BELARUS - POLAND KALININGRAD with 15 Days/ 13 Nights Aug 10-24, 2018
Program outline: Day 1: Fri, Aug 10 Day 2: Sat, Aug 11 Day 3: Sun, Aug 12 Day 4: Mon, Aug 13 Day 5: Tue, Aug 14 Day 6: Wed, Aug 15 Day 7: Thu, Aug 16 Day 8: Fri, Aug 17 Day 9: Sat, Aug 18 Day 10: Sun, Aug 19 Day 11: Mon, Aug 20 Day 12: Tue, Aug 21 Day 13: Wed, Aug 22 Day 14: Thu, Aug 23 Day 15: Fri, Aug 24 Leave USA for Minsk, Belarus Arrive in Minsk, Belarus / Minsk Minsk sightseeing / Minsk Visit Stalin Line / Minsk Visit Nesvizh Palace & Kosciuszko House / Brest Brest sightseeing / Brest Cross into Poland - Warsaw / Warsaw Warsaw sightseeing / Warsaw Fly to Kaliningrad - sightseeing / Kaliningrad Kaliningrad & Curonian Spit / Kaliningrad Fly to Warsaw / Warsaw Visit Black Madonna Shrine / Krakow Auschwitz - Birkenau / Krakow Krakow sightseeing & Salt Mine / Krakow Departure
Highlights: Stalin Line, Minsk - Belarus WW II Museum, Minsk - Belarus Circus performance, Minsk - Belarus Nesvizh Castle, Belarus Kosciuszko House, Belarus Brest Castle, Brest - Belarus Warsaw Old Town, Warsaw - Poland Warsaw Uprising Museum, Warsaw - Poland Chopin Concert, Warsaw - Poland Black Madonna Shrine, Poland Krakow Old Town, Krakow - Poland Auschwitz - Birkenau, Poland Wieliczka Salt Mine, Poland Koenigsberg Cathedral, Kaliningrad Curonian Spit, Kaliningrad
INCLUDED SERVICES: 13 Nights hotel accommodation with daily breakfast. 11 lunches, 12 dinners including two special dinners with folk music and dances. English speaking professional tour guides in each country. Transportation with AC vehicle & driver. Arrival and departure transfers - only for suggested flight arrival & departures. Two small bottles of water per person per day on the bus everyday. All entry fees to places mentioned in the itinerary. Porterage at hotels. Tips for meals and accommodations. NOT INCLUDED: International airfare. Visa fees if applicable. Drinks with included meals, except tea or coffee for breakfast. Gratuities for guides & drivers. Personal expenditures like phone calls, laundry, medical expenses. Travel insurance (can be provided by Tourcom on request.)
FLIGHTS Suggested flights will be on Lufthansa and LOT Polish Airlines Aug 10 Houston to Frankfurt LH 441 dep: 3:50 pm / arr: 8:35 am on Aug 11 Aug 11 LH 1486 Aug 17 LO 699 Aug 19 LO 700 Aug 24 LH 1371 Aug 24 LH 440 Frankfurt to Minsk dep: 9:50 am / arr: 1:05 pm Warsaw to Kaliningrad dep: 4:25 pm / arr: 5:30 pm Kaliningrad to Warsaw dep: 5:40 pm / arr: 6:45 pm Krakow to Frankfurt dep: 6:15 am / arr: 7:50 am Frankfurt to Houston dep: 10:00 am / arr: 1:45 pm The fares for listed flights is: LH flights: $1512 per person, economy class including taxes, surcharges and fees, LO flights: $160 per person, economy class including taxes, surcharges and fees, as of Sep 29, 2017. Fare is based on availability. These fares are non-refundable. Fares can increase substantially as we get close to departure date.
HOTELS Minsk Double Tree http://doubletree3.hilton.com/en/hotels/belarus/doubletree-by-hilton-hotel-minsk-msqdtdi/ index.html Brest Hermitage http://hermitagehotel.by/en/ Kaliningrad Radisson Blu https://www.radissonblu.com/en/hotel-kaliningrad Warsaw Sofitel Victoria http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-3378-sofitel-warsaw-victoria/index.shtml Krakow Indigo Hotel https://www.hotelindigo.com/hotels/us/en/krakow/
Program Details Day 1: Fri, Aug 10, 2018 Leave Houston We will leave Houston for Minsk, Belarus. Day 2: Sat, Aug 11, 2018 Minsk, Belarus Upon arrival in Minsk, we will be welcomed by our local guide and driver. We will drive to our hotel to check-in and rest for the remainder of the day. Minsk is not only the capital and largest city of Belarus, it's also the capital of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Situated on the Svislačnd Niamiha rivers, from 1919-1991 it was the capital of the former Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. The city was 80% destroyed during World War II and as such was rebuilt in the 1950s to the liking of Stalin. Large, Soviet-bloc style buildings make up a large portion of the heart of the city. For this reason, Minsk is a wonderful place to visit for those interested in the Soviet Union. Early in the evening, our dinner is also included. Overnight in Minsk Meals: D
Day 3: Sun, Aug 12, 2018 Minsk Today we will have a full day sightseeing program in Minsk: Sightseeing tour of Minsk includes the main avenues (Independence avenue, Victory avenue) and the architectural monuments of the XVIIth - XXth centuries - the Upper Town with the City Hall, Holy Spirit Cathedral and the Cathedral of Holy Virgin Mary, old streets of the Trinity Suburb, Church of St. Simon and Helena. The Victory Monument and the National Library - included into the list of the most outstanding buildings of the world- are waiting to be explored. After the panoramic tour of the city, we will have a visit to the National Art museum, which presents the richest collection of Belarusian and foreign fine art in the country. The unique collection of the Belarusian art includes works of ancient icon painting, sculpture, woodcarving, textile, paintings from the XIXth XXth centuries. Our lunch is scheduled at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, we will have an excursion to the World War II museum. It was the first museum in the world to reveal the story of this disastrous war. The origins of the museum go all the way back to 1944, during the Nazi occupation. Among the museum s first exhibits were the partisan movement chronicles, handwritten and printed books, handmade weapons. Today the museum, which occupies an area of 3 000 sqm, houses more then 8 000 exhibits, including combat reports, diaries, drawings, flags of military units, military uniforms, military weapons, vehicles and other items. Early in the evening, our dinner is scheduled at a nice local restaurant, after which we will see a circus performance. Overnight in Minsk Day 4: Mon, Aug 13, 2018 Minsk We will start our program with a transfer to Stalin Line an open-air museum of military fortifications, including the defensive line with trenches, anti-tank obstacles and ditches, anti-personnel obstacles and machine-gun pillboxes. Visitors can walk around a pillbox and sit in a gun emplacement, stroll along the trench system and clamber over a tank. The guides are dressed in uniforms of the day. To feel the atmosphere of that by-passed war. We should also try the sample rations eaten by soldiers of the time. After our visit we will drive back to Minsk to have lunch. Afternoon at leisure in Minsk for possible meetings. In the evening we will have a special dinner with folk music and dances. Overnight in Minsk
Day 5: Tue, Aug 14, 2018 Minsk - Brest This morning, we will leave Minsk for Brest. On our way we will first visit Nesvizh Castle. Nesvizh a delightful historic town, is one of the oldest in the country. We will visit the magnificent Nesvizh Palace former residence of the aristocratic Radzivilli family, which also includes beautiful park and Farny Roman-Catholic Church of the XVIth century. The complex once numbered around 170 rooms, with a series of underground passages connecting it to the town s monasteries. Today the exposition of the Palace includes more than 30 exhibition halls, including Prince's apartments, Golden and Star halls, Hunter s hall and others. According to the National Statistics Committee, Nesvizh Palace was named the most popular museum in Belarus. After having lunch at a local restaurant, we will drive to nearby Kosovo to visit the houseturned-museum of Tadeusz Kosciuszko. Tadeusz Kosciuszko, who is one of the prominent leaders of Belarusian national movement, a national hero of Poland and the United States, as well as an honorary citizen of France, spent first years of his life here. Today there is a Museum-manor - an authentic village house where this famous social activist once lived. Today the museum-manor attracts tourists with its rich history, fully landscaped territory and flower beds. The palace
of Puslovskih is situated not far from the manor. Every year on 4th February thare are celebrations dedicated to the birthday of Tadeusz Kosciuszko. After our visit, we will continue to Brest. Brest is a city with a long and complex history, and at different times it has been part of different countries and linked to different cultures. First mentioned in 11th century chroincles, Brest was a city in the eastern part of Kievan Rus. Later it became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Medieval Belarusian-Lithuanian state) and eventually in the 16th century, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. When, in the late 18th century, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was partitioned between Prussia, Russia and Austria at the end of the 18th century, Brest became part of Russia on the newly created eastern border with Austria. After the first world war Poland was re-established as a country and gained control of Brest as well as most of today's western Belarus. In 1940 this area was again annexed, this time by the Soviet Union, and became part of the Byelorusian Soviet Socialist Republic. With the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Brest became a city in the modern Belarus. Overnight in Brest Day 6: Wed, Aug 15, 2018 Brest Today, we are in Brest, exploring the traditional "western gate" of the country. It is a calm and relaxed city, with famous Sovetskaya Street and wide boulevards, which are perfect for promenading. But the main attraction of the city is the Brest fortress. The fortress was the stage of a prolonged defense against the Nazis in 1941 and was ruined as a result of severe battles. Only a handful of men survived. Citizens all over the USSR were inspired by the heroism of the Brest fortress defenders. Today it is a giant, deeply-affecting memorial. We will continue our visit with Brest fortress Museum «Fort 5». During the inspection of the fort we will see the exhibition "Western outpost of the Fatherland", open space weapons, history of the construction of fortifications, Brest Fortress No. 5, history of the fort, military biographies, engineers involved in the construction and modernization of fortification facilities of Brest Fortress. Visitors can see the concrete caponiers and polukaponirami, underground galleries (footway) and other Fortova facilities. When we visit the fort, it is recommended to wear comfortable shoes, warm clothing, and have flashlights. After having lunch at a local restaurant, we will have an excursion at Museum Saved artistic value. Museum Saved artistic value is one of the four branches of the Brest Regional ethnographic museum. Openend on Feb. 4, 1989, it is housed in a beautiful building on farmsteads, which was built between 1925-1927. It was designed by Polish architect Yu
Lisetskogo and is now a landmark building. It is the only museum in Belarus, the exhibits of which consists of works of art and antiquities seized by the customs officers while being illegally exported abroad. In ten exhibition halls, the museum features more than 300 items. The most extensive and valuable part of the museum's collection is Russian iconography from XVIth to early XXth century. Among them most notable are "Christ in Majesty", "Our Lady of Vladimir and "The Annunciation". Jewelry art is represented by products of world famous Faberge and other jewelry companies in Russia, the Caucasus silver belts and daggers. The museum has a small but diverse collection of porcelain production of the famous European factories. In numerous halls, works of Belarusian and foreign art, creative works of students of art schools and studios Brest are also displayed. In the evening we will have our farewell dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight in Brest Day 7: Thu, Aug 16, 2018 Brest Warsaw, Poland Early in the morning, we will leave Brest for the border crossing to Poland. Depending on the traffic and number of people at the border, crossing into Poland may take a couple of hours.
Once we are in Poland, our local guide and driver will meet us and we will drive to Warsaw. Depending on our arrival time, we may start sightseeing of Old Town of Warsaw. Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It stands on the Vistula River in eastcentral Poland, roughly 260 kilometers from the Baltic Sea and 300 kilometers from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population is estimated at 1.750 million residents within a greater metropolitan area of 3.101 million residents, which makes Warsaw the 9th mostpopulous capital city in the European Union. Once described as Paris of the East, Warsaw was believed to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world until World War II. The German invasion in 1939, the massacre of the Jewish population and deportations to concentration camps led to the uprising in the Warsaw ghetto in 1943 and to the major and devastating Warsaw Uprising between August and October 1944. Warsaw gained the new title of a Phoenix City because of its extensive history and complete reconstruction after the severe damage it suffered in World War II, which left over 85% of its buildings in ruins. Before dinner, we will attend a short concert featuring Chopin's music. Our dinner will be at a local restaurant. Overnight in Warsaw Day 8: Fri, Aug 17, 2018 Warsaw - Kaliningrad, Russia This morning we are in Warsaw for a half day sightseeing program. We will start our morning following the Jewish traces in the city. Before WW II, Jews constituted 30% of population in Warsaw and were the second largest Jewish community in the world (after New York). During the tour we will discover traces of the more than 800-year history and culture of Jews in Poland, which almost completely ceased to exist after the war. All the places we see are to remind the vibrant Jewish life and culture thriving in the city before WW II. We will see the remaining buildings of the former mikveh, houses of prayer, schools, orphanages or hospitals. We visit the Nozyk Synagogue (the only one remaining from before 1939) and the Jewish cemetery, one of the largest in Europe. The tour of the former ghetto area includes, among other things: the Monument of the Ghetto Heroes, Bunker Monument, Umschlagplatz a last stop for Jews before transportation to the camps. We also visit the newly opened Jewish Museum. After lunch at a local restaurant, we will be transferred to the airport for our flight to Kaliningrad. Upon arrival, we will check-in our hotel. Our dinner will be at a local restaurant. Overnight in Kaliningrad
Day 9: Sat, Aug 18, 2018 Kaliningrad We will have an early start for our full day program in Kaliningrad. Kaliningrad, formerly Koenigsberg, is one of several cities along the Baltic coast that was founded by the Teutonic Knights as they spread eastwards during the 13th century. From its founding in 1255 until the end of the Second World War, it has played a major part in German history, both as a seaport and as a center for academic excellence. At the conclusion of WWII, East Prussia was divided between the Soviet Union and Poland. The city of Koenigsberg and the surrounding region were both renamed Kaliningrad. Being a strategic military area, it was closed to foreigners until 1990. Today, Kaliningrad whimsically combines the attributes of a modern Russian city with those of a traditional European one. We will start our excursion with a city tour: we visit the Cathedral, symbol of Kaliningrad and Koenigsberg. We will have a chance to see the tomb of Immanuel Kant, the city s most famous former resident. We may attend a short organ concert in the Cathedral. After having our lunch at a nice restaurant, we will have an excursion to Curonian Spit. The Curonian Spit is an area of wooded sand dunes, which separates the Baltic Sea from the freshwater Curonian Lagoon. The spit, a national park, offers unparalleled opportunities to see migrating birds at the Rybachy (Rositten) bird watching station and the nearby museum tells the history of the spit s formation and the stories of its inhabitants. A
walk on the dunes at Efa, the second highest sand dune in Europe where we can hear the singing sands, is not to be missed. Back to Kaliningrad center to have a seafood dinner. Overnight in Kaliningrad Day 10: Sun, Aug 19, 2018 Kaliningrad - Warsaw In the morning, we will continue with our panoramic tour of the city. We will also visit the Amber Museum. After lunch we will be transferred to the airport for our evening flight back to Warsaw. Upon arrival, we will check-in our hotel. Dinner will be at a local restaurant. Overnight in Warsaw Day 11: Mon, Aug 20, 2018 Warsaw In the morning, we will visit the Warsaw Uprising Museum and National Museum. After the visit, rest of the day will be at leisure. We can explore the city on our own. Overnight in Warsaw Meals: B Day 12: Tue, Aug 21, 2018 Warsaw - Krakow This morning we will leave Warsaw for Krakow. On the way we will stop at Czestochowa, to visit the Black Madonna Shrine. In Czestochowa, we will visit the largest shrine in Poland the Monastery of Jasna Gora, the home of the miraculous icon known as the Black Madonna. According to legend it was painted by St. Luke the Evangelist, and arrived in Poland from the Byzantine Empire. While walking through the sanctuary we will see, among other things, a complex of monastic buildings, the impressive Baroque basilica, the defensive walls and a chapel with the miraculous image, surrounded by walls covered with countless votive offerings poignant evidence of human faith. Kraków is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural and artistic life and is one of Poland's most important economic hubs. It was the capital of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland from 1038 to 1569; the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1569 to 1795; the Free City of Kraków from 1815 to 1846; the Grand Duchy of Cracow
from 1846 to 1918; and Kraków Voivodeship from the 14th century to 1998. It has been the capital of Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999. Our lunch and dinner will be at local restaurants. Overnight in Krakow Day 13: Wed, Aug 22, 2018 Krakow Today we will have a full day excursion to Auschwitz and Birkenau. Auschwitz-Birkenau is the largest concentration and extermination camp built by the Nazis during WWII. It became a symbol of the Holocaust, Nazi crimes against the population and forced labor. It is a place of unimaginable barbarism, where about 1.3 million people were killed. Most of the victims were Jews, but the camps were also a place of martyrdom of Poles, Russians, Roma, Sinti and prisoners of other nationalities. During this trip we visit both the camp at Auschwitz - where we see the displays in the former prison blocks depicting the history of the camp, extermination methods, selection and looting of property, and the only surviving crematorium - and the camp at Birkenau - site of the Gate of Death, wooden barracks, the unloading ramp, the ruins of the crematoria, and Memorial. The tour of the Auschwitz camp takes about 2 hrs; after a 15 min break we visit the site of Birkenau camp which tour takes up to 1 h. Overnight in Krakow Meals: B L D
Day 14: Thu, Aug 23, 2018 Krakow We will start our day with a walking tour of the Krakow Old Town. Strolling through the Old Town of Krakow we discover treasures and places that will let us feel the unique atmosphere of the city. We see Wawel Hill with the renaissance period Royal Castle and Cathedral the site of coronations and burials of kings. We then make our way to the Main Market Square the largest medieval square in Europe and the Cloth Hall market stalls from the fourteenth century (good place for souvenir hunters!). On the way we drop into the students quarter to see the buildings of the oldest university in Poland (the Jagiellonian University). We also visit St. Mary s Church, a treasure trove of precious works of art and home to the largest medieval altar in Europe (the work of sculptor Veit Stoss) and the bugle call, which is played every hour from the tower of the church. After having lunch at a local restaurant, we will depart for an excursion to Wieliczka Salt Mine.
Wieliczka Salt Mine is located only 15 km (20 min drive) from the city center of Krakow. Here we will find one of the largest and oldest mines in Europe and an absolutely unique and surprising place. The total length of underground passages, tunnels and chambers is in the hundreds of kilometers and they are spread over several levels. These historic workings are an excellent example of the development of salt mining and extraction techniques from the 13th until the 20th centuries. The salt extracted from Wieliczka mine in the Middle Ages was called white gold (due to its value) and accounted for up to 30% of the royal treasury. Here today, deep underground, one can see New Year s Eve parties, weddings and even sporting events! During our visit we will discover the treasures of the underground mine: huge underground caves, tunnels, chapels, including the most spectacular Holy Chapel of Saint Kinga, with decorations and statues carved out of the salt. Upon returning to Krakow, we will have a farewell dinner with local folk music and dances. Overnight in Krakow Meals: B L D Day 15: Fri, Aug 24, 2018 Departure Early in the morning, we will be transferred to the airport for our return flight.