Krakow’s Art & History

Day 1 – Krakow

Scheduled flight to Krakow from your preferred airport – transfer with our professional guide in our private executive coach to the 3* Legend Hotel in central Krakow.

Day 2 – Cloth Hall, St Mary's Basilica, Wawel Royal Castle & Wawel Cathedral

Guided tour of Krakow taking in the important sights of the city – Cloth Hall, with a splendid Renaissance edifice and an ornate roof adorned with grotesque masks, is the world's oldest shopping mall having been in business in the middle of the Grand Square for 700 years – St Mary's Basilica, Krakow's principal church since the 14th century, is particularly famous for its wooden altar carved by Veit Stoss – the stately halls and exquisite chambers of Wawel Royal Castle on the banks of the Vistula River were home to three dynasties of Poland's monarchs, and its collection of the 16th century monumental Flemish tapestries is matchless (and, while the Czartoryskich Museum is closed for refurbishment, the temporary home of Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Lady with an Ermine’) – Wawel Cathedral, Poland's national sanctuary with a 1,000 year old history, was the coronation site of Polish monarchs and is home to a wonderful art collection from Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque to Classicist and Modern.

Day 3 – Jagiello University & the Jewish Quarter

The 630 year old Jagiello University buildings, including the Collegium Maius (The Grand College), were rebuilt in the 15th century as a splendid late Gothic edifice around a vast courtyard with surrounding arcades and its alumni include the astronomer Copernicus and Pope John Paul II – a guided tour of the Jewish Quarter, the centre of Jewish life in Krakow for over 500 years before it was systematically destroyed during World War II, takes in the Old Synagogue, the Pharmacy Museum and the Oscar Schindler Museum.

Day 4 – Wieliczka Salt Mines & Niepolomice Castle

Established in 1978 as a UNESCO World Cultural & Heritage Site, nine centuries of mining at the magnificent Wieliczka Salt Mines produced 200 kilometres of passages and 2,040 caverns with the highlight of our tour being the underground cathedral where the wall decorations, altar, statues, floor, ceiling and even the chandeliers are all made of salt – Niepolomice Castle, originally constructed as a royal hunting lodge in the 14th century, was rebuilt in the 1550s in the late Renaissance style and after extensive restoration in the 1990s is now home to an art gallery and museum.

Day 5 – Krakow & Auschwitz

Free morning to enjoy Krakow at your leisure to explore the city or to take an optional excursion and guided tour of Auschwitz, one of the most notorious German concentration camps – transfer to the airport for our scheduled flight home.