This Jewish Heritage tour will begin and end in Warsaw, taking us to Lodz, Krakow and Lublin. It is our most complete Jewish tour of Poland. A unique cultural journey, it features visits to sites of Jewish heritage, offering unique encounters with 1,000 years of Polish Jewish history as well as opportunities to celebrate the revival of Jewish life today. You will experience both great cities and small shtetls. Momentum Tours uniquely includes legendary Galicia by adding Rzeszow and Zamosc to the journey. This itinerary is infused with unique insights and perspectives into the country’s profound Jewish soul.
Warsaw – Treblinka – Tykocin – Bialystok – Lublin- Zamosc – Belzec – Bilgoraj – Rzeszow – Lancut – Tarnow – Krakow
2022 Dates
May 12 – May 22
June 9 – June 19
July 14 – July 24
August 11 – August 21
September 1 – September 11
October 20 – October 30
Accommodations
Warsaw, 3 nights
Radisson Collection Hotel
Bialystok, 1 night, Branicki Hotel
Lublin, 1 night, Ilan Hotel
Rzeszow, 1 night, Bristol Hotel
Krakow, 4 nights, Radisson Blu Hotel
Meals
10 breakfasts
Price Per Person Sharing
$ 3,999 US Land only
$ 650 US Single supplement
These departures are guaranteed (4 travelers minimum).
Included Highlights
Private arrival and departure transfers
Private touring and sightseeing
Private licensed guides
Deluxe Hotels in Warsaw, Rzeszow and Krakow
First Class Hotels in Bialystok and Lublin
Breakfast daily at the hotels
Complete program with insights
to the Jewish history of Poland
All taxes and fees
Day 1 Thursday Arrival in Warsaw
Transfer to the hotel, located in the center of the city. In the afternoon, enjoy a tour of Warsaw Old Town, including the Saxon Garden, the Royal Route, the Warsaw Uprising Memorial and the Krasiński Garden. Return to the Hotel in the late afternoon. Radisson Collection Hotel.
Day 2 Friday Warsaw
Today is devoted to the Jewish history of Warsaw, You will sense the pre-war worlds of the Gerer Rebbe, I.L. Peretz, and Isaac Bashevis Singer. Warsaw is sometimes called the “Phoenix City” since close to 85% was destroyed by the Germans in WWII. Start with a walk from Umschlag Platz, via the Way of the Courage Memorials, to Mila 18, headquarters of the Jewish Resistance. Next, visit the Okopowa Jewish Cemetery, one of the largest in Europe, the Jewish Historical Institute, and the Nożyków Synagogue. Return to the hotel in the late afternoon. Optional Shabbat Dinner. Radisson Collection Hotel.
Day 3 Saturday Warsaw
This morning, enjoy at walk through the former Ghetto to the POLIN museum. Pause at the Rappaport Monument before entering the impressive museum unfolding 1,000 years of Jewish history in Poland. Return to the hotel in the afternoon or choose to explore the POLIN museum on your own. Radisson Collection Hotel.
Day 4 Sunday Warsaw – Treblinka – Tykocin – Bialystok
This morning, depart on a full day excursion. First, pay respects at the Treblinka Memorial and Museum. Continue to Tykocin, considered one of the best samples of a traditional Polish shtetl with its beautiful and well preserved 17th century synagogue and adjoining former yeshivah. Next, visit the Łopuchowo Forest – the site where the Jews of Tykocin were brutally murdered in 1941. Arrive in Bialystok in the afternoon and continue on a brief tour, including the Memorial at the site of the Grand Choral Synagogue, burned by the Nazis with its holy congregation locked within. Branicki Hotel.
Day 5 Monday Bialystok – Lublin
This morning, transfer to Lublin. Upon arrival, begin touring the city. Walk in the former Ghetto area to the Brama Grodzka Center, located at the Grodzka Gate (also known as the Jewish Gate). Visit the educational center, which tells the story of the large Jewish Community. In the afternoon, check in at the hotel housed in the building of the former Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva and surrounded by the Old Cemetery (which includes the oldest matzeva/tombstone in Poland, still in its original location). Optional tour of Majdanek Camp in the late afternoon (included). Ilan Hotel.
Day 6 Tuesday Lublin – Zamosc – Belcec – Bilgoraj – Rzeszow
This morning, travel through the southeastern part of the country, which was once rich with yeshivas and large Jewish communities. First, stop in Izbica, the only town in Poland that surprisingly never had a church. A tour of the small town will include its cemetery, and the historic train station. Continue to beautiful town of Zamosc and visit its restored synagogue, nearby museum and the colorful market square. After Lunch, pay respects at the Belzec extermination camp where more than 600,000 Jews souls were murdered. Next, see the reconstructed painted synagogue in Bilgoraj en route to Rzeszow. Bristol Hotel.
Day 7 Wednesday Rzeszow – Lancut – Tarnow – Dabrowa Tarnowska – Krakow
Today, travel through Galicia, the southeastern part of the country, along roads known as the “Chassidic Route.” First, visit the unique Lancut synagogue. En route to Krakow, visit the remains of the old synagogue bimah in Tarnow and the former synagogue in Dabrowa Tarnowska, now a museum. Afterwards, continue to Krakow. Upon arrival check-in at the hotel in the center of the Old Town. Radisson Blu Hotel.
Day 8 Thursday Krakow
Krakow, unlike Warsaw, was not destroyed during the German occupation. Its historic buildings and squares, along with its seven remaining synagogues, therefore provide an entrance into Poland’s rich cultural past. First, embark on a walking tour of Krakow’s Kazimierz district, which will include Krakow’s JCC and a guided tour of the Galicia Museum. Later, tour Podgorze, site of the former ghetto. Radisson Blu hotel.
Day 9 Friday Krakow – Auschwitz – Krakow
Early morning transfer to Oswiecim. Visit the former death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau. This site, the epicenter of Nazi atrocities, has ultimately become an international symbol of the Holocaust. Millions come to honor the memories of those who perished, as well as to pay tribute to those who survived. The visit will include both Auschwitz and nearby Birkenau (also known as Auschwitz II). Later, visit the Auschwitz Jewish Center in Oswiecim. In the late afternoon, return to to Krakow. Optional Shabbat Dinner with members of Krakow’s Jewish Community can be arranged. Radisson Blu Hotel.
Day 10 Saturday Krakow
This morning, enjoy a walking tour of Old Krakow, formerly the Royal Capital of Poland. The tour will include the Wawel Royal Castle, Collegium Maius (the oldest building in Jagiellonian University), and the Market Square, with its famous Cloth Hall at the center. Visit the city’s underground museum below the Cloth Hall, and view works of great local artists, gaining insight into the city’s deep historical and cultural roots. Afternoon is at leisure to explore the city on your own, or join an optional tour to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, which is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Radisson Collection Hotel.
Day 11 Sunday Krakow – Home flights
Transfer to the airport and check-in for the flights back to the USA/Canada.