Can we add Auschwitz-Birkenau to this itinerary?

Yes. Oświęcim is 66 km west of Kraków (about 75 minutes by private car). We can add a guided memorial visit on one of the free afternoons. We recommend this for travelers aged 14 and above.

What happens after I request this trip?

You'll complete a short planning form. A specialist responds within one business day with a personalised proposal and exact pricing. No obligation.

6-Day Private Package Journey

Kraków & Southern Poland

Kraków, Wieliczka & the Wooden Trail

Available as Private Semi-Private Self-Guided

From €1,690 per person 6 days / 5 nights

View Itinerary

Tour Overview

6 days across Poland.

Six days based entirely in Kraków — the city that has enough depth to hold your attention for a week without repeating itself. This is not a highlights reel but a slow immersion: Wawel Castle with a historian who knows the dynasty tree by heart, the Wieliczka Salt Mine with a geologist who explains the Miocene sea, the painted village of Zalipie where folk art covers every surface, and the Jewish quarter of Kazimierz where Spielberg filmed and where the best restaurants in Kraków now operate. The tour is designed for travelers who prefer depth over distance — one base, no packing and unpacking, and the freedom to return to your favourite café every evening.

Detailed Itinerary

Your journey, day by day.

Every day is designed with breathing room. Sleep in, take a detour, linger at lunch — the itinerary flexes around you, not the other way around.

Day 1

Kraków: Arrival

Check in and let the Old Town introduce itself.

Private transfer from Kraków Airport to your boutique hotel in the Old Town. The rest of the day is yours: the Main Market Square, the Cloth Hall, the Planty gardens. Welcome dinner at a restaurant in the Old Town that serves traditional Polish cuisine with a modern sensibility.

Private airport transfer
Main Market Square orientation
Welcome dinner in the Old Town

Meals: Dinner 4–5★ boutique hotel, Kraków Old Town

Day 2

Wawel Castle & the Royal Mile

Eight centuries of Polish monarchy on one limestone hill.

Full morning on Wawel Hill with a private medieval historian. The Royal Castle State Rooms with their Renaissance tapestry collection (one of the finest in Europe), the Royal Private Apartments, the cathedral where every Polish king from 1320 to 1764 was crowned, and the Sigismund Chapel — called the finest example of Tuscan Renaissance architecture outside Italy. Afternoon walk down the Royal Mile from Wawel to the Main Market Square: the churches, the university buildings (the Jagiellonian University, founded 1364, where Copernicus studied), and the hidden courtyards that most visitors walk past.

Wawel Castle with a medieval historian
Cathedral and Sigismund Chapel
Royal Mile walking tour
Jagiellonian University courtyards

Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ boutique hotel, Kraków Old Town

Day 3

Wieliczka Salt Mine

A subterranean world carved by miners over seven centuries.

Morning drive to Wieliczka (20 minutes). Private tour of the salt mine with a geologist guide — the tourist route descends to 135 metres through chambers, chapels, and underground lakes carved from rock salt. The Chapel of St. Kinga at 101 metres depth — a full-sized church with chandeliers, altarpieces, and floor tiles, all carved from salt — is the highlight. Afternoon back in Kraków: Schindler's Factory museum, which documents the city under occupation from 1939–1945 through one of Europe's most immersive museum installations. Evening at leisure.

Wieliczka Salt Mine with a geologist
Chapel of St. Kinga
Schindler's Factory museum
Free evening in Kraków

Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ boutique hotel, Kraków Old Town

Day 4

Kazimierz & Jewish Kraków

The quarter that was its own city for 400 years.

Kazimierz was founded as a separate city in 1335 and became the centre of Jewish life in Kraków from the 15th century onward. Your private guide walks you through the Old Synagogue (1407), the Remuh Synagogue and Cemetery (Renaissance-era tombstones), the Galicia Jewish Museum, and the streets where Steven Spielberg filmed Schindler's List in 1993. The afternoon belongs to modern Kazimierz: the galleries, the vintage shops, the courtyard restaurants, and the craft cocktail bars that have made it the most vibrant neighbourhood in Kraków. This is where the city's creative energy lives now.

Old Synagogue and Remuh Cemetery
Galicia Jewish Museum
Schindler's List filming locations
Modern Kazimierz galleries and restaurants

Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ boutique hotel, Kraków Old Town

Day 5

Zalipie: The Painted Village

Where every house is a canvas and folk art is alive.

Day trip east to Zalipie (90 minutes) — the village where, for over a century, women have painted floral patterns on every available surface: house walls, fences, chicken coops, wells, even the interior of the fire station. The tradition began as soot-covering in smoke-filled cottages and evolved into a competitive art form with an annual painting competition held since 1948. Visit the Felicja Curyłowa House Museum (the most elaborately painted house, preserved as a monument), meet a local painter, and try your hand at the Zalipie floral style. Return to Kraków via the Małopolska countryside. Farewell dinner at a Kraków restaurant of your choosing.

Zalipie painted village
Felicja Curyłowa House Museum
Folk painting workshop with a local artist
Farewell dinner in Kraków

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner 4–5★ boutique hotel, Kraków Old Town

Day 6

Departure

Transfer to Kraków Airport.

Final breakfast in the Old Town. Private transfer to Kraków Airport. For travelers extending, we can arrange connections to Zakopane and the Tatras, or onward to Warsaw.

Private airport transfer
Optional extension to the Tatras or Warsaw

Meals: Breakfast

Where You'll Stay

Hand-picked hotels, every night.

We choose properties for character, location, and the kind of service that makes you feel looked after — not just checked in. Every hotel can be swapped for an alternative if you prefer.

Kraków

5 nights

4–5★ boutique hotel

Old Town

Single base — no packing and unpacking, walking distance to everything

Hotels shown are indicative of the standard we book. Upon request, we will provide a detailed itinerary with specific hotel options tailored to your preferences and budget.

What's in the Price

Included

5 nights in a 4–5★ Kraków boutique hotel
Daily breakfast
Private airport transfers
All day-trip transfers by private vehicle
Kraków private historian guide (Wawel, Old Town, Royal Mile)
Kazimierz private guide (Jewish Quarter)
Wieliczka Salt Mine private geologist guide and entry
Schindler's Factory museum entry
Zalipie village visit and folk painting workshop
All entrance fees for guided visits
2 signature dinners
24/7 travel specialist support

Not Included

International flights
Travel insurance
Meals not listed in the itinerary
Personal expenses and gratuities

Good to Know

This itinerary uses a single Kraków hotel as a base for all six nights — no packing and unpacking. Day trips to Wieliczka and Zalipie are by private car with return each evening.
Wieliczka Salt Mine involves approximately 800 steps (mostly downward). A lift returns you to the surface. Manageable for most fitness levels.
Zalipie painted village is 90 minutes east of Kraków. The drive passes through the Małopolska countryside — rolling farmland, wooden churches, and the first foothills of the Carpathians.

Make It Yours

Optional add-ons & upgrades.

Every trip is different. These extras can be woven into your itinerary — just let your travel specialist know what catches your eye.

Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial

Guided visit to the memorial and museum, 75 minutes from Kraków. Recommended for ages 14+

From €85 pp

Nowa Huta socialist realism tour

Visit the model communist city built in the 1950s — a fascinating contrast to Kraków's medieval Old Town

From €45 pp

Polish cooking class

Half-day hands-on class covering pierogi, żurek, and placki ziemniaczane in a private Kraków kitchen

From €60 pp

"We only had six days and wanted to see Kraków properly rather than rush across the country. That was the right call. The painted village of Zalipie was magical — our children are still trying to recreate the floral patterns at home. And the salt mine is genuinely awe-inspiring."

Anna & Michael K.

Vienna, Austria · Kraków & Southern Poland, August 2025

Common Questions

Questions about this trip.

Is six days enough to see Kraków?

Yes — Kraków is compact and walkable, and six days gives you time for all the major landmarks plus the day trips to Wieliczka and Zalipie without rushing. Travelers who want to add Warsaw or Gdańsk should consider the 9-day or 12-day options.

Is the Wieliczka Salt Mine suitable for children?

Children love it — the underground chapels and salt-crystal chandeliers feel like entering a fairy tale. The route involves 800 steps (mostly downward), manageable for children aged 6 and above.

Private Package Journey