Experience Poland

DAY 1, WARSAW

 Arrival to Warsaw. Transfer to the hotel & check in. Overnight in Warsaw.

DAY 2, WARSAW

 Sightseeing of Warsaw. This tour allows us to immerse ourselves in and observe the many contrasts of the Polish capital city. The tour starts with a walk around the Lazienki Royal Park. Here we will see the famous monument dedicated to Frederic Chopin, the Palace on the Water, and the Theater on the Island. We will continue with transfer to the Old Town (UNESCO) and a short walk around the Old Town: from the Royal Castle, passing next to the Saint John Cathedral, the Market Square, and the barbican to the New Town. We will continue to the Krasinski Palace, the Supreme Court building. Our itinerary will continue with the Grand Theatre and the National Opera, the Jablonowscy Palace, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Saxon Garden. We will also go to the former Jewish ghetto area and the places connected to the Holocaust during the Second World War: The Umschlagplatz and the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes.

In the afternoon, ceramics painting workshops. Get to know the world-renowned ceramics from Boleslawiec. The tradition of making earthenware there goes back several centuries. The workshop covers the basics of decorating with Boleslawiec stamps, painting with brushes, and the elements of composition. The workshop lasts 60 minutes, and then the vessel is sent for glazing.  Glazing lasts from 3 to 7 days and only then the work is ready for pickup. Overnight in Warsaw.

DAY 3, WARSAW – KORYCINY – BIALOWIEZA

 Departure from Warsaw and transfer to Koryciny, a picturesque village with an agritourism farm called Herbs Nook, with the Podlaski Botanical Garden in it, including an open-air museum and ecological cultivation of endangered plants. The village is also the seat of the Gift of Nature company, a leading producer of herbs and organic food in the country. Here you will take part in an exceptional herb’s workshops, where you will have an opportunity to prepare your own herbal and fruit tea or spices mix. Take the prepared mixture with you and enjoy the unforgettable taste and aroma. Then we will enjoy a lunch with local dishes.

Transfer to the Bialowieza Forest. There, you will experience nature at its best and maybe you will be lucky enough to stand face to face with the king of the forest, the bison! Bialowieza National Park is the oldest national park in Poland, one of the oldest in Europe and a natural UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Once there, you will be able to explore this park and see the European Bison Show Reserve, Park Palace, which is a beautiful garden, Orthodox Parish of St. Nicholas and more!

Overnight in the Bialowieza National Park area.

DAY 4: HAJNOWKA OR VILLAGE IN THE AREA – TRZESCIANKA – BIALYSTOK – WOZNAWIES

 In the morning transfer to Podlasie ecological farm. The hosts run their own apiary, an orchard with old varieties of fruit trees, they cultivate a vegetable garden and breed goats and sheeps. Here you will have a chance to try best local product, such as home-made bread and ham, honey, preserves etc. The host has won many awards and distinctions for his products, especially for mutton ham and bread. Here at the “Museum of Bread” you will take part in extraordinary bread workshops. Under the supervision of the host, you will bake traditional bread according to a local recipe. Maybe it will be the first bread in your life you bake yourself? While waiting for the delicious baked bread, we will enjoy the regional lunch.

After lunch and bread degustation, departure towards Biebrzanski National Park. On the way we will stop to see the Trail of Open Shutters which runs through the villages of Podlasie. The Land of Open Shutters is famous mainly for the ornamentation of wooden huts, especially shutters. Next, we will stop in Bialystok, the capital of Podlasie. Here during a short walk, we will see the Branicki Palace with a baroque garden. This is an endless source of stories and curiosities related to the turbulent history of Bialystok, called throughout the 18th century Europe as the Versailles of the North.

In the end of the day, we will go to one of the villages in the Biebrzanski National Park area. Optionally, in the evening, you will have a chance to take part in the Sekacz baking show – the regional specialty. It is a cake made of butter, egg whites and yolks, flour, sugar, and cream, baked on a rotating spit on an open fire. Overnight in the village of Biebrzanski National Park area.

DAY 5, WOZNAWIES – GIZYCKO – GIERLOZ – MIKOLAJKI

 In the morning culinary workshops. We will cook the traditional dish of Podlasie or prepare some preserves from seasonal fruits/vegetables that later you could take with you. After lunch, departure towards Masuria Region. The Great Masurian Lake district is a verdant land of rolling hills dotted with countless lakes, healthy little farms, scattered tracts of forest and small towns. Stop in Gizycko – one of two sailing capitals of Poland. During our walk through this charm Masurian town, we will see the Teutonic Castle (currently hotel), Boyen Fortress from XIX century – one of main Masurian attraction, and a historic swing bridge. Continue to Gierloz. Here we will visit the Wolf’s Liar – the top-secret settlement which between 1941 and 1944 served as the main base of Adolf Hitler. The Wolf’s Liar consisted of shelters, bunkers, airport, power stations, barracks, railway station, and heat-only boiler stations. It’s the very place of the failed attempt on Adolf Hitler’s life which took place in July 1944 depicted in “Valkyrie” movie with Tom Cruise. It is also here, in the center of Masuria, where important decisions were made (such as the construction of new concentration camps). Continue to Mikolajki, one of most famous cities in Masuria, called like Gizycko the sailing capital of Poland. Optionally in the evening boat cruise on the lake. Overnight in Mikolajki.

DAY 6, MIKOLAJKI – MALBORK – GDANSK

Departure towards Gdansk. On the way we will stop to visit Malbork Castle, the medieval capital of the Teutonic Order Knights in Eastern Europe. You will have a guided visit to the biggest red brick gothic castle in the world a “UNESCO World Heritage Site”. This is not only your chance to admire beautiful architecture, but also to experience what life was like in the past, see their technology, and an antique collection of arms. The Castle’s cellars also host the “History of Amber” exhibition presenting an astounding collection of Baltic Sea amber including jewelry, and other products made out of amber. After this extraordinary visit, we will continue our trip to Gdansk.

In the evening bartending workshops. This is a unique opportunity to learn this valuable skill, what is making drinks! Learn the secrets of preparing original cocktails and drinks and surprise everyone at your party! During the workshop, you will also have the opportunity to create your own cocktail. Overnight in Gdansk.

DAY 7, GDANSK – GDYNIA – SOPOT – GDANSK

The charm of Old Town Gdansk attracts millions of tourists each year. We will start by taking a walk down Dluga Street, which is one of the most beautiful European markets that is nestled around a dazzling selection of renaissance buildings. It leaves from the Golden Gate and passes by the Town Hall, Neptune fountain, Arthur’s Court and finishes by the Green Gate overlooking the Motlawa River. On a way you may visit The Museum of Arthur’s Court and the Amber Chamber at which point, you will see an amber polishing demonstration with a short lecture on amber. The tour continues to the Old Crane, which happens to be one of the most popular symbols of the city.  Next, we will visit the church of St Mary, Europe’s biggest gothic brick church. After lunch we will explore the rest of the TriCity. Next stop is the Oliwa Cathedral – home to a world-famous pipe organ – renowned for its rococco, visionary design and magnificent sound. You will have a unique opportunity to hear it during a dedicated performance. Afterwards we will visit Sopot, a charming beach resort boasting the largest wooden pier in Europe.

In the evening we will take part in a unique perfume workshop. Immerse yourself in the world of fragrances and compose your own personalized perfume under the supervision of professional perfumers. Overnight in Gdansk.

DAY 8, GDANSK – TORUN – WARSAW

Departure towards Torun. The town is the best example of medieval gothic town (UNESCO Heritage) and birthplace of great Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus who made a crucial discovery that the Earth is not the centre of universe. During the walk along the Old Town, we would visit the Copernicus House and the Cathedral with a bell tower offering a splendid view over the city. Torun is also famous for the gingerbread – a specialty, that is baked according to old recipes and methods dating back to the 16th century.

After lunch we will take part in the gingerbread baking workshop. You can’t leave Torun without trying a local sweetness – the Gingerbread. There are numerous shops offering various kind of Gingerbread, but there is only one place, where you can bake it on your own – the Living Museum of Gingerbread! The museum magically takes you to the Medieval times. Here you can learn about every ritual connected with baking gingerbreads. The visitors prepare dough by themselves and then bake the specialties of Torun in traditional wooden molds. Smacznego! Next, we will continue to Warsaw. Overnight in Warsaw.

DAY 9, WARSAW

Transfer to the Warsaw Chopin airport.