Day 1: Warsaw – Torun – Gdansk
Morning: Arrival and transfer from Warsaw to Gdańsk. Stop in Toruń to visit the old town, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with buildings representing different periods of time, the most interesting being the gothic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, the gothic church of the Assumption of Mary, remnants of the city wall and the museum consecrated to Nicolaus Copernicus in his family home.
Evening: Dinner. Overnight in Gdańsk.
Optional: Holy Mass in one of the churches in Gdańsk.
Day 2: Gdansk
Morning: Visit to the city of Gdańsk which was the biggest and the richest port at the Baltic Sea for centuries. It was here that the first shots of the Second World War were heard. Gdańsk was also the cradle of “Solidarność” – a social movement of grand scale led by Lech Wałęsa, which fought against the communist dictatorship in Eastern Europe.
In the programme: the Old Town rebuilt after the devastations of the Second World War with buildings dating from the 11th century onwards, Main City Hall, Artus Court, the old port docks, the gothic St. Mary’s Church – the biggest brick building in Europe.
Afternoon: Transfer to the Oliwa Cathedral – an organ concert. Free time in Sopot, a popular seaside resort. Stroll on the biggest pier on the Baltic Sea.
Evening: Dinner. Overnight in Gdańsk.
Optional: Holy Mass in one of the churches in Gdańsk.
Day 3: Gdansk – Malbork – Gniezno – Poznan
Morning: Visit to the Westerplatte memorial. On 1 September 1939, shellfire from the battleship "SMS Shleswig-Holstein" directed at Polish soldiers stationed at the Westerplatte base started the Second World War.
Afternoon: Transfer to Malbork and a visit to the Castle of the Teutonic Order, the biggest gothic castle in Europe.
Gniezno – the first historical capital of Poland. Visit to the gothic cathedral, first place of coronations of the Polish kings.
Arrival in Poznań.
Evening: Dinner. Check-in at the accommodation. Overnight in Poznań.
Optional: Holy Mass in the Gniezno Cathedral.
Day 4: Poznan – Lichen – Warsaw
Morning: Visit to Poznań, one of Poland’s biggest and oldest cities, a cradle to the Christianity in the country. Archaeological works have revealed the foundations of the first Christian church in Poland built by the prince Mieszko I, the first Christian ruler of the country. In the cathedral located on a scenic island on the Warta River, the tombs of the first Polish rulers are located. A visit to the cathedral. A stroll through the charming Old Town: Poznań Town Hall, considered to be one of the most beautiful Renaissance buildings in Poland, a beautiful example of baroque style in the form of the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Poznań Fara, and more.
Afternoon: Transfer to Warsaw with a stop in Licheń Stary – second most important pilgrimage site in Poland, after Częstochowa. The basilica who houses the icon “Our Lady of Sorrows, Queen of Poland”, was completed in 2004 and ranks 8th amongst the largest churches in the world.
Evening: Arrival in Warsaw. Dinner and check-in at the accommodation. Overnight in Warsaw.
Optional: Holy Mass in Poznań or Licheń Stary.
Day 5: Warsaw
Morning: Holy Mass in St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, in front of which Blessed Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko is buried. Jerzy Popiełuszko was a priest who engaged in the anti-communist dictatorship resistance and was brutally assassinated by the Security Service, a secret police force, in 1984. Nowadays, his grave is the most important pilgrimage destination in Warsaw.
Visit to the Old Town, rebuilt after the devastation caused during the war: Royal Castle, Sigismund’s Column, St John’s Archcathedral, Old Town Square Market and Barbicane. Stroll down Warsaw’s most iconic street – Krakowskie Przedmieście.
Afternoon: Transfer to the Warsaw Rising Museum dedicated to the fight the Varsovians have put up in the name of freedom from the Nazi occupation and communism during the Warsaw Uprising in August 1944.
Evening: Dinner. Overnight in Warsaw.
Day 6: Warsaw – Czestochowa – Auschwitz-Birkenau – Krakow
Morning: Transfer to Częstochowa. The Pauline Monastery of Jasna Góra in Częstochowa, where the Black Madonna of Częstochowa icon is located, is considered one of the most crucial Marian sanctuaries in the world and Poland’s national shrine. Visit to the monastery, prayer in front of the Black Madonna and Holy Mass in one of the chapels.
Afternoon: Transfer to Oświęcim and a visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum. Firstly, the extermination camp Auschwitz I with the starvation cell where Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe lost his life. Then, a visit to the Auschwitz II-Birkenau, the place of death of over one million people of which the majority was Jewish, and among them, Edith Stein, a Christian Jew and a patron saint of Europe (Teresa Benedicta of the Cross).
Transfer to Krakow.
Evening: Arrival in Krakow. Dinner. Check-in at the accommodation. Overnight in Krakow.
Day 7: Krakow – Wieliczka – Krakow
Morning: Guided tour of the historic capital of Poland. In the programme: the Wawel Royal Castle and cathedral, the coronation and burial place of Polish kings, which houses in its central section the tomb of Saint Stanislaus, bishop and martyr, the patron saint of Poland. The Old Town and the Main Market Square (Rynek) – the biggest main square in Europe, the St. Mary’s Church where you can admire Veit Stoss’ altarpiece, a wooden chef-d’œuvre, medieval Jagiellonian Univeristy and charming streets of the Old Town.
Afternoon: Transfer to Wieliczka. Visit to the salt mine – a unique example of the mining industry and medieval art (UNESCO). Stroll through the tunnels, caves and chapels carved in salt, such as the Chapel of Saint Kinga which stands out for its décor and size.
Evening: Dinner accompanied by traditional klezmer music in one of the restaurants in Kazimierz, the old Jewish quarter of Krakow. Overnight in Krakow.
Optional: Holy Mass in one of the churches in Krakow or in one of the chapels in the salt mine in Wieliczka.
Day 8: Krakow – Wadowice – Łagiewniki – Nowa Huta
Morning: Transfer to Wadowice – the hometown of Pope John Paul II. A moment of reflection in the church where the future pope was baptised. Visit to the museum dedicated to his life, which is located in Pope’s family home.
Transfer to the Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Krakow-Łagiewniki. Known throughout the world, the Basilica of Łagiewniki is a place of worship dedicated to Divine Mercy. Holy Mass in front of either the Divine Mercy image or the tomb of Saint Faustina Kowalska.
Afternoon: Transfer to The Ark of the Lord Church, located in the Nowa Huta, a socialist district. The church symbolizes the fight and the prolonged efforts of the district’s residents who opposed the ideology and atheist directives enforced by the communist dictatorship.
Evening: Dinner. Overnight in Krakow.
Optional: Holy Mass in Wadowice, Łagiewniki or Nowa Huta.
Day 9: Krakow – Return flight
Transfer to the Krakow Airport. Departure.