12 Days 11 Nights The Passion Play & The Footsteps of Pope John Paul II Tour
Day 1
Warsaw
Upon arrival our escort will meet us at the airport and bring us to our hotel. Mass may be held at St. James Church, the church that St. Faustina attended when she arrived in Warsaw. The rest of the day is at leisure to relax. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Day 2
Warsaw
After breakfast we will visit all the landmarks of Warsaw: Old Town, Market Square, the Barbican, St. John’s Cathedral, Holy Cross Church, Warsaw Ghetto monument, Lazienki Park, the Chopin statue and the magnificently restored Royal Castle. Mass may be held at 3-9 Zytnia Street, where Faustina entered the convent. We will also visit the birthplace of Sister Faustina, Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Day 3
Warsaw / Swinice Warckie / Czestochowa / Auschwitz / Krakow
After breakfast, we will travel to Czestochowa, with a stop in Swinice Warckie, to visit the parish church St Casmir where St. Faustina was baptized Helen Kowalska. Czestochowa is the site of Poland’s greatest pilgrimage shrine, Our Lady of Czestochowa. Visit Jasna Gora Monastery one of the most important places of religious worship in the Christian world, with a tradition of pilgrimage that goes back to the 14th century. The Holy Father John Paul H frequently visited Jasna Gora, known as the Shrine of the Black Madonna in honor of the beloved Icon. We will celebrate Mass at the Pauline Monastery and view the priceless treasures contained within, including the Miraculous Icon. Then travel to Auschwitz, the notorious Nazi concentration camp. We will see the cell that imprisoned St Maximillian Kolbe and the Martyrdom Museum recalling the horrors of the Holocaust. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Day 4
Krakow
After breakfast we will have a city tour focusing on the life of John Paul who spent many years in Krakow. Visit St. Mary’s Church and listen to the silver trumpet of the bugler from its tower. Inside the Cathedral we will have a chance to pray before the extraordinary Wit Stwosz altar. Later take in the surrounding square much of which has remained unchanged for almost 700 years. We will see buildings of historic value such as the Town Hall Tower, the Cloth Hall and the burgher’s houses. Tour the Cathedral, Coronation Chapel and the Royal Chambers, where a superb collection of Arras tapestries is on view. Then visit St. Florian’s Church, where John Paul served after his ordination. We will also visit Jagiellonian University where John Paul studied. Time this afternoon to explore Market Square on our own. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Day 5
Krakow / Wadowice / Budapest
After breakfast, we will travel to Wadowice, the birthplace of Karol Wojtyla (John Paul). Visit the house where he was born, now a museum. We will also visit the church he attended and where he was baptized as a child. Next we will continue on to Budapest. Often compared with Paris, this glamorous city has something to offer every visitor. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Day 6
Budapest
After breakfast we will tour the older section of the city. Celebrate Mass at the 13th-century Cathedral of St Matthew then see the Citadel on Mount Gellert, the Royal Castle, Fisherman’s Bastion, the Parliament, Heroes’ Square and the Basilica exhibition. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Day 7
Budapest / Vienna
After breakfast we will motor through the lush Austrian countryside to Vienna, the country’s capital. En route we will visit Esztergom to discover the Basilica and the Treasury. We will arrive in Vienna with time at leisure to explore in this beautiful city. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Day 8
Vienna
This morning we will celebrate Mass at St Stephens Cathedral, an imposing structure dating to the 13th century. Then take in important buildings along the city’s famed Ringstrasse including the State Opera House en route to the Habsburg’s Schonbrunn Palace. We will explore this sprawling, royal summer house with 1,441 rooms, including a Hall of Mirrors where Mozart performed at the age of six before a young Marie Antoinette. This afternoon visit Melk Abbey and take a scenic Danube cruise. Return to Vienna for dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Day 9
Vienna / Salzburg / Oberammergau
Our morning drive will take us to Salzburg where Mozart was born. Experience this lovely city full of Baroque churches. Continue to Oberammergau for dinner and overnight.
Day 10
Passion Play
The entire day is devoted to attending a performance of the world famous Passion Play, which is held once every ten years in this charming small Bavarian village. Dinner and overnight.
Day 11
Oberammergau / Linderhoff / Munich
Oberammergau / Linderhoff / Munich After breakfast this morning, we will continue to Linderhof – built by mad King Ludwig – a dazzling castle set high in the Bavarian Alps. Our day will finish in Munich, the largest and liveliest city in Bavaria. Our afternoon sightseeing tour of Munich will include well known sights like the gothic Rathaus (town hall) with its famous glockenspiel, the awesome twin-spired Frauenkirche, Marienplatz, the imperial residence, the Alte Pinakothek. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Day 12
Departure
Transfer to the airport for departure flight.