Embark on a profound 14-day journey into the core of Poland’s wartime history and the Holocaust. Through tales of sacrifice, heroism, defiance, and tragedy, we honor memories that must forever echo through time. The tour is set to commence with at least ten participants.
Have you been planning a Holocaust trip to Poland? Perhaps you have long intended to visit key WW2 sites or explore parts of your family heritage. With WW2 being the darkest chapter in human history, it profoundly affected people across the globe and still shapes our way of interpreting events today. This WW2 tour of Poland is as extensive as a history tour can get. Across multiple cities and historical sites, we’ll trace the story of the war, reflect on its terrible human cost, and explore the lives of the conflict’s greatest heroes.
Explore the itinerary of this comprehensive WW2 tour below. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
(Looking for a shorter World War 2 tour? Browse our History Day Tours in Poland.)
*Check the Schengen Visa website (https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/who-needs-schengen-visa/) for the Poland Visa entry requirements of your country. Alternatively, please check with the Polish Embassy or Consulate in your country. Poland At War Tours in not responsible for Passport or Visa issues relating to entry to Poland.
On day one, you will arrive at your Warsaw Hotel where you can relax in your room or take a walk around the streets of Warsaw. In the late afternoon, we will meet at the hotel and take a leisurely bus tour with our experienced Polish guide pointing out the important sites of Warsaw, hearing how Warsaw got her name and why there is a palm tree curiously standing in the middle of an inner-city roundabout. We will then visit a Polish restaurant for dinner where you can sample unique Polish Cuisine as Poland At War Tours formally welcomes you to Poland.
Today we check out of our hotel and head north to the Wolf’s Lair (Wolfsschanze), Hitler’s eastern most military HQ during WWII. The Wolf’s Lair was constructed in time for Hitler to take command of Operation Barbarossa – the German invasion of Russia in 1941. Hitler first arrived at the Wolf’s Lair on 23 June 1941 and spent a total of 800 days there throughout the war, leaving for the final time on 20 November 1944. The Wolf’s Lair is the site of the most notable assassination attempt on Hitler’s life as portrayed in the movie Valkyrie based on the plot by Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg and his co-conspirators to kill Hitler on 20 July 1944 that came to be known as the “20 July Plot”. After our visit to the Wolf’s Lair, we travel a short distance to the beautiful city of Olsztyn where we will stop for the night on our way to Gdansk.
On day three we travel to the old city of Gdansk on the Baltic Sea. On our way to our hotel, we stop by the Westerplatte Peninsular and Memorial where the first shots of WWII were fired on 1 September 1939 by the German Battleship Schleswig-Holstein at the Polish Garrison stationed on the peninsular. After checking into our Gdansk Hotel, we take a walking tour of Old Town Gdansk with our experienced Polish guide. On the walking tour, we will visit sites relating to both the ancient history of the city as well as sites relating to WWII:
On day four we visit the impressive Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk (Polish: Muzeum II Wojny Światowej). The museum was established in 2008 and is devoted to the Second World War in Europe with Polish highlights. This is a thoroughly spectacular museum not to be missed. You will have the afternoon to yourself to further explore Gdansk at your leisure.
Other things to do whilst in Gdansk:
If there is free time and you are looking for further activities in Gdansk, ask us about any of the below sites and activities and we would be delighted to assist you:
Join us on day five as we check out of our Gdansk hotel and travel to Malbork Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage listed site as well as the largest brick castle, and the largest castle by land area, on Earth. Originally built by the Teutonic Knights to house their Grand Master when he moved from Venice, the castle has actually been occupied by Poland for longer than it was ever occupied by the Teutonic Knights. Thoroughly destroyed in fighting between the Germans and Russians towards the end of WWII, Malbork Castle has been painstakingly rebuilt and is now open for visitors, complete with bullet and artillery holes that can still be seen in the inner and outer walls of the castle. Enjoy learning about both the ancient and more modern history of this mighty castle. At the completion of the tour, sit back and relax in our luxury coach as we travel to Warsaw.
Join us in the morning for a walking tour of Warsaw’s Stare Miasto (Old Town) established in the 13th century on the banks of the Vistula River. Completely destroyed during WWII, it was meticulously rebuilt in the years following the war based on the paintings and drawings of pre-war artists and architectural students. Old Town was the site of some of the heaviest fighting during the Warsaw Uprising that began on 1 August 1944. During our tour we will visit:
After lunch, join us on a tour of the Warsaw Rising Museum that opened on 31 July 2004 to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. At 1700hrs on 1 August 1944 – “Godzina W” or “W Hour” (Fighting Hour) – the Polish Armia Krajow (Home Army) rose up in defiance of the German occupation in a desperate fight to regain Poland’s independence against the occupier. Learn about the fate of the insurgents in their struggle for freedom as well as that of Warsaw’s civilians. In all, 220,000 Pole’s lost their live in the 63 days of the Uprising and suffered the destruction of 85% of Warsaw that Hitler ordered razed to the ground in retribution for the Pole’s daring to defy him.
Other things to do whilst in Warsaw:
If there is free time and you are looking for further activities in Warsaw, ask us about any of the below sites and activities and we would be delighted to assist you:
On Day seven we explore the brutality of life under occupation in Poland. Whilst it is estimated that 3,000,000 Jewish Pole’s died during the Holocaust, it is not well known that an estimated further 3,000,000 non-Jewish Pole’s also perished during WWII. In total, approximately 6,000,000 Pole’s died during the war, a staggering 19% of Poland’s pre-war population, more than any other country who fought in WWII. On top of this enormous loss of human life, although being the “First Ally” of the West, Poland was betrayed by the Allied powers to the influence of Josef Stalin and his Communist regime at the end of WWII. Finally breaking the influence of Communism, Poland came out from the shadows of the Iron Curtain in 1989 to find her freedom once more. It is said that whilst WWII ended for the rest of the world in 1945, it did not end for Poland for another 44 years. Join us today as we explore the devastating effects of WWII and Communism on the Polish population. In the morning we will focus on the Communist oppression of Poland with a visit to the Palace of Science and Culture before visiting Constitution Square and the Museum of Life Under Communism. We will then visit Gestapo HQ in Warsaw before finishing the day with a visit to the Katyn Museum honouring the Polish Officers murdered by the Russian NKVD in 1940. Never Forget!
On day eight we explore the Holocaust in Warsaw by first taking a walking tour of the Warsaw Ghetto and then visiting the Nazi Extermination Camp Treblinka. We visit the few city blocks that at its peak housed up to 450,000 Jews and identify sites of interest throughout the area of the ghetto including the Umschlagplatz Memorial from where Jews were loaded onto trains and transported to Treblinka. In the afternoon, we visit Treblinka, the second most deadly of the six Extermination Camps built by the Germans in Poland. Constructed with the extermination of the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto in mind, approximately 800-900,000 people were murdered at Treblinka. Part of the trio of Operation Reinhardt Death Camps, Treblinka was closed down and demolished in mid 1943 once it had achieved its deadly goal and all traces of German crimes erased.
On day nine we check out of our Warsaw hotel and head south to the beautiful city of Krakow. After checking into our hotel situated on the site of the Krakow Ghetto, we take a walking tour of Krakow Old Town. On our tour we will visit:
Today you will see the major sites associated with the Steven Spielberg film Schindler’s List that reflect the experience of the Krakow Ghetto that was established in March 1941. Beginning with a tour of the area in which the Ghetto was located, you will see sites including the memorial to the Jews of the Krakow Ghetto “Ghetto Hero’s Square”, the site where the Jewish Ghetto Council operated from – The Judenrat – and surviving remnants of the original Ghetto wall. We will then visit Schindler’s Enamel Factory and those who have seen the movie, will not mistake the façade of this famous building. Having saved 1,200 Jews, Schindler and his wife Emilie were awarded Righteous Among the Nations in 1993. We also visit the Pharmacy Under the Eagle a pharmacy that was allowed to operate within the Ghetto walls under its non-Jewish proprietor Tadeusz Pankiewicz who, along with his 3 female staff Irena Drozdzikowska, Aurelia Danek, & Helena Krywaniuk, provided medicine, food, and hiding places for Jews in the pharmacy. Pankiewicz was awarded Righteous Among the Nations on 10 February 1983. Finally, we visit KL Krakow-Plaszow Concentration Camp & Amon Goth’s House. KL Plaszow, the camp depicted in Schindler’s List, came into operation on 28 October 1942. See also the house that Amon Goth occupied as commandant of Plaszow. In the afternoon, we visit the Museum of the Polish Underground Army. This amazing Museum is dedicated to the Polish Underground State and in particular its armed forces that operated within Poland in opposition to the German and Russian occupations of Poland during WWII.
Join us today on a tour of the phenomenal Wieliczka Salt Mine. This amazing Polish treasure is a UNESCO heritage listed site not to be missed with its intricate works of art carved directly into the salt walls of the mine. Be amazed by the completely operational cathedral in the depths of the mine along with famous paintings such as the Last Supper carved into the walls. We then return to Krakow where you have free time to relax or explore more of Krakow on your own.
*if you are claustrophobic or have difficulty with confined spaces, the salt mine might not be for you.
On day twelve we visit the infamous German Concentration and Extermination Camp of Auschwitz. Auschwitz being the German name given to the site of the camp within the Polish city of Oswiecim. Join us on a special guided tour of both Auschwitz and Auschwitz II – Birkenau. We first explore Auschwitz I which was an abandoned Polish Army barracks prior to WWII. We then take the short journey to Auschwitz II – Birkenau and walk through the iconic gate which so many Jews and victims of different kinds travelled through never to return. See the ramp where Jews were off-loaded before walking the short distance to the gas chambers and crematoria to the rear of the camp, blown up by the Germans as they hastily fled in the face of the coming onslaught of the Soviet Army. In total, approximately 1,100,000 people died at Auschwitz. Join us as we honour their memory and state unequivocally – Never Again!
On day thirteen, we check out of our Krakow hotel and take a leisurely bus ride back to Warsaw. After checking into our Warsaw hotel, the rest of your day is free to relax, see more sites, or prepare for your onward journey. In the evening we will meet for our farewell dinner and again enjoy the local Polish Cuisine.
Day fourteen sees your journey with Poland At War Tours come to an end. After breakfast in the hotel, you are welcome to check out of the hotel at your leisure up to the required check out time of the hotel. If you need any assistance, Poland At War Tours staff will be on hand to help in any way we can.
