Scenic Ukraine & Poland Tour - 10 nights/11 days, June - August

Day 1 (Wednesday): Arrival Kiev

Arrival in Kiev, optional transfer to Hotel Park Inn Kyiv**** or similar, check-in, welcome meeting.

Day 2 (Thursday): Kiev
Founded in the late 9thcentury Kyiv is one of the oldest cities of Europe and the cradle of Slavic civilization andOrthodox Christianity. The morning sightseeing tour introduces us to the historic city and all its treasures includingSt. Vladimir’s Cathedral, Golden Gates, St. Sophia Cathedral, St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery, which wereach by cable car, Independence Square, Opera House and St. Andrew’s Cathedral. The afternoon is reserved foran optional excursion to the world famous Cave Monastery featuring amazing architectural monuments, rangingfrom bell towers to cathedrals to underground cave systems and strong stonefortification walls. In the eveningenjoy an optional dinner with folklore music at Restaurant Opanas.

Day 3 (Friday): Kiev
The morning offers an optional excursion to the large Pirogovo Ethnographic Open Air Museum, where farmsteads,wooden churches, windmills and village architecture from all regions of the large country will bring us back to theatmosphere of 18thand 19th century rural Ukraine. In the afternoon is offered an optional visit to St. Sophia’sCathedral and the National History Museum. The St. Sophia Cathedral - built in 11th century – is an UNESCOheritage monastery complex with unique ancient frescoes. The visit includes also Bell Tower, Monks Refectory andMetropolite House. We proceed to the National Historical Museum with over 800 thousand unique exhibits relatedto the history and culture of Ukraine.

Day 4 (Saturday): Kiev-Lviv
The early morning is reserved for an optional visit to the unique Chernobyl Museum dedicated to the 1986Chernobyl disaster, which also signalled the beginning of the end of Soviet Ukraine. In the afternoon we go to therailway station to board the modern high-speed train bound for Lviv. Upon arrival in the evening to Lviv, transfer toHotel Dnister**** or similar, check in.

Day 5 (Sunday): Lviv

Lviv is known as the centre of West-Ukraine, which was never incorporated into imperial Russia but was a part theHabsburg Empire. Even Lviv has had an enthralling and violent history it still has a unique old-world charm. Themorning sightseeing tour takes us to Lviv Old Town - a complex of stone buildings from the 14th-16th century – andincludes the Market Square with Town Hall, Black Stone Building, Opera Square, Kornyakt Palace, MedievalPharmacy-Museum, Armenian Cathedral, Dominical and Bernardine cathedrals and the beautiful Boim Chapel. Inthe afternoon is offered an optional Lviv Beer Tour. We will have an opportunity to learn how craft beer is brewedand to taste it, and during the tour we will travel from an old monastery of the 17th century to a modern beer brewery.

Day 6 (Monday): Lviv
The full day optional tour today takes us to castles around Lviv: Olesko Castle dating back to 13th century and theresidence of Polish Kings, like Jan Sobieski. The castle features a magnificent collection of old furniture andpaintings, a nice park and a museum with beautiful pieces of jewellery, and Zolochiv Palace - the jewel of defensivearchitecture, built in 17thcentury. Over centuries the palace served as fortress and royal residence. In the courtyardwe find Grand Palace and Chinese Palace. In the evening enjoy an optional Carpathian farewell dinner atRestaurant Trout, Bread and Wine with its highlight dish- Carpathian trout.

Day 7 (Tuesday): Lviv – Krakow

In the morning we are taken to Lviv Railway Station. Here we depart with the modern intercity train bound for thePolish city Przemysl to catch our connection further on to Krakow. The scenic train ride takes us through themountainous and forested Polish Sub-Carpathian province before we reach Krakow in early afternoon. Upon arrivalwe are transferred to Hotel Novotel Centrum Krakow**** or similar, check in.

Day 8 (Wednesday): Krakow
For half a millennium Krakow was the royal capital of Poland and for centuries the city walls have guarded itstraditions and secrets. The morning sightseeing tour takes us to the Old Town with the St. Mary’s Church, theJagiellonian University, the Cloth Halls and Wawel with the Wawel Castle and the Wawel Cathedral. The afternoonoffers an optional excursion to the famous Wieliczka Salt Mine, an amazing labyrinth of tunnels going down as faras 327 meters. The evening offers an optional Polish dinner at Restaurant Hawelka.

Day 9 (Thursday): Krakow-Warsaw
We leave for Czestochowa, the spiritual heart of Poland, where we visit the Jasna Gora Monastery with the BlackMadonna. Through the flat low-laying plain of Central Poland we reach Warsaw in the early afternoon. Check-in atHotel Mercure Centrum Warsaw**** or similar.

Day 10 (Friday): Warsaw
Warsaw is essentially a post-war city with a meticulously reconstructed Old Town. The morning sightseeing tourincludes the Royal Route and the Old Town with the Royal Castle, St John’s Cathedral, the Old Town MarketSquare and the Barbican. In the afternoon is offered an optional excursion to the Royal Lazienki Park with thePalace on the Water. The evening offers an optional Polish dinner at Restaurant Dawne Smaki.

Day 11 (Saturday): Warsaw Departure
Optional transfer to the airport.