Unique Poland for Beginners Experience: Royal cities, UNESCO Sites, and Food and Wine tours!

As we say in Poland – “to host our Visitor is like hosting God”, so no matter what God you believe in, even if you worship aliens or Mother Nature, on my trip you will feel and experience Polish hospitality to the fullest. We will start looking for the Lesser Poland treasures in the royal city of Kraków - where I will take you for a 3-hour Polish food & drink tour and show you around the most exquisite part of my beloved city - the Main Market Square (in the UNESCO-listed Old Town with the Wawel Castle). Krakow is a Polish "capital city" of culture, art, and history – the former capital of the country, the metropolis of the royal Polish past as well as the educational, scientific, and economic center of the region. It is a place that each year holds high positions in the rankings of the most beautiful and most-visited European cities. It is also one of the truly budget-friendly places where you can find thousands of options for affordable and enjoyable stays. The rich history is visible here almost everywhere, and the artistic spirit is simply hovering over the streets of the Old Town. The same streets, that prominent aristocrats, clergymen, writers, and artists have strolled through for ages. The capital of the Małopolska region is commonly associated with the UNESCO-listed Old Town, with St. Mary's Basilica, the Cloth Hall, and Wawel Royal Castle, as well as the legend of the Wawel Dragon and the culinary symbol of the city - obwarzanek (Jewish bagel). However, there are many more attractions for tourists – the richness of nature, wonderful monuments, including numerous objects of religious architecture, modern museums, regional cuisine delicacies, many European festivals, and hundreds of cultural institutions, cafes, and restaurants. As if that was not enough, the area around Krakow also has a lot to offer visitors, including Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial (former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp), UNESCO Heritage Site - Wieliczka Salt Mines, the Ojców National Park, several monasteries (the oldest in Tyniec and Bielany), wooden churches, vineyards, green areas and hundreds of cultural events. Depending on your needs and preferences, the area around Krakow can be explored on foot, by bike, or by car. The time you spend with me in Krakow and the Lesser Poland region looking for the local treasures will certainly be unforgettable and I will do my best to make you feel comfortable and satisfied all the way during our trip. :)

On the second day we will see the priceless monument of world material culture that was entered into UNESCO's First World List of Cultural and Natural Heritage in 1978 - and will also find out what is so special about the Wieliczka Salt Mine. Together with the neighboring Bochnia it is one of the oldest salt mines in the world. These are also one of the oldest running companies. The picturesque underground landscapes owe their beauty to nature, which sculpted the rocks in unusual, varied, and complicated forms. Throughout history, the way of thinking about the “Wieliczka” Salt Mine has changed from an industrial plant to a world-famous tourist attraction, a place of special events, and even a health resort. We will take a walk through some of the 20 large chambers of the three-kilometer-long sightseeing route. The chambers accessible to visitors include a 3.5-kilometers section located from 64 to 135 meters below ground level and the last reaches out to a depth of 327 meters. The oldest localized part of the mine is the Goryszowski Shaft from the second half of the 13th century. It has been running continuously since the Middle Ages and is still used today. The salt underground is visited every year by nearly 2 million visitors from all over the world among which are politicians, crowned heads of state, and members of royal families. Kings and queens, princes and princesses, state leaders, artists, and scientists wander along the mine galleries and unanimously proclaim the mine beautiful, amazing, and one of the wonders of the world. Almost 99% of the galleries are not accessible to tourists (the total length of the passages linking about 3000 cavities, passages, ramps, excavation chambers, shafts, and small shafts exceeds 300 km) but we will discover all the secrets of this underground world, admire landscapes that can’t be found on the surface as saline lakes and beautiful underground chambers, including the extraordinary St. Kinga’s Chapel. We will learn about old mining tools and machines, the methods of salt extraction, and transport used in the past. At the end of our visit, we will take a deep breath in the Graduation Tower with the gentle hum of water flowing down the blackthorn branches and the salt mist in the air, in order to soothe our senses with a sea breeze. The trip is available for people of all ages and does not require above-average physical condition, but please bear in mind that there are more than 800 steps to climb ;)

Sandomierz - called by tourists "the small Tuscany" - is located on seven hills by the Vistula River at the junction of two geographical regions: the Kielce-Sandomierz Upland and the Sandomierz Basin. Walking through the streets, it is worth realizing that the first mentions of the city appeared as early as the 12th century. Once the seat of princes and the residence of kings, over the centuries it developed as an important settlement on the trade route to Krakow and Eastern Europe. We will start our sightseeing tour of Sandomierz from an excellent vantage point, i.e. the Opatowska Gate, from where you can admire the surrounding panorama. We will see a beautiful 16th-century attic and fragments of the old defensive walls surrounding the gate. Then we will walk around the medieval market square with the 14th-century town hall and the surrounding 30 historic tenement houses as well as the town hall with its Renaissance, which attic is considered one of the most beautiful in Poland. One of the Sandomierz highlights is the local production of wine and cheese - and this is the best reason to visit the 800-years old vineyard founded by the Dominicans in Sandomierz and located on the Jakubowe Hill, in the monastery of St. James. It was the first vineyard in the Sandomierz region, which then initiated the flourishing of viticulture in this region. Vineyard of St. James is the beginning of the Sandomierz Wine Trail – this is where the first wine story begins, which is a gateway and an invitation to the route leading through successive vineyards. The trail consists of two sections. The first is the Royal Route, 26 km long and covering six vineyards, and the second (so-called Pepper Route), leading through the Pepper Mountains, is 5.6 km long and includes three vineyards. The journey invites you to an adventure - a journey that combines flavors and smells with the beauty of the Sandomierz area. The trail is an ideal place to rest from the hustle and bustle of the city, offering closeness to nature, landscapes of the Sandomierz region and high-quality local product. We will also go to another vineyard nearby the city to try some other types of wine and regional cheese.

The greatest empire in Renaissance Europe was born in Lublin in Lesser Poland in 1569. The Union of Lublin created the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and Lublin, on the old road from Kraków to Vilnius, was the place where the document was signed. Lublin’s Old Town is guarded by two gates and has a Renaissance castle in its former citadel outside the former walls. On the historic streets are elegant burgher houses, and just below the surface is a system of interconnected cellars with exhibits about the city. On a sadder note, the story of Lublin’s Jewish population is both harrowing and interesting, not least because the city has one of the only complete Nazi death camps. On our tour we will see: - The Lublin Castle and the Czwartek Hill, the cradle of the city of Lublin, and the Church of St. Nicholas. Today the hill is one of the best viewpoints. At his feet, at Ruska Street, there is the Orthodox Cathedral of Transfiguration of the Lord. Before the war, there was Szeroka Street, where the Seer of Lublin, a tzadik and a prophet, were to live. It is said that the shape of the square symbolises his eye (“The Eye of the Tzadik”), and the space around it is Axis Mundi, the Axis of the World. While in the square, it is worth going to the right of the stairs to the plaque commemorating the ghetto functioning here during World War II. - The unique Holy Trinity Chapel with Ruthenian-Byzantine frescoes, as well as the Donjon (castle tower) from the 13th century with a viewpoint over the Old Town are the parts of the castle. The castle is the seat of the National Museum in Lublin. There is also an art gallery here. It is worth seeing the table with the burned devil’s paw, known from the Lublin legend, as well as the painting “Union of Lublin” by Jan Matejko. From the courtyard of the Lublin Castle, you can see the area where the Great Royal Ponds used to be. - The Basilica of the Dominican Order of St. Stanislaus the Bishop and Martyr is an interesting temple for many reasons. Its interior is delightful. 11 chapels, including the Tyszkiewicz family chapel located behind the main altar amaze visitors. We will check out the monastery courtyard and the Treasury, where a collection of vestments and liturgical vessels is kept. It is worth mentioning the role of the Dominican Fathers in the history of Lublin. According to legends, during the fire of Lublin in 1719, they were to set off with the relics of the Holy Cross into the procession, thanks to which the downpour fell on the city and extinguished the fire. - The Old Theatre - One of the oldest theatres in Poland (only to the Old Theater in Krakow is older). It was founded in 1822 and for many years it hosted acting troupes, traveling circuses, and music groups. - Trinitarian Tower - the fact that the tower is the tallest monument in the Old Town gave it the popularity of an excellent viewpoint. The building houses the Archdiocese Museum of Religious Art. Exhibitions are located on the floors, and 208 steps lead to the top. - The House of Words - The Chamber of Printing - the city cultural institution is based in the former Pociej Family Palace. It is a place that cultivates the word, spoken and written, collected in poetry volumes, the press, and on posters. This is where you can learn about underground publications of the communist era. The Chamber of Printing commemorates old printing and bookbinding techniques. - Krakowska Gate - a landmark of Lublin, part of the city walls and the seat of the Museum of the History of the City of Lublin. There is a viewpoint on the fifth floor. - The Supreme Court of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in Lesser Poland. There is a legend that says that Jan Kochanowski, who came to Lublin with the parliamentary initiative, was to die on the stairs. It was also here that the devil’s sentence was passed on the poor widow – the sentence fairer than human, as the legend of the devil’s paw says. Today there are, among others Municipal Registry Office. - The Magician - a sculpture of the outstanding sculptor Jerzy Kędziora provokes people to raise their heads and look at the sky. The Magician Jasza Mazur is the protagonist of Isaac Bashevis Singer’s book “The Magician of Lublin” and a pretext for organizing festivals of the new circus in Lublin (Carnaval Sztukmistrzów, Circulations). - For the finale, we will take part in an extraordinary theatrical experience - the Imaginarium Theater is a story about mysterious and mystical Lublin, which is created by a micro-performance with moving mechanical figures of hundreds of different characters, including kings, knights, monks, inhabitants of the city. And of course - we will try typical local snack, a culinary symbol of the city - cebularz lubelski, a round wheat cake with diced onion and poppy seeds (first baked by Jews from the Lublin Old Town) accompanied by Lublin tripe soup - one of the most unforgettable tastes of this region.

Kazimierz Dolny is an extremely charming town located on the right bank of the Vistula River, in the Lesser Poland Vistula Gorge, in the western part of the Nałęczów Plateau. So much for geography. Because when it comes to less precise indications, Kazimierz Dolny is in the hearts of many tourists, because both the climate and the nooks and crannies of Kazimierz can be madly enchanting. The town is also liked by both artists and tourists who come to visit in droves. Kazimierz Dolny is quite a small town, but due to its rich history, you will find quite a lot of attractions here, both when it comes to the gems of sacral and secular architecture. Life here can be vibrant from early morning until late at night. The medieval cobbled Market Square in Kazimierz Dolny has changed its character over the centuries. Mainly because of the fires that haunted the wooden tenement houses that surrounded it. Only in the 16th century, beautiful Renaissance brick buildings were built here. There are many restaurants and cafes around the square, and the Market Square itself is surrounded by tenement houses on three sides. It is worth remembering that fate was not kind to Kazimierz's architecture, because the demons of war also swept their tails here. We will take a walk around this lovely former "shtetl" including a visit in king's Casimir the Great castle ruins, several art galleries, local bakery famous for producing legendary rooster-shaped bread, and we will also go to see the natural beauty of the Korzeniowy Gorge in Kazimierz. Along its entire length (about 400 meters), tree roots, twisted into various shapes, protrude from the walls, reminiscent of a fairy-tale or Tolkien landscape that looks .

Warsaw is a city with two faces. One is the Old Town, entered on the UNESCO World Heritage List – where the city’s heart has been beating for centuries. However, when you cross the Vistula River and look at the Old Town from a distance, you are struck by how unusual the panorama of the city is – skyscrapers rise above the red roofs of the Old Town. Historical buildings blend in harmoniously with modern architecture, and the city surprises us by revealing its second face. It's a hometown of world-renowned artists and scientists: Frederick Chopin – the greatest Polish composer, Marie Curie-Sklodowska, Nobel-prize winner in physics and chemistry, Tamara de Lempicka, famous and controversial Art Deco painter, and Wladyslaw Szpilman - the Polish-Jewish classical composer who gained international recognition and was brought to the big screen in Roman Polański's film "The Pianist". The city is amazing blend of the past and the future and there are many stops where you will see its complex nature. During our stay we will admire only a small part of what this city has to offer: - the youngest Old Town in the world - Warsaw’s Old Town is the jewel of the capital that delights visitors with its colourful burgher houses and narrow streets. After the Second World War, it was rebuilt by the people of Warsaw based in part on the paintings of Canaletto. It is now on the UNESCO World Heritage List. We pay special attention to: the lively Old Town Square with the Mermaid statue and the Museum of Warsaw, the Renaissance barbican, the 14th-century St. John’s Archcathedral – the place of coronations and marriages of Polish rulers – and the Baroque-Classicist Royal Castle. In front of the Castle's gate we can explore large Castle Square surrounded by colorful tenement houses, restaurants and cafes. Proudly standing in the center of the square, on top of the column, is Sigismund III. Sigismund III was the Polish King who moved the seat of government from Krakow to Warsaw in 1596. Strolling along the streets, enter the New Town Square, where we find a 19th-century iron well with the coat of arms of New Warsaw – a young women with a unicorn. Walking down Freta Street, we'll take a look at the Dominican baroque church of St. Hyacinth, one of the most beautiful sacral buildings in Warsaw - and pay a visit at the Maria Skłodowska-Curie Museum. - one of the most stunning riverside boulevards in Europe - the Vistula river has had a huge impact on the development of the city, and today offers tourists and locals countless attractions. A kilometres-long riverside promenade is a great place for a walk, a bike ride, as well as a night of fun in one of the seasonal clubs operating here. Along the boulevards are gazebos with sun loungers, stone benches and seats made from tree branches. There is also a lookout point and a mini beach with wicker baskets. In such a place, there has to be a place for the symbol of the river and Warsaw – the Mermaid. We'll stop at the monument to take a selfie with her Majesty ;) Right next to the boulevards there are the Copernicus Science Centre, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Multimedia Fountain Park. - The unique Faras Gallery in National Museum - the only permanent exhibition of the largest and most valuable collection in Europe featuring cultural artifacts and artworks from the Christian period in Lower Nubia. Archaeological research in the area of the ancient city of Faras, near the present-day Sudanese-Egyptian border, unearthed the well-preserved ruins of an 8th century cathedral whose walls were adorned with religious-themed paintings created in the 8th to 14th centuries. Today, 67 of the paintings reside in the National Museum in Warsaw alongside other fascinating artefacts from Faras. - The Gallery of Polish design - which shows the numerous approaches to design prevalent throughout the various decades and artistic circles. On display in the modern gallery setting are mass-produced objects, such as popular TV and radio sets, furniture, textiles, and household appliances, as well as outstanding Polish designs that have only ever existed as blueprints, models and prototypes and were never freely available. However, these works testify to the great potential of Polish applied arts. - The city from above - the Palace of Culture and Science. So called "PeKiN" is the tallest building in Poland and a modern icon of the city. The socialist-realist building is visible from almost every corner of the capital and contains theatres, a cinema and museums. From the observation deck on the 30th floor (114 m) you can see panoramic views of Warsaw, including spectacular skyscrapers and both banks of the Vistula. - The Norblin Factory filled with unique history - a neglected pearl of post-industrial architecture for years, now a new part of the city with offices, shops, restaurants, cafes, Food Town, an eco-bazaar, a boutique cinema and an open-air museum commemorating the history of one of the largest industrial enterprises of the former Kingdom of Poland. - The Royal Park Lazienki, where you will find an orangery, an amphitheatre and a Chinese garden. It is worth visiting the classicist Palace on the Island, which displays paintings from the collection of King Stanisław August Poniatowski. - One of the main streets of old Praga - Ząbkowska, often called Praga’s Old Town. The oldest buildings date from the 1860s. During summer weekends, the street turns into a stage for numerous cultural events. We'll take a walk along other streets in Praga where a lot of works of world-renowned street artists adorns the walls of old tenement houses. - In Praga Koneser Centre, in the renovated complex of the 19th-century Koneser vodka distillery, you will find today the Google Campus business centre, designer shops, innovative restaurants and small bars. Visit the multimedia Polish Vodka Museum to learn how the Polish drink is made. - The Neon Museum with its amazing collection located in the post-industrial Soho Factory complex. This is a unique museum with neon signage designed in the 1960s and 70s by Polish visual artists. In the museum you will see dozens of neon signs that once decorated shops, department stores and cafes throughout Poland. You can also see photos from their original locations and learn how they were made. - For the great finale in Warsaw we will go for a ride in classic communist-era vehicle, which many years ago drove through the streets of Polish cities - a legendary Nyska 522 minibus. You will know the history of the symbol of the city, the Palace of Culture and Science; see the utopian architectural ideas of the communist authorities – the Party House of People’s Republic of Poland and the Ministry of Agriculture, and get to know the MDM (Marszałkowska Residential District) designed to fit the communist ideology. At the end, we will visit the only such place in Warsaw – Museum of Life Under Communism. A replica of a real flat, propaganda films screened in a mini cinema hall, a reconstructed communist cafe await you there. We will learn how the inhabitants of Warsaw used to live like…

The last stop of our trip is Kraków again and before we say goodbye, I would like to show you around the former Jewish district - artsy, bohemian, truly unique Kazimierz. Currently, Kazimierz is a mecca and an inseparable destination for tourists staying in Krakow. While walking through the mysterious streets, you can feel the spirit of Krakow's bohemians. It is a place vibrant with cultural life all year round, which brings people together for many reasons: interesting architecture, extraordinary history, klezmer music, and unusual culinary art. In the courtyards and alleys, the atmosphere of the past of Polish Jews has been preserved in many astonishing ways. On the tour, we will see the Kazimierz's Main Market, the former Jewish ghetto, and a few synagogues, which now attract visitors with their unique architecture and diverse interiors (among them the 15th-century Old Synagogue, which is a branch of the Krakow Museum and presents the history and culture of Krakow's Jews in the exhibition). Local cafes and restaurants will be invited to taste local dishes and traditional Jewish cuisine, and it is definitely a must to stop at Nowy Square and taste the famous "zapieksy" (local pizza-like baguettes) with various toppings, supposedly the best in Europe, or maczanka (regional great-grandmother of a burger ;) with a glass of oranżada (popular soft drink) for the great finale of your "Poland for Beginners" trip. The unique vibe of beautiful surroundings, numerous small cafes and eateries, quaint vintage shops, art galleries or bookshops will give you the best memories to take back home and maybe someday come with me for another trip to find more Polish treasures... ;)