ALUMNI COLLEGE IN POLAND: KRAKOW AND WARSAW ITINERARY

DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY

Day 1
Depart your gateway city for Krakow, Poland. (Flight provided for Air-Inclusive participants only.)

Day 2
Upon arrival, transfer to Krakow and the Holiday Inn. (Transfer provided for Air-Inclusive participants only.)

This evening, gather for a Welcome Reception and Dinner at the hotel.

Day 3
Educational Focus: The History of Krakow.

Excursion: Krakow. Explore the Old Town, famous for the largest medieval market square on the Continent. Stroll through the 16th-century Renaissance Cloth Hall, the world’s oldest “shopping mall.” Gaze at the Gothic Church of St. Mary of the Assumption, renowned for the hourly bugle call from its tower, and the 15th-century Collegium Maius, the oldest college of Jagiellonian University. Visit the Royal Cathedral and courtyard of hilltop Wawel Castle.

Local Flavor: A lunch featuring local specialties is served at a restaurant in Krakow.

Independent Exploration: The afternoon is yours to explore Krakow.

Day 4
Educational Focus: The Poles—Citizens of the World.

Excursion: Ojcow National Park OR Auschwitz. Choose a leisurely journey through Ojcow National Park, ranked as one of Europe’s most beautiful nature reserves. Or, opt to tour Auschwitz. Established by the Nazis in 1940, the camps now serve as a poignant monument to 1.5 million Holocaust victims.

Local Flavor: Lunch is served at a local restaurant during either excursion option.

Local Flavor: Dinner is served at a local restaurant that features a lively folkloric show.

Day 5
Educational Focus: Contemporary Poland.

Excursion: Wieliczka Salt Mine. Begun in the 11th century, when salt was so valuable it replaced metal coins in Poland, Wieliczka is Europe’s oldest salt mine. Tour 30 chambers and marvel at 23-foot-deep subterranean lakes, grottoes full of crystalline salt carvings and the impressive Chapel of St. Kinga, with its altarpieces, chandeliers and sculptures.

Independent Exploration: Spend the afternoon as you choose.

Day 6
Depart Krakow and travel to Warsaw.

Excursion: The Black Madonna. En route through the rolling hills of Malopolska, stop in Czestochowa. The region is dotted with picturesque towns, ruined castles and pretty wooden churches. Tour the Monastery of Jasna Gora and see the most important icon in Poland—the Black Madonna. Painted in approximately 1434 on top of an older Byzantine icon, the statue was later crowned the Queen of Poland by King John Casimir.

Local Flavor: Lunch is served at a restaurant in Czestochowa.

Upon arrival in Warsaw, check into the InterContinental Warsaw.

Educational Focus: Meet the People.

Day 7
Excursion: Warsaw. The capital of Poland, Warsaw has undergone a transformation that has beautifully restored its many architectural splendors. In the 13th-century Stare Miasto, the captivating Old Town, admire Zamek Królewski, the stately Royal Castle and the Copernicus Monument. Follow the colorful façades of the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque palaces and churches of the Royal Route to the Chopin Memorial. See the Madame Curie House, the Jewish district, the Monument of the Warsaw Uprising and the Warsaw Ghetto Memorial. Then, tour Nowe Miasto, the New Town, including Solidarity Avenue, now Warsaw’s commercial center.

Independent Exploration: The early afternoon is at leisure.

Cultural Event: Chopin Concert. Later this afternoon, enjoy a private concert in the Royal Lazienki Park.

Local Flavor: Conclude the day with a delicious dinner at a restaurant in Warsaw.

Day 8
Excursion: Torun. The birthplace of Copernicus, Torun was once a wealthy trading center due to its position on the Vistula River. One of the best-preserved Gothic towns in Poland, it showcases such historic treasures as a vibrant Old Town Square, the Copernicus House Museum, Crooked Tower and Town Hall.

Local Flavor: A charming restaurant in Torun welcomes you for lunch.

Tonight, attend a Graduation Ceremony and Farewell Reception at the hotel, followed by a Farewell Dinner.

Day 9
Transfer to the Warsaw airport for the return flight to your gateway city. (Transfer and flight provided for Air-Inclusive participants only.)