Compare Witness and Remembrance: Historic Learning and Preservation at Auschwitz by Road Scholar vs Christmas Markets of Poland, Prague & Germany - Classic Group, Winter 2023 2024 by Insight Vacations

Day 1
Overnight flight to Berlin
In Flight

Day 2
Arrive Berlin, Explore Friedrichshain
Berlin L,D H+ Hotel4Youth am Mauerpark, Berlin Mitte
Lunch: At local restaurant - depending on arrival times

Afternoon: Orientation walk through the Friedrichshain or Berlin center.

Dinner: At local restaurant

Evening: Free time.

Day 3
Terror Museum, Wall, Brandenburg Gate, Potsdamer Platz
Berlin B,L,D H+ Hotel4Youth am Mauerpark, Berlin Mitte
Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at hotel

Morning: Excursion to the Holocaust Memorial (Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe) and visit to the Topography of Terror- an outdoor museum on the site of the former headquarters of the Gestapo and SS. Visit to one of the largest surviving segments of the Berlin Wall.

Lunch: At a restaurant near the Brandenburg Gate

Afternoon: Tour around Brandenburg Gate and visit Potsdamer Platz, the reunified city's new commercial centerpiece. One of Europe's busiest squares in the 1920's, and site of the world's first traffic light, the square was destroyed in WWII and become a no-man's land, bisected by the Wall during the Cold War. Potsdamer Platz in now home to the Berlin International Film Festival.

Dinner: At local restaurant

Evening: Free time

Day 4
Wannsee Conference Memorial House, Jewish Museum
Berlin B,L,D H+ Hotel4Youth am Mauerpark, Berlin Mitte
Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at hotel.

Morning: Visit the Wannsee Conference Memorial House and Education Site where SS representatives met to discuss plans to implement the "Final Solution."

Lunch: at local restaurant.

Afternoon: (continued) Visit the Wannsee Conference Memorial House and Education Site where SS representatives met to discuss plans to implement the "Final Solution."

Dinner: at a local restaurant.

Evening: Free time.

Day 5
Trasfer to Oswiecim for Service Program.
Auschwitz B,L,D Centre for Dialogue and Prayer (Hotel)
Breakfast: At hotel

Morning: Today will have a scenic drive from Berlin to Oswiecim/Auschwitz. (Oswiecim is sometimes still called Auschwitz, its German name, in reference to the Auschwitz concentration camp).

Lunch: en route

Afternoon: Arrive at the Center for Dialogue and Prayer. Orientation to Service Program.

Dinner: At the Center. While the evening meal in Poland sometimes consists of a cold entree, we have requested a hot meal for your arrival. Please note that alcoholic beverages are not available for purchase at the Center for Dialogue and Prayer.

Evening: Free time

Day 6
Auschwitz Jewish Center, Auschwitz I Camp
Auschwitz B,L,D Centre for Dialogue and Prayer (Hotel)
Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at Center.

Morning: Presentation by staff member of Center for Dialogue and Prayer and excursion to Auschwitz Jewish Center to learn about Jewish life in Oswiecim prior to World War II.

Lunch: At Center. In Poland, the heaviest meal is served mid-day, and usually consists of a soup, salad, meat, and starch.

Afternoon: Guided visit to Auschwitz I. This tour takes approximately three hours. Personal headphones are provided to each participant to better hear the group leader.

Dinner: At the Center. Dinners are lighter than American meals. In the evenings, they may serve one hot dish (like a sausage or pierogies) with a side or two, or cold foods such as cold cuts, cheese, and bread.

Evening: Free time

Day 7
Auschwitz II Camp Birkenau
Auschwitz B,L,D Centre for Dialogue and Prayer (Hotel)
Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at the Center.

Morning: Orientation and service work with the archives department of the Auschwitz museum. Work with archivists to help clean and preserve the artifacts used for displays at the museum as well as for travelling exhibitions.

Lunch: At the Center

Afternoon: Guided visit through the extermination camp (Auschwitz-Birkenau). This tour takes approximately three hours. Headphones are not available for this portion of the tour.

Dinner: At the Center

Evening: Free time

Day 8
Visit town center, Harmeze Monastery
Auschwitz B,L,D Centre for Dialogue and Prayer (Hotel)
Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at the Center

Morning: Visit and tour the town of Oswiecim, including teh former synagogue and Jewish cemetery.

Lunch: at the Center

Afternoon: Visit of survior's art exhibition at the Harmeze monastery.

Dinner: In town, at the Hotel Galicjia, which once entertained French President Jacques Chirac.

Evening: Free time

Day 9
Service Work, Auschwitz National Exhibitions, Holocaust Talk
Auschwitz B,L,D Centre for Dialogue and Prayer (Hotel)
Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at the Center.

Morning: Help maintain the grounds at Auschwitz, to minimize the impact of over one million annual visitors. Take a self-guided tour of the National Exhibitions at Auschwitz I. Your service work may include sweeping paths, raking leaves, and removing debris. While these tasks may seem ordinary, know that you are making an extraordinary contribution to the local community as well as the broader community of Holocaust survivors. By performing even small tasks with care and reverence for those who died, you provide a living, contemplative witness to history. You are also demonstrating to the local community an ethic of volunteering. Few people spend more than a few hours at these sites; your program will allow you to spend several days. When weather interferes with our planned service, we will make every effort to reschedule service hours

Lunch: At the Center

Afternoon: Presentation by a special speaker knowledgeable about the Holocaust.

Dinner: At the Center

Evening: Free time

Day 10
Today will include the completion of service work.
Auschwitz B,L,D Centre for Dialogue and Prayer (Hotel)
Breakfast: At Center

Morning: Continue service work at Auschwitz and self-guided visits to National Exhibitions.

Lunch: At the Center

Afternoon: Presentation by archivist for Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum.

Dinner: At the Center

Evening: Free time

Day 11
Travel to Krakow, Poland, visit the Galicia Jewish Museum.
Krakow B,L,D Campanile Krakow
Breakfast: At the Center

Morning: Coach transfer to hotel in Krakow.

Lunch: At local restaurant.

Afternoon: Walking tour of Kazimierz, the Jewish quarter of Krakow.Visit to Galicia Jewish Museum.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Evening: Free time

Day 12
Walking tour of the historic city center in Krakow.
Krakow B,L,D Campanile Krakow
Breakfast: breakfast at hotel.

Morning: Walking tour of historic Krakow including the town square.

Lunch: lunch at a traditional Polish restaurant.

Afternoon: Free time to continue to explore and enjoy Krakow and the historic town square, shop for souvenirs or return to hotel to prepare for departure.

Dinner: Farewell dinner at restaurant in the old city.

Day 13
Program Concludes
In Flight B
Breakfast: At hotel (or bag breakfast for those departing before the breakfast service)

Morning: Transfer to Krakow airport for return to U.S.

Day 1: Welcome to Kraków

Transfers for your hotel depart Kraków airport at 12:30 and 15:00. Meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers at 17:00 for a Welcome Dinner with wine at a local restaurant. Afterwards, get your first taste of Polish old-world charm with a walk around the magnificent Cloth Hall in the Market Square. Wrapped in romantic gabled townhouses and Gothic spires, the festive Christmas Market stalls are a Disneyesque dream, offering all sorts of delicacies and delights - from Highland woollen slippers to amber jewellery from the Baltic. Maybe try the traditional oscypek cheese with cranberries, a delicacy from the Tatra mountains?

Vienna House Andel's Cracow, Kraków.

Dinner with Wine

Day 2: Kraków Relaxed Start

Ascend Wawel Hill with your Local Expert to see the Renaissance castle and visit the cathedral – the final resting place of the Kings of Poland. Then cross the former Jewish Quarter of Kazimierz to Old Podgórze, the Old Town, to see Ghetto Square and remains of the Ghetto Wall. The rest of the day is at leisure or perhaps choose to visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine? There is time to explore the traditional Christmas Market located in the Old Town's historic district. You'll find yourself immersed in festive spirit as you shop for authentic Christmas decorations, gifts, toys and tasty treats.

Vienna House Andel's Cracow, Kraków.

Breakfast

Day 3: Wrocław, the Venice of Poland

Perhaps spend some reflective moments and visit Auschwitz concentration camp? Later, continue to the city of Wrocław, known as the Venice of Poland, made up of five rivers, 12 islands and over 150 bridges. Try your hand at traditional Polish pierneki during a gingerbread workshop at a small family business, followed by a tasting. Rated as one of the finest in Europe, Wrocław’s Christmas Market offers a delightful, fairy-tale charm. Enjoy an orientation of the market, located in Rynek, the historic main square which is surrounded by Baroque splendour and adorned with thousands of twinkling lights. Spend time exploring the vast array of stalls bursting with local crafts and tasty treats.

Radisson Blu Hotel, Wroclaw.

Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Day 4: Kutná Hora and Prague

Cross the Czech border and head for Kutná Hora, a town that flourished during the Middle Ages thanks to vast deposits of silver. Continue your travels to the Czech capital of Prague.

Hotel Royal Prague.

Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Day 5: Prague, City of a Hundred Spires Relaxed Start

Explore Prague with Insight Choice. Choose to walk the courtyards of the Castle and visit the imposing St. Vitus Cathedral. Alternatively, join your Local Expert through the Jewish Quarter and hear about the history, traditions and legends of the Jewish people.  Then, down at the Old Town Square, Prague’s colourful Christmas Market contrasts with the Gothic skyline. Beneath a giant Christmas tree, draped in a blaze of lights, locals browse the decorative wooden stalls. Meet a local stallholder and savour a glass of Svařák, traditional mulled wine, along with the local Trdelník pastry.

Hotel Royal Prague.

Breakfast

Day 6: Dresden and Berlin Relaxed Start

Cross the German border to Dresden. Gaze up at the Frauenkirche, risen once again from wartime ashes. Your guided exploration with a Local Expert will continue past the colossal 'Procession of the Dukes' mosaic, the cathedral, Semper Opera House and Zwinger Palace. During your free time perhaps seek out the delicious Christstollen, a Christmas cake recipe dating back to medieval times, or shop for a traditional Christmas pyramid. Then journey on to Berlin.

Crowne Plaza Berlin City Centre.

Breakfast

Day 7: The Spirit of Berlin Relaxed Start

Join a Local Expert to see the Brandenburg Gate, State Opera House, remnants of the Berlin Wall, Unter den Linden, and the beautifully-restored Reichstag building. Feel free to soak up the Weihnachtszauber, or Christmas magic, at the Gendarmenmarkt, which is Berlin’s most magnificent square.  In the evening, join your friends for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience during a festive Celebration Dinner with wine and good cheer at a local restaurant supporting refugees to integrate into German society.

Crowne Plaza Berlin City Centre.

Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Day 8: Auf Wiedersehen Berlin

Your journey draws to a close after breakfast. Departure transfers arrive at Berlin airport at 07:00 and 10:00.

Breakfast