Krakow and Auschwitz
Explore the UNESCO world heritage city of Krakow, shop for blue-glazed Polish pottery, and experience the horror of Auschwitz on this trip, brought to you by Kaiserslautern Outdoor Recreation.
Feb 17 2022 - Feb 21 2022
Feb 17 2022 - Feb 21 2022
Explore the UNESCO world heritage city of Krakow, shop for blue-glazed Polish pottery, and experience the horror of Auschwitz on this trip, brought to you by Kaiserslautern Outdoor Recreation.
After dropping off your luggage and having breakfast at your four star hotel in Krakow, you will be free to explore this beautiful renaissance city with countless attractions like Wawel Castle and the nearby salt mines. You will also have the opportunity to visit Auschwitz Concentration Camp* to learn of the horrors of the holocaust, and other excursions will also be available from your on site tour manager. A stop-n-shop at the pottery factories in Boleslowiac on your return trip will allow you to start or complete your Polish pottery collection.
Spaces on this trip are expected to sell out quickly. Reserve yours today with Kaiserslautern Outdoor Recreation.
Estimated Itinerary
Thursday: Check in
After settling into your seat you will lean back and relax while your comfortable coach whisks you away to Poland. Don’t forget the essentials for your overnight ride. Blankets, pillows, power banks, snacks and drinks will all help make your journey to Krakow more enjoyable.
Friday: Krakow
After breakfast in Krakow, you will tour Poland’s former capital and second largest city, which has been called one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. The Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site. In the afternoon, you will have free time to explore lively city. The horse-drawn carriage rides starting from the Main Market Square are an excellent way to see the city, and you are sure to enjoy your lunch at one of the many traditional restaurants, pubs and cafes located underneath the vaulted ceilings of the medieval cellars. No visit to Krakow is complete until you have had a ring shaped Obwarzanki.
Saturday: Free Day or Salt Mines Excursion*/**
Today you can continue to explore Krakow, or take an optional excursion to the Wieliczka Salt Mine. Get ready to do some cardio; the salt mines reach a depth of 327 meters, stretching through over 287 kilometers of tunnels, the 3 kilometer tourist route including over 380 stairs will take you to four underground chapels, past countless statues carved from the living rock salt, and an underground lake**.
Sunday: Free day or visit to Auschwitz**/***
Auschwitz will forever remain the black hole of the entire human history, and is an important and tragic reminder of the horrors of the past which must never be allowed to happen again. Your visit to both Auschwitz and Birkenau will horrify you, but is one of the things which should be on your to-do list while serving in Europe. While nobody will ever say that they enjoyed their visit to the camps, your free evening in Krakow and a meal of Pierogi, dumplings stuffed with the filling of your choice, is sure to lift your spirits.
Monday: Pottery Shopping and return to Kaiserslautern
Hand-made ceramics with a distinctive blue glaze have been a local specialty in Boleslowiac since the middle ages, and buying directly from the factories will keep your costs low as you start or complete your pottery collection.
* Optional excursion at additional fee paid directly to tour manager
** Extensive walking on uneven surfaces required
*** Auschwitz visit not recommended for children under 12.
Price:
- Adults: $489 per person
- Single Supplement: $649
- Children 3-11 sharing family or adjoining rooms with 2 adults: $429 p.c.
- Infants under 3 on existing bedding: $229
- Room assignments for families will be determined individually by the hotels based on their specific capacity and available room types.
- Families will be assigned to Family Rooms or adjoining double rooms by the hotels.
- Kaiserslautern Outdoor Recreation will request Family rooms upon customer request, but does not guarantee the room configuration assigned by the hotel.
Trip Includes:
- Round trip tour bus transportation
- 3 nights lodging at a 4 star hotel
- Daily breakfast
- Guided tour of Krakow
- Guided visit to Auschwitz
- Free electronic travel guidebooks downloaded from Army Libraries
Optional Excursions:
- Wieliczka Salt Mines: €35 per person
Physical Fitness:
- Both Auschwitz and Wieliczka Salt Mines involve extensive walking on uneven surfaces.
- The Wieliczka Salt Mines tour involves at least 3 km of underground walking, including a total descent of 135 meters and features over 380 stairs.
What to Bring:
- Comfortable, weather appropriate shoes and clothing
- Credit/Debit card or Polish Zloty
- Military ID and Passport
Departure: 6:30 p.m.
Return: Around 11:30 p.m.
Registration Information
All reservations must be made through Kaiserslautern Outdoor Recreation. Reserve your space today by contacting:
Army Outdoor Recreation, Kaiserslautern Community
Pulaski Barracks, Bldg. 2905
Cancellation Terms:
- 10% cancellation for all cancellations made on or prior to Friday, January 14
- 35% cancellation fee for all cancellations made on or after Monday, January 17
- 70% cancellation fee for all cancellations made on or after Tuesday, February 1
- 100% cancellation fee for all cancellations made on or after Thursday, February 10
- No refunds will be offered to passengers who are denied boarding or are removed from a trip for failure to follow COVID procedures.
- In the event that a customer cancellation results in a fee charged to Outdoor Recreation, regardless of the date of, or reason for that cancellation, the total sum of those fees will be passed along to the customer.
COVID Precautions (Current as of 1 December 2021. May be superseded by Local/State/Federal level laws):
- Effective 24 November, 2021 and continuing until further notice, all Kaiserslautern Outdoor Recreation trips fall under the German 2G rule:
- All persons 18 years of age or older must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have recovered from COVID-19
- Children 12-18 years of age must be vaccinated against COVID-19, recovered from COVID-19, or show proof of a negative COVID-19 test.
- Persons who cannot be vaccinated against the coronavirus for medical reasons (with a qualified medical certificate and children up to and including the age of 11 are exempt.
- Effective 6 November, 2021, all trips are departing from Kaiserslautern Outdoor Recreation, Pulaski Barracks, bldg. 2905
- All passengers to France are required to have an EU Digital Covid Certificate to gain entry to virtually all indoor facilities, including restaurants, monuments and museums. A CDC card is acceptable to cross the border, but is not compatible with the French Health Pass plan.
- In the event that an individual passenger is not able to participate in a confirmed trip due to COVID restrictions placed on the passenger, full cancellation penalties may be applied based on the date of the customer's cancellation.
- All participants are required to be in compliance with the rules for their destination and all countries of transit as listed in the Travel Planner on https://reopen.europa.eu at the time of departure.
- All Travel/COVID Documentation is the responsibility of the passenger.
- PCR and RAT (Rapid Antigen Tests) are the only approved testing methods. Self tests are not authorized for international travel.
- No refunds will be offered to passengers who are denied boarding or are removed from a trip for failure to follow COVID procedures.
- Trip timelines and schedule and COVID precautions are subject to change at any time.
- Masks covering your nose and mouth are required when boarding, disembarking or inside ODR vehicles.
- Hands must be sanitized before boarding ODR vehicles.
- Enter and exit through the rear door only.
- Seats may be assigned by ODR in advance to promote physical distancing and contact tracing. Requests for specific seats are not being accepted.
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Kaiserslautern Outdoor Recreation
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Military DSN (314) 493-4117
