Ultimate Budget City Break: Exploring Southern Poland in 4 Days - UNESCO Sites, Food Tour, and Cable car ride in the Tatras!

"Poland for beginners" is a trip you cannot miss if you come to Lesser Poland district for the first time. As we say here – “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 in just 3 days/4 nights. We will start looking for the 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 (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. :)

In the evening we will go to see and "experience" the former Jewish district - artsy, bohemian, truly unique Kazimierz. A very special place for Krakow's history and culture. Currently, Kazimierz is a mecca and an inseparable destination for tourists staying in the city. While walking down the streets, you can feel Krakow's bohemian nature in the air. The district is 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). 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 come again for more someday... :)

On the next 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 to Wieliczka 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 tour 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 ;)

Zakopane is a beautiful mountain town nestled into the peaks of the Tatra Mountains, the highest mountain range in Poland, which lies 100 km to the South of Krakow. This historic destination is very popular among tourists and well known for its year-round outdoor activities including skiing, hiking, biking, and more! The highest town in Poland has a unique style of architecture that you can observe in many of its homes and buildings. Zakopane style is a display of the connection between the culture of the Polish Highlanders (Górale) and the landscape of the mountainous Podhale region. The highest peak on the Polish side of the Tatras is Rysy at a height of 2,499 m, but we will go by cable car to the top of Mt. Kasprowy Wierch (1,985 m above sea level). From 1910, this area became so popular for ski tourists that an aerial tramway was constructed in 1936 and is now one of the oldest still working in Europe. You will have the greatest views from the top as this is the Tatras National Park, boasting spectacular alpine landscapes with valleys, lakes, and a wide range of vegetation and rare species, including marmots, lynx, golden eagles, and brown bears. The region is not only known for its wild mountainous landscape but also for its deeply embedded folk culture. The Górale are a folk group with their own rich traditions, music, costumes, and cooking. Their typical homes, based loosely on the Podhale hut, have long roofs, with a chalet-like frame and use stone and wood-carved folk decorations. Polish Highlanders are also known for their specific dialect and for cultivating the oldest shepherding practices. When it comes to regional food, the Podhale Region is famous for its traditional specialties: oscypek (a traditional smoked cheese from salted sheep milk that is made in a strict traditional method) and moskole (baked potato pancakes with garlic butter). Oscypek is often served warm and grilled with a side of cranberry jam. You will find many vendors preparing and selling this delicacy on the streets of Zakopane. We will visit many interesting, traditional places in Zakopane: - Krupówki Street - the main street in the heart of Zakopane. This now famous street was once a narrow dirt pathway that served as a commute for local workers. Closed off from cars, today the street is filled with many restaurants, shops, cafes, and street vendors. - The magical cemetery in Pęksowy Brzyzek (founded in 1848) - its name comes from its founder, Jan Pęksa, while in the Highlander dialect, "brzyzek" means a cliff over a stream. From the 1920s, only people of merit for Zakopane, the Tatra Mountains, and Podhale were buried here. The cemetery has about 500 graves. Most of the tombstones are unique works of art, made of wood or metal, carved with Podhale motifs, and painted on glass.

From Zakopane we will come back to Kraków late in the evening to go for the last stroll in this magical royal city before we say goodbye :) I will show you some of the most fascinating places and tell you about their secrets. You will learn old tales of villains, alchemists, queens and kings as well as famous writers and painters who fell in love with this unique atmosphere. We will visit legendary cabaret & cellar bar Piwnica pod Baranami (Cellars Under The Rams) and Jama Michalika (Michalik's Den), the most famous artistic café and restaurant, existing for over a hundred years. It was here that the most outstanding artists of the Belle Époque met and worked, it was here that the first Polish cabaret „Green Balloon” began to exist, and the spirit of the “Young Poland” (Młoda Polska) era was born. You will find the romantic, mysterious, and mystical side of Krakow - the charming alleys of the medieval city's Old Town make it a really different place at night. This walk will be a cherry on our cake! :) From Krakow you will also have the possibility to visit Auschwitz Concentration Camp for a half-day (ca. 6-7 hrs) trip.