Poland: Easter Music in Krakow with Country Walks

Easter Music in Krakow with Country Strolls beneath the Tatra mountain peaks

Each Easter the great mediaeval city of Krakow hosts the internationally renowned Misteria Paschalia Festival with performances of music specifically composed to relate the events of the Passion - music for Easter by Bach, Vivaldi, Buxtehude, Handel et al.

In addition to exploring the many museums, galleries and churches of this UNESCO World Heritage city, we take some gentle country strolls beneath the Tatra mountain peaks to see traditional wooden architecture and old-fashioned farming in a scenic setting.

TRIP ITINERARY

DAY 1

L, D included

After meeting at Krakow airport by midday, we have a 2 hour road transfer south (with lunch en route) towards the snow-capped Tatra mountains and our first hotel - a traditional ‘Polish Highlands’ wooden inn deep in the country, owned by a very welcoming family. After tea and cakes we set off on foot along the river valley, looking out for the first crocuses of the year, later returning for a bison grass vodka aperitif and an introductory dinner of Polish mountain specialities.

DAY 2

B, L, D included

A short drive southwest takes us to the Pieniny National Park where we walk to see beaver dams and early spring flowers by the Dunajec river, visit a remarkable 15C wooden church and have a hot goulash lunch in a traditional manor house (this was once the Polish/Hungarian border). We then travel to Zakopane, the ‘Chamonix of the Tatras’, to visit the wooden villa, now a museum, which belonged to the composer Karol Szymanowski, and with luck, see villagers walking to church in traditional Highland costume, with embroidered sheepskin capes and elaborate leather belts and boots.

DAY 3

B, L, D included

After a leisurely breakfast of traditional Easter treats, we are on our way to Krakow, where we begin our explorations with a visit to the Czartoryski Collection (including Leonardo Da Vinci’s ‘Lady with an Ermine’) and an orientation walk. After lunch we have a guided tour of the Royal apartments in Wawel castle, then stroll to our hotel for the next 3 nights, an elegantly converted 16C mansion in the historic centre of Krakow. We dine early, before our first concert of the Festival, seven cantatas by Buxtehude, performed by the leading Italian consort La Venexiana.

DAY 4

B, L, D included

We begin today exploring the Easter market stalls selling painted eggs and traditional baskets, pause to sample some wonderful hot chocolate, then visit the excellent ethnographical museum. Following a light lunch in a typical 19C Jewish restaurant we have time to explore the Jewish Kazimierz quarter, for over five centuries the principal centre of Jewish scholarship in Poland. This evening, Bach’s St John Passion is conducted by Marc Minkowski with Les Musiciens du Louvre-Grenoble, with soloists including Joanna Lunn and Owen Willetts.

DAY 5

B, D included

After a guided visit to the Collegium Maius, containing astronomical instruments used by Copernicus (and also the first globe in the world to mark the American east coast), we have a free day to explore this superb mediaeval city. The possibilities include the high altar of St. Mary’s Church, an acknowledged Gothic masterpiece; shopping in the arcades of the mediaeval Cloth Hall, especially for amber and silver jewellery; and the magnificent Cathedral, the coronation and burial place of Poland's monarchs for centuries (only open for services at Easter). Our farewell dinner, in a beautiful vaulted restaurant, is accompanied (as on every evening of the holiday) by wines imported from France, Bulgaria and Hungary and reflects the sophistication of ‘new’ Polish cuisine. We travel to the extraordinary, 700 year-old Wieliczka Salt Mine for the evening Festival performance in the Chapel of St Kinga, carved entirely from salt (including the chandeliers) and with an exceptional acoustic - the outstanding French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky sings sacred music by Monteverdi et al with the ensemble L’Arpeggiata.

DAY 6

B included

A leisurely start before transferring to the airport for midday flights.

Price includes:

All accommodation for Days 1 through 6 on a double shared basis

All meals (with wine and beer/vodka at lunches and dinners) as listed in the daily notation

All land transportation in a private vehicle as described except during free periods

All entrance and sightseeing fees except during free periods

Tickets for 3 performances of the Misteria Paschalia Festival

Gratuities for hotel and restaurant staff

Visa and Health Requirements

Visitors from the EU and the US currently require a valid passport, but not a visa, for entry to Poland. If you are a national of any other country, please check visa regulations with your nearest Embassy of Poland.

At present there are no specific and compulsory health requirements for entry to Poland. Residents of countries in the EU can only claim free (emergency) medical treatment in Poland by presenting their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which is issued in the UK by the Department of Health. You may also wish to check the advice given to travellers the FCO.

Insurance

It is essential, and a condition of booking, that you protect yourself with a suitable travel insurance policy as soon as you book a trip. Follow this link for information on a policy available to UK residents.

If you are already insured or a non-UK resident, please inform us of your policy at the time of booking.