The Other Baltic Sea Amber, shifting dunes and the land of a thousand lakes

Day 1: Switzerland - Leipzig

Journey to Leipzig, where you will spend the first night.

Day 2: Leipzig - Szczecin - Wolin Island

Drive to Szczecin, with a view from the Haken Terraces over the Oder and the Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes. Onwards to Wolin Island, nestled between the Baltic Sea and the Kamień Lagoon, with its broad sandy beaches and unspoilt dunes that merge gently into extensive pine forests.

Day 3: Usedom Island

A day devoted to the quiet side of the island. Away from the fashionable seaside resorts, Usedom reveals itself as unspoilt and peaceful, with gentle hills, old village churches, glittering lakes and wide meadows, above which sea eagles and kingfishers circle. A particular highlight is Mellenthin Moated Castle, dating from the 16th century, which today invites you to linger with its own brewery and coffee roastery. Here you can enjoy coffee and cake in an atmospheric setting.

Day 4: Slowinski National Park

In Slowinski National Park, dunes up to 50 metres high advance further into the pine forests year after year, creating an almost desert-like landscape of unusual beauty. An electric cart takes you comfortably to the dunes. In the evening you will arrive in Gdansk, your destination for the next two nights.

Day 5: Gdansk

A whole day for the old Hanseatic city on the Motława. You will stroll along the Royal Way, which links the Golden Gate with the Green Gate, and reach the Long Market via Long Street, once home to the wealthiest patrician families. Richly decorated façades with coats of arms and figures of ancient heroes line the way. You will see the Neptune Fountain, the emblem of the city, the Gothic St Mary's Church, the mighty Crane Gate and Artus Court, which once served as a meeting house for the Hanseatic cities. In the afternoon there is time for your own discoveries, before the day draws to a close with a festive dinner at the Gdanska restaurant in the Old Town.

Day 6: Gdansk - Elbląg Canal - Masuria

Today a technical marvel of the 19th century awaits you. The Elbląg Canal overcomes a height difference of around one hundred metres in a highly unusual way: at several inclined planes, ships are lifted out of the water on rails and drawn overland before floating again. On a trip along one of the sections, you will experience this unique monument at close quarters. Afterwards, continue to the land of a thousand lakes.

Day 7: Masuria

A long tour takes you through the forested, lake-studded landscape of north-eastern Poland, home to the two largest lakes in the country. At the pilgrimage monastery of Holy Linden you will enjoy an atmospheric organ concert, and in the afternoon Masuria shows its most beautiful side on a boat trip. In the evening you are guests of the East Prussian Dickti family. They stayed in their homeland after the war, and today their son continues to run the small folk museum in the family home, where customs and traditions of times past live on. A cosy barbecue evening on the property brings the day to a close.

Day 8: Masuria - Toruń

Toruń, birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, impresses with its Gothic buildings and the Leaning Tower. In the historic gingerbread factory you will shape your own gingerbread and taste the famous Toruń specialities.

Day 9: Toruń - Dresden

Drive to Dresden, where you will spend your last night.

Day 10: Dresden - Switzerland

With many wonderful memories in your luggage, you begin your journey home.

What makes this journey special

This journey takes you to a Baltic Sea that hardly anyone knows, far from the major tourist crowds. From the first day to the last you are perfectly looked after: your German-speaking tour guide accompanies you for a full nine days, knows the country and its people and ensures you do not have to worry about a thing. All services are included, from the city tours and boat trips to the festive dinner in the Old Town of Gdansk. This allows you to immerse yourself fully in the quiet beauty of this landscape and gather memories that last.