2-Day Krakow Combo: In the Footsteps of John Paul II, Pieskowa Skala Castle and Czestochowa Private Tour Including the Black Madonna

1. Day
Our tour begins with a visit to Lagiewniki, which is connected with the cult of the Divine Mercy, the grave of St. Faustina Kowalska, who was canonized as the first saint of the Third Millennium by John Paul II and St. John Paul II. Here you can find: the Divine Mercy Sanctuary and the “Have No Fear!” John Paul II Centre – a centre in Kraków dedicated to the life and work of Pope John Paul II, which also houses his relic: an ampoule with his blood. On the way to Wadowice – "the place where it all began" – we will visit the Sanctuary in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999. In Wadowice, childhood hometown of John Paul ll, previously the Krakow archbishop Karol Wojtyla, we will visit the parish church where John Paul II was baptized and the house where he was born, which is now a museum. We will end our tour at the famous "papal window", in which John Paul II used to appear to talk and sing with the youth during all his visits, and where thousands of people were praying, holding candles, in his last days.
2. Day
In the city of Czestochowa is Poland's national shrine and the icon which has drawn pilgrims from across the globe for centuries.The monastery of Jasna Gora is home to the miraculous "Black Madonna", a Gothic painting of Our Lady, which after Rome, Lourdes and Mecca makes Czestochowa one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in the world today. Your visit to the monastery includes the Miraculous Picture Chapel and the Basilica. Also, you can visit the 600th-Anniversary Museum, the Arsenal and the Treasury on your own, if you wish, while others on the tour have a break for lunch and buying souvenirs. On the way back from Czestochowa there will be stop over in Pieskowa Skala to visit a well-preserved Renaissance Castle along the Eagle Nests Trail.