This tour of Old Town includes the Royal Castle (inside visit) and the Royal Castle Square with King Sigismund III Vasa Column, St John’s Cathedral, the Old Town Market Square and the Barbican. We will drive along the Royal Route passed Krakowskie Przedmiescie, Nowy Swiat and Aleje Ujazdowskie, with numrerous churches (Holdy Cross Church with Chopin’s heart kept in the pillar), monuments, historic buildings and palaces, many of them housing embassies and ministries. We will stop in front of the Parliament, walk through the Lazienki Park with famous Palace on the Water, one of the last 19th century court theaters in Europe in Old Orangery, famous Chopin’s monument and Belvedere Palace. We will also stop in the former Ghetto area, with Nathan Rappaport Monument and Umschlagplatz.

The Royal Castle from the early 17th century until the late 18th century was the seat of the Kings of Poland. It was erected in place of the former castle of the Dukes of Mazovia Province. After the capital had been transferred from Krakow to Warsaw, the castle also became the seat of legislative and executive authorities and was the scene of many important events of the Polish history. It was enlarged in the following centuries by most significant artists, especially during the reign of Sigismund Augustus, Sigismund III Vasa and Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski. In 1926 it became the residence of the President of the Polish Republic. In the years 1939-1944 it was plundered and almost completely destroyed. Rebuilt between 1971-1984 with the use of a few preserved elements and helped by the whole nation, the castle, besides being a museum, also plays a representative function now,


This tour is provided on a reserved basis prior to departure.


Duration:
Approximately 4 hours


Meeting point:
Hotel lobby if pre-arranged


Ending point:
Hotel or central location


Departures:
Daily; please contact vendor for times


Not Included:
Entrances other than Royal Castle, meals, gratuities


Additional Information:
Tour does not operate January 1, Easter Sunday, November 1 or December 24-26.