I'll be spending a month in Poland in June, mainly visiting WWII and Cold War sites; however I'm also interested in architecture and general Polish history and culture. I want to visit Warsaw, Krakow and Gdansk. I'll be landing in Warsaw and spending five days there, then spending six days in Gdansk. Then I will spend the last six or seven days in Krakow and will depart from there to return to the States.

I have visited all these cities in the past.

In between Gdansk and Krakow, I have an unplanned week or so. I'm looking for suggestions as to other cities to visit. I spent three lovely days in Torun in 2015 and have visited the Wolfschanze (Wolf's Lair) twice. I do not want to visit Auschwitz.

I was thinking about Zakopane and Wroclaw. Anybody want to second those two? Any other suggestions?

Zakopane is a mountain resort town, very pleasant and with interesting architecture. It has a couple of museums that exhibit local crafts.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...7630700966746/ and subsequent pictures

Wroclaw is more reminiscent of German cities. It was completely destroyed during WW2 with the exception of the Centennial Hall worth a visit for its architecture. The center of the city has been completely rebuilt.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...751237938/show

You might want to take a look at my trip report; click on my name to find it.

Thanks, Michael. I'll do that when I return from my appointment.

well, sure, I loved Wroclaw but it isn't that convenient for your itinerary. In fact, going to Gdansk first would make the most sense. The problem is trains from Gdansk to Krakow goes back through Warsaw, it doesn't go southwest. Not sure what your plans were in that regard. Of course, with enough time you can do anything if you don't mind all the backtracking.

But you can take a train from Gdansk to Wroclaw, takes about 6 hours, but you can do it. There is one direct train at 11:40--it goes through Poznan. So I suppose that's another idea, also.

I'm sure you want to end up in Krakow for a decent airport.

Zakopane is very touristy but the scenery is great. You could also consider crossing into Slovakia for more mountains. Haven't been to Wroclaw but I've seen some intriguing photos.

I can second Wrocław. Plenty of history; lots of lanes for wandering; vibrant food scene; and of course, hunting for gnomes.

I'm not sure I understand -- was there something that you felt missing in the responses you got to your easier query?
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...else-to-go.cfm

"earlier" -- sheez, auto-correct is a pain!

A crazy thought.

Would you consider going from Gdansk to Vilnius and then Warsaw?

Could be interesting to spend about 3/4 days there.

Then the other few days in Wroclaw after Warsaw.

We new the city was destroyed but enjoyed the rebuilt city, like Warsaw.

kja: I was hoping that nobody would notice that. I forgot the earlier post. I've been making my arrangements very early, as I'm getting an extra miles deal from my MileagePlus visa.

My sister (who's 6 years younger than I am) would say "Poor old thing...."

Perfectly understandable! I hope there's some useful information for you there....

Not sure I can be of much help but when we were planning our trip to Krakow over the summer my cousin raved about a long weekend they'd spent in Wroclaw.

Thanks, everyone. I'll definitely figure out a way to get to Wroclaw. And Zakopane.