This christian 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. Depending on the time of the arrival to Krakow the 10 day Poland pilgrimage will start with some free time for the group’s leisure or the group will meet at the lobby for the welcome dinner which will take place at the hotel restaurant.
The group will start to discover catholic pilgrimage sites in Krakow and its Old Town area. Right after breakfast 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, visiting the St. Mary's Church and its beautiful altar, 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 Old Town city tour finishes at the Wawel Hill where the former Residence of Polish Kings - Wawel Castle is situated. The group will also visit the Wawel Cathedral.
After a short walk around the castle the group will head toward the Kazimierz - best preserved Jewish quarter in Poland. This sleepy neighbourhood was once a separate city and a vibrant Jewish culture centre. It was destroyed during World War II and after being left neglected for many years, it has recently welcomed visitors again. It is the heart of Krakow bohemian life. Our Krakow guide will show the group places that tell more than a thousand words about Jewish heritage in today’s Krakow
After lunch in one of the local restaurants the group will continue this Poland travel with the trip to Wieliczka Salt Mine another UNESCO listed site during our christian 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.
The dinner will be served at the hotel.
Today the group will visit one of the most popular destinations of catholic pilgrimages to Krakow: Wadowice, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska and the Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Lagiewniki. That means that the group will follow the footsteps of Polish saints: St. John Paul II, the Polish Pope and St. Faustyna Kowalska.
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.
The group will continue the pilgrimage to the Divine Mercy shrine in Poland, they will visit 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. Fastina was a Polish Roman Catholic nun and mystic. 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.
One of the most popular catholic pilgrimages by JTP Group has to include the 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 Debno Podhalanskie to admire St. Michael Archangel's church, the wooden church from 15th century which which together with different churches is designated as part of the UNESCO Wooden Churches of Southern Lesser Poland. If it's possible the visit will also include the church's indoors.
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 toward one of the most popular christian places of pilgrimage in Poland - Lichen Stary where they will visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Lichen and the biggest church in Poland. After a visit to the Sanctuary the group will check into the Pilgrim's House and attend the evening holy mass.
Dinner at the hotel.
In the morning, after breakfast the group will continue this eastern European catholic pilgrimage to Warsaw, the capital city of Poland.
After arrival, check-in and lunch at the hotel 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.
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.
The best selling among our catholic pilgrimages finishes in Krakow where the group will check in for the last night and have farewell dinner at the hotel.
Yes, JTP Group is an incoming tour operator and we arrange catholic travel and tours to Poland. Moreover, we have in our offer tailor made tours which include also catholic pilgrimage tours in Europe.
The most important and popular catholic places of pilgrimage in Poland are Czestochowa with an icon of Black Madonna, Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Krakow and Kalwaria Zebrzydowska Sanctuary.
We are not aware of any specific companies which arrange strictly only catholic tours but JTP Group is a qualified tour operator which willingly prepare an offer for your group showing the most important catholic pilgrimage sites in Poland.
Due to the current situation caused by COVID-19 it is hard to predict but we have several programmes ready for catholic pilgrimages Poland 2020 including the Divine Mercy Pilgrimage 2020.