Program Details
Day 1:
Leave USA
We will leave USA for Minsk, Belarus.
Day 2:
Minsk, Belarus
Upon arrival in Minsk, we will be welcomed by our local guide and driver. We will drive
to our hotel to check-in and rest for the remainder of the day.
Minsk is not only the capital and largest city of Belarus, it's also the capital of the
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
Situated on the Svislačnd Niamiha rivers, from 1919-1991 it was the capital of the former
Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. The city was 80% destroyed during World War II
and as such was rebuilt in the 1950s to the liking of Stalin. Large, Soviet-bloc style
buildings make up a large portion of the heart of the city. For this reason, Minsk is a
wonderful place to visit for those interested in the Soviet Union.
Early in the evening, our dinner is also included.
Overnight in Minsk
Meals: D
Day 3:
Minsk
Today we will have a full day sightseeing program in Minsk:
Sightseeing tour of Minsk includes the main avenues (Independence avenue, Victory
avenue) and the architectural monuments of the XVIIth - XXth centuries - the Upper Town
with the City Hall, Holy Spirit Cathedral and the Cathedral of Holy Virgin Mary, old streets
of the Trinity Suburb, Church of St. Simon and Helena. The Victory Monument and the
National Library - included into the list of the most outstanding buildings of the world- are
waiting to be explored.
After the panoramic tour of the city, we will have a visit to the National Art museum,
which presents the richest collection of Belarusian and foreign fine art in the country. The
unique collection of the Belarusian art includes works of ancient icon painting, sculpture,
woodcarving, textile, paintings from the XIXth – XXth centuries.
Our lunch is scheduled at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, we will transfer to Stalin Line – an open-air museum of military
fortifications, including the defensive line with trenches, anti-tank obstacles and ditches,
anti-personnel obstacles and machine-gun pillboxes. Visitors can walk around a pillbox
and sit in a gun emplacement, stroll along the trench system and clamber over a tank. The
guides are dressed in uniforms of the day. To feel the atmosphere of that by-passed war.
We should also try the sample rations eaten by soldiers of the time.
Overnight in Minsk
Meals: B – L - D
Day 4:
Minsk
We will start our program with an excursion to Mir Castle.
Mir is a small town 90 km to the south-west of Minsk. It is most famous for the fairy-tale
Mir Castle, still known today as the “medieval flower”. Castle is an impressive
architectural monument, included into the list of World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. It
was erected at the end of the XVth century and today it is a combination of Gothic,
Baroque and Renaissance architecture that makes Mir Castle so unique. This red brick
castle is also a historical monument, which used to belong to several aristocratic families,
who have left their mark in the history of the town and of the country in general.
After our visit we will drive back to Minsk to have lunch.
In the afternoon, we will visit the World War II museum. It was the first museum in the
world to reveal the story of this disastrous war. The origins of the museum go all the way
back to 1944, during the Nazi occupation. Among the museum’s first exhibits were the
partisan movement chronicles, handwritten and printed books, handmade weapons. Today
the museum, which occupies an area of 3 000 sqm, houses more then 8 000 exhibits,
including combat reports, diaries, drawings, flags of military units, military uniforms,
military weapons, vehicles and other items.
In the evening we will have a special dinner with folk music and dances.
Overnight in Minsk
Meals: B – L - D
Day 5:
Minsk - Warsaw
Our morning will be at leisure or we will have various meetings
After lunch we will be transferred to the airport for our flight to Warsaw.
Upon arrival in Warsaw, we will be transferred to our hotel. Evening at leisure.
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It stands on the Vistula River in east-central
Poland, roughly 260 kilometers from the Baltic Sea and 300 kilometers from the
Carpathian Mountains. Its population is estimated at 1.750 million residents within a
greater metropolitan area of 3.101 million residents, which makes Warsaw the 9th most-
populous capital city in the European Union.
Once described as Paris of the East, Warsaw was believed to be one of the most beautiful
cities in the world until World War II. The German invasion in 1939, the massacre of the
Jewish population and deportations to concentration camps led to the uprising in the
Warsaw ghetto in 1943 and to the major and devastating Warsaw Uprising between
August and October 1944. Warsaw gained the new title of a Phoenix City because of its
extensive history and complete reconstruction after the severe damage it suffered in World
War II, which left over 85% of its buildings in ruins.
Dinner is on our own.
Overnight in Warsaw
Meals: B – L
Day 6:
Warsaw
Today we are in Warsaw for a full day sightseeing program. We will start our morning
following the Jewish traces in the city.
Before WW II, Jews constituted 30% of population in Warsaw and were the second largest
Jewish community in the world (after New York). During the tour we will discover traces of
the more than 800-year history and culture of Jews in Poland, which almost completely
ceased to exist after the war. All the places we see are to remind the vibrant Jewish life and
culture thriving in the city before WW II.
We will see the remaining buildings of the former mikveh, houses of prayer, schools,
orphanages or hospitals. We visit the Nozyk Synagogue (the only one remaining from
before 1939) and the Jewish cemetery, one of the largest in Europe. The tour of the former
ghetto area includes, among other things: the Monument of the Ghetto Heroes, Bunker
Monument, Umschlagplatz – a last stop for Jews before transportation to the camps. We
also visit the newly opened Jewish Museum.
After lunch at a local restaurant, we will visit the Warsaw Uprising Museum and National
Museum.
Our dinner will be at a local restaurant.
Overnight in Warsaw
Meals: B – L - D
Day 7:
Warsaw, Poland
We will start the day with a walking tour of the Old Town.
We will stroll around the historical center of Warsaw, where numerous palaces, churches
and memorials hide beautiful and tragic history of the city. During the tour we follow the
Royal Way and discover all the highlights of the historical center: Old Market Square
with the Baroque tenement houses, a statue of Mermaid (the symbol of Warsaw), Royal
Palace, Cathedral of St. John, the remains of fortifications and the Barbican. In Krakowskie
Przedmiescie, the most famous promenade of Warsaw we admire old historical buildings,
eg. Warsaw University, President’s Palace and the Church of the Holy Cross, where
Chopin’s heart was buried.
Afternoon will be at leisure.
Before dinner, we will attend a short concert featuring Chopin's music. Our dinner will be
at a local restaurant.
Overnight in Warsaw
Meals: B – L - D
Day 8:
Warsaw - Kaliningrad, Russia
Today we will have a leisurely morning, visiting the Museum of Modern Art. Located on
the bank of Vistula river, the Museum offers a collection of contemporary art by Polish and
international artists.
After lunch at a local restaurant, we will be transferred to the airport for our flight to
Kaliningrad. Upon arrival, we will check-in our hotel.
Our dinner will be at a local restaurant.
Overnight in Kaliningrad
Meals: B – L - D
Day 9:
Kaliningrad
We will have an early start for our full day program in Kaliningrad.
Kaliningrad, formerly Koenigsberg, is one of several cities along the Baltic coast that was
founded by the Teutonic Knights as they spread eastwards during the 13th century. From
its founding in 1255 until the end of the Second World War, it has played a major part in
German history, both as a seaport and as a center for academic excellence.
At the conclusion of WWII, East Prussia was divided between the Soviet Union and
Poland. The city of Koenigsberg and the surrounding region were both renamed
Kaliningrad. Being a strategic military area, it was closed to foreigners until 1990.
Today, Kaliningrad whimsically combines the attributes of a modern Russian city with
those of a traditional European one.
We will start our excursion with a city tour: we visit the Cathedral, symbol of Kaliningrad
and Koenigsberg. We will have a chance to see the tomb of Immanuel Kant, the city’s most
famous former resident. We may attend a short organ concert in the Cathedral.
After having our lunch at a nice restaurant, we will have an excursion to Curonian Spit.
The Curonian Spit is an area of wooded sand dunes, which separates the Baltic Sea from
the freshwater Curonian Lagoon. The spit, a national park, offers unparalleled
opportunities to see migrating birds at the Rybachy (Rositten) bird watching station and the
nearby museum tells the history of the spit’s formation and the stories of its inhabitants. A
walk on the dunes at Efa, the second highest sand dune in Europe where we can hear the
‘singing sands’, is not to be missed.
Back to Kaliningrad center to have a seafood dinner.
Overnight in Kaliningrad
Meals: B – L - D
Day 10:
Kaliningrad - Krakow
In the morning, we will continue with our panoramic tour of the city. We will also visit the
Amber Museum.
After lunch we will be transferred to the airport for our evening flight to Krakow via
Warsaw. Upon arrival, we will check-in our hotel.
Dinner will be on our own.
Overnight in Krakow
Meals: B – L
Day 11:
Krakow
We will start our day with a walking tour of the Krakow Old Town.
Kraków is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula
River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has
traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural and artistic life
and is one of Poland's most important economic hubs. It was the capital of the Crown of
the Kingdom of Poland from 1038 to 1569; the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from
1569 to 1795; the Free City of Kraków from 1815 to 1846; the Grand Duchy of Cracow
from 1846 to 1918; and Kraków Voivodeship from the 14th century to 1998. It has been
the capital of Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999.
Strolling through the Old Town of Krakow we discover treasures and places that will let us
feel the unique atmosphere of the city. We see Wawel Hill with the renaissance period
Royal Castle and Cathedral – the site of coronations and burials of kings. We then make
our way to the Main Market Square – the largest medieval square in Europe – and the
Cloth Hall market stalls from the fourteenth century (good place for souvenir hunters!).
On the way we drop into the students’ quarter to see the buildings of the oldest university
in Poland (the Jagiellonian University). We also visit St. Mary’s Church, a treasure trove of
precious works of art and home to the largest medieval altar in Europe (the work of
sculptor Veit Stoss) and the bugle call, which is played every hour from the tower of the
church.
After having lunch at a local restaurant, we will depart for an excursion to Wieliczka Salt
Mine.
Wieliczka Salt Mine is located only 15 km (20 min drive) from the city center of Krakow.
Here we will find one of the largest and oldest mines in Europe and an absolutely unique
and surprising place.
The total length of underground passages, tunnels and chambers is in the hundreds of
kilometers and they are spread over several levels. These historic workings are an excellent
example of the development of salt mining and extraction techniques from the 13th until
the 20th centuries. The salt extracted from Wieliczka mine in the Middle Ages was called
white gold (due to its value) and accounted for up to 30% of the royal treasury.
Here today, deep underground, one can see New Year’s Eve parties, weddings and even
sporting events! During our visit we will discover the treasures of the underground mine:
huge underground caves, tunnels, chapels, including the most spectacular Holy Chapel of
Saint Kinga, with decorations and statues carved out of the salt.
Upon returning to Krakow, we will have a farewell dinner with local folk music and
dances.
Overnight in Krakow
Meals: B – L – D
Day 12:
Krakow
Today we will have a full day excursion to Auschwitz and Birkenau.
Auschwitz-Birkenau is the largest concentration and extermination camp built by the
Nazis during WWII. It became a symbol of the Holocaust, Nazi crimes against the
population and forced labor. It is a place of unimaginable barbarism, where about 1.3
million people were killed. Most of the victims were Jews, but the camps were also a
place of martyrdom of Poles, Russians, Roma, Sinti and prisoners of other nationalities.
During this trip we visit both the camp at Auschwitz - where we see the displays in the
former prison blocks depicting the history of the camp, extermination methods, selection
and looting of property, and the only surviving crematorium - and the camp at Birkenau -
site of the Gate of Death, wooden barracks, the unloading ramp, the ruins of the
crematoria, and Memorial. The tour of the Auschwitz camp takes about 2 hrs; after a 15
min break we visit the site of Birkenau camp which tour takes up to 1 h.
Overnight in Krakow
Meals: B – L - D
Day 13:
Departure
Early in the morning, we will be transferred to the airport for our return flight.