a camp or memorial.

Heroic Figures Enjoy free time this morning to start exploring the city of Kraków. Later, join a guided walking tour of Kazimierz, the Old Jewish Quarter. Visit the Remuh Synagogue and see the Oskar Schindler Factory. Later this afternoon and evening, enjoy some leisure time to explore more and try some of the local dishes. (B) LOCAL FAVORITE A wealth of history to be discovered in Krakow’s Jewish Quarter. Hear the stories of the important role Kazimierz played throughout European history. Visit the Remuh Synagogue, which dates back to the 16th century and is still active today.