12-Day Private Package Journey
Kraków, Zakopane, Warsaw, Toruń & Gdańsk
Tour Overview
This is the complete Poland — twelve days moving from the medieval south to the Baltic north, with every major region and cultural chapter along the way. Kraków's Renaissance castle and underground salt mines, the Tatra Mountains where highland shepherds still make cheese over open fires, Warsaw's extraordinary post-war rebirth, the Gothic birthplace of Copernicus in Toruń, and Gdańsk's Hanseatic waterfront where the Solidarity movement began the end of communism. The route follows the natural north-south axis of Polish geography: from the Carpathian foothills through the central plains to the Baltic coast, revealing how dramatically the landscape, food, architecture, and temperament shift across a country that most travelers underestimate. This is the trip for someone who wants the full story.
Detailed Itinerary
Every day is designed with breathing room. Sleep in, take a detour, linger at lunch — the itinerary flexes around you, not the other way around.
Day 1
The medieval city that survived intact.
Private transfer from Kraków Airport. Afternoon at leisure in the Main Market Square — the largest medieval square in Europe, with the Cloth Hall and St. Mary's Basilica. Welcome dinner at a modern Polish restaurant in the Old Town.
Day 2
Eight centuries of Polish monarchy.
Full-day private tour with a medieval historian. Morning on Wawel Hill: the Royal Castle, Cathedral, and Sigismund Chapel. Afternoon through the Old Town: the underground museum, St. Mary's Basilica, and the Jagiellonian University where Copernicus studied. Evening in Kazimierz for dinner.
Day 3
Salt chapels, Jewish heritage, and wartime Kraków.
Morning at the Wieliczka Salt Mine with a private geologist — the Chapel of St. Kinga, underground lakes, and salt-crystal chandeliers. Afternoon in Kazimierz: the Old Synagogue, Remuh Cemetery, Galicia Jewish Museum, and Schindler's Factory. Free evening in Kraków.
Day 4
South to the mountains and highland Poland.
Transfer to Zakopane (2 hours). The town sits at 800 metres at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. Afternoon walk through the wooden villa streets, the old cemetery, and the Jaszczurówka Chapel. Evening highland dinner: oscypek cheese, lamb stew, and live góral music.
Day 5
Granite peaks, glacial lakes, and shepherd's huts.
Full day with a highland guide. Hike to Morskie Oko — the largest Tatra lake in a glacial cirque at 1,395 metres — or the gentler Dolina Strążyska valley. Midday stop at a shepherd's hut for oscypek cheese-making. Afternoon: Gubałówka funicular or thermal springs in Bukowina Tatrzańska.
Day 6
North to the capital that rebuilt itself from rubble.
Transfer to Kraków, then express train to Warsaw (total 5 hours). Afternoon arrival. Evening orientation walk through the Old Town Market Square — the city centre rebuilt stone by stone from 18th-century paintings after 85% wartime destruction. Dinner at leisure.
Day 7
From Castle Square to the Palace on the Isle.
Morning walking tour with a private guide: the Royal Castle (rebuilt from original blueprints and salvaged fragments), Castle Square, and the Royal Route south through Krakowskie Przedmieście. Łazienki Park — the 76-hectare royal garden with the Palace on the Isle, the Chopin Monument, and the resident peacocks. Afternoon: the Copernicus Science Centre or free time for exploring.
Day 8
A thousand years of Jewish history and the city across the river.
Morning at the POLIN Museum — the European Museum of the Year, built on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto. The Ghetto Heroes Monument, Umschlagplatz memorial, and the remaining ghetto wall fragments. Afternoon across the Vistula to Praga — the district that survived the war because the Soviets waited on the east bank. The Neon Museum, Ząbkowska Street, and the Różycki Bazaar. Evening dinner at a Warsaw restaurant.
Day 9
The Gothic birthplace of Copernicus.
Transfer northwest to Toruń (3 hours). The Old Town is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Poland — UNESCO-listed, with Gothic brick merchant houses, a town hall from 1274, and the house where Nicolaus Copernicus was born in 1473. Your private guide walks you through the Old Town, the Copernicus Museum, and the Cathedral of St. John. Then the gingerbread: Toruń has been making pierniki (spiced gingerbread) since the 14th century. A private workshop at a traditional bakery lets you shape and bake your own using medieval moulds. Continue north to Gdańsk.
Day 10
Hanseatic splendour and the shipyard that changed Europe.
Full-day tour of Gdańsk. Morning: the Long Market, St. Mary's Church (tower climb), the Great Armoury, and the Golden Gate. Afternoon: the European Solidarity Centre at the former Lenin Shipyard. Your guide lived through the era. Then to Mariacka Street for the Amber Museum and a private jeweler workshop. Evening walk along the Motława waterfront.
Day 11
Beach resort, modernist port, and the world's largest brick castle.
Morning to Malbork Castle (1 hour) — the Teutonic Knights' 21-hectare fortress, UNESCO-listed, with a private military historian. Afternoon in the Tri-City: Sopot's wooden pier, the Grand Hotel, and Gdynia's Emigration Museum. Return to Gdańsk for a farewell dinner — the best Baltic seafood the coast can offer.
Day 12
Transfer to Gdańsk Airport.
Final breakfast on the Motława waterfront. Private transfer to Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport. For travelers extending, we arrange connections to the Słowiński dunes, the Masurian Lakes, or a ferry to Scandinavia.
Where You'll Stay
We choose properties for character, location, and the kind of service that makes you feel looked after — not just checked in. Every hotel can be swapped for an alternative if you prefer.
4–5★ hotel
Old Town
Steps from the Main Market Square and Wawel Hill
Highland lodge
Town centre
Traditional wooden lodge with Tatra Mountain views
4–5★ hotel
City centre
Walking distance to Old Town and the Royal Route
4–5★ hotel
Old Town
On or near the Motława River waterfront
Hotels shown are indicative of the standard we book. Upon request, we will provide a detailed itinerary with specific hotel options tailored to your preferences and budget.
What's in the Price
Good to Know
Make It Yours
Every trip is different. These extras can be woven into your itinerary — just let your travel specialist know what catches your eye.
Guided visit to the memorial and museum from Kraków. Recommended for ages 14+
From €85 pp
Hot spring pools with panoramic Tatra views — perfect after a hiking day
From €35 pp
Day trip from Gdańsk to the shifting sand dunes of the Baltic coast — a surreal landscape of moving desert meeting the sea
From €95 pp
"Twelve days and we still didn't want to leave. The range of what Poland offers is extraordinary — from the Tatra Mountains to Toruń's medieval gingerbread workshops to Gdańsk's waterfront at sunset. Every day was different. This was the most complete journey we've taken in Europe."
Richard & Elaine P.
Toronto, Canada · Epic Poland, May 2025
Common Questions
Not at all. Poland is a large country with dramatic regional differences. Twelve days lets you experience the medieval south, the Tatra Mountains, the capital, a Gothic Hanseatic detour in Toruń, and the Baltic coast without rushing. Most guests tell us they could have stayed longer.
Most days involve easy city walking. The Tatra Mountains day (Day 5) is the most physical — 8–12 km with 400–600m elevation gain — but we offer gentler valley alternatives. The rest of the trip requires no special fitness.
Yes. The most common edits are removing Zakopane (saves 2 days) or Toruń (saves 1 day). Our Best of Poland 9-day itinerary covers Kraków, Warsaw and Gdańsk without the mountains or Toruń.
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Private Package Journey
12 days / 11 nights
From €3,890
per person
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