Individual Sign-Up: Pilgrimage to Poland September 3-12, 2027

Arrive in Warsaw and meet your escort for a assisted transfer to the hotel. After check-in and a short rest, set out for an orientation walk through the Old Town: enter Castle Square to admire the Royal Castle and the Column of King Sigismund III Vasa. Make a brief stop at St. John’s Cathedral, then continue into the Market Square, lined with restaurants, cafés, and souvenir shops. Cross the Barbican into the New Town, noting its smaller square, historic buildings, and churches. In the evening, drive to St. Kostka Church to attend Mass. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight. Overnight: Warsaw (Dinner)

After breakfast, depart Warsaw for Częstochowa with pilgrim visits along the way. Begin at Niepokalanów, the monastery founded by St. Maximilian Kolbe, for a brief visit and time for prayer. Continue to Szymanów to visit the Monastery of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, where pilgrims honor the miraculous statue of Our Lady of Jazłowiec. Proceed to Płock, where in 1931 Jesus appeared to St. Faustina with the Divine Mercy message for all humanity; here she was asked to have the image painted bearing the inscription, “Jesus, I trust in You.” Travel on to Głogowiec, St. Faustina’s birthplace, and then to Świnice, where she was baptized in the local parish church. Arrive in Częstochowa for hotel check-in and dinner.  Overnight: Częstochowa (Breakfast, Dinner)

Begin the morning at Jasna Góra Monastery, the spiritual heart of Poland: venerate the miraculous Black Madonna and visit the Treasury Room, home to centuries of votive offerings. Continue by coach toward Zakopane, pausing in Piekary Śląskie on the northern rim of the Upper Silesian Basin. Here the centuries-old devotion to the Mother of God centers on the revered image of the Piekary Mother of God, long acclaimed for remarkable graces. On Cerekwica Hill, walk the Piekary Calvary, a late-19th-century devotional complex of 39 chapels culminating at the Church of the Transfiguration. Proceed to Oświęcim to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau, the former Nazi concentration and extermination camp, now the Oświęcim State Museum; pay respects at the cell where St. Maximilian Kolbe gave his life in sacrificial love. Conclude the day with a scenic drive to Zakopane for hotel check-in and dinner. Overnight: Zakopane (Dinner)

Wake to the beauty of Poland’s premier mountain resort, nestled at the foot of the Tatras. Begin with a brief walk along one of Pope John Paul II’s favorite local trails, taking in sweeping views of the country’s highest peaks. Visit the Hermitage of St. Brother Albert, founder of the Albertines; the 1898 structure was built by Brother Albert and his first monks to a design by Stanislaw Witkiewicz and under his personal supervision. Continue to the charming wooden Jaszczurowka Chapel, then to the sanctuary dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima—raised in thanksgiving after Pope John Paul II was shot in Rome in 1981. This evening, enjoy dinner with folklore entertainment at one of the Bakowa Zohylina highlanders’ inns.  Overnight: Zakopane (Breakfast, Dinner)

Depart Zakopane after breakfast, bound for Krakow with meaningful stops en route. In Wadowice, birthplace of Karol Wojtyła (St. John Paul II), visit his family home and the parish church he attended as a child. Continue to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, set amid the rolling hills of the Wadowice Upland: behold the monastery of the Bernardine Fathers with its early-Baroque Church of the Angelic Mother of God, then walk portions of the renowned Calvary paths—a network of churches, chapels, and wayside shrines. Learn how the brotherhood was founded in 1613, and how the image of the Mother of God with Child (the “Weeping Madonna”) was recognized by Church authorities in 1658 as “famous for miracles,” making Kalwaria the second most-visited sanctuary in Poland. Make a short stop in Tyniec to view the Benedictine Abbey perched dramatically on cliffs above the Vistula River—the order’s first home in Poland since the late 11th century. Arrive in Krakow and enjoy dinner at a restaurant beautifully situated in the Old Town. Overnight: Krakow (Breakfast, Dinner)

In the morning, drive to Łagiewniki to visit the St. Faustina Convent (Divine Mercy Sanctuary), with time for prayer and reflection. In the afternoon, continue to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, an underground world hewn from salt: walk through its ornate chambers, admire glittering chandeliers and monuments carved by generations of Polish miners, and conclude at the breathtaking St. Kinga Chapel. Return to Krakow for the evening.  Overnight: Krakow

Begin your morning exploring Poland’s former royal capital, a city where more than 3,000 historic buildings from many eras still grace the streets—and where Polish kings were crowned and laid to rest. Step into the vast Main Market Square, one of medieval Europe’s largest, framed by noble palaces and townhouses. Admire the Cloth Hall, whose double row of 13th-century merchants’ stalls was later transformed into a Renaissance arcade. Stroll along Floriańska Street to the Florian Gate and the Barbican, evocative remnants of Krakow’s old fortifications. Enter St. Mary’s Church, honored by generations of Krakow’s citizens and known for the noon hejnal bugle call. Here, marvel at Wit Stwosz’s (Veit Stoss’s) late-medieval masterpiece (1477–1489): the great altarpiece depicting the Death and Assumption of Mary, with the wings showing the Coronation of Mary surrounded by St. Stanislaus and St. Adalbert. Continue to Wawel Castle, once the royal residence and today one of Poland’s most treasured museums, home to thousands of artworks including the famed Arras tapestries. Then visit the interiors of Wawel Cathedral, the historic setting of royal coronations and a revered burial place of Polish monarchs. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure to explore Krakow on your own. In the evening, dine at a local restaurant. Overnight: Krakow (Dinner)

Depart Krakow in the morning for Warsaw, pausing in the small pilgrimage town of Studzianna, renowned for its monastery and church displaying a copy of Jacques Callot’s “The Holy Family’s Meal,” long associated with reported miracles and warm local hospitality. The priest will welcome the group, show the church, and invite you for tea/coffee with cake and fruit within the monastery. Continue to Warsaw for hotel check-in and time to relax. In the afternoon, follow the elegant Royal Route, lined with historic palaces, churches, and residences. Make a brief stop at Holy Cross Church, where Frédéric Chopin’s heart rests, brought from Paris. Drive along Warsaw’s most storied streets to Royal Łazienki Park to see the iconic Chopin Monument and the luminous Palace on the Water, the summer residence of the last Polish king, Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski. This evening, enjoy a private Chopin recital in one of Warsaw’s historic interiors, with a glass of champagne served during the interval. Conclude with a farewell dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight: Warsaw (Breakfast, Farewell Dinner)