Castles and Palaces (16/0104)

Travel Date: 2016, year-round

Services

• 3 nights in Wrocław
• accommodation in double/twin rooms of the requested hotel category
• half board with…
• 3 x buffet breakfast
• 1 x three-course dinner at the hotel
• 1 x dinner at the city restaurant
• 1 x dinner at the traditional restaurant (e.g. “Piwnica Świdnicka”)
• welcome drink on arrival
• city sightseeing tour of Wrocław including…
• entrance fee to the Cathedral
• entrance fee to Aula Leopoldina
• round trip „Castles and Palaces“ including…
• entrance fee and visit to Książ Castle
• city sightseeing tour of Jelenia Góra
• drive through the „Valley of Castles and Palaces“
• lunch in a local restaurant in the Giant Mountains
• visit to Staniszów Palace with liquor tasting
• 21^st person free of charge in single room
• 42^nd person free of charge in double/twin room
• 24/7 telephone hotline
• free photo downloads for your promotion

"Castles and Palaces"

Day 1: Arrival and welcome drink

Already on arrival at the hotel you will feel the meaning of true Polish hospitality. You will be warmly welcomed and while the room keys are issued, the friendly hotel staff will serve you a tasty and refreshing welcome drink. After that you have a little time to recover in the comfortable room of your cozy hotel. A delicious 3-course dinner will be served in the restaurant and you should use the rest of the evening for a first city walk to enjoy the very special flair. In recent years Wrocław has become the most beautiful city of Poland. The Old Town was set up in the 13^th century and is surrounded by burgher houses. The Market Place is a real tourist attraction and as there are many canals of the Odra river inside Wrocław, the city is known as “Venice of Silesia”. The attractiveness of Wrocław will further increase, when the largest city of Lower Silesia becomes the “European Capital of Culture” in the year 2016. The whole city presents itself then spruced up and alive. Daily and spectacularly events, held throughout the whole city area, will be offered to locals and tourists. Wroclaw then excites with a unique atmosphere that attracts and fascinates all the guests in 2016.

Day 2: Capital of Culture, Cathedral and Aula Leopoldina

After a full and sumptuous buffet breakfast, you will be met by our friendly tour guide who takes you on a discovery journey through his hometown, which is an excellent example of a multicultural metropolis situated at the interface of ethnically diverse areas. The Gothic town hall was built between 1328-1504 and houses now the city’s historical museum. The oldest part of the city is the Ostrów Tumski Island. It shelters a complex of sacral buildings with gothic double-spire Cathedral of St John the Baptist. It was the first Gothic temple on Polish Islands and the view from its tower is splendid! Right after that you will visit the University of Wroclaw, which houses the world-famous “Aula Leopoldina”. It is the most magnificent reception hall in the city, which can look back on a long tradition and impresses with valuable mural paintings. In the afternoon you have free time to stroll through the city center and to visit one of the many events on the subject of "Capital of Culture 2016", which will take place today. Our guide will be happy to advice and show you the most important event stages. On request we can also book a boat trip on the Odra river for you, that shows you Wrocław from a different perspective and leads you to some secret places you cannot reach by bus either on foot. If you are interested in art, we recommend a visit to one of the many museums in Wrocław. A very recommendable one is the “Rotunda”, in which a three-dimensional panorama painting can be admired, that belongs to the rarest and biggest in the world. Today’s dinner will be served in a city restaurant and it will be a pleasure for us to provide you with tickets for a visit to a cultural event in the Wrocław Opera or the new Music Forum, most modern concert hall in Europe.

Day 3: Castles and Palaces

In the morning you will start for a panoramic tour that will take you to the most beautiful castles and palaces of Silesia. The first stop is planned in the Wałbrzych region at Książ Castle, which is among the biggest in the country and already visible from afar. Its architecture is absolutely unique and in the castle rooms you admire some furniture pieces originally preserved. Another highlight is the “Valley of Castles and Palaces” near Jelenia Góra in the Giant Mountains, which applies for UNESCO World Heritage List. On the small area of 100 km2 there are Gothic castles, Renaissance major houses, baroque palaces and residences from the 19^th century, mostly surrounded by historic park complexes and gardens. It is often compared to the Loire Valley, known as a “Garden of France”. Jelenia Góra is the capital of the Giant Mountains and the arcades at the market place invite for scenic walks. After a tasty lunch at a rustic local restaurant in Giant Mountains style, you will continue the trip to Staniszów Palace. At the end of the visit, you will join a liquor tasting and drive back to Wrocław, European Capital of Culture 2016. Here, a farewell-dinner will be served in one of the many traditional restaurants. The “Piwnica Świdnicka” is the oldest restaurant in the country and hosted already famous personalities such as Frederic Chopin, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German Emperor Wilhelm II. and Otto von Bismarck. The food is excellent and a grand finale of your Wrocław trip.

Day 4: Departure

After breakfast departure or extension day in Wrocław.

Hotel examples & Prices (April to October, 2016)

• 3-star category, centrally located, e.g. hotel „Campanile Wrocław Centrum“ from € 168,00 / single supplement from € 51,00
• 4-star category, close to the city centre, e.g. hotel „Park Wrocław“ from € 198,00 / single supplement from € 63,00
• 4-star category, centrally located, e.g. hotel „Best Western Plus Q“ from € 212,00 / single supplement from € 72,00
• 5-star category, centrally located, e.g. hotel „Radisson Blu“ from € 228,00 / single supplement from € 78,00

Additional Services (optional)

• Boat trip on Odra river (1 hour) from € 8,50
• Boat trip on Odra river (2 hours) incl. barbeque on board from € 35,00
• Guided sightseeing walk “Dwarf search in Wrocław” from € 17,00
• City tour Wrocław with electric cars from € 10,00
• Visit to the panorama deck on the Sky Tower from € 3,00
• Entrance fee to Rotunda museum with panorama painting from € 8,50
• Visit to the Wrocław Royal Palace from € 5,00
• Lunch or dinner at “Restaurant in the Water Tower” from € 18,00
• Lunch or dinner at the new Old Town restaurant “Cloth Hall 7” from € 15,50
• Exclusive degustation menu incl. selected wines at the hotel restaurant “Grape” from € 55,00
• Backstage tour in Wrocław opera house from € 6,50
• VIP package at Wrocław opera from € 49,50
• Tickets of 1^st category to a cultural event in the Wrocław Opera from € 25,00
• Visit to a performance in musical theater "Capitol" from € 9,00
• Classical music concert in the new Music Forum from € 10,00

Event Schedule Wrocław 2016

A preview of the calendar of events can be found on our website at the following link:

http://www.poland-incoming.com/travel/362,schedule-wroclaw-european-capital-of-culture-2016.html