Krakow, Warsaw and Berlin
(Itinerary subject to change)

Includes:

• Meals: All breakfasts, 1 lunch and 4 group dinners

•  High Speed Train:  From Warsaw to Berlin

•  Accommodations: 3 nights in Krakow, 3 nights in Warsaw, 4 nights in Berlin.

•  All educational programming: All entrance fees per itinerary

•  Tips & entrance fees

•  Melton educator, Resident Scholar of European Jewish History, local guides, historians, professors, artists, students, and much more

Day 1, Thursday — Krakow: Jewish History is Polish History 

Welcome to Krakow, where the echoes of Jewish history are entwined with Polish heritage.  

After orientation and introductions at the hotel, we head to the cobbled streets of Krakow’s Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with its impressive Market Square (Europe’s largest medieval plaza), regal Wawel Castle, and Cloth Hall, a marvel of Renaissance architecture known for its beautiful handicrafts and souvenirs. 

 We continue on foot to the historic Jagiellonian University, where we are met by Dr. Marek Tuszewicki, Deputy Director of the Institute of Jewish Studies, to learn about the complex role of Jewish history in Polish national consciousness. 

Day one concludes with our first group dinner to exchange first impressions and prepare for the days ahead.  

Overnight: Grand Sheraton, Powiśle 7, 31-101, Krakow (Tel: +48 12 662 10 00)

Day 2, Friday — Auschwitz-Birkenau: Commemorating Catastrophe

Today we experience the dual themes of remembrance and revival profoundly. In the morning, we embark on a day trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau to contemplate the unfathomable tragedy that unfolded here and the tremendous challenge of commemorating it. Upon our return to Krakow in the afternoon, a reflection session will enable us to process the day’s experience as a group.  

Tonight, we’re in for an unforgettable experience at the 33rd annual Krakow Jewish Culture Festival – the world’s largest event of its kind. At the opening Shabbat Dinner event, we join members of the local community and guests from around the globe to celebrate the survival and renewal of Jewish culture. 

Overnight: Sheraton Grand Krakow 

Day 3, Saturday — Kazimierz: More Than Klezmer and Knishes

We spend Shabbat in Kazimierz, a charming district where Polish and Jewish cultures intermingled for generations. Guided by Yiddish and Polish culture expert, Dr. Agi Legutko (Columbia University), we explore the Jewish-themed galleries, cafes, and shops that attest to growing interest in the area’s Jewish past. We continue to the Galicia Jewish Museum and the Tempel Synagogue, an ornate Moorish Revival building that is now a thriving center of Jewish culture, as well as the former Krakow Ghetto in Podgorze.  

Next, we head to the JCC Krakow to learn about remarkable initiatives aimed at revitalizing Jewish life in Poland while fostering cross-cultural exchange, including the annual Ride for the Living, a 60-mile bike ride from the gates of Auschwitz-Birkenau to the JCC Krakow that is currently underway.   

This evening, you are free to make your own dinner arrangements based on our recommendations and/or return to the Jewish Culture Festival to enjoy art, music, and more. 

Overnight: Sheraton Grand Krakow 

Day 4, Sunday — Warsaw: Capital of Yiddishland 
 

Our day begins with a two-hour train ride to Warsaw. We begin our sightseeing in the Polish capital at the serene Okopowa Cemetery, the final resting place of prominent Jews like Ludwig Zamenhof, Janusz Korczak, and I.L. Peretz, to uncover the richness of Polish-Jewish history. We then visit the state-sponsored Jewish Theatre Warsaw and the magnificent Nozyk Synagogue, the only synagogue in Warsaw that survived the war. 

In the late afternoon, we explore Warsaw’s meticulously reconstructed Old Town, which holds a unique distinction as the only UNESCO World Heritage Site that is a complete reconstruction.  

Dinner recommendations within walking distance of the hotel will be provided this evening.  

Overnight: Sofitel Warsaw Victoria, Krolewska 11, 00-065, Warsaw (Tel: +48 22 657 80 11)

Day 5, Monday — Warsaw: 1000 Years of Polish-Jewish History

The morning begins at POLIN: Museum of the History of Polish Jews, a contemporary architectural marvel that showcases a millennium of Polish-Jewish history, recently named “best museum in Europe.”  

In the afternoon, we meet Helena Czernek and Aleksander Prugar, founders of MI POLIN, the first Polish Judaica company since World War II, to learn about the fascinating Mezuzah Traces Project and discover the imprint of local Jewish history on young Polish artists and designers.   

Dinner at your leisure this evening. 

Overnight: Sofitel Warsaw Victoria 

Day 6, Tuesday — Warsaw: Beyond Ghetto Walls

We spend the morning grappling with narratives of persecution and resistance on a walk through the former Warsaw Ghetto, the largest ghetto in Nazi-occupied Europe, including the remains of the ghetto wall and footbridge and Miła 18, where the Jewish Combat Organization organized and launched the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.  

In the afternoon, we head to the Jewish Historical Institute to learn about Emanuel Ringelblum’s Oyneg Shabbes Archive. Hidden within milk cans and buried underground, this clandestine collection of documents represents an invaluable chronicle of Jewish life under German occupation.  

We end our day with the melodies of Poland’s most renowned composer at the Chopin Museum, where an enchanting piano recital awaits us.  

You are welcome to make your own dinner arrangements this evening.  

Overnight: Sofitel Warsaw Victoria 

Day 7, Wednesday — Berlin: A German-Jewish City Reborn 

Today, we travel by train to Berlin, a city of profound transformation. A box lunch will be provided during our journey. Upon arrival, we will visit notable landmarks in the city center, including the Reichstag (German Parliament), the Brandenburg Gate, the Topography of Terror, and memorials dedicated to the victims of the Shoah. This introduction will open our eyes to the thoughtful and sometimes controversial ways that Germany commemorates the history of World War II.  

Tonight, you are free to choose from a wide array of international dining options within walking distance of Hotel the YARD Berlin, where we will stay for the remainder of the trip.    

Overnight: Hotel the YARD, Alexandrinenstraße 125, Berlin, 10969 (Tel: +49 30 25923890)

Day  8, Thursday — Berlin: Life is a Cabaret

Today, we immerse ourselves in the roaring 1920s, remembered by one historian as “the dance on the edge of the volcano.” The morning is devoted to the former Scheunenviertel, once a vibrant Jewish quarter and now one of Berlin’s trendiest neighborhoods. Here, we view the ornate Moorish architecture of the Neue Synagoge, walk through the Old Jewish Cemetery, and explore a historic network of enchanting courtyards near Hackescher Markt.  
 
We then head to Nollendorf Platz for the unforgettable Cabaret Tour, led by expert guide Brendan Nash. Nash skillfully brings to life Christopher Isherwood’s semi-autobiographical tales about the years leading up to the Third Reich, the inspiration for the hit musical Cabaret.  

In the late afternoon, we head to Bayerischer Platz, once home to prominent Jewish professionals, artists, and intellectuals, including Albert Einstein and Hannah Arendt, and now home to one of the city’s most arresting memorials, Places of Remembrance. 
  
From Bayerischer Platz, you are free to explore the elegant Kurfürstendamm boulevard for shopping or pop into the lavish food floor of the KaDeWe department store for a delicious bite.  

Overnight: Hotel the YARD 

Day 9, Friday — Berlin: Collective Memory and Minority Discourse

The ominous wall that divided Berlin in two from 1961 to 1989 was the most visible symbol of the Cold War. This morning we explore relics of divided Berlin, culminating at the striking Berlin Wall Memorial and Museum, where we learn harrowing and heroic stories of separation, escape, and reunification. Only once the wall fell and Germany was reunited could the nation truly begin to confront its complex past. 

In the afternoon, we head to the biweekly Turkish Market in Kreuzberg, a trendy district where Berlin’s large Turkish population intermingles with other immigrant communities, including many Israelis and Arabs. We are joined by Dr. Elisabeth Becker-Topkara and Dr. Ufuk Topkara, local academics dedicated both personally and professionally to German-Jewish-Muslim coexistence.  

In the late afternoon, we visit Hillel Deutschland, where Rabbi Jeremy Borovitz, Director of Jewish Life, will lead a captivating Hevruta Circle, followed by Shabbat Dinner together. 

Overnight: Hotel the YARD

Day 10, Saturday — Berlin: A Tale of More than Two Cities 

We spend our final morning together at the Jewish Museum Berlin exploring highlights of the permanent and temporary exhibitions alongside Daniel Libeskind’s poignant architectural design, divided along three axes that symbolize different German-Jewish historical developments: Exile, Holocaust, and Continuity. 

In the afternoon, we learn how and why Berlin has become home to the fastest-growing Jewish community in Europe since the fall of communism. We will meet Mizrahi-Israeli poet and activist Mati Shemoelof, Russian-Israeli artist Ella Ponizovsky Bergelson, and other young Jewish artists putting Berlin on the map once again as a thriving center of Jewish culture.

Our journey concludes with a farewell dinner at a wonderful Israeli restaurant, where we can savor the new flavors of Jewish life in the German capital. 

Overnight: Hotel the YARD

Day 11, Sunday

Hotel Checkout & Departures

The Melton tour to Krakow, Warsaw and Berlin will be led by Dr. Rachel Seelig.

We are so pleased that you are interested in travelling with Melton! Melton travel is open to adults of all ages. As you may know, Melton provides the educational content for its tours, but is not a travel agency. Gil Travel Agency (“Gil”) is the travel logistics provider for this tour and is responsible for the collection of all deposits and other fees. Because Melton does not collect any travel deposits or fees, it is not responsible for any financial loss associated with a cancellation of this seminar for reasons beyond Melton’s control, including COVID.

We encourage you to read Gil’s Travel Protection Recommendation thoroughly, advising that you purchase comprehensive travel insurance that covers both “cancellation for any reason” and for “COVID-related” reasons. Even where your destination does not presently restrict travel due to COVID, we still recommend you purchase a policy with such coverage.

Thank you for your understanding. We look forward to travelling and learning with you,
The Melton Travel Team

If you would like to be notified when registration opens for this Melton trip, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Need to Know

• Group rates are per person based on double occupancy and a minimum of 20 fully paying participants. Should the number of participants drop below the minimum listed above, we may adjust the cost of the trip to reflect the additional expense of operating the program.
• Tour prices are per person in U.S. dollars. All hotel accommodations, motor coach transportation, special dinners, sightseeing, admissions, luggage handling and the services of local guides, drivers, and the tour guide/educator are included.
• A non-refundable deposit of $500 per person is due upon registration. If the seminar is cancelled, the registration fee will be refunded. The final balance will be due by March 27, 2024.
• All cancellations must be submitted in writing. Up to 91 days prior to departure: $500 per person deposit paid at registration is non-refundable; 90-61 prior to departure: 50% of the trip cost is non-refundable; 60 days or less prior to departure – no refunds. There will be no refunds for unused services.
• Hotel Accommodations: The tour price includes all hotel accommodations, in hotel rooms with private bathrooms. Our standard is to provide the best available hotels while considering value. Although the level of the accommodations may differ slightly from hotel to hotel, we are committed to your comfort.
• Meals are included as indicated in the itinerary. Participants can order kosher meals at prices set by our local agents.
• A Melton educator will be with the group throughout the tour.
• All gratuities are included.
• Baggage: The Travel Agent and/or Tour Operator shall not be held responsible for any damage to or loss of luggage/personal items. All damage/loss must be reported at time of incident and documented in writing by local authorities for submission to the insurance company. With regard to airline baggage allowance, different carriers have different regulations for business and coach, please check with your individual carrier with regard to permitted number of pieces, weights and dimensions. The tour operator is not responsible for fees levied by any air carrier for the transport of personal belongings of any kind.
• Porterage at hotels. Please note that room service is not included.

 Not Included:

• International airfare
• Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
• Group/Private Arrival transfers and private departure transfers

We will be pleased to assist you in any and all flight arrangements, including additional travel plans, through our partners at Gil Travel. Please contact Julian Banegas (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 215-568-6655, Ext. 377) with your flight requests.

Melton Travel recommends Forbes Advisor for the most up-to-date travel insurance comparisons. Consider travel protection for:

• Trip Cancellation
• Trip Interruption
• Emergency Medical Expenses
• Emergency Evacuation/Repatriation of Remains
• Trip Delay
• Baggage & Personal Effects
• Baggage Delay
  
  

Please Note: To be eligible for the waiver of pre-existing medical condition exclusion, the protection plan must be purchased within 21 days from the time you make your initial trip deposit, the entire non-refundable amount of the trip must be insured, and you must be medically able to travel at the time the premium is paid. However, the travel protection plan itself can be purchased any time prior to departure.

Additional Information

• Airline Security Measures: Your name must match the name on your tour reservation and airline ticket, or you may be denied boarding. If you are traveling from an airport outside the jurisdiction of the U.S., you will need to determine what travel documentation and identification are required for that particular airport.
  
  
• Due to heightened security regulations, certain items such as a metal nail file, pocketknife, cigarette lighter or tweezers, and some liquid, gel, or aerosol items may not be permitted in your carry-on luggage. Please call your airline prior to departure to obtain current information on non-permissible carry-on items and recommended airport check-in times. You may also wish to visit the Transportation Security Administration website at www.tsa.gov to obtain more information on acceptable identity documentation and prohibited luggage items.
  
  
• Holidays and Museum Closures - Museum visits and personal shopping time may be disrupted due to unforeseen circumstances or state and local holidays observed in the destinations being visited.
  
  
• Photography During Tours: We will occasionally use photographs taken by fellow guests or your trip director for promotional purposes. If you prefer your photo not used in any marketing activities, please notify us at the start of your tour.

For more information about this tour, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

T: 1–646–921–0747, Ext. 4