Who the trip is aimed at: Years 11, 12 and 13

Approx cost: £750 including flights, coach transfers, half board accommodation and insurance. All excursions are also included. 

(NB: The cost is not guaranteed and will change when the trip is recruited to. This is a guide only)

Dani - I want to begin by expressing that my Krakow trip was one of the most important trips of my life and I am left with memories that I will cherish for the rest of time. We travelled in February and the weather was extremely atmospheric - it snowed half the trip, especially the day we travelled to Auschwitz where thick snow billowed down. We stood shivering in thick coats and winter boots so it was  hard to comprehend the immense suffering the inhabitants of the camp experienced due to weather alone. The camp itself is left in the condition that it was in when it was liberated on 27th January 1945, aside from various museum additions that gave light to the extreme ordeal the inhabitants endured during their imprisonment. For me, the most impactful room was one that contained the luggage the inhabitants left ‘clearly labelled’ so they could ‘easily find it again’ but of course they didn't and in most cases couldn’t and they were sent right, not left. We then travelled to Auschwitz-Birkenau and witnessed the gates, gates which led to a death sentence for the majority of the population - their final journey. We walked the length of the train track to the end of the line to see the memorial dedicated to the ~1.1 million who died. It was situated along the tree line, where the four gas chambers and crematoriums stood until the liberation, overlooking the whole camp. Our last visit in the camp was to a barrack. The building seemed to be built for animals, not people, but I suppose, for the Nazis, the inhabitants were anything but people. They had no insulation, were frighteningly cold and would have housed over 700 people each in such a seemingly tiny space. 

After the chilling visit to Auschwitz, I really enjoyed touring around the city both days, seeing everything from cloth markets to synagogues, to the once ghetto, to an ex university, to castles and to fire-breathing dragons. I most enjoyed visiting the museum where we met our survivor who was possibly the most interesting person I have ever met. I am glad we spoke to her after our visit to Auschwitz, as we could begin to imagine the suffering she endured in the place we stood the previous day. By coincidence, her book was published a matter of weeks before we met her, one that I will be purchasing and reading as a reminder of my trip and the feelings it invoked within me of a piece of history that I knew so well but never truly understood until now.

Dan  - Believe it or not, biting winds and grey skies aren't the only thing you'll find visiting Poland. After a 30 minute coach journey from landing, you’ll find a bustling city absorbed in history and culture. Guided by an expert, you will find yourself suddenly engaged in the fabric of Krakow, as the more you learn the more you begin to appreciate the place you find yourself in. When it comes to the most memorable experience, and the experience I'm most appreciative of, it's impossible to ignore Auschwitz. To put it plainly, the hours spent touring the complex were quiet, eerie and undoubtable moving. Truly, the morning spent there was a morning I will never leave to be forgotten. Despite this sombre cornerstone of the trip, the time spent inquiring around Krakow's centre was incredibly enjoyable. Spending time with friends and teachers meandering through cobbled roads, tasting Polish food and browsing street markets was greatly rewarding. To summarise, the three days in Krakow couldn’t have been spent better, each one I am hugely thankful for.