Railways, River Cruises and World War II History in Poland

See some of the most important and fascinating WWII sites in the Polish cities and countryside, on a tour that combines history and culture with First Class railway travel, private tramway rides and scenic river cruises.

• This tour takes you to the cities of Warsaw, Krakow and Wroclaw to see remarkable historical sites such as the Warsaw Ghetto, Oskar Schindler’s Factory, Krakow’s Aviation Museum, Gliwice Radio Tower and the hilltop Castle Fürstenstein the rumoured site of a hidden Nazi gold train.
• Visits to the Kazimierz Jewish quarter in Krakow and the Holocaust remembrance site in Oświęcim, and the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.
• First Class travel on PKP Intercity services between the different cities, including the Express Intercity Premium (EIP) high speed train between Warsaw and Krakow.
• Privately chartered river cruises in Warsaw, Krakow and Wroclaw (the ‘Venice of Poland’), and privately chartered vintage tram rides in Krakow and Wroclaw.
• Experience a typical Polish narrow gauge steam train at the Krosnice Park Railway, where an impressive Class Px48 0-8-0 tender locomotive will haul your private charter train.

Saturday 13th July
Arrive in Warsaw
Fly direct from London to Warsaw, before travelling by train to the city centre. Your hotel is located near the landmark Warszawa Centralna railway station. After a welcome lunch, you will be given a complimentary public transport rover to use at leisure on the extensive tram and metro system. (L)

Sunday 14th July
Warsaw Ghetto, Ghetto Museum and Uprising Memorial; Warsaw Old Town and River Vistula sunset cruise
Today we visit the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto, located in the heart of the city. We continue onto the impressive Museum of the Warsaw Uprising, an attack against the Nazi occupiers organised by the Polish Resistance in late summer 1944. The afternoon is spent at leisure. In the evening you rejoin the group for a sunset dinner cruise on the River Vistula, with complimentary drinks. (B D)

Monday 15th July
From Warsaw to Krakow, River Vistula sunset cruise
Travel First Class on the flagship Express Intercity Premium (EIP) high speed train of PKP to Krakow, the cradle of Polish history. You check into your centrally located hotel where lunch is served, before enjoying time at leisure in the Old Town. Late afternoon you enjoy a sunset cruise on the River Vistula, sailing past the hilltop Wawel Castle and other prominent landmarks. Dinner and complimentary drinks are included on the boat. (B L D)

Tuesday 16th July
Kazimierz Jewish Quarter in Krakow and visit to Oskar Schindler’s factory in the former Krakow Ghetto
Today we visit the Jewish Quarter Kazimierz, with its preserved synagogues and Jewish cemeteries. Transport through the narrow alleys and old cobble-stone streets is by electric golf carts. You have an English audio-guide. You drive over the River Vistula to the former Jewish Ghetto, where the main square has been turned into an evocative memorial with vacant chairs, commemorating the heroes of the Ghetto.
The trip will conclude at Oskar Schindler’s enamel factory, made famous by Steven Spielberg’s 1992 feature film ‘Schindler’s List, where several hundred Jews were saved from death. Today, the factory is a museum, providing an immersive experience. You enjoy more free time, before a 1-hour sightseeing tour of central Krakow by vintage tram. (B)

Wednesday 17th July
Trip to Oświęcim and visit of the Auschwitz concentration camp
The town of Oświęcim is located west of Krakow. Today you have a direct transfer from the hotel to the memorial sites and a guided visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, which narrates first-hand the horrors of the Holocaust. The hotel will provide you with an on-the-go lunch to take with you. (B L)

Thursday 18th July
Polish Aviation Museum in Krakow and Wieliczka Salt Mine
Today we visit the Polish Aviation Museum which has one of the finest collections of 1930s and 40s aircrafts in Europe.The museum showcases 22 extremely rare war planes built before 1941. After the museum visit, there will be free time to enjoy Krakow. In the afternoon you take the train from Krakow main station directly to Wieliczka, where you visit the famed Wieliczka Salt Mine. This stunning underground facility with the unique St. Kinga’s Chapel inside, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. (B)

Friday 19th July
Visit to the Gliwice Radio Tower in Upper Silesia; Arrival in Wroclaw
Today you travel westbound from Krakow to Wroclaw, stopping on route in Gliwice. Located in the Silesian coal-mining region, Gliwice (Gleiwitz) was German until 1945. Gliwice is a 118 m (387 ft) tall wooden Radio Tower built by German Reichspost in 1935. On 31 August 1939, the Nazi SS staged a fake ‘Polish’ attack on the Gliwice radio station, which was later used as justification for Hitler’s long-planned invasion of Poland. The transmitter tower remains the tallest wooden structure in Europe, locally known as the “Eiffel Tower of Silesia”. Afterwards, you visit the E. Wedel Grand Cafe on Gliwice’s main market square for refreshments. You then continue to Wroclaw, where you check into your centrally located hotel and enjoy a group dinner.
(B L D)

Saturday 20th July
Fürstenstein Castle and Jaworzyna Slaska Railway Museum
This morning you transfer to the stunning Fürstenberg (Ksiaz) Castle in Walbrzych, south of Wroclaw. This towered and turreted hilltop palace is the third largest castle in Poland. Originally dating from the 12th Century, it was expanded in a lavish Renaissance style in the 16th century. In 1944 the castle was seized by the Nazi regime and was intended as a Führer headquarters. It was also used for the mysterious underground Project Riese, a secretive Nazi scheme aimed to create both hidden manufacturing facilities as well as looted treasure storage in vast cave and tunnel networks below ground. You’ll have a guided tour and refreshments at the castle, before visiting the Jaworzyna Slaska railway museum, featuring one of the largest collections of preserved main line steam locomotives in Poland. Late afternoon you take a regional service train from Jaworzyna station to Wroclaw Glowny. Dinner is served at the hotel. (B L D)

Sunday 21st July
Steam at the Krosnice Park Railway and evening river cruise in Wroclaw
After a free morning in the city, you visit the nearby Krosnice Park Railway, where the impressive postwar Px48 tender locomotive will be in steam. Running the full length of the line and pausing for numerous photos and run-pasts, you get to experience typical Polish narrow gauge steam in a countryside setting. You have a free afternoon before joining a dinner cruise along the River Odra with views of Wroclaw Cathedral and the landmark bridges. (B D)

Monday 22nd July
Sightseeing tour of Wroclaw; return to London
Wroclaw is one of the finest cities in Central Europe known as “The Venice of Poland” thanks to the River Odra and it’s numerous canals and pedestrianised islands. You will visit the attractive centre of Wroclaw on a privately chartered heritage tram dating from the 1920s in the late morning, before an afternoon at leisure. You then have an evening return flight from Wroclaw to London. (B)