This private tour is perfect for a first visit to Poland. It features the best luxury hotels and private touring of Poland’s two most interesting cities, dynamic Warsaw and beautiful Krakow, as well as major historic sites such as Auschwitz, Czestochowa and Wieliczka Salt Mine.

Begin in Warsaw, an energetic capital city filled with beautiful parks and a unique architectural legacy. Enjoy flexible private touring of the charming Old Town, which rose phoenix-like from near total destruction during World War II. See monuments of Poland’s Communist era and the renovated palaces of the embassy district. Visit the Palace on the Water, surrounded by the beautiful English gardens of Lazienki Park. Tour the sites associated with Warsaw’s once-large Jewish population, including the Jewish Ghetto and the atmospheric Jewish cemetery. Walk along the Royal Way, stopping in upscale boutiques and food shops in the reconstructed townhouses lining the boulevard, and perhaps see the unique memorial to Frederic Chopin, a local hero.

Next, transfer by private car through farmland and forests to Krakow, Poland’s well-preserved cultural capital. Stop en route in Auschwitz to see one of the most notorious sites of Nazi Germany’s genocidal program. If desired, also stop in Czestochowa to visit a stunning Baroque monastery that is a major pilgrimage site and the spiritual heart of Catholic Poland.

In Krakow, tour the Old Town, including the Wawel, the hilltop royal castle and cathedral. Visit churches decorated with stunning Art Nouveau interiors, see da Vinci’s Lady with an Ermine at the Czartoryski Museum, explore the best boutiques around Florianska Street and relax in the outdoor cafes in the vast Market Square. Also, tour Kazimierz, the old Jewish district, to see historic synagogues with beautiful stained glass and decorated interiors as well as the old Jewish cemetery and quiet backstreets.

One day, take an excursion to Wieliczka Salt Mine. A unique UNESCO World Heritage Site, the mine has been in use for 700 years and is filled with sculptures, friezes and chapels miners carved from salt.