Itinerary

Day 1, Saturday 28th May

LONDON - KRAKOW

We gather at London Heathrow for our scheduled flight to Krakow. On arrival we will be met by our guide and driven to our Krakow hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 2, Sunday 29th May

KRAKOW

We begin our day after breakfast with a guided tour of this once great historic city. Starting at the Wawel, an architectural complex that sits high above the city and dates back to the early 9th century. Here we visit the magnificent 14th century Cathedral with its royal tombs and its splendid royal castle of the Renaissance. We then proceed down to old Krakow to explore Rynek Glowny, the main market square with its famous cloth hall, town hall and churches. After a break for lunch we drive to Langiewniki to visit the Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy which celebrates the life of Sister Faustina, who on the Feast of the Divine Mercy, April 30th 2000, was canonised in Rome. We hope to celebrate mass in a chapel of the Sanctuary. There will be time to meditate and to wander around the site, before we return to Krakow for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 3, Monday 30th May

KRAKOW - ZAKOPANE

After celebrating mass at the Church of St Peter and Paul, one of the most magnificent early Baroque churches in Central Europe, we drive up to Zakopane, Poland’s “Winter Capital” with its famed Kruowki lined with cafes, restaurants, and souvenir shops. Lunch is Included today. We pass through Chocholow a 15th Century wooden housed village . Return to Krakow for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 4, Tuesday 31st May

NOWA HUTA - AUSCHWITZ - WADOWICE

This morning we drive to Nowa Huta, a suburb of Krakow. It was here that Cardinal Karol Wojtyla (Pope John-Paul II) battled with the communist authorities to build a church and won! We hope to celebrate mass here. We will also visit the nearby 13th century Cistercian monastery and the wooden Church of St Bartholomew, a unique masterpiece of carpenters and woodcarvers. After a break for lunch we drive to Auschwitz and Birkenau to visit the sites of probably the greatest and most horrible single crime ever committed in the history of mankind. We spend the afternoon visiting the remains of the Nazi concentration camps, gas chambers and incinerators. After worship we return to Krakow for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 5, Wednesday 1st June

KRAKOW

After celebrating mass at St Mary’s Church in Krakow’s market square we continue to the famous Wieliczka Salt Mine Museum and the Kinga Chapel. Lunch is included today. We will return to Krakow in the afternoon to visit the old Jewish quarter and pass by Schindler’s Factory. Rest of the afternoon is free to explore this magnificent city. Dinner and overnight in Krakow.

Day 6, Thursday 2nd June

CZESTOCHOWA - WARSAW

Today we leave Krakow after an early breakfast and drive to Czestochowa to visit the Monastery of Jasna Gora, the Shrine of the Virgin, Poland’s greatest place of pilgrimage with the image of the Black Madonna, a miraculous and precious treasure. Celebrate mass in the Monastery. In the afternoon after time spent exploring this monastery we resume our journey to Warsaw, Poland’s capital. If time permits we drive around the city before proceeding to our Warsaw hotel. Overnight stay in Warsaw.

Day 7, Friday 3rd June

NIEPOKALANOW - GLOGOWIEC

After breakfast we drive to Niepokalanow. Visit to the Franciscan Friary founded by St. Maximilian Kolbe, who was killed at Auschwitz, where we hope to celebrate mass. Break for lunch which is included. In the afternoon we drive to Plock to visit the cathedral church from 12th century, the Benedictine Abbey dated from 10th century, and the house of the Congregation in Plock. It is where Sr. Faustina worked and where she received the first message from Jesus of Mercy in 1931. Return to Warsaw where the rest of the afternoon will be free to explore the city. Dinner and overnight in Warsaw.

Day 8, Saturday 4th June

OUR JOURNEY HOME

This morning we set off after an early breakfast for the Cathedral of St John in the old town, then on to Stanislaw Kostka Church, where Father Jerzy Popieluszko was murdered in 1984 at the age of 37 by the KGB after refusing to stop supporting the Solidarity Movement. We hope to celebrate Mass here before continuing to Warsaw airport for our return flight to London.