SHRINES OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

Arrival in Munich, the capital and largest city of the German state of Bavaria, on the banks of River Isar.

The name of the city is derived from the old German term Munichen, meaning "by the monks". It refers to the monks of the Benedictine Order who founded a monastery at the place where the Old Town of Munich would later develop.

One of the highlight is The Residenz (palace) situated in city’s centre. It used to be the castle of the Bavarian dukes, princes, and kings. Another of Munich’s favourite attraction is Nymphenburg Palace - the baroque palace in the west part of Munich. It was the summer residence of the Bavarian monarchs. Munich is home to many major universities, museums and theatres.

Accommodation: 4* Hotel in the centre in Munich

We will transfer from Munich to the fairy-tale Castle of Neuschwanstein in the Bavarian Alps, with its instantly recognisable silhouette of turrets and pinnacles. Transfer to the picturesque Alpine village of Oberammergau, which is famous for the Oberammergau Passion Play, which the inhabitants of the village have performed every ten years since 1634.

Accommodation: Hotel in Oberammergau Village
 

Transfer to the town of Altötting, which lies in the heart of Bavaria. It is often called the “Lourdes of Germany” due to the thousands of pilgrims coming here every year in search of healing. From this place, we will continue to the fourth largest city in Austria – Salzburg.

Accommodation: 4* Hotel in the centre of Salzburg

 

Salzburg (UNESCO World Heritage Site) is sometimes called the “Rome of the north” because of its many Baroque buildings. The city has a long and rich history and is one of the most famous and visited places in Europe.  Outstanding sights include the Romanesque Cathedral, the Nonnberg Convent of Benedictine nuns, the Hohensalzburg Fortress and the Hellbrunn Palace. Our sightseeing tour also includes  the Mirabelle Palace, Residence Square, Mozart Square and Wolfgang Mozart’s birthplace at No. 9 Getridegasse Street....all these are the highlights of Salzburg. We will take the Sound of Music Tour by coach and on foot, which includes historical centre and the places where the famous movie was shot.

Accommodation: 4* Hotel in the centre of Salzburg

After the breakfast we will leave Salzburg for Vienna.  We will admire St Stephen's Cathedral - a world-famous church monument and a focal point of Austrian heritage founded in 1147 and the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna.  The historic centre is rich in architecture with the Baroque castles and beautiful gardens. We will also see the monumental Parliament building, the City Hall, State Opera House, the Holy Trinity Column, St Peters church, the royal Hofburg and the Votive Kirche, where we will celebrate Holy Mass.
Accommodation: 4* Hotel in the centre of Vienna
 

After breakfast, we have some time to stroll around the centre and maybe to stop for a nice cup of coffee… In the afternoon, we will travel by coach to the capital of Hungary, Budapest.

Accommodation: 3*/4* hotel in the centre of Budapest
 
 

During the city tour in Budapest, our local guide will bring us to both sides of the city:  Buda and Pest. First we will visit the Buda Castle area with the Church of our Lady, popularly known as the Mathias church, and view the panorama of the city from the Fisherman's Bastion. Our tour will continue to other famous places: Heroes Square, Citadel and the most important church in Budapest, the Basilica of St Stephen. The church is named after Saint Stephen I of Hungary, the first King of Hungary (c. 975–1038), whose "incorruptible" right hand is said to be housed in the reliquary. This makes it Hungary’s most sacred church, and it is also the third tallest church in the country.

Accommodation: 3*/4* hotel in the centre of Budapest
 

Transfer to Northern Slovakia.  We will visit Levoca, an old medieval town in northern Slovakia - one of the pearls of Slovak culture and architecture, where the tallest wooden altar in the world can be seen in the admirable Late Gothic church of St. Jacob, before checking into hotel for our night’s rest. Our hotel is located in the tiny, walled town of Spisska Kapitula, which it the seat of the Spis Bishop and is also known as the “Slovak Vatican”. It will become clear why when your visit.

Accommodation: 3*hotel in Spisska Kapitula
 

Transfer to Krakow. On the way, we will visit the world-famous salt mine at Wieliczka and in Krakow, we take a short sightseeing tour of the city centre. In the famous salt mines Wieliczka we will explore the chapels, cathedrals and statues (including a statue of Pope John Paul II) which have been carved out of the salt a few hundred meters underground. Here we will also have lunch and celebrate Holy Mass in the underground chapel.
After visiting Wieliczka we will proceed to Krakow.

Accommodation:  3* hotel in Krakow, Lagiewniki
 

In the morning, we will visit one of the most important places for Poland’s sense of national identity, Wawel Castle including the Wawel Cathedral, which has been the scene of many coronations, funerals and burials of Poland’s monarchs. The future Pope John Paul II, Karol Wojtyla, was ordained in the crypt of the cathedral and celebrated his first Mass here. During our sightseeing, we will also admire many other interesting sites of the historic city of Krakow (UNESCO heritage Site) such as the Florian Gate, Grodzka Street, Old Market Square, Kazimierz, the former Jewish ghetto, St Mary’s church - the best example of the 14th century Gothic art in Poland.

We will spend afternoon visiting one of the most important pilgrimage places in Europe - Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Lagiewniki, where Our Lord appeared to St Faustina. We will also celebrate Holy Mass in one of the chapels here.

Accommodation: 3* hotel in the centre of Krakow, Lagiewniki

In the morning, we will head to Wadowice – the birthplace of our late beloved Pope John Paul II.  We will visit his old parish church and his home. We can taste kremowka papieska, a favourite cake of Pope John Paul II. in a café close to the church.
From Wadowice we continue to Auschwitz, where we will visit both Nazi concentration camps (Auschwitz and Birkenau). We will see the cell where St. Maximiian Kolbe lived after being sentenced to death by starvation. Pope John Paul II declared him a martyr of charity.
Transfer to Czestochowa

Accommodation: 3* hotel in Czestochowa
 

In the morning we will walk up to the ‘Jasna Gora’ (Bright Hill) Monastery to venerate the ‘Black Madonna’ - the icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa that was brought to the village in the late 14^th century.

We will celebrate the Holy Mass in the Basilica of the Holy Cross and the Nativity of Mary, which houses the holy icon. We will also have lunch in the monastery refectory.
From Czestochova we will continue the journey to North Moravia´s most beautiful town - Olomouc. Olomouc used to be the Moravian capital for ages. It has been the seat of the metropolitan archbishop of Moravia since 1777. It is a youthful, laid-back university town with splendid historical architecture. Legend says it was founded by Julius Caesar.
Accommodation: 3* hotel, Olomouc
 

In the morning we will walk around the historical centre. From Olomouc we will drive to one of the oldest Czech cities -  Kutna Hora. This medieval Silver Mining Town is also famous for several beautiful churches, one of the most important of which is St Barbara’s Cathedral. Visiting Kutna Hora we cannot omit the small but famous village of Sedlec with its spectacular ossuary. Then we will move on to the capital city – Prague. 
Accommodation: 4* hotel in Prague
 

We will start our sightseeing in “The city of hundred towers”- Prague by visiting the castle. This is practically a city within the city from the tiny houses of its famous Golden Street to the soaring spires of the Gothic St Vitus Cathedral. One of the important pilgrimage destinations in Prague is the Loreto – a Baroque sacral complex.
In the evening we will taste the typical Czech dinner in a monastery brewery (Czech beer is very famous and it is an important part of the Czech culture. It was closely associated with monasteries in past).
Accommodation: 4* hotel in the centre of Prague 

The Golden city of Prague belongs amongst the jewels of Central Europe and is famous for its Gothic and Baroque architecture, many historic sites but also the holy places: the Church of Our Lady Victorious housing the statue known as the Infant Jesus of Prague. While walking across the oldest of the Prague’s bridges, the Charles Bridge (14th century) you can buy typical souvenirs or watch the Vltava River flow by. We will continue to the Old Town square with the famous 14th century Tyn Cathedral and the Prague Astronomical Clock. Our walking tour will end at the large Wenceslas Square.
We will celebrate the Holy Mass today at the Church of Our Lady Victorious.

Accommodation: 4* hotel in Prague centre

 

• Prague - Departure