Join Nancy and Bill Bandzuch on a Pilgrimage to Poland. This trip will visit Krakow, Zakopane, Czestochowa, Wadowice, and much more!
Nancy and Bill Bandzuch from Catholic Sprouts and a Christian guide will meet your party at the airport and accompany you every step of the way as you explore Krakow, Zakopane, Czestochowa and much more.
Nancy Bandzuch is the founder of Catholic Sprouts, a ministry that helps parents share the Catholic faith with their children, and Bill joins her in family pilgrimage ministry. Together they host Select family pilgrimages, including journeys to Italy and Poland built around prayer, learning, and family connection.
See the official trip information for gratuities, shipping and handling, payment fees, and any optional-extension charges.
Depart on an overnight flight to Krakow. Dinner and breakfast are served on the flight. Quotes for add-on domestic flights and for optional Premium Economy and Business Class upgrades are available upon request, starting 120 days before departure. Group air restrictions (for 10 or more passengers traveling together) do not permit specific seating requests. We recommend purchasing your own airline tickets and booking the Land Only package if seat confirmation is important for you. Should you require any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact your trip Account Manager, who will be happy to assist you.
Welcome to Poland! We are met by our tour director and transferred to the mountainous area of Zakopane. We celebrate Mass in the Church of Our Lady Queen of the World, and then enjoy the rest of the day at leisure, hiking or exploring the town as we acclimate to the new time zone. Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Zakopane.
Following breakfast, which is included each morning, we make our way to the Sanctuary of the Holy Virgin of Fatima, a chapel constructed in 1999 in gratitude for Pope John Paul II’s survival from an assassination attempt. Here we celebrate Mass. Then enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. We continue our tour with a cable car ride to Gubalowla for a stunning view of the Tatra Mountains. Return to Zakopane for a folklore show and dinner accompanied by wine at a local restaurant. Overnight in Zakopane. (B.L. Special dinner)
After breakfast, we depart for rafting on the Dunajec River – a slow boat ride of about 1 hour. Then have some free time for lunch before we depart for Krakow. In the afternoon, we take part in a 1-hour pretzel-making workshop where we learn the technique behind making the Polish pretzels called Obwarzanek. Mass will be celebrated. Dinner and overnight in Krakow.
After breakfast, we depart for Częstochowa. This holy site in central Poland houses the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, also known as Our Lady of Jasna Góra. Tradition tells us that Saint Luke painted the icon on a tablet manufactured by Saint Joseph for the Holy Family that was taken from Jerusalem to Constantinople and given to Princess Anna, wife of Vladimir of Kyiv. The icon is known as the Black Madonna because the faces and hands of the Virgin and Child are dark. The Polish people love her, and St. John Paul II entrusted his pontificate to Mary as Our Lady of Czestochowa, under the motto “Totus Tuus.” During our visit, we see the Treasury, the Knight’s Hall, the Refectory, the Basilica of the Holy Cross, and the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. We celebrate Mass before departing for Kraków. Dinner and overnight in Kraków.
This morning, we visit Wadowice, the hometown of Pope St. John Paul II, and tour his childhood home, now a museum. We celebrate Mass in the Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary, where he was baptized. Lunch is at leisure. Perhaps enjoy a taste of the Saint’s favorite cake, kremowka! In the afternoon, we return to Krakow and visit the underground museum of Polish Royal History and the preserved medieval streets and relics at the Rynek Underground. In the evening, we have a one-hour cruise on the Vistula River where we see Krakow from the water. Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Krakow.
This morning we drive to Wieliczka to visit Europe’s oldest salt mine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The mines are a unique place where generations of Polish miners have created a world of underground chambers and decorated chapels carved from salt, including the famous Chapel of St. Kinga. We wander through the underground salt labyrinth, exploring the mysterious and raw chambers around the oldest preserved Regis Shaft. Fun tasks await us, such as searching for salt, testing the air in the mine, and finding the right route underground (for ages 12 years and older). After lunch, we tour Kraków, including Wawel Royal Castle (exterior view) and the Wawel Cathedral (including the Sigismund Bell), one of central Europe’s most beautiful Renaissance residences. We visit the famous Dragon of Krakow and check if he is still living in his cave next to the Castle. Continue to Kraków’s Old Town to see the main Market Square, St. Mary’s Church, Cloth Hall, and City Hall Tower. Our guide shares many legends and interesting stories about life in Krakow years ago. We celebrate Mass in the city center. Dinner is at leisure to experience one of the many local restaurants. Overnight in Kraków.
Today, we visit Auschwitz. In this Nazi concentration camp, St. Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein) faced martyrdom, and St. Maximilian Kolbe died in the Death Block from starvation after volunteering his life for that of a fellow prisoner. For families not wishing to visit Auschwitz, an alternative option is to visit the nearby Energylandia, one of Europe’s largest amusement parks, offering over 130 attractions across 43 hectares, including Extreme, Family, and Water Park zones. Open seasonally (April–September), it features record-breaking rollercoasters like Zadra and Hyperion. Amusement park tickets ($69.00 per person) are not included in the package price. Following Mass, we return to Kraków for an afternoon of leisure. You may wish to visit the historic Jewish Ghetto of Krakow. Dinner is at leisure. Overnight in Krakow.
This morning, we depart for Lagiewniki, the capital of the Divine Mercy, where we see St. Faustina’s convent chapel and her tomb. Our host is one of the sisters who will show us around the shrine and introduce us to the Sisters of Divine Mercy. At the Shrine, the message of the Divine Mercy originated, which Christ himself wished to pass on to our generation through the mediation of St. Faustina. The Sanctuary houses the grace-working image of the Merciful Jesus and the relics of St. Faustina. In the afternoon, we visit the Shrine of Divinity, dedicated by Pope St. John Paul II on his last visit to Poland in 2002. We celebrate Mass at the Shrine. Next, we visit the nearby St. John Paul II Have No Fear Center. Tonight we enjoy a festive farewell dinner with a show at a local restaurant, featuring music and Polish folk dancing. Overnight in Kraków. (B.Special dinner)
Today marks the end of our pilgrimage. We say farewell to a country and a trip that will last in our memories forever, as we are transferred to the airport for our return flights.
Base Price. Main trip package.
Solo Room (Additional Charge). Additional supplement.
Discount for children 3-12 in the room with parents is. Brochure-listed discount.
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