Day 1: Warsaw - Old Town
Morning: Arrival in Warsaw. Welcome by our English-speaking tour guide. Transfer to the accommodation and check-in.
Afternoon: A tour of the Old Town, carefully reconstructed after the destruction of the war. Highlights include the magnificent Royal Castle, the Sigismund’s Column, St John's Archcathedral, the lively Old Town Market Square, and the historic Barbican. A walk along the elegant Krakowskie Przedmieście. Holly Mass in one of the churches in the Old Town.
Evening: Dinner.
Day 2: Warsaw - Niepokalanow
Morning: A Holy Mass in the Church of St. Stanislaus Kostka, which houses the tomb of Blessed Jerzy Popieluszko – a Catholic priest and resistance fighter against the communist dictatorship whose legacy is still revered today, making the church an important pilgrimage site in Warsaw.
Afternoon: Transfer to Niepokalanów for a visit to the Immaculate Conception Sanctuary founded by Saint Maximilian Kolbe.
Evening: Dinner.
Day 3: Warsaw – Częstochowa - Zakopane
Morning: A journey to the Pauline Monastery on Jasna Góra. This Marian shrine houses the miraculous image of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa and is regarded as one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the world as well as 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 Zakopane. Arrival and check-in at the accommodation.
Evening: Dinner.
Day 4: Zakopane - Gubałówka - Chochołów
Morning: A church service in the Church of the Holy Mother of God of Fatima, one of the most beautiful places of worship in Poland. This significant building was funded by the residents of Zakopane in gratitude for the saving of John Paul II after the assassination attempt, and symbolizes the profound bond between the Polish Highlanders, the Gorals, and the Holy Father.
Afternoon: Taking the funicular to the top of Gubałówka Hill, which impresses with a breathtaking panoramic view of the majestic peaks of the Tatra Mountains. The route then continues to Chochołów, an extraordinary village that keeps the culture and history of the region alive with its traditional wooden houses.
Evening: Dinner in a regional restaurant, accompanied by traditional folk music.
Day 5: Zakopane – Wadowice – Kalwaria Zebrzydowska – Wieliczka – Krakow
Morning: The trip leads from Zakopane to the small town of Wadowice, the birthplace of Saint John Paul II. A visit to the church where the future saint was baptized and to the biographical museum in John Paul II's family home. The journey continues to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, one of Poland's most important pilgrimage sites and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The basilica, along with 42 surrounding chapels and churches, stands as a testament to deeply rooted faith and history. Karol Wojtyła, the future pope, made pilgrimages here several times – as a young man, priest, bishop and finally as pope.
Afternoon: An underground guided tour through the Wieliczka Salt Mine, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kilometres of corridors and fairy-tale salt grottoes, impressive chapels and figures of saints carved in salt, which reflect the faith and craftsmanship of the miners. The highlight is the majestic underground cathedral, the Chapel of Saint Kinga.
Evening: Arrival in Krakow and check-in at the accommodation, followed by dinner.
Day 6: Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial
Morning: Visit Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Musuem, located in the city of Oświęcim. 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).
Holy Mass at the Franciscan Centre of St. Maximilian Kolbe in Harmęże, next to the memorial.
Afternoon: Return to Krakow.
Evening: Dinner.
Day 7: Krakow - Old Town - the Divine Mercy Sancturary in Lagiewniki
Morning: Discovering the historic Polish capital, Krakow, with a focus on the majestic Royal Castle on Wawel Hill as well as the important cathedral – the site of coronations and the final resting place of Polish kings, which also houses the relics of Saint Bishop Stanislaus, patron saint of Poland. Afterwards, the tour of the Old Town, with the largest market square in Europe, the famous St. Mary’s Basilica with the artistic altar by master Veit Stoss, the Jagiellonian University, and the picturesque streets.
Afternoon: A visit to the Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Krakow-Łagiewniki, a pilgrimage site of worldwide importance and centre of the devotion to Divine Mercy. In the immediate vicinity is the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, where Saint Sister Faustina Kowalska lived and worked and is also buried – a mystic who proclaimed the divine message of mercy.
Evening: Dinner
Day 8: Krakow
