Pilgrimage to Poland | Sample Itinerary
Take your group on a Pilgrimage to Poland. Journey through the heart of Poland to encounter deep faith, heroic witness, and sacred history. From Warsaw to Kraków, you’ll walk in the footsteps of saints, martyrs, and modern heroes like St. Maximilian Kolbe and Pope John Paul II.
Visit the Holy Cross Church, St. John’s Cathedral, and the Royal Castle in Warsaw. Pray at the Monastery of Jasna Góra in Częstochowa, home of the revered Black Madonna. In Kraków, explore Wawel Cathedral, St. Mary’s Basilica, and the lively Market Square. Reflect at Auschwitz-Birkenau and visit Wadowice, the birthplace of John Paul II. Discover the peaceful sanctuary of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska and descend into the awe-inspiring Wieliczka Salt Mines.
Celebrate Mass Daily when a Priest Travels
What's Included
- All Inclusive Pricing
- First Class Hotels
- Deluxe A/C Motor Coaches
- Fuel Surcharges and Gov't Taxes
- International Airfare
- Entrance and Program Fees
- Guided Tours
- Administrative Fee
- Hotel Gratuities
- Meals as Listed in the Itinerary
Daily Itinerary
Day 1 Day 1 – Depart USA
Depart on your overnight international flight.
Day 2 Day 2 – Arrive in Warsaw / Saxon Gardens / Royal Route / Holy Cross Church
Meet your driver and guide at the Warsaw airport. Visit the Saxon Gardens, the first royal grounds opened to the public in Europe (1727) and home to its Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Continue to the Royal Way and the Holy Cross Church, where the composer Chopin’s heart is preserved in one of the pillars. Wander to St. Stanislaw Kostka Church and learn about the Church’s stand against the Communist regime in Poland and the work and struggles of Blessed Jerzy Popieluszko. Check into your hotel for dinner and overnight. (D)
Day 3 Day 3 – Warsaw / Barbican / St. John’s Church / Royal Castle / St. Mary’s Church / Old Town Market Square
Walk a portion of the rebuilt fortifications of the Barbican. This semicircular military post once protected the Polish Kings. Continue to St. John’s Cathedral, which served as a coronation and burial site for the Dukes of Masovia. Stop at the Royal Palace, once the residence of the Polish kings. Pray in the Church of the Visitation of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, one of the oldest surviving churches in Poland. The cornerstone was laid in 1410. Finish the day in the Old Market Square, taking in the tastes and shopping of Warsaw. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight. (B, D)
Day 4 Day 4 – Niepokalanów / St. Mary Immaculate / Czestochowa
Begin your travel south with a visit to the monastery at Niepokalanów, known as the City of the Immaculate Mother of God. Founded by Saint Maximilian Kolbe in the 1920s, he and other priests were arrested here for their efforts to shelter Polish soldiers and refugees from the Nazis. Saint Kolbe would die in 1941 in place of another man selected by the Nazis to die. Continue your pilgrimage to the city of Częstochowa for dinner and overnight. (B, D)
Day 5 Day 5– Częstochowa / Monastery at Jasna Gora / Black Madonna Shrine/Armory / Treasury / Kraków
Visit the Pauline Monastery of Jasna Gora, home to the Black Madonna. Founded in 1382, the Madonna was a gift just two years later. Also, visit the Armory and Treasury at the monastery. Enjoy some free time before journeying to Krakow for dinner and overnight. (B, D)
Day 6 Day 6 – Kraków / St. Mary’s Basilica / Wawel Castle and Cathedral / Market Square / Cloth Hall
Begin the day at St. Mary’s Basilica. The trumpet blast from her tower every hour remembers the fall of the trumpeter who warned the city of a Mongol attack. Wawel Hill sits along the Vistula River. Here, the Royal Castle and Wawel Cathedral stand. Father Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II) gave his first Mass here and later served as the Archbishop of Kraków. Enjoy the Market Square, with the Cloth Hall providing opportunities to purchase Polish folk art and jewelry. Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight. (B, D)
Day 7 Day 7 – Oświęcim / Auschwitz Concentration Camp / Wadowice / Minor Basilica / Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
Walk the grounds of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp in remembrance of those who lost their lives there. Then travel to Wadowice, the birthplace of Pope John Paul II, to see the Holy Father’s home and the Minor Basilica that he attended in his youth. Continue to the Kalwaria Zebrzydowska sanctuary, often visited by Pope John Paul II. Return to Kraków for dinner and overnight. (B, D)
Day 8 Day 8 – Time in Kraków and Optional Wieliczka Salt Mines
Enjoy a day on your own in the city of Kraków. Those who choose to can travel to the Wieliczka Salt Mines. Descend via the stairway into the depths of the earth to see the wonders left behind by the miners, including Chapels and Chandeliers made from the salt. (The tour of the Salt Mines is included in the price of the tour.) Return to Krakow for dinner and overnight. (B, D)
Day 9 Day 9– Return to USA
Return home inspired by the people and places of Poland.
