Eastern Europe
Sample Itinerary
Day 1: Depart USA
Our spiritual pilgrimage begins today as we board our transatlantic flight to Warsaw. Meals and refreshments will be served aloft.
Day 2: Arrive Warsaw
Upon arrival in Warsaw we will be met at the airport and then transfer to our hotel. After Mass, the remainder of the day is free to recover from our flight and explore the city on our own.
Day 3: Warsaw
We will begin our day with Mass at St. Stanislaw Kostka Church, where the martyred Solidarity priest Father Popieluszko worked and is buried. Then enjoy a full day tour of Warsaw including visits to the Cathedral of St. John, the Royal Castle, the Old Town Square, the Barbican and City Walls, and Zygmunt’s Column. Then follow the Royal Route to Lazienki Park where we will see the Palace on the Water.
Day 4: Warsaw / Krakow
Depart Warsaw this morning and drive to Czestochowa which is the most popular pilgrimage site in Poland. Here we will visit the Jasna Gora Monastery where we will the Treasury, the Knight’s Hall, the Refectory and the Basilica of the Holy Cross and the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. The highlight of our visit will be a viewing of the famous icon of the Black Madonna to which miraculous powers are attributed. After Mass proceed to Krakow, our home for the next four nights.
Day 5: Krakow
Proceed to Wawel Hill and celebrate Mass at the Cathedral of St. Stanislaw, Poland’s second most important pilgrimage shrine. Then visit the Wawel Royal Castle which is one of the most beautiful Renaissance residences in central Europe. Continue to Krakow’s Old Town to see the main Market Square, the Church of St. Mary, Cloth Hall, City Hall Tower, Kanonicza Street where Pope John Paul II resided while living in Krakow and the Collegium Maius where he was a student.
Day 6: Krakow
This morning we will visit the Divine Mercy Shrine in Lagiewniki, where Saint Faustina, the Apostle of Divine Mercy, lived and died. Enjoy a guided tour of the shrine and celebrate Mass at the Chapel of Relics. Then drive to the Wieliczka to visit Europe’s oldest salt mine which has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The mines are a unique place where many generations of Polish miners have created a world of underground chambers and decorated chapels carved out of salt including the famous Chapel of St. Kinga.
Day 7: Krakow
This morning we will visit Kalwaria Zebrzydowska which was a popular pilgrimage place for Pope John Paul II when he was a young man and where in the 17th century the Palatine of Krakow founded a Franciscan Monastery. On the slope of the hill and the valley is an architectural ‘Way of the Cross’ made up of 40 chapels set on the surrounding hills. After Mass we will drive to Wadowice to visit the birthplace of Pope John Paul II and his childhood home which is now a museum and the Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary where he was baptized. Next we will visit the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz where millions were killed during World War II including St. Maximillian Kolbe who starved after volunteering his life for that of a fellow prisoner.
Day 8: Krakow / Prague
Depart Krakow this morning and cross the border from Poland into the Czech Republic. Continue on to Velehrad to visit the Basilica of the Assumption of Mary at St. Cyrilus and Methodius which is dedicated to two missionaries from Byzantium, “Cyril and Methodius”, who brought Christianity to the Czech lands.We will then proceed to the Czech capital of Prague, one of Europe’s most attractive cities.
Day 9: Prague
We will start the day with a visit to the Loreto Shrine, one of the most important pilgrimage shrines in the Czech Republic. Then visit Prague Castle where we will visit St. Vitus Cathedral, St. George’s Basilica, the picturesque Golden Lane, the Royal Palace and St. George’s Convent. Then proceed to Mala Strana, “the Little Quarter”, with its beautiful architectural buildings. Here we will visit the Church of St. Nicholas and then the Church of Our Lady Victorious where we will see the famous statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague and celebrate Mass.
Day 10: Prague
This morning we will cross the beautiful Charles Bridge to visit the Old Town which is considered to be one of the best historical city centers in Europe. Visit the Old Town Square, the Town Hall with its famous Astronomical Clock which comes alive when the hour strikes and the twelve disciples appear to bless the crowd, the Church of Our Lady before Tyn, and the Church of St. Nicholas.
Day 11: Prague / Vienna
Depart Prague this morning and take a scenic ride through the countryside to Cesky Krumlov and enjoy a walking tour of this beautiful Renaissance town. Then continue our drive into Austria until reaching the imperial city of Vienna.
Day 12: Vienna
Our tour of Vienna includes visits to the Town Hall, the State Opera House, Belvedere Palace which is the former residence of the Prince of Savoy, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, St. Charles Church, Hofburg Palace, the Kaisergruft and the magnificent Schoenbrunn Palace with its 1,400 elaborately decorated rooms and gardens.
Day 13: Vienna / U.S.A.
Transfer to the airport to catch our return flight home.
The above itinerary is only a small taste of what we have to offer.
Customized itineraries and competitive quotations will be furnished upon request.