This Polish catholic Saints pilgrimage will begin at the Krakow airport where our professional tour leader will meet & greet the group. After the 30 minute transfer to the 3* (or better) hotel located in the city centre and the check-in, the group will meet up with the local licensed guide and go on the walking city tour around the Old Town which is listed as an UNESCO site since 1978 which makes it one of the first 12 sites on the famous list. During the sightseeing tour the group will follow the Royal Route, used for centuries by monarchs and national heroes for celebratory parades. The route starts near the Barbican and Florianska Gate where the group will learn about Krakow’s walls and fortifications. The tour would not be complete without a visit at the biggest medieval Market Square in the world, passing through the Cloth Hall, admiring the St. Mary's Church, and listening to the Krakow's famous bugle call. The guide will also lead the group through the University Quarter with Collegium Maius, the oldest building of the Jagiellonian University, the 2nd oldest university in the world. The city tour finishes at the Wawel Hill where the former Residence of Polish Kings - Wawel Castle is situated.

After breakfast the group will taken on the trip to Wieliczka Salt Mine another UNESCO listed site during our Polish Saints pilgrimage. Wieliczka Salt Mine is one of the oldest in the world and was established in the 13th century by by Polish king Casimir III the Great, it was the biggest provider of salt in Poland. Today salt is no longer mined in Wieliczka, but this original underground complex is preserved in a great condition, making it a world-class monument.

Wieliczka is located only about 30-40 minutes away from Krakow so it does not take long to get there. With the local expert guide the group will descend into a magical world of chambers, corridors and chapels made of salt by taking 400 steps at the very beginning of the pilgrimage route. The programme includes the visit to the impressive Chapel of St. Kinga where even chandeliers are made of salt crystals. This 54 m long and almost 12 m high chapel resembles interiors of medieval wooden churches and is a real underground wonder. Many prestigious concerts were hosted in St. Kinga’s Chapel due to its excellent acoustics. The visit will finish with the holy mass underground at the John Paul II chapel.

After having lunch in one of the local restaurants the group will continue the tour with the visit at the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Lagiewniki, major shrine of Saint Maria Faustyna Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament, who was canonised by the pope John Paul II in 2000. Faustina was a Polish Roman Catholic nun and mystic and the only Polish saints’ female. Her apparitions of Jesus Christ inspired the Roman Catholic devotion to the Divine Mercy and earned her the title of "Secretary of Divine Mercy". There will be a lecture on the spot presented by one of the local nuns.

Dinner at the hotel.

Today the group will follow footsteps of Saint Jean Paul II, the Polish Pope, they will visit one of the most popular destinations of catholic pilgrimages to Krakow: Wadowice and Kalwaria Zebrzydowska.

The group will meet up with the tour leader at the hotel lobby right after breakfast. First, the group will go to Wadowice and visit the museum established in the family home of Karol Wojtyla. John Paul II Home museum is dedicated entirely to the pope’s life. A huge part of exhibition consists of personal belongings and memorabilia from pope’s young years. There are plenty of photographs from pope’s school years, his liturgy vestments, memories from mountain escapades. A large part of exhibition focuses on pontificate. During the tour the group will have an opportunity to walk the streets of this quiet town which will allow to see what environment shaped the mind of young John Paul II. The group will also step into a basilica, where Karol Wojtyla was baptized.

Next on our catholic pilgrimage destinations list is Kalwaria Zebrzydowska and a visit to Bernardine Sanctuary. UNESCO recognised Kalwaria Zebrzydowska as the only calvary in the World Heritage Site list. Bernardine Sanctuary is a 17th-century religious complex with many chapels and sacred images. It is the top destination during pilgrim tours as it is where young John Paul II looked for solitude and often prayed. The local monk will give the group the tour around the sanctuary.

Polish Saints pilgrimage includes also a visit to the winter capital of Poland - Zakopane. Zakopane is located in Tatra Mountains which is the highest range of Carpathian Range. It has gained a reputation of an excellent winter resort with a vibrant cultural life.

The group will be picked up in the morning after breakfast by the licensed expert guide and they will leave Krakow for a full day tour. The visit will start with the Sanctuary of the Virgin Mary of Fatima and its most famous part - a church built in 1987-1992.. The programme of the tour includes also one of the most popular Polish cemeteries - Na Peksowym Brzyzku where local artists and politicians strongly connected with the region are buried, a stroll along Krupowki, one-kilometre long main street which is crowded with little stalls offering traditional food such as smoked sheep cheese ‘oscypek’. The highlight of the day will be a funicular ride up to Gubalowka Hill for a great panoramic view of the Tatra Mountains. During the visit to Zakopane there will be lunch arranged in one of the local restaurants.

On the way back to Krakow the group will stop at Ludzmierz to pay a visit at the Sanctuary of Our Lady Queen of Podhale where Karol Wojtyla, the pope to be, celebrated masses quite often.

Dinner at the hotel.

Today the group will pay the visit at the museum Auschwitz-Birkenau. During World War II Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest concentration camp of Nazi Germany. It was established in the suburbs of the city of Oswiecim (Auschwitz in German), 60 kilometres west of Krakow. It took lives out about 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, but also Poles, Romani, Russian. Liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp took place in January 1945. Before that, Nazi authorities tried to destroy as much evidence of massive murders as possible. After the war, Polish government decided to restore Auschwitz-Birkenau and turned it into a museum. It preserves the memory of concentration and extermination camp and honours victims of Nazism. Nowadays the museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau is on the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites.

Most of the catholic tour companies do not include that place in their programmes of European catholic pilgrimages but JTP Group decided to do so as it is one of the most important places in the whole world.

After breakfast the group will check out of the hotel and depart towards the town of Oswiecim with their professional tour leader. On the way to the museum the group will watch the documentary “Liberation of Auschwitz” that gives a little bit of the background to the history which will be better presented on the spot by one of the local expert guides. The group will spend around 3.5h at camp visiting both parts: Auschwitz I, where the main exhibition is held and Auschwitz II - Birkenau, the memorial site. In the first part of the camp the group will be led by the guide into the camp via the gate with an infamous inscription Arbeit macht frei (Work makes you free). The group will see prisoners’ barracks, places of work and original blocks, where they were being punished including the cell in which Saint Maksymilian Kolbe died. At Auschwitz II - Birkenau, which is located 3 km away from the the main part, the group will see the main gate via which transportation of Jews were driven into the territory of camp, the unloading ramp, ruins of crematoria and gas chambers destroyed by Nazis during the evacuation plan and some original brick or restored wooden barracks.

After lunch the group will head to Czestochowa - Poland pilgrimage center, known also as a spiritual capital of Poland. Home to the famous painting of Black Madonna in Pauline Monastery on Jasna Gora hill. The group will spend a night at the Pilgrim’s House and have an evening mass at one of the blessed chapels.

Dinner at the hotel.

After the breakfast the group will meet up with the local guide who will show them the miraculous icon of Black Madonna - Poland pilgrimage main destination and monastery premises. Origins of the Black Madonna are uncertain. Different hypothesis say that the painting could have been made in the 2nd century as well as in the 14th century. The fact remains, that it is the most worshipped religious object in Poland. Its cult dates back to the 15th century and it is associated with numerous miracles.

Then the group will depart to Lodz, the city where St. Faustina Kowalska, as young Helenka was working to get enough money to go the convent. Today St. Faustina is the patroness of the city of Lodz. A local guide will pick you up at your hotel and lead you via the town showing places connected with St. Faustina.

Dinner at the hotel.

This day is completely dedicated to St. Faustina Kowalska, the group will follow her footsteps in the area where she was born and grew up. After breakfast the will go to Glogowiec, the village where Helenka Kowalska was born and visit the Shrine of Birth and Baptism of St. Sister Faustina in Swinice Warckie which just nearby.

Then the group will depart to Plock where her great prophetic mission began. In Plock St. Faustina had her first revelation. In Plock the group will visit the Shrine of Divine Mercy.

Dinner at the hotel in Warsaw.

After breakfast the group will be picked up by the licensed guide for a city walking tour and will spend the afternoon on exploring the beauty of Warsaw. The group will be taken on the walk along the Royal Route passing Copernicus monument, St. Cross Church where the heart of Chopin lays down and many others until the Castle Square. Warsaw Old Town including the Royal Castle is another UNESCO World Heritage Site the group will visit during this trip to Poland. Besides the Old Town the expert guide will also take the group to the area of the former Jewish Ghetto to learn more about horrifying events of WWII.

In the afternoon, after lunch the programme includes the Church of St. Stanislaus Kostka where blessed Father Jerzy Popieluszko is buried. Popieluszko is known as a martyr of freedom and he was murdered by agents of SB (communist Security Service) in 1984. The group will also visit the Museum of Jerzy Popieluszko. Then, they will proceed to Zytnia Street to visit the Convent of Divine Mercy and Shrine of St. Faustina. After lunch the guide will take the group for a short walk around Lazienki, the Royal Park where a statue of Chopin, the greatest Polish pianist, can be found.

Dinner at the hotel.

After breakfast the group will check out and leave Warsaw toward Krakow. On the way they will visit Niepokalanow, the Franciscan convent and sanctuary founded by Polish martyr St. Maksymilian Kolbe in 1927. The church and the monastery were visited by Pope John Paul II during his second Pastoral Visit in Poland. The group will visit the local basilica and Maksymilian Kolbe museum. After visiting the sanctuary the journey to Krakow continues.

Farewell dinner at the hotel.