Highlights of Poland - Small Group

Arrive in Kraków, a former royal capital shaped by Gothic towers, merchant halls and the broad sweep of Rynek Glówny. Meet your Travel Director and join your small group for a walk through the Old Town, passing the Sukiennice Cloth Hall, long central to Kraków’s trading life, and listening out for the hejnal sounded from St. Mary’s Church. Continue across the surrounding streets before sitting down to dinner together, a chance to get to know one another and raise a glass to the start of your journey through Poland.

Spend the morning at leisure, with the option to join a visit to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, a UNESCO-listed network of chambers carved from rock salt since the Middle Ages. Later join your Local Expert to visit Kazimierz, where streets, squares and synagogues reflect the district’s long Jewish heritage. Then ascend Wawel Hill to view Wawel Castle and visit the cathedral, long associated with Poland’s monarchy, before a walk through Kraków’s atmospheric Old Town.

Travel south into the Tatra Mountains, following the rising landscape towards Zakopane, a town known for its carved timber houses and Highlander traditions. On arrival, join your Travel Director for an orientation along Krupówki Street, noting the late-19th-century Zakopane Style of wooden architecture and the market stalls selling Góralski craftwork. Spend the rest of the day getting to know the town, perhaps visit the Tatra Museum’s ethnographic displays, take the funicular up Gubalówka Hill for mountain views, or browse local craft shops. In the evening, sit down to dinner with Highlander music and dance, a Góral tradition that anchors the region’s cultural identity.

Travel north from Zakopane to Oswiecim for a moving visit to the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum with a Guide Educator. Continue through Silesia and follow the Oder River towards Wroclaw, a city shaped by shifting borders and a long academic tradition. On arrival, join your Local Expert for a walk through the Old Town to view the facades around the Rynek and the flower stalls of Plac Solny. You’ll also see Wroclaw’s cheeky bronze gnomes, a symbol of the city, positioned across the center.