iona

My husband and I just returned from the Czech Republic and Poland - specifically Prague, Krakow and Wroclaw. I will be posting an online journal and pictures, hopefully within the next 2 weeks. Until then, I would love to answer any specific questions about our trip, for people planning on traveling to these beautiful countries.

Just briefly: We are from Los Angeles and in our early-30s, no children, speak no Czech or Polish other than the rudimentary phrases in our guidebooks, walked everywhere within the cities and then rented a car in Prague to drive up to Krakow and then back down to Prague from Wroclaw, flew in and out of Prague - via Frankfurt - on United, did not consider this a budget vacation so we stayed in up-market hotels, liked Prague and Wroclaw and LOVED Krakow.

We saw all the main sites within the three cities and drove to Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Salt Mines as day-trips from Krakow. We stayed at the Residence Retezova in Prague, the Copernicus Hotel in Krakow and the Vincent Apartments in Wroclaw. We had apartments/suites in all three hotels, and each was in perfect location for walking throughout the cities. The Copernicus is easily one of the best hotels for comfort and service that I have stayed in - both internationally and domestic.

I will post the link to our journal and pictures as soon as it is complete. In the meantime, I promise to answer any questions you may have! After driving through Poland, we are planning to return and spend more time in Krakow and north to Warsaw and the Baltic coast - it is wonderful!

~ iona

gualalalisa

Iona: I'm so glad you had such a good time and found a place you want to return to.

I'm leaving for Prague a month from today - yaay! Can you tell me what you thought of the airport? - that's where we pick up our car. How was the driving in the Czech Republic and Poland? Did you check out the Four Seasons while in Prague - that's where we're staying and my research says it's very nice but I always like to be reassured.

Also, did you take a cruise down the river? Did you visit Prague Castle and, if so, how much time did you spend there? How about the Jewish Cemetery?

Thanks for your help!

Bird

Thanks for your post. I am putting together a trip to Northern Germany and Poland later this year and was looking at spending time in Wroclaw and/or Gdansk. I was curious about what made Krakow better (in your opinion) than Wroclaw - food, transportation, sights, etc. Thanks again.

iona

The airport in Prague was very simple to navigate through. It is quite compact, and baggage and check-in were both efficient and painless. The customs lines were quite long and probably took us about 1/2 hour to clear. No problems, just long! On the return trip home, we were at PRG a little early for our flight (used to the longer lines at LAX!), so we ate at the upstairs cafeteria. It was better than any airport food I've eaten in the States! My husband's sausage and scrambled eggs were prepared by a chef literally in front of him.

We rented our car from Alimex and picked it up from their location in Prague 6. Therefore, I can't comment renting directly at the airport. I WILL say though, that driving through Prague was a struggle. We made it out of the city fine, but became very lost when we tried to return the car. It actually took us an hour and 40 minutes to pilot through the city and find Alimex again. We had very good maps and still needed to stop twice and mime for directions. (No one at any of the gas stations we frequented spoke English.) I would avoid a car in the city, if at all possible. We rented ours the day we left Prague and then returned it the night before we flew home.

We had a 2003 Michelin map for the Czech Republic, which included the necessary Southern parts of Poland. In a nutshell, driving through both countries was fast, easy and adventurous. Before I scare you, it was honestly a lot of fun, and I highly recommend it. We saw amazing countryside and had the liberty to stop and investigate sites at will.

My husband determined that we averaged 80 mph on the straight-ways, hitting just under 100 when passing, and cars were still flying past us. Poland leads Europe in highway mortality rates, and we saw why. Stop signs and speed limits seem to be just "suggestions" and people, horses and other animals frequently use country roads as sidewalks. We also noticed that our 2003 map was a little optimistic. Several of the main roads on the map are NOT completed, and you are directed towards detours which often take you out of your way. Our initial route took us through Brno, crossing the border near Cesky Tesin and continuing through Bielsko-Biala on the Polish side. We had planned to take the 52/E462 directly into Krakow, but it was missing a major section and we ended up going north near Katowice before heading east. That added a good hour to our drive. I'll admit that the Prague-Krakow drive was far less scenic than Krakow-Wroclaw-Prague.

I'll write more about it later, but major sections of the A4 through Poland are NOT completed either. Fortunately the traffic was not heavy, as we were often narrowed down to 2 lanes and sometimes driving through dirt and gravel.

A funny thing happened when we crossed the border from Czech to Poland. There were 3 check-points, and not speaking the language we ended up stopping at all of them. The first 2 guards did not know English, but both burst our laughing when they saw our U.S. passports. The third spoke a little English and explained that they don't have a lot of Americans visiting Poland and they rarely if ever see them driving across the border! He also became quite enamored by the word "sticker" after my husband asked him if we needed one in Poland, (you need a highway sticker to drive on Czech highways), and kept repeating it. I envision him returning home that night and driving his wife crazy with the word "sticker"!

I would advise printing out a list of highway signs. They were not always intuitive to us, and many of them look similar and mean entirely different things. I would also suggest becoming familiar with the streets around the landmarks you wish to drive to. As the navigator, I struggled with pronouncing the 12-15 letter street names. I would yell out - "Look for something that starts with K-V-I-E-K-L-Z-V...!" You get the picture! By the time I would find a street on the map, we'd already be a mile down the road. U-turns are your friend

Have to run! I'll answer the rest of your questions later tonight!

olsenlor

Hi Iona.

Thanks for posting! I'm an American in Poland (a small village outside of Lublin) and found your take on the driving lovely - takes some getting used to, huh? ;0)

Perhaps you could give me specific recommendations as to any "don't miss" Polish sites or restaurants/pubs. I'm currently updating and editing a travel guide and would appreciate up-to-date opinions from travelers.

Many thanks,
Stephanie Olsen
owner/editor www.familylifeabroad.com

blueskies

What a thoughtful idea you have had and one I would love to make use of. My boyfriend and I (same age as you guys) are flying out to Prague on 24th Dec and returning 6th Jan). Having booked the flights we now have to plan what to do and how much time to spend in each place. Hiring a car preferably. Any suggestions much appreciated.

qqqsal

I want to comment on the driving situation in Poland for the poster who asked. I think it might be helpful to know their technique for passing other cars. In the USA we usually pass one car and get back into our lane before any of the oncoming cars will hit us. In Poland it's not like that. If you are being passed on the left, you are expected to keep to the far right side of your lane. I was told that when you see a dotted white line on the right side of your lane you are allowed to do this. The oncoming traffic will do the same thing. This will leave the passing car room to pass you, basically making it a three lane road, without getting back in your lane before the oncoming traffic passes on the other side of the road. Don't panic. Sometimes the passing car will drive down the middle of the road and pass a few cars at the same time.

One time the "self-assured" driver I was with decided to pass the car in front of us and they decided to pass the car in front of them at the same time. So there were three cars abreast. That was scary. And yes, they do tend to speed. 80 mph on a two lane road was common, but we hardly ever saw any police cars. Enjoy your trip.

GSteed

Polish highways are narrow and need much attention. Speed limits are posted and they are based on common sense. No one can average 80 mph on them much less 100 mph. Divided highways are posted at 120 kph/75 mph. 2 lanes at 90 kph/55 mph. City or towns from 70 kph to 20 kph. If your husband was actually driving at your reported speeds you may consider yourself fortunate to be alive. Because higways are narrow the impression that you are travelling fast is illusionary. Poland loses 18 people a day to traffic accidents. A high proportion of them are pedestrians. The rate in the USA is similar except that less are pedestrians. Poland's alcohol limits are of concern. .0 to .019 ok. .02 to .049 a minor offense. .05 and over, jail! A single beer at 5% or more will result in a .05 reading. Smart Poles take taxis from drinking events. As a visitor and without a Polish guide imagine your problems in any kind of an accident!

iona

Sorry that it has taken me a few days to post again. To answer some of gualalalisa's questions, we did not check out the Four Seasons, but I really don't think you can go wrong with any of their properties. I've read wonderful things about it. Nor did we take a cruise down the river, but we DID spend a lot of time having drinks on the shore and watching people as they floated by! Seemed like a good time. I thought the Prague Castle and the entire grounds were well worth the time we spent there. You can easily spend a day walking around. We had read about the "tram" that went up the hill, but we never did find it! It wasn't a bad walk, just quite hot and good for the legs. The highlights for us were: The view from the Tower in St. Vitus' Cathedral (do not attempt the 257 narrow steps if you are remotely claustrophobic), St. George's Basilica, the statues in the South Gardens and the Land Roll crests in the Royal Palace. On the way back down, we had a delightful walk and a needed rest in the Wallenstein Gardens. This is a strange place and really worth visiting. I found the Jewish Quarter to be very interesting. It is quite a sight to view the cemetery with thousands of gravestones crammed together. We also really enjoyed touring the synagogues - in particular the Spanish, which is stunning.

In response to GSteed - yes indeed, we were traveling in Poland at those speeds. The traffic between the major cities was literally nonexistent for the most part, so we had many of the roads to ourselves. We had a small Skoda Fabia 5-speed which was fun and nimble to drive. We're also from Los Angeles, so very accustomed to driving as fast as traffic and conditions would allow Seriously though, we never felt "at-risk" and did not consider the roads to be dangerous, just adventurous!

qqqsal

I thought of one more driving tip for Poland. Their stop lights go from green to yellow to red, like in the USA. The lights also go from red to yellow to green and sometimes the cross traffic starts going on the yellow and doesn't wait for the green. So don't be tempted to rush through a yellow light.

PeterB

Iona: Thx for this post - it's great - hope to see more!!! as for driving ... one comment road you took many marked with "A" in it (ie.A4) are considered Major Highway which is about 10% of roads in Poland... Many Major roads as you have mentioned also are considered as "sidewalks" by FarmAnimals, Children Playing or just people moving around. Those are about 80% of Poland and I think are mentioned by GSteed, where you definitly need to slow down to avoid accidents.

Anyway - Love to hear more about your trip!!! so please keep writing!!!

nidawei

My wife and I will be in Prague from Oct 11 to Oct 19th. We're thinking of visiting Krakow during this time. What is the best way to get there? How long does the trip take? Thank you.

Kwoo

To Nidawei,
We are travelling from Prague to Krakow by train on Oct 27. The train takes about 8 1/2 hours. The train we have tickets for leaves Prague at 11:05 am and arrives Krakow about 7:20pm. We change trains in Katowice. For our return, we are taking an overnight train from Krakow to Prague. We purchased our tickets and reservations through Euraide. U.S. Phone #: 941-480-1555 or [email protected]. Or you can try Raileurope. They are a little higher than Euraide.
Good luck!
Karen

tomboy

Thanks for your viewpoint. We enjoyed our visit to Krakow and Auschwitz this May. Poland seems to have rejuvenated since 1989; it was like watching spring arrive as we drove through SE Poland from Slovakia.

tomasz

Yes, You're right!I have always tehe same impression when I'm tuning back from there!The "only"problem is that people in Poland don't apprecciate all the things we have done in this years and they always complain instead of working harder!I think comunism mad a huge harm for our mentality and we'll need much more time to change ourselves, than just our cities, roads and other material goods....

tomboy

If I had to guess, I'll bet the complaints come more from the people over 50 than from those under 30. True?

tomasz2

yes.older people are very scepitc, but what is so sad many young people are the same!we have "losers mentality", we complain, cause when you dont complain you are seen as someone starnge, not natural!its absurd, sad absurd!we grow up in such a heavy atmosphere and then small wonder that we always feel frustrated!we have a lot of expectations from our contry but we cant see that EVERYTHING depends on us, not politicians!politics have grown up in our society, they have the same mentality like us and most people would behave the same like all those who are in our government now...why are we so stupid to not understand such a simple thing??THERE WERE SOME PROBLEMS WITH MY NICK NAME:TOMASZ AND TOMASZ2 IS THE SAME PERSON!

Christina

I am thinking of going to that area next summer, and was wondering if you might know of some quainter small Polish town worth a visit which can be easily reached by train or bus from Wroclaw? Or at least on the way from Krakow up to Wroclaw? I will not have a car, and tentatively am planning to arrive in Krakow, then take the train to Wroclaw, and finally take the train over to Berlin. I'm not sure how long a train ride to Berlin it is from Wroclaw, but from what I've read, Poznan isn't that special that it would be worth another stay there if I've been in Krakow and Wroclaw. I was thinking a small town would be a better variation than another big city.

tomasz2

well, i think Opole can be quite interesting!its on the way from Krakow to Wroclaw, when You ll take the train from Krakow to Wroclaw, You must go through Opole, so its quite comfortable!its a very small city(170.000 citizens), but very nice!but i dont think its worth much time to spend there..Wroclaw is so wonderful that i would go there after 2, 3 hours spent in Opole!anyway there are some really nice places in Opole, so You can come here just to see it and than take the train to Wroclaw!i study in Opole, so when You ll be here, You can contact me, I'll help You with pleasure!

tomasz2

ohhh...i've almost forgotten...Opole is about 80 km far from Wroclaw on the east, direction Kraków!