Welcome to Warsaw, the Polish capital, known for its rebuilt Old Town, grand squares and rich musical heritage. During the festive season, Christmas markets and illuminated street displays fill the city with lights, music and the scent of spiced treats. After settling into your hotel, meet your Travel Director and fellow travelers, then head out together to enjoy your first dinner in the city.
Start the day with a sightseeing tour of Warsaw with your Local Specialist, taking in the restored Old Town, the Palace of Culture and Science, the Chopin Memorial and the Ghetto Heroes Monument. Later, visit the Christmas markets in the Old Town Square, where stalls, decorations and a seasonal light display fill the historic center. This evening, you can choose to join an Optional Experience to enjoy a live Chopin recital — a chance to hear the music of Poland’s most famous composer performed in the city he once called home.
Travel north through farmland and small villages to the historic port city of Gdańsk. On the way, you’ll stop at a small organic farm for a Be My Guest experience with your host Marcin, who shares his cider and a seasonal lunch made with local ingredients. Continue to the Baltic coast and arrive in Gdańsk, then walk the Christmas markets along the Royal Route on the Long Market, browsing local crafts and tasting winter treats.
Set out with your Local Specialist to get to know Gdańsk, from its colorful facades to the stories of the shipyards, then visit the European Solidarity Center to learn about the Solidarity movement and modern Polish history. In the afternoon you may choose an Optional Experience to Malbork Castle one of the largest brick castles in the world and a stronghold of the Teutonic Knights. If you stay in the city, use your free time to visit a museum, browse amber shops or warm up in a cafe near the Christmas lights. This evening, you could join an Optional Experience dinner to sample local dishes and hear how Gdańsk’s brewing traditions have shaped the beers poured here today.
Stop in Toruń, a UNESCO-listed medieval city on the Vistula founded by Teutonic Knights and known for its Gothic brick architecture. Join a Local Specialist for a walk through the Old Town, passing the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus and former merchants’ houses. Then visit the Christmas markets to try Toruń’s famous gingerbread before continuing through Greater Poland to Poznań, with its colorful Old Town and Renaissance town hall, where you’ll spend the evening.
Join a Local Specialist to visit Poznań’s cathedral, the oldest in Poland and burial place of the country’s first rulers. Continue with a walking tour around the Stary Rynek, the Old Market Square, where historic facades frame the Christmas market. Hear the legend of Poznań’s famous goats and spot their symbols around the square. Afterwards, enjoy free time to browse the stalls, visit a museum, warm up with a hot drink or try a St. Martin’s croissant from a local bakery.
Join a Local Specialist for a sightseeing tour of Wrocław, taking in the main Market Square, the Gothic Old Town Hall and the neighboring Salt Square. Then visit the city’s oldest confectionery for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, where you’ll learn how traditional doughnuts are made and hear how this local shop keeps Wrocław’s sweet-making traditions alive. Later, you’ll head to the Christmas market to browse the stalls and look out for Bolesławiec pottery. This afternoon, you may choose to join an Optional Experience to discover more of Wrocław’s treasures, including the Racławice Panorama.
Enjoy a full day to explore Wrocław at your own pace. You might return to the Christmas market for any last-minute gifts, search for the city’s dwarf statues, visit a museum or warm up in a local cafe. You can also consider joining an Optional Experience to Książ Castle and UNESCO-listed Świdnica Church of Peace.
Travel to the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum for a guided visit of the former Nazi concentration and extermination camp, preserved as a memorial to the people imprisoned and killed here during the Holocaust. Afterwards, continue to Kraków, the former royal capital. This evening, you may choose to join an Optional Experience to a local restaurant for a farmhouse-style dinner with traditional food, live music and polka dancing.
Begin the day with an Optional Experience to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, exploring its underground chapels and carved salt chambers. Later, join a Local Specialist for a tour of Kraków, visiting the Royal Castle and Cathedral on Wawel Hill. Continue on foot through the Old Town to see Kraków’s szopki nativity scenes, the Cloth Hall and St. Mary’s Church. You’ll then have time at the Christmas market in the Main Market Square, your final chance to pick up gifts and Polish souvenirs. This evening, share dinner with your Travel Director and fellow travelers and raise a glass to your Christmas markets journey through Poland.
Bid farewell to Kraków, your Travel Director and fellow travelers after your festive journey through Poland’s Christmas markets.
