Warsaw, Czestochowa, Krakow & Prague

Sample itinerary

Transport & accommodation included:

·       Direct flight from Dublin to Warsaw with Aer Lingus

·       Transfer on arrival to your hotel in Warsaw with guide assistance

·       1 night hotel accommodation in Warsaw

·       Transfer from your hotel in Warsaw to Czestochowa

·       1 night hotel accommodation in Czestochowa

·       Transfer from your hotel in Czestochowa to Krakow

·       3 nights hotel accommodation in Krakow

·       Transfer from your hotel in Krakow to Prague

·       2 nights hotel accommodation in Prague

·       Breakfast and evening meal served each day at hotels in Warsaw, Czestochowa, Krakow & Prague

·       Transfer from your hotel to Prague airport

·       Direct flight from Prague to Dublin with Aer Lingus

·       Luxury air-conditioned coach for all transfers and tours

Tours & religious programme included:

·       Half day city tour of Warsaw

·       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: Warsaw

Upon arrival in Warsaw your group will be met by the Joe Walsh Tours Pilgrimage co-coordinator and transferred to our hotel in Warsaw for one night on a half board basis. We will take a tour of the city including sites such as the Royal Castle Square, St John Cathedral, Main Market, Lazienki Park with Chopin’s Monument, Belvedere Palace. The group will have private mass in one of Warsaw’s churches.

Day 2: Czestochowa

After breakfast the group will leave Warsaw for Czestochowa for one night on a half board basis. Czestochowa is where the Jasna Gora Monastery, Poland’s national shrine to Our Lady is located. The renowned Black Madonna icon has in the past symbolised unity and freedom to the Polish people. The Black Madonna was painted by St. Luke the Evangelist. It’s known as the Black Madonna because of the soot residue that discolors the painting. Centuries of candles burning in front of the painting are the cause of the soot. Our visit to the monastery includes the Miraculous Picture Chapel and the Basilica. Private mass in one of the chapels.

Day 3: Krakow via Auschwitz

Following breakfast, travel from Czestochowa to Krakow visiting Auschwitz en-route

Auschwitz, for many Polish people is a symbol of national persecution. Above the entrance to Auschwitz are inscribed the words “Arbeit macht frei” (“Work makes free”). The camp has been preserved as a memorial, and the prison blocks that survive have been turned into a museum charting the history of the wartime Poland. In total, between 900,000 and 1.5 million Jews and others were murdered in the extermination camps here. The camp is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On arrival in Krakow, continue to hotel in Krakow for three nights on a half board basis.

Day 4-5: Krakow

During our few days in Krakow we will have private mass each day and we will visit the following:

Krakow Tour: We will 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, where Our Lord appeared to Saint Faustina Kowalska in 1931, establishing the devotion to the Divine Mercy.

Wieliczka, famous for having the oldest operational Salt Mine in Europe which has been working for over 700 years. The mine, centuries old tourist attraction cannot be compared to anything else in the world. The most popular attractions are the enormous excavation chambers, the 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 form salt crystals.

Wadowice is the birthplace of Karol Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II. Here we will visit the house where he lived as a child and the church where he was christened.

Kalwaria Zebrzydowksa is a monastery complex erected in the early 17th century by Mikolaj Zebrzydowski. The monastery is built on the side of the Zar Mountain. Around 40 chapels surround the monastery resembling the topography of Jerusalem.

Day 6-7: Prague

After breakfast and morning private mass the group depart Krakow for Prague where we stay for two nights on a half board basis. The group will enjoy a full day sightseeing tour of Prague. Known as the ‘City of a Hundred Spires’, Prague is an architectural delight. Today you will visit the main sights around the city of Prague including the Cathedral of St Vitus, Charles Bridge, Wenceslas Square, National Museum, Old Town Square and Knights of Cross Square.

Day 8: Return to Dublin

After breakfast you depart our hotel for Prague Airport for return flight to Dublin.

ITINERARY AND FLIGHT DETAILS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE