Christmas period is magical for most of us but it is even more enchanting in historical Old Towns with Christmas markets in the main touristic routes. Immerse yourself in beautiful Christmas decorations, lights, scents of orange, ginger and fir trees. Taste traditional Polish mouthwatering delicacies of Christmas Eve dinner and learn how to prepare traditional Polish "pierogi" dumplings. Stroll along streets of Kraków's Old Town to purchase amazing Christmas gifts in good prices. Discover unique Polish Christmas traditions and ways of celebrating this world favourite winter holidays in one of the most popular Polish agglomerations.
3 days / 2 nights
HB (2 breakfasts, 2 dinners)
December
1 city
10-500
Calm
Up to 30 days*
Arrival. Meet & greet at the airport, transfer to your hotel, check-in. 4 h sightseeing of Warsaw with a guide. Entrance to viewing deck of Palace of Culture and Science. Pierogi workshops and dinner with Polish Christmas delicacies in one of the Old Town restaurants. Return to your hotel.
Warsaw is the capital of Poland and the largest city in the country in which about 2 million people live. Warsaw's Old Town is a real pearl of the capital. Enlisted at the UNESCO World Heritage List, delights with colourful tenements and the unique atmosphere of narrow streets. On the Old Town Square you will meet the Mermaid - the official symbol of the city. You'll see the Barbican and the bell on Kanona Street. You can also visit the Royal Castle, the former home of Polish rulers. Here it is possible to see the ro...
Palace of Culture and Science (Polish: Pałac Kultury i Nauki) in Warsaw is just a 30-minute walk from the Royal Castle. The Palace was built in 3 years by 3,500 Russian workers as a gift from Joseph Stalin. Since it was finished in 1955 is has been the tallest building in Poland, its spire reaches 237 metres and the viewing terrace on the 30 floor (114m.) allows you to admire Warsaw from above. The Palace of Culture and Science has 3288 rooms, including Congress Hall which seats 3,000 people, a museum of technology, ...
Dumplings are one of the most popular Polish traditional dishes. You can taste them in almost all restaurants. As they are so tasty, why don’t you learn how to make them? Dumplings are known since the 13th century, there are numerous recipes for the dough and feelings that make this dish as versatile as Italian pasta. The dumplings workshop is also connected with various dumplings tasting where the best well known dumplings just must appear: with meat, cabbage and potato filling. The participants can observe and perf...
Meal on Christmas Eve the 24th of December is Christmas dinner that should start traditionally when the first star appears on the sky. All family gathers together then and first reads the gospel about the birth of Christ and then family members share special Christmas wafer and give each other best wishes. Then they sit by the table which has white table cloth and underneath it there is some straw. On the table there are always 12 dishes. Traditionally these are lent dishes, so no meat allowed. The main dishes are fi...
Things you may not have known about Polish Christmas: 1. The most important day for us is the 24th of December – Christmas Eve. 2. We spend three days of Christmas with our families mainly at Christmas feasts (24th-26th of December). 3. Polish children find their presents under Christmas trees on 24th of December after festive dinner. Sometimes even Santa Claus brings them himself! In the south of Poland children also receive gifts from Baby Jesus or an angel. 4. We start celebrating main Christmas feast when the fi...
Breakfast. Transfer to Wilanów Palace and gardens, sightseeing with a guide. Transfer to Warsaw's Barbican and Christmas market. Free time in the afternoon to stroll along Christmas shops and stalls. Dinner with traditional Christmas sweets in one of the Old Town restaurants.
The Wilanów palace, together with its garden, is one of the most beautiful objects of its type in Poland. Baroque palace and the meticulously designed surrounding gardens, situated at the end of the Royal Road and built for the king John III Sobieski, are filled with Polish as well as European culture. Wilanów hosts many exhibitions and concerts, including the International Summer Early Music Academy. The Wilanów palace also houses one Poland’s first ever museums, established in 1805.
Christmas sweets are gingerbread cookies which should be prepared about 2-3 weeks before Christmas. On Christmas Eve dinner table we find poppy seed rolls and all kinds of cakes with poppy seed as according to tradition, eating poppy seed cakes brings luck for the whole next year. Apart from these two sweets we will also find gingerbread cake with chocolate coating glaze, nut gateau, dry fruit cakes and honey cakes. Therefore, even though you don’t find Christmas pudding in Poland, you won’t definitely miss it.
Christmas fairs in Poland became wide-spread. We encounter such small Christmas shop gatherings in majority of bigger Polish towns and cities. Usually they start at the beginning of December before St. Nicholas day on the 6th of December, when children find some small presents in their shoes. At main market squares in towns and cities we will find stalls with gifts and Christmas delicacies. Focal points are usually massive municipal Christmas trees and nativity sheds with live sheep and donkeys which are usually crow...
Breakfast. Free time in the morning for your own exploration and shopping or optional trip. Teransfer to the airport. Departure.
Local guide for meet & greet at the airport and sightseeing
Viewing deck of Palace of Culture and Science, Pierogi workshops, Wilanów Palace and gardens
Coach
Airport and hotel for sightseeing trips
Hotel, airport for departure
English, German, Norwegian, French, Spanish, Italian and others on request
City break
Złote Tarasy is a very good idea. It is in the very heart of the city centre just by the Palace of Culture and Science and is really popular among tourists and locals.
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