I took my first tour to Poland on 4th May 1996; we stayed in Krakow near the centre. During our time here we had excursions to Zacopane, Warsaw and Auschwitz.
On future tours to Poland I have stayed with the groups at the Hotel Kasprowy in Zacopane.
Each time I return to Poland I am amazed at how the whole country has come on, in 13 years some of the towns and villages have grown, beyond recognition and even changing money or the acceptance of credit cards is no longer a long process.

Zacopane is Poland’s biggest and best known tourist, sports and health centre. It’s a spa town, about 100 km to the south of Krakow, that is close to the border with Slovakia. It lies in a valley at the foot of The Tatras, the highest mountains in Poland (Mount Rysy 2499 m). When I first arrived in the town it was only for a day excursion, the group found that it was a place they enjoyed as the scenery was very similar to the Austrian Tyrol and Switzerland. On trips I have made since that first encounter, we have always stayed in Zacopane.

Zacopane has a lot of history, even though its only 4 centuries old. Pope John Paul II's visits to Zakopane have become the most important events in the town's history. He enjoyed Zakopane during his youth and he adored the Tatras, which he visited again in 1982 after he had become the Pope.
His next visit to Zakopane and The Tatras took place in June 1997. He spent a few days and visited Mount Kasprowy Wierch, Morskie Oko Lake; he went to LudŸmierz along the ridge of Guba³ówka. There are many souvenirs of his visit - e.g. the altar, which was used by him during the mass and was transported from Krokiew Hill to the gardens of Virgin Mary Sanctuary in Krzeptówki Street
On a walking tour of Zacopane I show the group’s Koœcieliska Street, where there’s a complex of wooden buildings typical of the Podhale region, which originated in XIX century, there’s also a wooden church Stary Koœció³ (Old Church) built in 1845-1851, the seat of the first parish in Zakopane, also in this street is Kaplica G¹sieniców this chapel was the first sacred building in Zakopane built in 1800 and the old cemetery (Stary Cmentarz na Pêksowym Brzyzku), the first cemetery in Zakopane, the place where famous writers, artists and mountaineers are buried.
Built in 1893, the mansion “Willa Koliba” is the first built in Zacopane style whilst the largest is “Pod Jedlami”.In Nowotarska St, the new cemetery (Nowy Cmentarz Zakopiañski) was opened in 1907; this is where artists, mountaineers, mountain rescuers, priests and The First and The Second World Wars veterans are buried.

Wawel, St Mary’s Basilica and the Cloth Hall are places which should not be missed on a trip to Krakow.
The historic centre of Cracow, the former capital of Poland, is situated at the foot of the Royal Wawel Castle. The 13th-century merchants' town has Europe's largest market square and numerous historical houses, palaces and churches with their magnificent interiors.
I usually start our visit to Kracow at the Wawel Hill which is the embodiment of Poland's former monarchical glory, as we walk up it we pass lots of musicians and craft sellers, on my visit’s, I don’t know why, but I always seem to buy another chess set!. At its summit are the Royal Castle and a 14th-century cathedral which hosted almost all coronations and funerals of the Polish monarchy. After visiting the Castle we head to the Market Square (its the main attraction most people see when visiting the city, and no wonder - it's one of the largest in Europe!), We stroll along Kanonicza and Grodzka Streets to reach Collegium Maius (Great College), the oldest building of the Academia Cracoviensis. also worth visiting is St Mary’s Basicilica (the church was funded in XIII century) with it's famous Wit Stwosz's Altar, every hour on the hour a bugle call sounds towards the four corners of the world.

Warsaw is located in the centre of the country and has been the National Capital since 1586. After having been completely ruined by the Nazis during World War II, the city has been meticulously rebuilt according to old documents and drawings and it is a bustling European centre of culture, commerce, industry and politics. Our tour includes the most interesting sights of Warsaw: the Old Town with the Old Town Market Square, St. John’s Cathedral, the Barbican, the Royal Castle and the Castle Square, and the Royal Route which leads from the Royal Castle along famous streets of Warsaw, to Łazienki, the summer residence of the last Polish King, Stanisław August Poniatowski.

This was and still is one of the Poland's prime tourist attractions. Usually referred to as "the raft trip down the Dunajec River" it’s a leisurely drift in large wooden punts. The trip has lots of breathtaking views as well as stunning scenery. The rafting lasts about two and a half hours, and during the journey you get to see lots of wildlife but no rapids! On the one side of the River is Poland and the other side is Slovakia, so every now and again you see the border patrols.
The tour has been popular for over 150 years, and I’m sure will be popular for another 150.

Although this is not a tourist attraction, it’s a place I have visited with groups whilst in Poland.
It’s a very moving experience and the Auschwitz Memorial Museum was included in the UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1979.During the tour, with an English speaking guide from the museum, we visit both parts of the Museum located in Oœwiêcim (KL Auschwitz I) and Brzezinka (KL Auschwitz II Birkenau) and you get to see for yourself where the atrocities of the Nazi's "Final Solution" were carried out.
As we enter the camp through the opening in the barbed wire which forms the gate, there is a motto above it which translated into English reads: “Freedom through work”, during the tour you get to see the offices and accommodation for German officers, as well as every other part of the camp.
Birkenau, which is a short drive away, is more emotional, this is where the trains came to, directly inside the camp. The entrance to Birkenau is the one used in films as well as the image we all have in our minds of the camp entrance.

KL Auschwitz – in the years 1940-1945 - the biggest Nazi concentration and death camp in occupied Europe.