Czestochowa & Krakow
Transport & accommodation included:
· Direct flight from Dublin to Krakow with Aer Lingus
· Transfer on arrival to your hotel in Czestochowa with guide assistance
· 1 night hotel accommodation in Czestochowa
· Transfer from your hotel in Czestochowa to Krakow
· 4 nights hotel accommodation in Krakow
· Transfer from your hotel to Krakow airport
· Direct flight from Krakow to Dublin with Aer Lingus
· Luxury air-conditioned coach for all transfers and tours
Tours & religious programme included:
· Guided visit to the Jasna Gora Monastery and Chapel of the Blessed Virgin, home to the Black Madonna in Czestochowa
· Excursion to Auschwitz & Bikernau concentration camps with local English speaking guide, headphone commentary and documentary
· Visit to Wieliczka salt mines, the oldest salt mine in Europe
· Excursion to Wadowice, birthplace of John Paul II and his childhood house which has been turned into a museum
· Visit to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, the oldest and one of the most unusual Stations of the Cross in Poland
· Visit to the Divine Mercy Shrine at Lagiewniki
· Panoramic city tour of Krakow visiting Wawel Cathedral, St. Mary's Church, the central Market Square and numerous churches and monuments
· Half day city tour of Prague
· English speaking guide assistance throughout the tour
· Full religious programme organised by Joe Walsh Tours
Sample Itinerary
Day 1: Czestochowa
On arrival in Krakow we will be met by the Joe Walsh Tours Pilgrimage co-coordinator and transfer to Czestochowa, where you stay for one night on a half board basis.
Czestochowa: Here we will visit Jasna Gora Monastery, Poland’s national shrine to Our Lady. The renowned Black Madonna icon has in the past symbolised unity and freedom to the Polish people. Painted by St. Luke the Evangelist the Black Madonna gets its name as a result of the soot residue, caused by centuries of candles burning that discolors the painting. Our visit to the monastery also includes the Miraculous Picture Chapel and the Basilica. The group will have private mass in one of the chapels.
Day 2-5: Krakow via Auschwitz
After breakfast depart for Krakow where we will stay for 4 nights on a half board basis visiting Auschwitz on the way.
Auschwitz: Auschwitz Concentration Camp is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has been preserved as a memorial to those murdered here. It is estimated that between 900,000 and 1.5 million Jews and others were murdered in these extermination camps. The prison blocks that survive have been turned into a museum charting the history of the wartime Poland.
On arrival in Krakow, continue to hotel in Krakow for four nights on a half board basis.
During our stay in Krakow we will have private mass each day and we will visit the following:
Krakow Tour: Enjoy a guided tour of this uniquely historical city that survived World War II and retains a charm and elegance reminiscent of its colorful past as an ancient Royal City. Here we will see the Royal Castle, Main Market, St. Mary’s church (which has the world’s biggest Gothic altar) Wawel Castle and Cathedral overlooking the River Vistula, Jagiellonian University, Barbakan, Florian Gate, Old Jewish District Kazimierz.
Lagiewniki: Our Lord appeared to Saint Faustina Kowalska here in 1931, thus establishing the devotion to the Divine Mercy. We will have a private mass in St Faustina Monastery.
Wieliczka: Famous for having the oldest operational salt mine in Europe which has been working for over 700 years. The mine, a centuries old tourist attraction, features enormous excavation chambers, underground salt lakes and chapels. The largest of the chapels – the Blessed King – is located 101 metres below the surface. It is made entirely out of salt, richly furnished with sculptures and large chandeliers made from salt crystals.
Wadowice: Pope John Paul II was born in Wadowice on 18 May 1920. We will visit his childhood home, a modest two room flat, which has been turned into a small museum called the House of John Paul II and displays objects relating to his early life. We will also visit the church where he was christened, which is located beside his home.
Kalwaria Zebrzydowska: We also visit the Kalwaria Zebrzydowska monastery complex, erected in the early 17th century by Mikolaj Zebrzydowski and located a short distance from Wadowice (15 minutes). The monastery is built on the side of the Zar Mountain and around 40 chapels surround the monastery, resembling the topography of Jerusalem.
Day 6: Return to Dublin
Transfer to Krakow airport for our return flight to Dublin.
ITINERARY AND FLIGHT DETAILS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.