WillTravel

This is a trip I am considering.

The constraints are that I will arrive in Poland September 28 (Sunday) at any of these airports, and that I will leave October 6 (either from Warsaw or Krakow). I have an event in Krakow October 2-3, and wouldn't mind extra time for sightseeing there as well, of course. (I know Auschwitz is nearby, obviously.)

Does Wroclaw 3 days, Krakow 3 days, and Warsaw 2 days make sense, using public transit?

adrienne

I would give more time to Krakow than the other cities as there is a lot to see there and it's a beautiful city. Wroclaw is nice but it takes time to get there and there is about enough sightseeing for a day.

I didn't care for Warsaw as it's spread out and there are a lot of ugly Communist era buildings plus the ugly new stadium that you can't get away from.

You could easily spend 5 days in Krakow, especially if you want to visit Auschwitz and the Salt Mine.

I only see 5 sightseeing days based on your itinerary. Arrival day will give you about half a day and you can't count the day you leave. You have Sept 29 & 30, Oct 1, 4 & 5.

I would spend all the days in Krakow.

bilboburgler

I dislike Warsaw and would limit my stay there to a few hours, Krakow is worth a fair bit of time but I'm not up to date on pollution levels there, just check.

Wroclaw is a nice enough city with a student feel to it.

If you have time left head north towards Gdansk

Dukey1

If I were to combine Krakow with anywhere else it would be Prague and definitely not Warsaw.

takemewithu

there's so much to see in Krakow. We went last year for 5 nites with 4 full sightseeing days and wished we had stayed longer. The Kazimiers ( sp? ) district is worth a visit too, you can easily spend half to a full day there too. Night scene is quite good too at the main square ( Rynek Glowny ) and the shops and outdoor restaurants are open very late too. Has the San Marco pizza ambience, with some small bands playing till 1 or 2 am. Of you are into small, intimate concerts, there's plenty of that too and they're held at some of the old churches. We actually want to go back. I would spend all those nights in Krakow, if it were me.

takemewithu

San Marco piazza, not pizza. Gotta love iPad's auto text ;=)

Christina

I loved Wroclaw, I think I spent at least 3 days there. But of course Krakow does have more to see. I'd do maybe 2 in Wroclaw and 4 in Krakow if you have 6 to split. But it was easy for me to stop in Wroclaw on the way from Germany to Krakow, so it wasn't out of my way. Then I took the train from Wroclaw to Krakow for the rest of my stay. That took several about 4-5 hrs, as I recall. It is kind of out of the way unless you can fly into it and they do have a new airline terminal so I'd do that, probably. Because if you have to leave from Krakow or Warsaw, you should fly into Wroclaw. Then get an early train from Wroclaw to Krakow so you are there by early afternoon.

I haven't been to Warsaw so can't comment on that one.

Andrew

I loved Wroclaw too. Gdansk is most definitely worth a visit but it's really far from everything else. You could fly into Gdansk then fly to Krakow I guess, but then you could fly into anywhere nearby in Europe and probably fly to Krakow. You could also fly into Gdansk, day trip to places like Torun and Malbork castle, then fly on to Krakow.

For my nine days in Poland, I flew into Gdansk (3 nights), trained to Torun (1 night), trained to Wroclaw (2 nights), then trained to Krakow (3 nights) (then on to Czech Republic by train). You can read my trip report from 2012 by clicking on my name.

Although I took the train from Wroclaw to Krakow (I like trains), there's a shorter, cheap direct bus that takes only about 3.5 hours I think. If you are pressed for time you might choose that over the train, which isn't particularly scenic but takes about two hours longer than the bus.

annhig

When we were in Krakow [just 3 nights, could easily have used more there] we met some people who were living in Warsaw. THey said that apart from a few small parts which had been restored, it wasn't a particularly attractive place. THat seems to be the message you are getting here as well.

I think that in the time you've got, you could have a very nice trip combining Wroclaw and Krakow, with more time in the latter than in the former.

Christina

That was one slow train, that's for sure. I think it was a "milk run" and made stops but also just went really slowly.

Andrew

The part of the train trip from from Katowice to Krakow seemed especially slow. I don't remember it being a "milk run" because it didn't really make that many stops. It's just a slow, old train.

WillTravel

I think for flight arrangement and best use of time, it works best to fly into Wroclaw arriving the afternoon of September 28, bus to Krakow on the morning of Oct. 1, train to Warsaw (where I have to fly out of) on the morning of Oct. 5, and fly out Oct. 6. I know I'll be missing some beautiful towns, but it is a short trip.

Thanks for the advice, everyone; it seems a good idea to de-emphasize Warsaw.

Leely2

Have fun! I spent five full days in Krakow last summer and really loved it. Had a day and a half in Warsaw, and, I guess unlike others, I did enjoy it and wanted more time there.

WillTravel

I booked the flights (into Wroclaw and out of Warsaw). I have time to figure out the exact timing.

Leely2

I thought the Michelin Green Guide for Poland was indispensable. Might help you decide what you most want to see and then you can divvy up your days from there.

geographer

We just returned from almost two weeks in Poland, including four nights in Warsaw. Krakow is very easy to love, but we really enjoyed Warsaw too. It's got a great energy, and understanding the history of the city made us appreciate how amazing it is now. I highly recommend the Warsaw Uprising Museum early in your stay, it gives a great perspective. The bus system is really easy to use for any site you don't want to walk to.

Lazienki Park is a wonderful place to spend a nice morning with the locals and it's an easy bus ride from the Old Town area. We really liked walking through the New Town, and there is a small park between the river and the New Town that draws people on weekend nights and is really festive.

Enjoy your trip, we loved Poland beyond what we were expecting.

kja

I haven't been to Wroclaw (much as I would like to see it), was glad to spend a limited amount of time in Warsaw (it does have a few sites I thought worth making time to see), and loved loved loved Krakow. I think your plan makes sense given your timeframe. Enjoy!

lauren_s_kahn

I will post the blogs to my recent stay in Krakow and my present stay in Warsaw here:

http://altecockertravels.weebly.com/...rned-2014.html

http://altecockertravels.weebly.com/...ange-2014.html

I haven't done much in Warsaw yet but go to Castle Square and visit the Castle. Be sure to visit the adjacent picture gallery as well as there are two stunning Rembrandts. Today was an off day for laundry and just resting after all the walking in Krakow. I am on a trip that will total 9 weeks involving home exchanges in different places plus personal travel in Belarus. I am going to Belarus to visit the villages where part of my family originated.

Tinak1

If you are going to visit Wroclaw, contact Wratislavia Tour. They can organize time perfectly. You don’t need to lose your way in the city going with a map because all is organized and you can be taken to any place.

WillTravel

I have posted a bit about this trip elsewhere, but I should add here (over a year later), that I had a great trip. I used Wroclaw Free Walking Tours for part of my time there. I loved all of Wroclaw, Krakow, and Warsaw.