Upon arrival at Dresden Airport you will be welcomed to Germany in the arrivals hall by your local representative, and transferred to your hotel where you will be assisted with check-in procedures.

Sitting on the banks of the River Elbe, Dresden is an attractive town with cobbled streets and beautiful buildings, and has benefited from a large program of restoration following extensive damage during the Second World War.

Your local guide escorts you on a walking tour to see the Old Town, taking in the impressive Zwinger complex and its baroque fountains. Should you wish, you can see the exhibition of priceless porcelain and Old Masters paintings. Continue on to marvel at the Frauenkirche, a stunning baroque church that was painstakingly reconstructed, the story of which can be seen in the crypt. At Dresden Castle, a former royal palace and powerhouse of Saxon royalty, you also have the opportunity to tour the New Green Vault, with its varied collections of treasures.

Depart Dresden and drive along the Elbe valley, resplendent with vineyards as you head to medieval Meissen, a town famous for its porcelain. Visit Albrechtsburg Castle, thought to be Germany’s oldest castle, where the town’s, and Europe’s, ceramic heritage really began with the world-famous Meissen porcelain manufactury, which began production in 1710. Time-permitting, step inside the Nikolai Church, which has the largest figures ever made of Meissen porcelain, which are part of a memorial to the victims of the First World War.

Today you will be met at your hotel and privately transferred with your local representative to the Dresden railway station. Here you will be shown to your pre-reserved 1st class seating and your luggage will be handled onboard for you. Upon arrival at the Berlin railway station you will be met at the door of the train and your luggage will be handled for you. You will then be privately transferred to your hotel where you will be assisted with check-in.

The reminder of the day is at your leisure in Berlin.

Relaxed and open-minded, Berlin is a truly international city with a vibrant atmosphere. Germany’s capital is undergoing a transformation as the reunified city builds for the future and reconstructs its past glories; the eclectic mix of modern architecture and rebuilt historic buildings bear witness to this. Begin your tour with an early-morning visit to the Reichstag, the rebuilt home of the German parliament with its stunning Norman Foster-designed dome. Continue to the newly-created Potsdamer Platz. Desolate and divided by the Berlin Wall, the square’s redevelopment can be regarded as a statement of intent for the reunified city. Carry on to the nearby ‘Checkpoint Charlie’, the famous crossing point between East and West Berlin during the years of partition. Finish with the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, whose ruin stands as a dramatic reminder of World War II.

This afternoon explore some of Berlin’s Jewish history. Some places stand as a stark reminder of the obliteration of what was once vibrant Jewish life. Visit the Jewish Museum, founded to document the history of Berlin’s Jewish community, life before and after 1933, and the role played by a number of important Jewish figures.

Continue to the New Berlin Synagogue, today the Centrum Judaicum, which is one of the most important locations for Jewish life in Berlin. It functions as a synagogue with egalitarian worship. Finally, see the unusual and yet powerful Jewish Memorial that remembers those that lost their lives in the Holocaust.

Drive out of the city of Berlin today heading towards Potsdam, the residence of the Prussian kings and the German Kaiser. En route, stop off at Wannsee Villa, where in January 1942 the Nazis agreed upon the fateful ‘Final Solution’.

Once in Potsdam, you start your visit with the Cecilienhof Palace. Built in the early part of the twentieth century, the palace served as an important venue in world history, when the Potsdam Agreement was signed here in 1945 by Truman, Stalin and Churchill. It is said that each had a private entrance to the castle so that no one party would know the arrival time of the others. Discover Potsdam’s attractive Dutch Quarter and its distinctive architecture; there are numerous restaurants ideal for your lunch at leisure.

Afterwards, you continue to the Sanssouci Gardens, the grounds of the royal residence of Frederick the Great. Strolling through the gardens you come upon the Chinese teahouse housing a small but elaborate porcelain collection, a Dutch mill, a Greek temple and even Roman ruins, erected on a hill opposite the rococo-style dream palace of Sanssouci. The rococo-style Sanssouci is the best-known palace in the complex; it rests on a hilltop of vineyards and the inside has a fine display of original furnishings.

Today you will be privately transferred to Berlin Airport in time for your flight to Warsaw (flight not included). Upon arrival at the airport you will be welcomed to Poland in the arrivals hall by your local representative, and transferred to your hotel where you will be assisted with check-in procedures.

Spend the rest of the day at leisure in Warsaw.

Today, enjoy a full day sightseeing tour of Warsaw with your local English-speaking guide and private vehicle. The beginning of Warsaw’s story can be found throughout the Old Town, with its Gothic churches, defensive walls, and fairy tale facades of the Renaissance and Baroque tenement houses. It is a tragedy that the Nazis destroyed Warsaw’s city charter, a magnificent historical document, but the Old Town complex was painstakingly reconstructed after the war.

This morning your tour of the city will include the Royal Castle, the symbol of Polish statehood, and the 14th century Cathedral of Saint John. Afterwards you will follow the Royal Route from Castle Square to the 180 acre Lazienki Park. See the Chopin Monument and visit the magnificent neoclassical Lazienki Palace, the summer residence of the last Polish king, Stanislaw August Poniatowski. The palace was faithfully reconstructed after the war and now houses fine 18th century furnishings.

Your English-speaking guide will meet you this morning for a full day of touring by private vehicle en route to the former capital of Poland, Krakow. Stop in Czestochowa, located 74 miles northwest of Krakow, to visit the Pauline Monastery at Jasna Gora which houses the Black Madonna, the holiest icon in Poland. This 15th century painting brings pilgrims from all over Poland, some on foot. After your tour you will continue to your hotel in Krakow.

 

You will be met this morning by your driver and local English-speaking guide for a full day sightseeing tour of Krakow (8 hours), one of the oldest and most beautiful cities of Eastern Europe. Krakow, the royal capital of Poland until the 17th century, is known for its impressive medieval architecture, and is also on the UNESCO list of the 12 great historic cities of the world.

Your tour will include the Royal Castle and the Cathedral, located on Wawel Hill. The Cathedral is the main church of the former Cardinal Wojtyls, Archbishop of Krakow, known to the world as Pope John Paul II. The centerpiece of Krakow is the magnificent Market Square which is the largest such medieval example of its kind in Europe.

You may also enjoy a visit to St. Mary’s Church with its famous 15th century altar by Wit Stwosz. Travel out of central Krakow to Kasimierz, the former Jewish Ghetto area. You will see many of the locations for the filming of Schindler’s List including Otto Schindler’s factory. Your day ends with a tour of the impressive medieval University complex.

Today you will enjoy a full-day sightseeing tour (8 hours) with your private vehicle and English-speaking guide to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Wieliczka Salt Mine. You will descend 150 feet by private elevator into the network of chambers and lakes that have been carved out over the centuries. The highlight of the mine is the underground Chapel of the Blessed Kinga.

You will then continue to the infamous Auschwitz Concentration Camp. The camp has been preserved as a memorial for the 1 million people of 28 nationalities who perished here. After sightseeing you will return to your hotel in Krakow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your driver will meet you in your hotel lobby and transfer you in the comfort of your private luxury vehicle to Krakow airport where you are assisted with check-in.