spyhalski

My husband and I will be vacationing in Poland this upcoming September. We're flying in and out of Warsaw and have 9 nights to explore. We know we want to go to Krakow, but other than that we're not really sure where is the best place to go. We would really like to spend a couple nights in smaller towns or cities to really get a feel of the country. Cities are nice, but we don't want to spend our whole time going from tourist attraction to tourist attraction. As of now we're planning on renting a car so we'd be able to access more remote areas. Any recommendations on places a little off the beaten path? Thanks!

BigRuss

<<My husband and I will be vacationing in Poland this upcoming September>>

OK, why?

What attracted you to Poland?

What do you want to get out of the trip?

What interests do you have?

Why do you think "cities" won't allow you to get a feel for the "country"?

Answer this, and you'll get more help.

BTW, Gdansk is great and has a fine attraction an hour outside of it (Malbork Castle) but it's on the opposite side of the country from Krakow.

iris1745

A little info on inyourpocket.com/Krakow

inyourpocket.com/warsaw and

inyourpocket.com/Gdansk

cdnyul

Will you be jet-lagged when you arrive in Warsaw?

Mark

MarthaT

Zakopane is a nice town south of Krakow in the mountains. Very picturesque. And they are famous for a smoked cheese that is really good.

Christina

Do you speak Polish? It would help in smaller places. I know when I had to negotiate something in the Wroclaw train station, it was very useful that I knew a little Polish.

ANyway, I do recommend Wroclaw as it's a lovely small city, north of Krakow. It is only about 1/4 the size of Krakow, but it's stil not a small town or village. But at least there is somethign to do there and good accommodations.

Zakopane is a good idea, it's a resort town and is fairly small.

iris1745

WE enjoyed Wroclaw and also Torun, another small city.

inyourpocket.com/Wroclaw

quokka

Krakow: 750.000 inhabitants
Wroclaw: 630.000 inhabitants
... not exactly what I'd call small, and surely more than a quarter of Krakow.

cdnyul

If you are up to a four hour drive after arrival head south of Waraszawa to Kazimerz Dolny,(population 3600) a small town popular with the Polish artsy crowd. Spend a night or two, then head east to Zamość,(po. 66,000) a UNESCO World Heritage Center. Spend a night.

From Zamość either head south and then west, parallel the Slovak border. It is a beautiful area full of small towns known for their mineral springs

Anything named "Zdrój" is worth a stop or a visit

The town of Krosno is where the oil industry started. (Google Łukasiewicz)

Another option from Zamosc, is to head west towards Sandomierz. Attractions in the area include a 500 meter uunderground hiking trail, a Neolithic mine from about 3000 BC.

Nearby, in Baranów Sandomierski visit "Little Wawel" a beautiful palace/garden complex.

http://www.baranow.com.pl/en

A couple of nights in Kraków, head back toward Warszawa, possibly through Częstochowa.

Mark

kja

While in Krakow, don't miss the Lady with an Ermine -- remarkable!

Enjoy!

Kitzkatz2

I think if you are going to Krakow, it would be a shame not to go to Zakopane. Buses every 20 minutes and September would be a nice time to visit.
More info can be found on:-
http://www.discoverzakopane.com/
http://zakopanedaytripper.blogspot.co.uk/

I agree with the above advice offered too. The inyourpocket guides are excellent.
Enjoy your trip!

spyhalski

Thank you so much for the help so far! Zakopane looks beautiful. We were considering doing Wroclaw, Czestochowa, or Katowice as well. We will probably be jet lagged when we land. We land about 10pm and were just planning on finding a room in Warsaw then getting up the next morning and heading out.
As far as why we chose to visit Poland... my husband is of Polish descent and we thought it would be a fun, unique vacation. I'm not opposed to visiting cities I just feel like there is something different about being able to see the rest of the country. I know when I visited Ireland that Dublin was enjoyable. However, the best days were spent driving from one small town to the next, enjoying the scenery, the castles, and the local pubs. We were hoping for a similar experience in Poland. Our Polish is rudimentary but I didn't want to let that deter us from venturing out.
Thanks again for the help!

cdnyul

<<We land about 10pm and were just planning on finding a room in Warsaw then getting up the next morning and heading out. >>

Stay at the airport Marriott.
Pick up your car in the morning.

Mark

Christina

Believe me my Polish is rudiomentary, also, anything helps -- just knowing some of the basic words on signs helps (in a train station, the word for platform, entrance, exit, ticket, etc).

kja

No time in Warsaw itself? That might make sense, since for many of us, it's the easiest place to reach. I only ask because it does have some places worth visiting, IMO, if you can find a way to make the time and if those places appeal to you -- and only you can decide that!

Enjoy!

spyhalski

Thank you so much for all the great advise. So far I have 2 nights booked in Zamosc. Then I think we will head to Krakow for 3 nights, maybe Zywiec for 1 then on back towards Warsaw. My only concern as I am looking at hotels in Krakow is parking. I'm curious is parking in the cities reasonable? If I book with a hotel or guest house that does not have parking onsite will I be able to easily find public parking, and if so any idea on how much it would be to park for 3 days? Thanks again!

cdnyul

If you are renting a car in Poland, or driving a car in Poland and you are a citizen of a non EU country:

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A VALID INTERNATIONAL DRIVERS LICENCE WITH YOU.

I was in Poland two weeks ago, and they will ask for one at the rental counter. You will not be able to rent a car without one, and if stopped by police, will not be allowed to continue your journey.

Also, regardless of the cost, bring your CDW to $0.00. Dents and scratches are almost unavoidable in Poland.

Four years ago I stayed in Best Western Stare Miasto in Krakow and parking was very reasonable at about $5.00/day.

Warsaw hotel parking is very expensive, another good reason to avoid that city.

Your best bet is to check the hotel web site.

On weekends parking restrictions are relaxed,and parking on the side-walks is allowed as long as you leave about 3 feet of room for pedestrians.

Mark