POLAND IN A NUTSHELL

SPRING BREAK STUDY TOURS
2008

March 2-8
March 9-15
March 16-22
March 23-29

If your schedule too busy for you to spend a semester or summer in Poland, then our spring break study tour is a wonderful way to see the country. This tour is especially designed to show you some of the most beautiful sights and provide you with a glimpse of the Polish culture and way of life.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: JANUARY 31

Please Note: Since this is a short program, no college credit is available.

ITINERARY

DAY 1 Arrive in Warsaw – Airport pick up
Accommodation in a 3-star hotel

Meet in the hotel lobby for an orientation meeting
Walk to Old Town for a welcome dinner

DAY 2 Day Tour of Warsaw

With a population of more 1.7 million people, Warsaw is an ideal place for people who like the big city life. It became the country’s capital in 1596 when King Zygmunt III moved the royal residence there from Krakow. Since then Warsaw has witnessed many hardships (it was almost completely destroyed during WW II), but it has emerged as a cosmopolitan city and the business center of the country. Here you can find modern architecture juxtaposed with carefully-restored palaces and castles. The city boasts a beautiful Old Town and many theaters, museums, monuments, restaurants, and parks. On your tour of Warsaw you’ll visit the Old Town, the New Town, the Royal Castle, and Wilanow (a 17th-century palace on the outskirts of the city).

DAY 3 Train to Krakow
Accommodation in a 3-star hotel

Afternoon tour of Krakow
Jazz concert in the evening

Krakow is one city in Poland that can’t be missed. For centuries Polish kings and queens resided there before the capital was moved to Warsaw. Today the city prides itself on being the center of Polish culture. With over 6,000 historical buildings and monuments, Krakow is also a great place to learn about the country’s history. Since this was one of the few cities that was not destroyed during WW II, the Old Town still retains its medieval layout and some of the buildings date back to the 10th and 11th centuries. Due to its beauty and historical significance UNESCO named Krakow to its original list of World Heritage Sites in 1978. Krakow will enchant you with its charming Old Town, historic royal castle and cathedral on Wawel Hill, majestic churches and numerous museums, cafes and shops.

DAY 4 Day trip to the former Nazi concentration camps, Auschwitz and Birkenau

Not far from Krakow is the site of the largest Nazi death camps, Auschwitz and Birkenau. Most visitors recall the inscription on the gate to Auschwitz “Arbeit Macht Frei” (“work makes you free”) from films or books about the Holocaust. This is a chilling reminder of atrocities that occurred there. In 1940 the Nazis built the first death camp called Auschwitz. In need of more space, one year later the Nazis moved to nearby Brzezinka and created a much larger camp called Birkenau. It is estimated that between 1 and 1.5 million people died at these camps, and over 90% of them were Jews. Today the camps serve as a museum.

DAY 5 Day trip to Zakopane (in the Tatra Mountains)

If you would like to experience all of Poland’s hotspots then you can’t miss taking a trip to Zakopane and the Tatra Mountains. The Tatras are the highest range of the Carpathians Mountains stretching across the Polish-Slovakian border. After taking a cable-car ride up to the summit of Kasprowy Wierch you can stand with one foot in Poland and one foot in Slovakia. At the northern foot of the mountains is Zakopane. It’s considered the country’s “winter capital,” and it attracts about one million tourists per year. It is especially popular among skiers and hikers. Many tourists also enjoy Zakopane’s unique highlander culture and the so-called “Zakopane style” of wooden architecture created by Stanislaw Witkiewicz (1851-1915).

DAY 6 Morning trip to the Wieliczka Salt Mine
Evening train to Warsaw

Imagine visiting a 17th-century chapel carved out of salt? At the Wieliczka Salt Mine you’ll be able to tour this chapel as well as other chambers all made out of salt by former miners. This 700-year-old salt mine (kopalnia soli) is a UNESCO World Culture and Heritage Site. In addition to functioning as a tourist attraction, it also serves as an underground health spa thanks to its special microclimate which is known for treating allergies and other health conditions.

DAY 7 Departure from Warsaw

PRICES

$1,900 per student

What’s Included:
• Airport welcome
• Bilingual resident director throughout the duration of the trip (24-hour support)
• Welcome dinner in Warsaw
• Accommodation in 3-star hotels
• Breakfast at the hotel
• All ground transportation (trains, taxis, etc.)
• Guided tours and trips
• Farewell dinner
• Airport drop-off
• Travel/accident insurance

What’s Not Included:
• Lunch and dinner
• Round-trip airfare to Poland
• Spending money

APPLICATION DEADLINE: JANUARY 31