Christmas Markets of Poland

Visit Poland

Day 1

Welcome to Warsaw

Welcome to Warsaw, the Polish capital, known for its rebuilt Old Town, grand squares and rich musical heritage.

During the festive season, Christmas markets and illuminated street displays fill the city with lights, music and the scent of spiced treats. After settling into your hotel, meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers, then head out together to enjoy your first dinner in the city.

Day 2

Christmas in Warsaw

Start the day with a sightseeing tour of Warsaw with your Local Specialist, taking in the restored Old Town, the Palace of Culture and Science, the Chopin Memorial and the Ghetto Heroes Monument.

Later, visit the Christmas markets in the Old Town Square, where stalls, decorations and a seasonal light display fill the historic centre. This evening, you can choose to join an Optional Experience to enjoy a live Chopin recital — a chance to hear the music of Poland’s most famous composer performed in the city he once called home.

Day 3

Onwards to Coastal Gdansk

Travel north through farmland and small villages to the historic port city of Gdańsk.

On the way, you’ll stop at a small organic farm for a Be My Guest experience with your host Marcin, who shares his cider and a seasonal lunch made with local ingredients. Continue to the Baltic coast and arrive in Gdańsk, then walk the Christmas markets along the Royal Route on the Long Market, browsing local crafts and tasting winter treats.

Day 4

Christmas in Gdansk

Set out with your Local Specialist to get to know Gdańsk, from its colourful facades to the stories of the shipyards, then visit the European Solidarity Centre to learn about the Solidarity movement and modern Polish history.

In the afternoon you may choose an Optional Experience to Malbork Castle one of the largest brick castles in the world and a stronghold of the Teutonic Knights. If you stay in the city, use your free time to visit a museum, browse amber shops or warm up in a cafe near the Christmas lights. This evening, you could join an Optional Experience dinner to sample local dishes and hear how Gdańsk’s brewing traditions have shaped the beers poured here today.

Day 5

Onto Toruń & Poznan

Stop in Toruń, a UNESCO-listed medieval city on the Vistula founded by Teutonic Knights and known for its Gothic brick architecture.

Join a Local Specialist for a walk through the Old Town, passing the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus and former merchants’ houses. Then visit the Christmas markets to try Toruń’s famous gingerbread before continuing through Greater Poland to Poznań, with its colourful Old Town and Renaissance town hall, where you’ll spend the evening.

Day 6

Christmas in Poznan

Join a Local Specialist to visit Poznań’s cathedral, the oldest in Poland and burial place of the country’s first rulers.

Continue with a walking tour around the Stary Rynek, the Old Market Square, where historic facades frame the Christmas market. Hear the legend of Poznań’s famous goats and spot their symbols around the square. Afterwards, enjoy free time to browse the stalls, visit a museum, warm up with a hot drink or try a St. Martin’s croissant from a local bakery.

Day 7

Onto Lower Silesia & Wroclaw

Join a Local Specialist for a sightseeing tour of Wrocław, taking in the main Market Square, the Gothic Old Town Hall and the neighbouring Salt Square.

Then visit the city’s oldest confectionery for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, where you’ll learn how traditional doughnuts are made and hear how this local shop keeps Wrocław’s sweet-making traditions alive. Later, you’ll head to the Christmas market to browse the stalls and look out for Bolesławiec pottery. This afternoon, you may choose to join an Optional Experience to discover more of Wrocław’s treasures, including the Racławice Panorama.

Day 8

Wroclaw Your Way

Enjoy a full day to explore Wrocław at your own pace.

You might return to the Christmas market for any last-minute gifts, search for the city’s dwarf statues, visit a museum or warm up in a local cafe. You can also consider joining an Optional Experience to Książ Castle and UNESCO-listed Świdnica Church of Peace.

Day 9

Venture to Auschwitz and on to Krakow

Travel to the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum for a guided visit of the former Nazi concentration and extermination camp, preserved as a memorial to the people imprisoned and killed here during the Holocaust.

Afterwards, continue to Kraków, the former royal capital. This evening, you may choose to join an Optional Experience to a local restaurant for a farmhouse-style dinner with traditional food, live music and polka dancing.

Day 10

Christmas in Krakow

Begin the day with an Optional Experience to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, exploring its underground chapels and carved salt chambers.

Later, join a Local Specialist for a tour of Kraków, visiting the Royal Castle and Cathedral on Wawel Hill. Continue on foot through the Old Town to see Kraków’s szopki nativity scenes, the Cloth Hall and St. Mary’s Church. You’ll then have time at the Christmas market in the Main Market Square, your final chance to pick up gifts and Polish souvenirs. This evening, share dinner with your Travel Director and fellow travellers and raise a glass to your Christmas markets journey through Poland.

Day 11

Farewell Krakow

Bid farewell to Kraków, your Travel Director and fellow travellers after your festive journey through Poland’s Christmas markets.

Dining Summary

4 Dinner (D)

10 Breakfast (B)

1 Lunch (L)

Be My Guest

Gdańsk: Meet Marcin at his family-run farm on the edge of Warmia and Mazury. Sip dry cider pressed from orchard apples before sitting down to lunch made with organic greens, slow-cooked Mangalica pork and local cheese. Learn how the farm’s certified organic methods support sustainable growing, from raspberries to cereals and free-range hens.

Iconic Experience

Gdańsk: Spend the day exploring Gdansk, one of the oldest cities in Poland.

Gdańsk: Gain incredible insights into a turbulent time in Poland's history and the importance of freedom, citizenship, democracy and solidarity at the state-of-the-art European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk.

Toruń: Discover Toruń on a guided city tour with a Local Specialist, exploring its UNESCO-listed Old Town and Gothic brick streets along the Vistula. See the house linked with Nicolaus Copernicus and former merchants’ homes, then learn why the city is famous for its spiced gingerbread, still sold in shops and stalls around the historic centre.

Poznan: Discover Poznań on a guided city tour with a Local Specialist, from Cathedral Island and Poland’s oldest cathedral to the cobbled lanes of the Old Town. Step into Stary Rynek to see the Renaissance town hall and hear the story of the city’s goats that appear above the square’s clock tower.

Wrocław: Discover the rich history of the city of Wroclaw. 

Auschwitz: Bear witness to the horrors/atrocities of the Holocaust at Auschwitz.

Kraków: Walk around the beautiful town square, Rynek Glówny. See the famous Sukiennice Cloth Hall, St. Mary's Basilica and the many historic townhouses, palaces and churches.

MAKE TRAVEL MATTER®

Wrocław: Visit one of the last bakeries to make handmade Polish doughnuts, with traditional flavours like lavender and rose petals. Your visit directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

Must-see Highlights

Explore Warsaw, Gdańsk, Poznan, Lower Silesia, Wroclaw and Kraków

Visit the Old Town in Warsaw, the European Solidarity Centre, the UNESCO World Heritage town of Toruń, the Cloth Hall and St. Mary's Church, the Royal Castle and Cathedral on Wawel Hill in Kraków and the former concentration camp of Auschwitz.

View Salt Square and the Old Town Hall in Wroclaw, the Old Market Square in Poznan and Kraków’s szopki nativity scenes

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