KRAKOW CULTURE TRIPS
Rotary Club Trip to Krakow, Rotary Club Tour
Rotary Clubs visit Krakow
“An assembly on the occasion of transmission of authority at the beginning of the new Rotarian year, which begins on 1.7., was held tonight. On this occasion, it turned out that the trip to Kraków is considered legendary both by its participants and people who had not participated in it.”
- Prof. Dieter Bingen, Rotary Club Darmstadt, on the trip to Krakow.
If you are currently planning a trip with your Rotarian Club to Poland, to Kraków, Warsaw, or Gdańsk, we will prepare a suitable offer for you. We have been organising trips of Rotary Clubs in Krakow, Poland for the last 20 years. To date, we have provided our services to around 30 clubs from Germany, Great Britain, France and Italy.
We offer you our comprehensive service, including:
- preparation of the concept and programme of the trip
- presentation of a clear price list with reasonable prices
- booking hotels, flights, restaurants, transfers
- opportunities of contact with personages from the world of politics, economy and culture
- realization of a substantial programme giving insight into various aspects of cultural and political life
- a competent guide, ready to address your needs, wishes and questions
- high standard VIP-service
We meet the expectations of demanding and experienced guests - the Rotarians.
We strive for a trouble-free and eventful programme. We are flexible regarding any additional wishes and changes to the programme. We will be delighted if you take our suggestions into consideration when planning your next Rotary Club trip to Poland.
Recommendation letter from Rotary Club Bad Homburg v.d. Höhe
Rotary Club trip to Krakow. Example programme.
Trip Highlights:
- Visit to the St. Mary's Basilica with its famous wooden altarpiece made by Veit Stoss
- Tour of the Wawel Castle - the former royal residence of Poland from the 11th Century
- Visit to the Wawel Cathedral with its royal tombs and Sigismond's Bell
- Leonardo da Vinci painting Lady with an Ermine
- Excursion to the unique 800-year-old underground salt mine in Wieliczka
Itinerary:
Day 1 Old Town
morning Flight into Krakow. Welcome by our courier. Transfer to your hotel and check-in. Lunch.
afternoon “Krakow in the European context. The quintessential Polish city, between Nuremberg, Florence, Vienna and… Jerusalem” – a guided tour of the city. The programme includes a stroll around the largest medieval square in Europe; along the grand Royal Route and the charming old Kanonicza Street; into Collegium Maius, the fifteenth-century building of Krakow’s university; and around the palaces and narrow streets of the Old Town.
After a coffee break in one of the cafes in the Old Town, we take a look inside St Mary’s Church, which towers over the Square, to see the largest Gothic altarpiece in Europe, a masterpiece by the Nuremberg master Veit Stoss, followed by a lecture: “Veit Stoss – the artists, his times and his work”.
evening Dinner in a specially selected restaurant in the Old Town serving traditional Polish specialities.
Day 2 Wawel Castle and Jewish district
morning “City of Kings, City of Saints” – a tour of Wawel Hill, site of the royal castle, the seat of the Polish kings; and the cathedral, the venue of their coronations and burials. We will tour some of the representative castle chambers, home to a prized collection of Flemish tapestries. We will also see the famous Leonardo da Vinci painting Lady with an Ermine. The next point on the programme is the cathedral, with the tombs of the Polish kings, and the magnificent Renaissance Sigismund Chapel.
afternoon “The Krakow Jerusalem” – a tour of Kazimierz, one of the best-preserved Jewish quarters in Europe. Sights include the Old Synagogue, now a museum of Judaica, the ornate Tempel Synagogue, and the Remuh Synagogue and sixteenth-century cemetery adjacent to it.
evening To round off the day we suggest a candlelit dinner and concert of live klezmer music in one of the Jewish restaurants in Kazimierz.
Day 3 Auschwitz Memorial or Collegium Maius or National Museum
morning “The topography and logic of the Holocaust” – excursion to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and site of memory; two-part tour. The first part covers the exhibition in the prisoner blocks in Auschwitz I – Stammlager (the original camp): the death block, the wall of death, and the only surviving gas chamber and crematorium. After a break, a tour of Auschwitz II – Birkenau, the site of the mass extermination of the Jews, with the preserved prisoners’ barracks, the ruins of the gas chambers and crematoria, and the monument commemorating the victims of the camp.
Alternative:
For those who prefer to remain in Krakow, we offer an alternative programme:
1. A tour of Collegium Maius, the oldest building in Krakow’s university. The interior features the former library, the stuba communis, where staff and students ate together, and the medieval great hall.
2. A visit to the National Museum in Krakow, where you will learn about some of the major currents and personalities in twentieth-century Polish art.
afternoon A meeting with a leading figure in Krakow’s political, business, scientific or artistic life, as appropriate to the interests of the group.
evening Dinner at your hotel and cultural programme depending on current repertoire.
Day 4 Wieliczka Salt Mine and Nowa Huta
morning “Wieliczka – underground town” – excursion to the unique 800-year-old underground salt mine in Wieliczka, an unparalleled relic of medieval European technology. The route leads through several kilometres of underground corridors, chambers, caves and chapels, all cut into the rock salt. On the return journey: “Poland under Communism” – a drive through Nowa Huta, the workers’ district of Krakow built entirely from scratch after World War II as a model Communist town. In time it evolved into one of the most important centres of resistance to Communist authority in Poland. En route, a brief lecture on contemporary Polish history.
afternoon Free time. For those who wish to continue discovering the city, we recommend two interesting exhibitions:
- “Traces of Krakow’s European identity” – exhibition on the site of the underground archaeological dig site a few metres below the surface of the Main Square,
- “Krakow under Nazi occupation 1939-1945” – exhibition in the former Oskar Schindler Factory.
evening Farewell dinner with live music.
Day 5
morning Check-out from your hotel and transfer to the airport. Flight home.
Services included:
- 4 night's accommodation in Krakow in a hotel chosen by you on bed and breakfast basis
- All transfers as per above mentioned itinerary
- Private tour guide
- Private English speaking guide as per the itinerary
- Entrance fees for all sightseeing
- Meals as per the itinerary
Services not included:
- The journey to and from Poland
- Public transport
- Insurance
- Personal expenditure, tips, etc.
- All other services not mentioned in the itinerary
Price on request.