Gdańsk & Eastern Pomerania - with Warsaw

Fly mid-morning (LOT Polish Airlines) from London Heathrow to Warsaw. Drive beside the Vistula via Płock to Toruń. Dinner and first of two nights here.

Picturesquely located on the banks of the Vistula River, Toruń is one of the most attractive and least spoilt of Europe’s medieval towns. Visit the ruins of the first Teutonic castle to be built in Poland and the church of St James, with its monumental, five-storey tower crowned with a pair of hip roofs. The Old Town Hall is an outstanding achievement of medieval civic architecture. Overnight Toruń.

Downstream along the Vistula lies Chełmno, the first political and administrative centre of the Teutonic Order. On a hilltop site, the town is very well preserved, with medieval walls, fine Gothic churches and a splendid Renaissance town hall. Continue to the commanding castle at Gniew, one of Poland’s first privatised monuments. Arrive in Gdansk early evening. First of three nights here.

Morning walk in and around the Long Market (Długi Targ): the imposing Gothic-Renaissance Town Hall, the Artus Court – with its magnificent 16th-century Renaissance stove – and the vast Brick Gothic Church of St Mary (1343). After lunch visit the National Museum’s branch for early art, which houses Hans Memling’s Last Judgement altarpiece. Drive to the medieval cathedral in the suburb of Oliwa. Overnight in Gdańsk.

Drive to Malbork Castle, an awesome structure of three linked castles comprising the largest medieval fortress in Europe. Continue eastwards to Frombork – the resting place of astronomer Copernicus and scene of many of his observations. Frombork retains a brick fortress and cathedral perched on the coast. Final night in Gdańsk.

Walk along the picturesque waterfront to the Crane (1442), a defining symbol of Gdańsk and a relic of the city’s great trading age. After the war it was rebuilt and donated to the Polish Maritime Museum, of which it remains a part today. Drive to Warsaw via Grunwald, the site where the Teutonic Knights were defeated in 1410. First of two nights in Warsaw.

Explore the marvellously rebuilt old centre followed by the Royal Castle. A Renaissance and later building whose magnificent interiors have also been scrupulously reconstructed and enhanced with original furnishings and paintings. After lunch visit the National Museum, a magnificent collection of Polish art which is particularly strong on the medieval and Romantic periods. The rest of the day is free; there are many museums, galleries and historic buildings to chose from. Overnight Warsaw.

Warsaw, Wilanów. With its spreading layout and splendid Baroque interiors, the country palace of Wilanów was built by King Jan Sobieski in the 1680s, though during the next two centuries fine furnishings, pictures and an English park were added. Drive to Warsaw airport for the return flight to London Heathrow arriving late afternoon.