This 7-day holiday covers Poland's two great cities, with flights included into Kraków and home from Warsaw. You spend four nights in central Kraków, travel to Warsaw by train, and finish with two nights in the capital. Hotels are central three-star properties with breakfast every morning.

Kraków was the seat of Polish kings for centuries, and its medieval Old Town survived the war largely intact. A guided walking tour of about two hours takes you around Rynek Główny, one of the largest medieval squares in Europe, and the Sukiennice Cloth Hall at its centre, now a covered market with an art gallery upstairs. You also see St Mary's (Mariacki) Church, with its carved wooden altarpiece, and the university district. In your free time you could visit Wawel Castle, walk the defensive walls by the Barbican and St Florian's Gate, or explore Kazimierz, the historic Jewish quarter, with its cafés and synagogues.

Trip highlights

Kraków's Old Town

a guided walk around Rynek Główny, the Sukiennice Cloth Hall and St Mary's Church (Day 2)
Wawel Castle and the Kazimierz Jewish quarter in your free time (Days 2–4)
Auschwitz-Birkenau

a guided visit to the memorial and museum (Day 3)
Optional trip to the UNESCO-listed Wieliczka Salt Mine and its chapel carved from salt (Day 4)
By train from Kraków to Warsaw (Day 5)
Warsaw

the rebuilt Old Town, Wilanów Palace, the Palace of Culture and Science and the Uprising Monument (Day 6)

Map of the 7-day holiday from Kraków, with a day visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau, to Warsaw by train — 7-day route: Kraków – Auschwitz-Birkenau – Kraków – Warsaw (train)

Kraków Days 1–4
Auschwitz-Birkenau Day 3
Warsaw Days 5–6

This short holiday pairs Kraków's medieval Old Town with Warsaw, the rebuilt capital, and includes a guided visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Flights, central hotels, the train between the cities and guided tours of both are arranged, with free time to explore on your own.

Best suited to

Travellers interested in European and Second World War history
City lovers who want two capitals of Polish culture in one week
Travellers who like flights and transfers arranged from a UK airport
Anyone comfortable walking on cobbles and uneven ground

Day 1 · Kraków Fly to Kraków

Fly to Kraków, meet your tour leader and transfer to your central hotel, about 45 minutes. After check-in, you could take a first walk into the Old Town or find a café or cellar bar. Kraków is lively in the evening, with restaurants serving Polish, Jewish and international food.

Hotel
Wyspiański Hotel or similar
Day 2 · Kraków, Rynek Główny, Sukiennice, St Mary's Church Kraków city tour

A guided tour, mostly on foot, explores the city of Polish kings and the former home of Pope John Paul II. It centres on Rynek Główny, one of Europe's largest medieval squares, and the Sukiennice Cloth Hall, now a covered market with a gallery upstairs. You also see St Mary's Church and its carved altarpiece, and the university district. In your free time you could visit Wawel Castle, the Czartoryski Palace or the Barbican.

Hotel
Wyspiański Hotel or similar

Meals
Breakfast
Day 3 · Auschwitz-Birkenau, Kraków Auschwitz-Birkenau

Visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial and museum, about 70 kilometres south-west of Kraków, touring the buildings of the former camp, many left as they were found in 1945. The visit involves about 4 miles of walking on uneven ground. Back in the city, you could explore Kazimierz or the Pharmacy Under the Eagle museum in Podgórze, the district of the wartime ghetto.

Hotel
Wyspiański Hotel or similar

Meals
Breakfast
Day 4 · Kraków, Wieliczka Free day or Wieliczka Salt Mine

A free day in Kraków, or join the optional excursion to the UNESCO-listed Wieliczka Salt Mine, first worked a thousand years ago. The route covers about two and a quarter miles and 800 steps down, passing a full-size chapel carved from salt and a vast underground hall. You return to the surface by lift.

Hotel
Wyspiański Hotel or similar

Meals
Breakfast
Day 5 · Warsaw By train to Warsaw

Take the train north to Warsaw, Poland's capital, where local representatives meet you. The rest of the day is free to settle in and explore the city centre around your hotel.

Hotel
Hotel MDM or similar

Meals
Breakfast
Day 6 · Warsaw, Wilanów Palace, Palace of Culture and Science Warsaw city tour

A guided tour takes you around Warsaw's Old Town, rebuilt after the Second World War, and to Wilanów Palace, the Palace of Culture and Science and the Warsaw Uprising Monument. The rest of the day is free.

Hotel
Hotel MDM or similar

Meals
Breakfast
Day 7 · Warsaw Fly home from Warsaw

After breakfast, check out and transfer to Warsaw airport for your flight home. Transfers may be shared with other travellers, so you may leave the hotel up to three hours before your flight.

Meals
Breakfast

Kraków (4 nights) Wyspiański Hotel or similar
Warsaw (2 nights) Hotel MDM or similar

Hotel names are indicative and may be replaced with a property of similar standard and location.

Included

Flights to Kraków and home from Warsaw, from a choice of UK airports
Accommodation — 6 nights' bed and breakfast in three-star hotels 4 in Kraków and 2 in Warsaw
Meals 6 breakfasts
Transport train from Kraków to Warsaw, and airport transfers on arrival and departure
Guided tours Kraków city tour, Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial and museum, and Warsaw city tour
Tour leader on Days 1–4, with local representatives on Days 5–7
All local taxes, fees and charges

Not included

The optional Wieliczka Salt Mine excursion
Lunches and dinners
Travel insurance, visas and personal spending

Honest disclaimer — please read

You need step-free access — the Auschwitz visit covers about 4 miles of uneven ground with steps, and the salt mine has 800 steps
You want a tour leader throughout — local representatives take over from Day 5
You want lunches and dinners included — breakfast only
You want to see rural Poland — this is a two-city holiday

FCDO advice UK FCDO travel advice for Poland