Poland with Luxury & Style (13 Days): A Sample Itinerary

ID #: DT-P-13-8-21-10-RAIJ


 
Wieliczka Salt Mines
Wawel Royal Castle
Palace on the Water

DavidTravel Itinerary Highlights include:

Discover a place where centuries-old castles, palaces and monuments blend harmoniously with picturesque country landscapes, spectacular mountains and beautifully restored pre-war edifices. Experience the towering spires and parapets of Poland’s breathtaking cathedrals and churches. Discover the architectural gems and impressive musical ancestry of Chopin. Explore the amazing Wieliczka Salt Mines. Created in the Middle Ages, these mines are a labyrinth of almost 200 miles of underground chambers and galleries with lakes, chapels and intricate salt sculptures.

• Visit Westerplatte Peninsula, site of the start of WWII, and the Monument of Solidarity, along with the impressive Oliwa’s Cathedral

• Enjoy a tour of Warsaw, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and see its Old Town, the Jewish Ghetto and the elegant Royal Route with the Palace on the Water in Lazienki Gardens

• Visit Wawel Royal Castle, which houses a priceless collection of ornamental Arras and Renaissance Gobelin tapestries

• Explore Poland’s winter capital, the mountain resort of Zakopane

Overview:

One of Europe's most underrated countries, Poland offers a huge amount for travellers of all stripes - from the wild scenery of its mountainous south, with its great skiing and hiking, to the stunning old towns of Krakow, Zamosc and Gdansk and the wilderness of the Bialowieza National Park and the Great Malsurian Lakes in the country's north.

Modernising and changing fast, the Polish capital Warsaw was almost totally destroyed during WWII, when it was home to Europe's most notorious ghetto. Today the city is a combination of Soviet and contemporary, with a painstakingly recreated old town and an upbeat, progressive population. Yet most tourists head straight for the country's biggest draw, Krakow, the country's royal capital and a stunningly preserved architectural marvel that has somehow managed to survive the many wars that have used Poland as a battle ground.

Poland's scenic beauty is as varied as it is extraordinary. The Baltic coast has some excellent sandy beaches, as well as the Slowinski National Park with its ethereal forests, bogs and sand dunes. In the country's northeast are the Great Malsurian Lakes, a playground for boat enthusiasts of all kinds with its hundreds of pristine lakes broken up by dense forest. The Krakow-Wielun Upland with its limestone areas, caves and medieval castles is another highlight, while perhaps most beautiful area of all is around the Carpathian Mountains in the far south.