Poland, the land that once upon a time was called Paradis Judaeorum (‘The Jewish Paradise’), the land of unique memorials of the European Jewish heritage of the past centuries. On the other hand a country that witnessed the darkest part of the Holocaust, when it was under Nazi German occupation. The roots of modern Zionism and the idea of the Jewish State are to be found here as well. It all makes our Jewish History Tour in Poland a lifetime experience for everyone related to the Jewish identity or simply interested in the history of this fascinating nation and its culture. This is a private tour, which can be organized on your request, all year-round.
Highlights
Jewish Warsaw
Treblinka extermination camp
Łódź
Auschwitz-Birkenau
Kazimierz district in Kraków
possibility to extend your tour and explore eastern Poland
Since this is a private tour, the price is calculated individually, depending on many factors, including type of accommodation you choose, type of transportation, time of your trip and number of travelers.
What's included in the price:
airport transfers
licensed local guides
transportation during the whole tour
entrance tickets
accommodation
breakfasts
Day 1: Hello Poland!
Your Jewish History Tour starts at a hotel in Warsaw, located just a few steps from the only synagogue that survived Second World War...
A private transfer from the Chopin Airport (WAW) is included. Overnight stay in Warsaw.
Day 2: Explore Jewish Warsaw
The Jewish Ghetto in Warsaw, created by the Nazi Germans, was the largest in Europe. You need a car to see all of the remains of the former closed district...
During our chauffeured tour you are taken by your specialized guide to: the Umschlagplatz (collection point), the only remaining street of the Ghetto – Próżna, the uprising leader Mordechai Anielewicz’s bunker memorial, the Monument of the Ghetto Heroes, Okopowa Street Jewish Cemetery and the Nożyk Synagogue, which survived the last war by miracle and has been fully renovated. Traditional Jewish-style lunch (please mind it does not always mean kosher) is followed by sightseeing of the brand new Museum of the History of Polish Jews (POLIN). In the evening it is time for a stroll around the historical Warsaw Old Town. Overnight stay in Warsaw
Day 3: Remembering Treblinka
We are going to the small village of Treblinka in the east of Masovia, where there used to be an extermination camp hidden in the forest...
It was built in 1939 and in 1943 the Nazis closed it and burned all the buildings down to obliterate any evidence of crime. Nearly 1 million people lost their lives in its gas chambers. Nowadays there is a monument made of hundreds of stones that symbolize places from which Jews and other people were taken to the camp (including Janusz Korczak and the children from the orphanage in Warsaw). There is also a museum. Treblinka is a very unique place, leaving a lot of room for your own thoughts and reflexions. Overnight stay in Warsaw.
Day 4: Łódź – old Jewish business center
In the morning we are going to travel to the second biggest Polish city – Łódź. It is the location of the Litzmannstadt Ghetto and the old home of Jewish factory owners, investors and merchants...
Our specialized guide takes you for a walk through the streets of the former Ghetto and then you are taken to the Radegast Station memorial. It is a unique opportunity to see what the deportations to death camps looked like. Among the detailed reconstructed elements of the Nazi train station you can find a cattle car that used to carry people on their last journeys before being killed by the Germans. Lunch in Anatewka, a famous Jewish restaurant, is followed by a visit to the Reicher Synagogue, hidden in the backyard of old city houses. Overnight stay in Łódź.
Day 5: Shoah memory day and Kraków
We leave in the morning for a journey to Auschwitz-Birkenau. After a short introduction movie you are taken by the local guide into the world of Shoah.
You will see both Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II (Birkenau) camp, where you will find original wooden barracks, real prisoners’ belongings, gas chambers and administration buildings. You can even take a look over the camp infrastructure from a historical watchtower. After lunch we continue to Kraków. The best idea for the evening is a walk in the picturesque medieval Old Town enlisted as UNESCO World Heritage. Overnight stay in Kraków.
Day 6: Exploring medieval Kazimierz and other Jewish places
RealPoland’s Kraków guide takes you for a chauffeured tour of the city. We start with Kazimierz and its seven prayer houses including the famous Remuh Synagogue and cemetery...
You also pay a visit to Schindler’s factory museum and visit the sites used in the making of the Spielberg movie in 1993. After lunch you head to Płaszów – the place where another Nazi German concentration camp was located. We finish the day with a visit to Podgórze quarter that hosted the Kraków Ghetto during Second World War. Overnight stay in Kraków This is the last day of the basic tour. On Day 7 you will have some free time in Kraków in the morning and then travel back to Warsaw by train. We can arrange accommodation in Warsaw if needed. You can also choose to stay in Kraków.
Day 7: Łańcut and Sandomierz
If you decide to extend your tour, you will visit Łańcut...
This famous destination for the Hasidic Judaism followers hosts one of the most valuable synagogues in Poland that remained from the war and Nazi occupation. Once you go there, it is also necessary to see the local castle, the history of which dates back to the 16th century. Our next stop is the medieval town of Sandomierz, the Old Town of which is a perfect example of original gothic architecture in Poland. We will pay a visit to the original baroque synagogue that currently hosts the state archive. After a long day we stay for two nights in Lublin. Overnight stay in Lublin
Day 8: Eastern Poland – Eastern Jewish tradition
Lublin – the biggest Polish city east of Vistula river used to be called the ‘Polish Jersulamem’...
Explore the former Jewish cultural center and home for the Yiddish-speaking society. A walk with a local guide starts in the historical Jewish quarter and leads us to the local castle that hosted the Nazi prison during Second World War. Later on you visit the Old Kirkut, one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in Poland, the Chachmei Yeshiva building with its operating prayer house and Chewra Nosim Synagogue. Lunch is planned at Mandragora, believed to be the only truly Eastern Jewish restaurant serving traditional food based on original recipes nowadays. In the second part of the day we drive to Majdanek, where the so called ‘Konzentrationslager Lublin’ witnessed the murder of approximately 80000 people. Majdanek Memorial is less known than Auschwitz, however the whole infrastructure, including barracks’ interiors is in almost identical shape. For the evening we advise a walk around the Old Town on your own. Overnight stay in Lublin.
Day 9: Back to Warsaw through small Jewish towns
In the morning we depart to Kazimierz Dolny – known as the pearl of the Polish Renaissance, a picturesque historic town by the Vistula River...
Formerly the home for a large Jewish society of merchants, craftsmen and artists. Kazimierz Dolny remained with its own unique character and architecture that creates a perfect atmosphere for sightseeing. You have your lunch at the old Jewish ‘U Fryzjera’ restaurant. In the afternoon we continue to Warsaw with a stop in Otwock. Prior to the war it used to be a famous Jewish spa town with absolutely unique wooden sanatorium buildings erected in Highlander-like style. It is also worth stopping for a moment in Karczew, where there is a picturesque historical Jewish cemetery located in the middle of the forest. Overnight stay in Warsaw.
My father and I recently returned from our Ultimate Poland tour and we really cannot express how impressed we were with the RealPoland coordination, staff, accommodations, food, local guides and transportation. The itinerary was filled with visits to key historic and cultural sites along with some fun activities like making our own Polish pottery and a pierogi workshop - admittedly, my father and I still need to work on these skills. The accommodations were top class European standard hotels. Breakfast each day was provided in the hotels and dinners were pre-planned at various interesting restaurants in whichever city or town we happened to be staying. Lunch was on us, this may seem daunting but the tours are arranged so that a convenient lunch break happens in a square or Old Town area with an ample choice of cafes and restaurants. As for the Polish cuisine, don’t expect kielbasa and pierogis for every meal - they like to mix it up for you.
Our original intent for taking the tour was to learn more about our Polish heritage. We asked to add an extra day on the end so that we could visit my great grandparents village - the Real Poland staff took care of everything for us, an extended itinerary with hotel, transportation and a local guide.
I can't say enough about how much we enjoyed the beautiful county of Poland. It's clean, safe and very affordable. Additionally, the staff at RealPoland are amazing - especially all of the "Magdas". If you are considering a trip to Poland and are worried about getting around or finding the right tour I would highly recommend RealPoland they are first class.
Natalia' and Magda's quick responsiveness was tremendous! Overall, my total xperience with Real Poland was excellent. They were helpful during setting up my tour plans, and also very helpful when we had to cancel. Natalia researched my grandfather and found lots of information about him that I did not know. I am satisfied with the work she did and I look forward to traveling to Poland in the future. I hope to visit the area where he was from and maybe meet some of my relatives.
We are an inbound Poland Tour Operator, located in Poland, specializing in group and private tours. Our aim is to make your stay here an unforgettable experience. We are experts in organizing unique, custom-made Polish holidays, suiting your personal needs. Our team consists of natives, fascinated by their homeland, licensed guides and touring agents with huge knowledge and energy to share. We will do our best to meet your highest expectations.
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