HERITAGE JOURNEY · 3 DAYS · MoL EXTENSION
March of the Living Extension: Three Days of Private Add-On
A journey for families taking part in the official March of the Living programme, who wish to remain in Poland for three additional days after the close of the eight-day group programme, for private family visits. The Mercedes V-Class collects the family in Kraków at the end of the MoL (usually on the Sunday after the closing Yom HaShoah ceremony at Birkenau) and leads three days shaped to the family's dossier: the full Kazimierz with a private scholar (not within a large group), family addresses, the chosen shtetl of origin, and an optional repeat private visit to Auschwitz I without the crowd of the 13,000-strong group. Three days as an addendum, not an alternative, to the MoL.
Overview
Dla kogo ta podróż
Trasa dzień po dniu
Plan podróży
Collection from MoL and Full Kazimierz in Private
The Mercedes V-Class collects the family at the site of the closing of the official MoL programme (usually the group hotel in Kraków). Transfer to a premium 5-star hotel (Old Town). After check-in and a short rest, a full day in Kazimierz with a private Kraków scholar — this time without the 50-seat group, at a calm pace. The Remuh Synagogue and the grave of Rabbi Isserles (note: the Remuh is an active synagogue and may close for afternoon prayers during Pesach or soon after Yom HaShoah — we coordinate in advance). The Old Synagogue, with the full exhibition on Jewish culture. The Tempel Synagogue, with its original nineteenth-century interior. The New Jewish Cemetery on Miodowa — a quiet hour with the location of family graves where identified by the genealogist. Kosher lunch and dinner in Kazimierz. Evening free — kosher restaurants, a walk along the Planty.
Miejsca: Remuh Synagogue · Old Synagogue · Tempel Synagogue · New Jewish Cemetery
Posiłki: Kosher lunch in Kazimierz, kosher dinner
The Family Shtetl
Departure at 9:00 for the shtetl of the family's origin — usually Tarnów, Bobowa, Rzeszów, Nowy Sącz, Przemyśl, or another town of western Galicia within 1-3 hours by V-Class from Kraków. A local scholar or shtetl historian joins in the town. A full day on the ground: family addresses on the basis of the genealogist's dossier (prepared in advance; the client receives cadastral maps with locations), the Jewish cemetery (the location of a family grave where identified), the synagogue or its location, the assembly square before deportation (most Galician shtetls held assemblies before transports to Bełżec in June-September 1942). Lunch at a local restaurant or kosher catering delivered from Kraków. Return to Kraków around 18:00. Kosher dinner at the hotel.
Miejsca: Per dossier — the family shtetl
Posiłki: Breakfast at the hotel, kosher lunch en route, kosher dinner
Final Choice and Transfer to KRK
The third day is adapted to the family's needs. Three options. **Option A:** a repeat private visit to Auschwitz I in the morning (without the 13,000 of the MoL group, with a licensed educator focused on the family, with time for reflection). This is a frequent request — many MoL participants feel that the March was too quick and too crowded for them to see the camp in fact. A private three-hour visit gives the space. **Option B:** a family day in Kraków — visits to family addresses in Kazimierz and Podgórze (if the family has Kraków roots), work in the reading room of the State Archive in Kraków with the genealogist, a meeting at the JCC Krakow with the present community. **Option C:** an additional shtetl — if the family has roots in two shtetls, a second shtetl day. The choice is made after Day 2, depending on the family's emotional state and the priorities that have emerged. In the afternoon, V-Class transfer to KRK in line with the ticket (most MoL participants hold return tickets from Kraków or Warsaw).
Miejsca: Per choice — Auschwitz I in private / Kraków addresses / second shtetl
Posiłki: Breakfast at the hotel, flexible lunch / farewell kosher
W cenie
Co jest zawarte
- ✓ Mercedes V-Class across all three days (one chauffeur)
- ✓ Premium 5-star hotel in Kraków (3 nights)
- ✓ Three days of scholar accompaniment (Kraków scholar, local shtetl historian, and an Auschwitz educator if Option A)
- ✓ Pre-trip genealogical research focused on the family's specific shtetl (four to six weeks beforehand) — cadastral maps, addresses, grave locations where identified
- ✓ Complete kosher operation in Kraków, plus catering delivered to the shtetl
- ✓ Admissions: Auschwitz I if Option A (with a licensed educator), Kazimierz synagogues, New Cemetery, shtetl synagogue
- ✓ Collection from the site of the close of MoL (usually the group hotel in Kraków)
- ✓ Farewell transfer to KRK
- ✓ Kosher dinner on the first evening, farewell lunch on the last day
- ✓ our team available 24/7
- ✓ Operator-side travel insurance
Nie zawarte
Co poza zakresem
- — The entire official March of the Living programme (MoL fees, MoL coach transport, MoL group hotels — these are organised by MoL directly)
- — Return airfares
- — Personal health insurance
- — Personal expenses, gratuities
- — Meals not listed
Inwestycja
Budżet
Opcje dodatkowe
Rozszerzenia podróży
Extended pre-MoL or post-MoL day
Extending the route by a day before the MoL (arriving the day before, a rest day and Kraków orientation) or after the MoL (a fourth day of extension). Each addition is one V-Class day plus hotel plus kosher.
Private family ceremony at Birkenau
After the MoL March: a private family ceremony at Birkenau (Kaddish at the ramp with only the family present, without the 13,000 of the group), coordinated with the museum. A cantor optionally. The visit takes an hour and matters emotionally for families for whom the March in the group was too anonymous.
Pre-trip genealogy on the shtetl
Extended genealogist's work on the specific shtetl (eight to ten weeks rather than the standard four to six). Deeper identification of addresses, documents from the archives, and earlier contact with the local shtetl historian.
JCC Krakow visit and community Shabbat
If the route extension covers a weekend, coordination of Kabbalat Shabbat at the Tempel or Remuh Synagogue, plus a Shabbat dinner with the JCC Krakow community.
Documentary photographer for the 3 days
A professional documentary photographer across the three days of the extension, with delivery of 2,000-3,000 photographs within three weeks.
Shtetl marker or memorial donation
A donation to shtetl cemetery conservation, or a plaque with the ancestors' names at the local synagogue. We coordinate with local coordinators of memory.
FAQ
Pytania o tę trasę
Does the extension require participation in the official MoL?
As standard, yes — the extension is designed as an addendum for families that have already taken part in the MoL and wish for three additional private days. If a family wishes the same three days without the MoL (a different time of year, no young people in the MoL), the route can be run on its own as a "short heritage journey" — beginning then with meet and greet at KRK rather than the collection from the MoL hotel.
How is the collection from the MoL arranged?
We contact the MoL office eight to twelve weeks in advance to obtain the final group schedule (the time and place of the close of the last MoL day). The Mercedes V-Class awaits the family at the agreed point (usually the group hotel in Kraków). The chauffeur has a telephone contact with the family, used when they are ready to leave. We do not enter the MoL space — we wait outside the building.
Can I take part in the MoL without sponsors (independently)?
The MoL has several formats: the official programme through national delegations (registration through the local Jewish federation), the Adult MoL (for adults over 21), and the Family MoL (for families). All require registration directly at marchoftheliving.org — Heritage Journeys does not mediate registration for the MoL. Once registered in the MoL you can add our extension by contacting us separately.
Can I visit Auschwitz again after the March?
Yes. This is a frequent request — the March is emotionally intense but quick (the coach takes the group to Auschwitz I, time at the exhibition is short, then a 3 km march to Birkenau, the Yom HaShoah ceremony, and the coach returns). Many participants feel that they "were there but did not see" — especially Auschwitz I, whose exhibition was barely touched. A private repeat visit with a licensed educator is an affordable and emotionally significant addition. The visit takes three hours without the crowd (after Yom HaShoah on Monday or Tuesday the number of visitors drops sharply).
Can I add Warsaw or Prague?
For a three-day extension — no; geography does not permit. Three days are too few to add Warsaw (5h one way from Kraków) or Prague (6h). If the family wishes Warsaw or Prague after the MoL, we recommend extending to five or six days and designing a full heritage journey rather than a short extension.
What is the best hotel in Kraków for the extension?
For families after the MoL we recommend a different hotel from the one the MoL group stayed in — a physical and psychological change of context matters. As standard, premium 5-star (Old Town palace-class), within walking distance of Kazimierz, with lifts and senior-friendly rooms. We coordinate rooms on the same floor for the whole family — parents, child, and grandparents.
Begin
Rozpocznij swoją Heritage Journey
The March of the Living Extension is our shortest, most accessible Heritage Journey. We begin with a short written exchange — MoL participants already have a framework context, and we need only the family's shtetl, the Day 3 option, and travel dates. We coordinate with the MoL office and prepare the extension within seven to ten days. The pre-trip genealogical work on the shtetl begins six to eight weeks before arrival. We invite you to contact us — ideally three to four months before the planned MoL.
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