Tour Code: 27HHT
Tour Manager: Dan Brubaker
Tour Leader: Patrick Cross
Group Size: 8
Activity level: Moderate

This educational and historical tour is focused on the Holocaust and World War II. Learn more about the Warsaw Uprising. Schindler’s Factory. Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp Museum and Memorial. Prague. Theresienstadt Ghetto. Dresden. House of the Wannsee Conference in Potsdam. Checkpoint Charlie, Topography of Terror, Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate and Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin. Remnants of Berlin Wall at the East Side Gallery. Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. Otto Weidt Workshop for the Blind.

Friday, October 15
Arrival in Warsaw. After lunch, we shake off jet lag with an easy walking tour of Old Town Market Square, the Royal Castle Square and immediate surroundings. Welcome dinner. Stay in Warsaw for 2 nights.

Saturday, October 16
Today, we visit the POLIN Museum, see the Warsaw Ghetto walls and the Uprising Monument, and walk along the Jewish Ghetto Route as well as the Royal Route.

Sunday, October 17
Morning at the Warsaw Uprising Museum. 3+ hour drive to Krakow after lunch. After check-in at hotel, we explore Old Town for a bit. Stay in Krakow for 3 nights.

Monday, October 18
Explore the Rynek Glowny (Old Town) area of Krakow with stops at St. Mary’s Basilica, The Cloth Hall, and Wawel Castle & Cathedral.

Tuesday, October 19
Get a feel of Holocaust history with a visit to Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory Museum, Eagle Pharmacy and Heroes Square in Podgorze. After lunch, we will explore the Jewish district of Kazimierz including the Old Synagogue and Old Cemetery.  

Wednesday, October 20
For most of the day, we visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Check in our hotel nearby. During dinner, we have a reflection discussion. Overnight in Oświęcim.

Thursday, October 21
5-hour drive to Prague with lunch in the charming city of Olomouc on the way. After checking into our hotel, we go for a refreshing walkabout in the area. Stay in Prague for 3 nights.

Friday, October 22
We spend the day in Mala Strana, starting with a visit to the 1,100-year-old Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral.  We’ll also visit other interesting sites that may include the Strahov Monastery, Novy Svet, Lennon Wall, Kafka’s Museum area and a 20-inch-wide street.

Saturday, October 23
Visit a farmer’s market along the riverfront and get some fresh coffee and pastries into us.  Nearby, we’ll walk past the Dancing House and stop at the National Memorial to the Heroes of the Heydrich Terror.  After a stop to take in a view of the whole old town of Prague from the top of a building, we have free time to shop and explore.  

Sunday, October 24
We start the day by crossing the famed Charles Bridge. Walking tour of the Jewish Quarter, including stops at Pinkas Synagogue, the Old Jewish Cemetery, Old-New Synagogue and the Spanish Synagogue.  Dinner at a restaurant where food and drinks are brought to your table by little trains.

Monday, October 25
After breakfast, 1-hour drive to visit the Theresienstadt Ghetto in the town of Terezin.  We then continue to Dresden, a little over an hour to the north. After checking into ourhotel, we’ll have some free time to shop/explore the nearby area. Overnight in Dresden.

Tuesday, October 26
In the morning, we’ll walk around Dresden’s Old Town which was heavily bombed at end of World War II and underwent a major reconstruction. Visit Altmarkt, Zwinger Palace, Frauenkirche and Neumarkt. After a late lunch, we have a 2-hour drive to Berlin. Enroute, we stop in Potsdam to see the House of the Wannsee Conference, where the Final Solution was planned. Stay in Berlin for 4 nights.

Wednesday, October 27
Visit Judisches Museum in the morning. Walk past Checkpoint Charlie and visit Topography of Terror, site of Hitler’s Bunker, and Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.  We’ll also visit the dome atop the Reichstag to take in the amazing views and changing colours as the sun sets. Finally, we wrap up this long day at the Brandenburg Gate with views that really pop at night-time.

Thursday, October 28
Drive 45 minutes north to visit Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. On the way back, we stop to see the T-4 Memorial near Potsdamer Platz, where policies targeting people with disabilities were implemented.  Visit the ruins of Kaiser Wilhelm Church.  

Friday, October 29
Morning visit to the Berlin Wall Memorial, a sobering site recognizing the victims of attempted escapes from East Berlin into the West.  Visit die Hackeschen Hofe and see the Otto Weidt Workshop for the Blind, where DeafBlind Jews were protected during the war. We’ll stop at Alexanderplatz and the World Time Clock before enjoying a farewell dinner.

Saturday, October 30
Transfer to Berlin airport for your flight back home.

Updated 03/12/26

Patrick has been an Academic Upgrading professor at Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario for over 25 years. He also teaches a General Education elective, “The Holocaust: Perspectives of the Deaf and the Disabled,” in ASL with interpreters for an all-hearing audience. A strong advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion, Patrick is passionate about ensuring everyone has equal opportunities to achieve their goals.

An experienced traveler who has visited 55 countries, Patrick has led faculty trips to Ecuador, Colombia, and Guatemala, as well as student and Hands On Travel groups, including a Holocaust-themed tour to Poland, Czechia, and Germany.

At home, Patrick and his wife Barbara enjoy planning future adventures while supporting their four children as they navigate young adulthood. Their busy household also includes two cats, Mara and Kiro, and two dogs, Leia and Bean.

• 15 nights in 3-star accommodations.

• 17 meals: Breakfast (15), Dinner (2)

• Services of a deaf Tour Leader on call 24 hours a day.

• Services of local deaf guides.

• All transportation expenses.

• All city and/or tourist taxes. 

• Airport transfers at beginning and end of tour.

• All admission fees for attractions and museums mentioned in the itinerary.

• Informative travel preparation packet.

• $100 Repeat Customer Discount per person on your next regular tour.

• Domestic and/or international airfares.

• All other meals not mentioned in the itinerary and personal expenses.

• Travel Insurance.

• All types of transit and tourist visas (if applicable) - e.g. ETIAS.

• Tips for your Tour Leader, Tour Assistant(s) and/or Local Guides

• Tour begins in Warsaw, Poland and ends in Berlin, Germany. 

• Tour will be confirmed when we meet the minimum number of participants.

• When the tour is confirmed, additional deposits/payments may be required.

• Significant walking expected during the tour.  Moderate physical fitness is required. All participants will be expected to be able to carry their own luggage.

• Hands on Travel recommends that you purchase a travel insurance plan to help protect you and your travel investment against the unexpected.

We're here to help you plan the perfect adventure! For any inquiries or assistance, feel free to reach out:

Email: dan@handson.travel

With this tour confirmation, your $500 deposit is now non-refundable in any event you need to back out. However, it may be transferable to a future tour.