9-Nights Highlights of Poland - Small Group from $3,285

Insight Vacations

OFFER ID 1517336

Highlights Of Poland - Small Group
Plunge into an adventure across Poland as you shop for folklore fare in Krakow and sample traditional dumplings in Warsaw. A day of dedicated Krakow sightseeing kickstarts the vacation as your Local Expert guides you up to Wawel Royal Castle, and through Podgórze to Ghetto Square. In the cradle of the Polish nation, spoil yourself with the Poznan Choice to unveil the secrets of the local delicacy, the St Martin’s croissant, or uncover the history of the city on a walking tour with a Local Expert. Cross the heights of the Tatras Mountains for a Zakopane Dinner of delicious local dishes, accompanied by the soul rousing folklore entertainment of the Goral Highlanders.

Dining Summary

2 Dinner (D)
9 Breakfast (B)
2 Dinner with Wine (DW)

Choice Highlights

Choose between two carefully selected activities
Poznan: Meet a resident of Poznan who will share insights into local life on a walk through the Old Town.
Poznan: Enjoy a tasting of St. Martin's croissant, a local delicacy and learn about how its recipe is protected by European Union law!

Additional Included Highlights

Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.

Authentic Dining

Kraków: Delight in Polish specialties during a delicious meal in the heart of the city.
Zakopane: Meet Poland's Goral Highlanders and share their culture at a dinner with local specialties and music.
Warsaw: The Polish capital is currently enjoying a culinary renaissance - find out what the buzz is all about during your end-of-tour dinner with wine at a favorite restaurant.

Insight Choice

Poznan: Meet a resident of Poznan who will share insights into local life on a walk through the Old Town.
Poznan: Enjoy a tasting of St. Martin's croissant, a local delicacy and learn about how its recipe is protected by European Union law!

Make Travel Matter

Torun: Meet an artisan baker to uncover the secrets of the traditional Torún gingerbread during a delicious tasting. Baked following a traditional recipe and using only local and natural ingredients, these colorful treats are a true delight. This experience advances UN Global Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

Top Rated Highlights

Kraków: During your orientation with your Travel Director, walk around the beautiful town square, Rynek Glówny. See the famous Sukiennice Cloth Hall, St. Mary's Basilica and the many historic townhouses, palaces and churches.
Kraków: The medieval heart of Krakow is rich in legend, a kind of Polish Camelot. Join your Local Expert for an in-depth exploration of this historic Holy Grail. Cross the former Jewish Quarter of Kazimierz to Podgórze and see the Ghetto Square.
Kraków: Visit the cathedral atop Wawel Hill, see the castle and look for the iconic dragon, accompanied by your Local Expert.
Zakopane: Stay in the resort town of Zakopane, famous for its wooden houses and winter sports. On arrival, join your Travel Director for an orientation of the city. Spend free time shopping for local specialties in the markets of Krupówki Street or ascend a nearby mountain for panoramic views across the Tatras into Slovakia.
Auschwitz: Experience a powerful and moving visit with a Local Expert. See the Auschwitz memorial and museum, which bears witness to the atrocities of the Holocaust.
Wroclaw: See the noble mansions and flower markets of the Plac Solny, absorb the Baroque splendor of Rynek and be introduced to Wroclaw's cheeky Gnomes as you explore with your Local Expert.
Gniezno: See the winged doors when you visit the cathedral.
Torun: Led by your Local Expert, explore this outstanding UNESCO World Heritage Site, founded by the Teutonic Knights in 1233.
Gdansk: There’s no better way to experience sightseeing than with one of Eastern Europe’s best storytellers. Meet Agnes, a passionate Local Expert who will share captivating stories about the city and its flora and fauna. You’ll explore the medieval city and see the historical sights of Weterplatte and the Gdansk Shipyards.
Malbork: Visit the 13th century fortified gothic brick castle belonging to the Teutonic Order, the largest castle in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Warsaw: Your Local Expert will show you the city's highlights. See the Old Town, Palace of Culture and visit the Chopin Memorial in the Lazienki Park before paying your respects at the Ghetto Heroes Memorial.

Well-being

Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.<

9 nights from $3,285 per person

Itinerary

Insight Vacations: Highlights of Poland - Small Group

Day 1 - Welcome to Kraków
Your journey through Poland begins in picturesque Krakow. Meet your Travel Director at 17:00 for a walk around the Rynek Glówny, Europe's largest and most beautiful town square. See the famous Sukiennice Cloth Hall, St. Mary's Church and the many historic townhouses, palaces and churches. Be sure to listen for the trumpeter's call! Later, enjoy getting to know your fellow guests over a fabulous dinner.
Accommodations: Vienna House Andel's Cracow, Kraków
Meals: Dinner

Day 2 - The Damsels and Dragons of Kraków Relaxed Start
This morning, you can join an Optional Experience to visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine. In the afternoon, ascend Wawel Hill to see the Renaissance castle with a Local Expert. Visit the cathedral, the final resting place of the Kings of Poland and the former seat of Archbishop Karol Wojtyla, later known to the world as Pope John Paul II. Head across the former Jewish Quarter of Kazimierz, and then to Podgórze to see Ghetto Square.
Accommodations: Vienna House Andel's Cracow, Kraków
Meals: Breakfast

Day 3 - Across the High Tatra Mountains to Zakopane
Journey into the Tatras, the highest range of the Carpathian Mountains. Stay in the resort town of Zakopane, famous for its wooden houses and winter sports. On arrival, join your Travel Director for an orientation of the city. Spend free time shopping for local specialties in the markets of Krupówki Street or ascend a nearby mountain for panoramic views across the Tatras into Slovakia. In the evening, enjoy a rousing dinner, accompanied by Goral Highlander folklore entertainment at a local restaurant.
Accommodations: Radisson Blu Hotel & Residences, Zakopane
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Day 4 - Reflect on Auschwitz, then on to Wroclaw, the Venice of Poland
Traveling past the birthplace of Pope John Paul II, your first stop will be the city of Oswiecim, better known throughout the world by its German name, Auschwitz. With a local historian, experience a moving visit to the memorial and museum of Auschwitz and a stop at Birkenau. Travel along the Oder River to the city of Wroclaw, known in Polish as Miasto Spotkan or the meeting place. During its long history, Wroclaw has belonged to Poland, Bohemia, Austria, Prussia and Germany. With your Local Expert, see the brightly colored facades of the noble mansions and the flower markets on the Plac Solny. Take in the Baroque splendor of the Rynek, and be introduced to Wroclaw's cheeky gnomes. This evening join your Travel Director for a Craft Beer at the Piwnica Swidnicka, the oldest restaurant/cellar in Poland, founded in 1273.
Accommodations: Radisson Blu Hotel, Wroclaw
Meals: Breakfast

Day 5 - Poznan, Cradle of the Polish nation Relaxed Start
Continue on to Poznan where you will drive out to Ostrów Tumski, known as Cathedral Island. It's considered as the birthplace of Poland in the 10th century and is a fascinating place of legend, often overlooked by other visitors. Explore Poznan with Insight Choice. Choose to immerse yourself in the history of the city and enjoy a walking tour. Alternatively, learn the secrets behind the St. Martin’s croissant, a local delicacy, and enjoy a tasting.
Accommodations: Sheraton Poznan
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 6 - Torun, the Gothic Glory on the Vistula and Gdansk
Stop at Gniezno to visit the cathedral and see the famous two-winged bronze doors. Then continue to Torun, founded by the Teutonic Knights in 1233 and birthplace of astronomer, Nicolaus Copernicus. Join a Local Expert to discover this outstanding example of medieval architecture, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, meet an artisan baker for a taste of gingerbread, baked following a traditional recipe and using only locally sourced ingredients. Spend time exploring at your own pace. Follow the Vistula River north to magnificent Gdansk, Poland’s Baltic trading port with more than 1000 years of history. As evening descends, a dinner of Baltic specialties is highly recommended, followed by a walk through Gdansk's illuminated historic district.
Accommodations: Radisson Hotel & Suites Gdansk
Meals: Breakfast

Day 7 - The Baltic Belles of Gdansk Relaxed Start
Spend the morning with a passionate Local Expert. Learn captivating and fun facts about the city and see the Westerplatte, the scene of the first fighting between Polish and German troops in 1939, and the Gdansk Shipyards where Lech Walesa formed the anti-Soviet Solidarnosc in 1980. Continue through the medieval city, where buildings date back to the time of the Hanseatic League. Enjoy a free afternoon and perhaps choose to visit the elegant seaside town of Sopot?
Accommodations: Radisson Hotel & Suites Gdansk
Meals: Breakfast

Day 8 - Malbork Castle and Warsaw
With a Local Expert, visit the Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork, founded in 1274 by the Teutonic Knights on the banks of the Nogat River. The castle is a stunning example of a medieval fortress and the largest brick Gothic castle in the world. Next, travel south to the capital of Warsaw. With the rest of the day at your leisure, perhaps attend an evening concert of Poland’s best-loved composer, Frédéric Chopin?
Accommodations: The Westin Warsaw
Meals: Breakfast

Day 9 - Exploring the Proud Polish Capital of Warsaw Relaxed Start
See the Palace of Culture and the Chopin Monument in Lazienki Park with a Local Expert. Visit the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, followed by a walk through Warsaw’s Old Town, entirely rebuilt since World War II. At your dinner, enjoy a fine selection of local dishes with wine at a cozy Warsaw restaurant.
Accommodations: The Westin Warsaw
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Day 10 - Depart Warsaw
Time to say goodbye to your new friends as your journey through Poland comes to an end.
Meals: Breakfast

Featured Destinations

Wroclaw

Krakow

Warsaw

Gdansk (Gdynia)

Historic Gdansk represents one of the richest, most lavish complexes of architectonic relics in Poland. The entrances to historic quarters are huge stone gateways guarding the main thoroughfare; the well-proportioned tower of town hall makes a powerful impact. The main square is filled with fine mansions. St. Mary’s Church is the world's largest brick church, with a capacity of 25,000. Dominating the waterside is seven-story Great Mill. Gdynia is the modern port for Gdansk. Near Gdansk is Sopot, one of the most fashionable seaside resorts in northern Europe during the 19th century and the country’s most popular health spa with its beach and flair for entertainment. Sopot is known as an important music center, featuring an annual Opera and International Song Festival. Gdansk Historical Museum has lavish decorations and fascinating exhibits. Maritime Museum features a model of every ship produced in local shipyards since 1945 and is housed in the massive 15th-century Gdansk Crane. National Art Museum, one of Gdansk’s highlights, boasts a collection of Gothic art and sculpture.

Excursions

Gdansk - Window to Freedom - Half Day Tour

Gdansk & Malbork Castle - Full Day Tour

A Pulsating Harbour - Gdansk/Gdynia/Sopot - Full Day Tour

A Pulsating Harbour - Tri-City Complex: Gdanks/Gdynia/Sopot

Gdansk, as fascinating and special city as one could hope to find anywhere, was once known as Danzig - name etched deep in European history. It is a major harbour, first German, then Hanseatic, Polish, Prussian, Free City and finally Polish. Desired by many, the city was often fought over. Indeed, it was the nearby Westerplatte that the first shots of history’s greatest war were fired in 1939. Later in the late 1970s the city’s Lenin Shipyard saw the birth of the Solidarity Trade Union, which made Lech Walesa a household name and began the process of transformation across the entire region. Gdansk has not forgotten its history. The lovingly restored buildings of the Old Town and waterfront provide picturesque and interesting surroundings, in which one may take a stroll, dine or shop for the city’s famous amber jewelry. In turn, the impressive Monument to Murdered Shipyard Workers gives the visitor a pause for thought about all that has happened since the 1970s.But further surprises await, for Gdansk is just the largest component of the Tri-City of Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot. North-south development along the coast left beautiful and unspoiled woods and forests on hills just inland, and allows the visitor to travel smoothly from place to place by road or by local railway. Required stops for all include Gdynia, the lively naval, fishing and commercial port with its historical ships, beaches and the Oceanographic Museum; Sopot, an elegant beach resort of villas and hotels famous for its musical and cultural festivals; and Gdansk-Oliwa, a suburb boasting beautiful parks and a cathedral, whose world-famous organ Poland-largest entertains and entrances all who hear it. Lively, attractive, cultured, historical: the Gdansk area is as varied and eternally fascinating as the sea, which brought its fame and fortune.

***************************
You will be picked up at the port by your guide and driver.

Gdansk & Stutthof - Full Day Tour

Gdansk & Stutthof

Full Day Tour

We start the tour from the Upland Gate - a fragment of the city's fortifications and one of its main gates. Just behind it, we pass by a baked-brick construction consisting of the Prison Tower and the Torture House - relics of the Gothic defence walls from the 15th century. The Golden Gate, situated next to the Prison Tower, opens onto the Long Market - a magnificent street, with Patrician mansions decorated with late Renaissance and Baroque facades - a real feast for the eyes!!! It is here that the richest burghers of Gdansk used to live. Next, we can see the Main Town Hall, with a life-sized figure of king Sigismund Augustus on the top. Beyond the Main Town Hall, we admire the Artus Court - a building used for Hanseatic League meetings, the most beautiful court in all the Hanseatic cities. Just behind it rises the tower of St. Mary's Basilica, a part of the most precious and largest red-brick Gothic church. On our way back we pass by Mariacka Street, with its gabled terraced houses and elegant boutiques, leading to the Long Wharf on the Motlawa River. At the river's edge stands the characteristic Gdansk Crane, where the tour ends.

Afterwards, drive to see the former Nazi Concentration Stutthof Camp established at the beginning of September 1939 is the oldest camp of mass-extermination in Poland. The first prisoners of camp thought for "desirable Polish elements" were representatives of Polish associations in Free City of Danzig. Within the 5 years of camp existance 110.000 mens, women and children were kept and almost 65.000 prisoners died as result of murdering in gas chambers, beating, hanging, torturing and making medical tests by Nazi mad scientists. Stutthof was freed at the beginning of May 1944 by troops of the Soviet Army.

Nowadays there is the National Museum of Stutthof established in 1962 including post-camp buildings, prisoners' barracks, gas chambers, crematory, gallows. There is also permament exhibition dedicated to prisoners of Stutthof inside post-camp buildings.

***************************************
You will be picked up at your port by our guide and driver.

Gdansk: Gdansk & Sopot – 5 hours

Poznan

Set on the banks of the Warta River 165 mi/270 km west of Warsaw, 1,000-year-old Poznan, Poland, blends Gothic and baroque in much of its architecture.

Highlights of this industrialized city include the 10th-century Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, Gorka's Palace (that houses the Archaeological Museum), the Greenhouse (10 pavilions that contain more than 17,000 plants), Raczynski Library, the Opera House and the Museum of Musical Instruments (it houses Chopin's pianos). In Old Town Square, a crowd gathers on the hour to watch the clock on the old town hall that dates from 1550.

Poznan has all the requisite charm Americans typically look for when traveling in Europe. Its vibrant Old Town bustles with outdoor bars, restaurants and shops, and the Royal Imperial Route walking trail wends past historical and cultural attractions.

In warm weather, the Old Market Square comes alive with shops and outdoor entertainment, and during the winter holidays, it becomes the site of a picturesque Christmas market, with everything from local crafts to regional food and drink.

There is a modern side to Poznan, too, evidenced by the dramatic, multicolored Freedom Fountain sculpture in Plac Wolnosci that turns colors at night, and the Stary Browar (or Old Brewery) shopping center, a combination art and retail space. Familiar franchises such as Starbucks and Zara may not appeal to visitors, but the center's artful renovation bespeaks the attitude of a city eager to preserve its heritage while moving aggressively into the next century.

One of the Poznan's most notable geographical features is Malta Lake, host to international rowing regattas as well as a place to rent boats or visit a water park. For families, there is an outdoor amusement park, minigolf and even an artificial ski slope, for visitors who can't wait for winter.

In addition, Poznan, located about halfway between Warsaw and Berlin, is accessible from either city in about three hours by train, and flights from Berlin to Warsaw offer additional flexibility for travelers who want to start in one city and depart from another.

Finally, like many parts of Poland, Poznan is a bargain. The country has not yet adopted the euro, and while some aspects of the tourism infrastructure are more advanced than others, it is not hard to find hotels and restaurants that are up to, but priced below, Western European standards.

Poznan is also home to the Poznan International Fair, which is a large exhibition and trade center that hosts numerous events during the year. For a schedule of these events, see http://www.mtp.pl.

Zakopane

Vacation Details

Valid Date Ranges

04/25/2025 - 05/04/2025

from $3,625 per person

06/20/2025 - 06/29/2025

from $3,308 per person

07/18/2025 - 07/27/2025

from $3,285 per person

08/15/2025 - 08/24/2025

from $3,285 per person

08/29/2025 - 09/07/2025

from $3,326 per person

* This departure has been designated a guaranteed departure by the operator, meaning that the minimum number of guests has been met, although still subject to weather and other conditions.

Prices Start At

from $3,285 per person

Length

9 Nights

Air City

Call for airfares from your city.

Vacation Rating

Deluxe
Fine dining, on-site bars or lounges and room service with extended hours are characteristic of deluxe establishments. Guest services usually include valet parking, concierge services, baggage assistance and laundry services. Other on-site facilities often include shops and boutiques, full service spas, full fitness facilities with pools and tennis courts. Business amenities may include available up-to-date technology and support staffs available for services. Attention to detail is apparent in the guestrooms which typically have stylish furnishings, quality bedding and bath products and often provide an evening turn down service.

Remarks

Trip prices are per person, land only, based on double occupancy and reflect applicable discounts. Trip prices and discounts are subject to change. Airfare is additional. Tour prices, dates and itineraries are correct at the time of the website going live, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking. Other restrictions may apply.

All fares are quoted in US Dollars.

OFFER ID

1517336

Reference this number when contacting our agency so we may better serve you. Also keeping this number handy will allow you to locate this document again quickly.

Allara Travel

(415) 252-8303
(888) 283-9970