Day 1: WARSAW.
Arrive in Warsaw. Meet with the tour guide and take a bus ride with panoramic views to the hotel. Dinner and overnight.
Day 2: WARSAW.
Morning: a guided tour of Warsaw. Stroll down the picturesque streets of the Old Town, Castle Square, the Royal, St. John's Cathedral (built in the 14th century), the Royal Way, the Lazienki Park with the Chopin Monument, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Lunch and then an afternoon tour of Niepokalanow, a pilgrimage site connected with St. Maksymilian Kolbe. Dinner and overnight.
Day 3: WARSAW | KRAKOW.
Leave Warsaw after breakfast. En route to Krakow tour the 14th century National Shrine and Monastery of Jasna Gora (Bright Mountain) in Czestochowa with the marvelous painting of the Black Madonna. This is the Mecca of the Catholic religion in Poland. Lunch then a guided tour of the Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy in Krakow, Lagiewniki. This is where St. Faustyna Kowalska, whose remains were brought from the Church of St. Joseph, was laid to rest. Pope John Paul II consecrated the sanctuary on September 17, 2002, entrusting the world to God's Divine Mercy. There is the possibility of attending a mass. Dinner and overnight.
Day 4: KRAKOV.
Take a guided tour of the most famous sights of Krakow:
• the largest market square in Europe surrounded by old streets and home to historical tenement houses and churches;
• a visit to St. Mary's Church (Gothic style);
• a stroll down the Royal Way to Wawel Castle, which was the seat of the Polish monarchs for centuries;
• a tour of the Royal Chambers and the Cathedral.
Lunch, then an afternoon excursion to Wieliczka - a unique and world-renowned salt mine entered into the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list, with the beautiful Chapel of St. Kinga. Return to Krakow, and enjoy a traditional Polish dinner in one of the restaurants located in the market. Overnight.
Day 5: KRAKOW.
After breakfast, a trip in the steps of John Paul II. Visiting the Bernardine monastery and so-called Calvary in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, which is on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. The baroque church from 17th century contains the famous miraculous picture of our Lady of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska.
Briefly visit Wadowice – the birthplace of Pope John Paul II - and tour of the Church of the Blessed Mother and the Papal Museum, the home of Pope John Paul II. Lunch and tour of the museum in Auschwitz-Birkenau in Auschwitz, the former concentration camp and a shocking testament of the holocaust. Return to Krakow. Dinner and overnight.
Day 6: KRAKOW | BUDAPEST.
Depart Krakow after breakfast. En route to Budapest tour Lavaca, a charming town and the pearl of the architecture of the Middle Ages. Formerly referred to as the Nuremberg of Slovakia, the Church of St. James with Gothic architecture is one of Slovakia's most valuable monuments. Lunch on the way and continue to Budapest. Dinner and overnight.
Day 7: BUDAPEST.
Take our guided tour of Budapest:
• The Gellert Hill overlooking the Danube River and one of the most famous sights in Budapest;
• St. Stefan's Basilica, which houses the most famous Hungarian relic, the mummified palm of St. Stefan;
• Varhegy (Castle Hill), the Old Town, from which the facades of the Royal Palace can be seen as well as the elevated and exquisite tower of the Church of St. Matthias, surrounded by the white Fishermen's Bastion.
Lunch, and in the afternoon take a guided tour of the charming town of Szentendre – a town constructed in the Middle Ages in a Mediterranean style, built on the former Roman legionary town. Dinner in a local restaurant with music. Overnight.
Day 8: BUDAPEST | VIENNA.
Depart to Vienna. On the way tour of the Pannonhalm Monastery – the only functioning Benedictine Monastery in all of Hungary. Arrive in Vienna late morning. Lunch and during the afternoon visit of the Mariazell Sanctuary, the largest pilgrimage sanctuary in Central Europe with the image of the Blessed Mother. Dinner and overnight.
Day 9: VIENNA.
Full day guided tour of Vienna:
• The Jewish Quarter; Juden Square; Synagogue;
• The Jewish Museum; Ringstrasse, Hofburg – the former imperial palace;
• Josefplaz – the beautiful late Baroque style square;
• Kärtner street, home to many magnificent buildings designed by Austria's most famous architects;
• St. Stephen's square on the north side and St. Stephen's Cathedral, a symbol and the most important monument of Vienna;
• the Belvedere Palace, the most beautiful palace complex in Vienna and a world-class example of Baroque style architecture.
Lunch in restaurant. Dinner with wine tasting in the Grinzing district, famous for its production of young wine. Overnight.
Day 10: VIENNA.
Full day excursion to Wachau Valley, one of the most beautiful and scenic sites in Austria, including:
• Durstein, a picturesque town with the Augustine Monastery with beautiful galleries and an impressive collection of sacral art as well as the beautiful Baroque church;
• The Benedictine Monastery in Melk – a Baroque monastery that triumphantly overlooks the Danube River and surroundings;
• Mass in the St. Peter and St. Paul Baroque church;
• Heiligenkreuz – one of the oldest Cistercian monasteries in Austria;
• Mayerling – the Carmelite monastery built on top of the destroyed Mayerling castle.
Lunch in a restaurant. Dinner and overnight.
Day 11: VIENNA | PRAGUE.
Depart Vienna after breakfast for Prague, with a short stop on the way in the town of Telc. Its Old Town is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site as a unique example of fairytale architecture along with the Baroque Church of the Blessed Mother. Lunch in a restaurant. Dinner and overnight.
Day 12: PRAGUE.
Full day tour of the city:
• Hradčany - The Castle District;
• Katedrala Sv. Víta (The Cathedral of St. Vitus) – a tapered yet massive structure which was built over 6 centuries and remains the most important church in the Czech Republic until today;
• the Loreta Treasury;
• the Strahov Monestary;
• the unforgettable Old Town Square with the Gothic church of Our Lady of Tyn;
• the lovely Zlata ulicka (Golden lane);
• the Charles Bridge - with its Gothic tower and one of the oldest bridges in Europe;
• The Church of Our Lady Victorious, the first Baroque church with the famous wax figure known as the Prague Child Jesus; and
• St. Wenceslas Square, the central point of modern Prague.
Lunch in restaurant. Dinner and overnight.
Day 13: PRAGUE.
Take a guided visit to Kutna Hora, a town with an amazing view of the exquisite Gothic church located in the distance. There is an optional Mass at the Church of St. Barbara. Lunch in a restaurant and free time during the afternoon for shopping. Farewell dinner in a typical restaurant with folk music and dancing. Overnight.
Day 14: PRAGUE | DEPARTURE.
Transfer to the airport.
