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Sample Itinerary
Day 1
Depart for Warsaw Day 2 Welcome to Warsaw! We'll arrange for a driver to meet you at the airport and take you to your accommodation in the city center. Please note that only those participants arriving on August 7th will have transportation to the hotel included in the price. Those who plan to arrive earlier than August 7 will need us to arrange transportation to the hotel and book an extra day(s) at the hotel at your cost. Day 3 In the morning you’ll explore Warsaw's history, culture, architecture, and more with an expert local guide on this 3 hour private tour, as we experience the city's most important historical sites, from the Royal Castle and Old Town, to the Palace on the Isle, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Warsaw can be sprawling, so you'll save plenty of time and energy by traveling aboard a minibus. After your city tour, you will enjoy a welcome lunch at a restaurant which serves delicious Polish cuisine! It will definitely be an unforgettable welcome to Warsaw. Please note that alcoholic drinks are not included. In the afternoon, your guide will take you to the Warsaw Uprising Museum where an English speaking guide will explain the details of the uprising. You will learn about how it went, day by day, see how the soldiers lived and how they communicated. (You will even be able to walk through the artificially made canals to see how they had moved around the city). You will hear many emotional stories that will break your heart but you'll see how significant this uprising was to Polish history and the Polish nation and how proud they are even if the outcome was not favorable. Dinner at a local restaurant. This impressive restaurant makes it an ideal location for meetings of family and close friends. It will certainly give you a taste of traditional Polish hospitality. Please note that alcoholic drinks are not included. Day 4 In the morning you will have a 4-hour Private Cooking Class. This activity is an ideal proposition if you are interested in improving your culinary skills while learning about local cultures. You are going to discover that cooking is neither boring nor difficult, and it is a great way for people to mingle. We want you to become as passionate as we are about food, and of course to have fun all the way through! Lunch will be at the Private Cooking Class, enjoying the fruits of your labor. Afternoon visit to Warsaw’s famous food markets: Hala Mirowska and BioBazar. Then it’s time to do some shopping! Our guide will take you to Cepelia for Polish arts and handicrafts as well as to Boleslawiec Pottery stores. Your dinner tonight will be at Stary Dom Restaurant. In 2016, the restaurant received the Slow Food Poland recommendation, appreciating the diligence in the selection of regional products and care for local suppliers. Please note that alcoholic drinks are not included. Day 5 Today you're off to Krakow, after your private driver picks you up at your accommodations. Along the way you will stop in the town of Czestochowa to see the famous Jasna Gora Monastery. There's a special atmosphere here that you can't help but notice, and with an experienced local guide, you'll have special insight into this remarkable destination. Lunch will be in Czestochowa at a local restaurant, on the way to Krakow. Please note that alcoholic drinks are not included. When you arrive in Krakow, your driver will bring you straight to your centrally located accommodation. Our representative will then meet with you to answer any questions you have and to get you settled for the rest of your trip. You will enjoy dinner in Krakow at one of the best restaurants on the Main Square that serves Polish cuisine with a modern twist. Please note that alcoholic drinks are not included. Day 6 This morning you’ll be getting a feel for the history of the city with a 3-hour private tour with a local expert. There's much to discover as you walk the famed Royal Route through the city's heart on this tour, filled to the brim with historical facts and anecdotes. You'll wander from the Barbican and St. Florian's Gate to the spectacular hilltop royal Wawel Castle, visiting the Main Square with its Cloth Hall and St. Mary's Basilica along the way. The excursion will finish at the Jewish Quarter. After discovering the fascinating history of Krakow and the Market Square, you will be joined by our expert guide to learn more about the cuisine in Krakow on a 4-hour Private Food Tasting Tour. You will have a chance to try Polish dishes that are inevitably connected with the country's folklore, history and culture. During the tour, your guide will share with you all the intriguing tales and anecdotes related to Polish cuisine and visit local markets such as Hala Targowa and Stary Kleparz. Dinner will be on your own, if you are still hungry. You’ll be eating all afternoon. Day 7 Here's an excursion for anyone interested in learning more about World War II. The Auschwitz-Birkenau complex was established in 1940 and throughout the five years of its inglorious operation over 1.5 million Jews, Poles, Italians and Frenchman perished here. The museum was founded in 1947, combining the area of KL Auschwitz (Auschwitz I) in Oswiecim and the Birkenau camp (Auschwitz II) in Brzezinka. It comprises approximately 150 buildings and 300 ruins. The original roads, fences, watchtowers and railway ramps have been preserved, and the buildings house the collection of original exhibits and documents. After the tour, before heading back to Krakow, your guide will take you for lunch in a local restaurant. Please note that alcoholic drinks are not included. Duration of tour and lunch is 6 hours. DINNER: on your own. Day 8 This morning you’ll have a 4-hour private tour of the Wieliczka Salt Mine. Prepare to be amazed at the devotion that drove miners to carve figures, monuments and altar pieces into the walls of an 800-year old salt mine. This underground world has earned a place on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list. As you descend 360 of the tour's total 800 steps into the salt mine*, you'll feel like you're entering a vast underground city complete with huge caverns and underground lakes, 135 meters beneath the surface. One of the most unique aspects is the largest underground chapel, devoted to Saint Kinga, a Hungarian princess who is said to have spurned a marriage proposal by the Polish king by tossing his engagement ring into a salt mine in Transylvania. (*Everyone rides up on an elevator.) After the Salt Mine tour, you will enjoy a lunch at a local restaurant. Please note that alcoholic drinks are not included. In the afternoon you will have a 3.5 hour Cooking Class with a local home cook to get an inside guide to cooking Polish food. There's no better way to get in touch with Poland's rich culinary traditions. You will learn how to make the classic pierogi, which are constructed from thin circles of pasta dough topped on one side with sweet or savory fillings, then folded in half, sealed at the edges and boiled. You will enjoy those delicious pierogi for dinner on this day! Day 9 Today an exciting day is ahead for you. Our driver will pick you up from your accommodation in Krakow and take you to Rybna for a 3-hour visit to the fascinating Jura Vineyard. You will enjoy a vineyard tour with the winemaker and the owner, as well as have a tasting of 5 wines (white, sparkling and red). With wine you will be served local dry sausage, cheeses, bread and spring water. For those of you who are still hungry, before the afternoon tour our guide can take you to Plac Nowy in Kazimierz for local fast food called "Zapiekanka." This is a baguette with mushrooms and cheese baked in the oven. You can each personally choose the toppings you want and the sauces. In the afternoon you’ll have a 3-hour Private Tour of the Ghetto and Schindler's Factory with an expert local guide, who will give you an immersion into Krakow's Jewish culture, centering around the tragic events of World War II. From the Jewish Ghetto to Schindler's Factory, you'll see all of the most significant sites of Jewish history here. Along the way your guide will answer your questions and tell you everything you need to know about the life, times and tragedies of the Jewish people in Krakow. At the end of the tour you’ll have a pleasant stroll back to the city center. Dinner will be at Pod Aniolami Restaurant. You will be able to try some authentic traditional Polish food in the 13th century Gothic cellar interiors, surrounded by candle lights. Please note that alcoholic drinks are not included. Day 10 Off to the mountains today! Your private driver will pick you up from your accommodation based on your chosen departure time. Then you'll head south to the town of Zakopane in the Tatra mountains. Your driver will take you directly to your accommodation upon arrival in Zakopane to drop off suitcases and continue on to lunch. Lunch at STRH Bistro Art Cafe. This place offers amazing views of Krupowki Street, the heart of Zakopane, as well as the surrounding mountains. Please note that alcoholic drinks are not included. After lunch, it's time for sightseeing! Zakopane, known as the "Winter Capital of Poland" is a delightful town situated at the foot of the grandiose Tatra mountains. Through centuries this region attracted the most prominent Polish artists, writers, poets, painters, musicians and composers. It is a place where culture meets nature. Get to know this unique place during a 4-hour private walking tour. The guide will pick you up from your hotel or the lunch restaurant if you prefer. This private walking tour includes the Gubalowka Funicular Ride and Oscypek Cheese Tasting. In the evening, we have a special treat. You will dine at the best traditional highlander restaurant in Zakopane with live music and an amazing atmosphere. Please note that alcoholic drinks are not included. Day 11 Zakopane has much more to offer beyond its main promenade, Krupowki Street. Your guide will take you to the upper part of Zakopane where a very exciting cable car trip to Mount Kasprowy awaits you! After getting to the very top, enjoy amazing views of the Polish High Tatra Mountain peaks and the whole Podhale region. Duration 4 hours. During your tour you will enjoy lunch on top of the mountain. Your guide will bring you back to your hotel. After your mountain tour, it's time to relax and enjoy your last afternoon in Poland, and have time to get organized for your trip home. As a farewell dinner, we will arrange an unforgettable evening at Goralska Tradycja where you will be able to taste some more local specialties. Day 12 Today a driver will pick you up from your accommodations in Zakopane and take you to Krakow's airport, with plenty of time remaining before the flight departs. The journey takes about two hours. Please note that only those participants departing on August 17th will have transportation to the airport included in the price. Those who plan to depart on different dates will need us to arrange transportation to the airport and any extra nights at the hotel at your cost. End of program. Accommodation and arranged sightseeing are subject to change at any time due to unforeseen circumstances or circumstances beyond Eat Smart Culinary Travel's control. |
Join culinary experts Joan Peterson and Susan Chwae and experience a culinary and cultural adventure in Poland, which is designed for the discriminating traveler who enjoys the artistry of food and meeting welcoming and friendly people. Poland is among today's most fascinating travel destinations. If you have ever had it on your list of travel destinations, this is the time and the tour.
But it’s not all about food. We’ll see the major tourist sights in and around Warsaw, Krakow, and Zakopane. And, we’ll still have time to shop and relax along the way. 
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FOR A MINIMUM / MAXIMUM OF 12 PARTICIPANTS
Price and Final Itinerary to be determined.
Payment: A non-refundable* deposit of 25% will be required upon booking. Once your deposit has been received, you will receive a Reservation Packet to fill out and return. *Your deposit is refundable until the tour fills and the deposits have been sent to our Polish tour operator.
Final Payment: Due 60 days prior to departure.
Cancellation and Refund: If a written or faxed notice of cancellation is received from passenger 60 days or more prior to departure, all advance payments, minus any expenses, including the non-refundable deposit, incurred by Eat Smart Culinary Travel or the Tour Operator, will be refunded. If cancellation is made 59 – 1 days before departure, the cancellation charge is 100% of the tour cost.
Price and Final Itinerary to be determined.
Payment: A non-refundable* deposit of 25% will be required upon booking. Once your deposit has been received, you will receive a Reservation Packet to fill out and return. *Your deposit is refundable until the tour fills and the deposits have been sent to our Polish tour operator.
Final Payment: Due 60 days prior to departure.
Cancellation and Refund: If a written or faxed notice of cancellation is received from passenger 60 days or more prior to departure, all advance payments, minus any expenses, including the non-refundable deposit, incurred by Eat Smart Culinary Travel or the Tour Operator, will be refunded. If cancellation is made 59 – 1 days before departure, the cancellation charge is 100% of the tour cost.
DETAILS:
The Package Includes:
Services not included:
Note: We will be on walking tours in the historic cities and some of the hotels do not have elevators, so walking and climbing stairs will be part of the tour.
The Package Includes:
- Accommodations - including breakfast
- All airport transfers (airport transfers are not included for participants whose arrival or departure days are different then specified on the itinerary)
- Land transportation by air-conditioned vehicle
- Entrance fees to museums and historical sites
- All lunches and dinners, unless specified
- Bottled water (available on the motor coach and at lunch and dinner)
- Copy of 'Eat Smart in Poland' by Joan Peterson
Services not included:
- International flights for the participants - group airfare will be available for purchase
- Trip insurance - available for purchase
- Tourist Visa
- Beverages during lunch and dinner
- Tips for porters, waitstaff, driver and local guides; option to pre-pay tips will be available.
Note: We will be on walking tours in the historic cities and some of the hotels do not have elevators, so walking and climbing stairs will be part of the tour.
ACCOMMODATIONS (Subject to change)
Accommodation and arranged sightseeing are subject to change at any time due to unforeseen circumstances or circumstances beyond Eat Smart Culinary Travel's (ESCT) control. Every effort will be made to operate tours as planned, but alterations may occur after the final itinerary has been issued. ESCT also reserves the right to withdraw a tour or any part of it, to make such alterations to the itinerary or the tour inclusions as it deems necessary or desirable, and to pass on to tour members any expenditures or losses caused by delays or events beyond its control. In case of any appreciable variation in the tour price due to these circumstances, ESCT reserves the right to make adjustments to the tour costs as necessary. Specific requests should be advised at time of booking. Please note that every effort will be made to secure special requests, however; they cannot be guaranteed.
Joan Peterson, co-leader - Joan Peterson received her Ph.D. in Cell Biology/Electron Microscopy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 1993 she began a second career. She started a publishing company, Ginkgo Press, and created the EAT SMART series of guidebooks designed for travelers and cookbook lovers. To date she has written or co-written 11 of the 14 available culinary guidebooks (Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia, Mexico, Poland, Morocco, Sicily, India, Peru, Norway, and Portugal). She has traveled extensively for many years, and leads culinary tours to Turkey, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Morocco, Norway, Peru, Portugal, and Sicily.
Susan Chwae, host - Joan Peterson's business partner and daughter, Susan has a degree in Graphic Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the Marketing Director and technical advisor for Ginkgo Press and the EAT SMART series. Since 1997 she has provided all creative and marketing support for the EAT SMART guidebooks and the website. She has been assisting Joan or leading her own Culinary Tours since 2005.
This tour is in partner with:
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