We are taking the sleeper train from Berlin to Krakow. Eurorail states that the train arrives at Krakow Gl Osobowy station. I do not know where this is at. It is not the Glowny statin near town. Does anybody know where this rain station is at?

What the... Why I aughta...

The sleeper train runs from Berlin Zoo at 1950 and Berlin East at 1907, you pass frontier controls from 2200 to 2300, and the train reaches Krakow Glowny at 0636. Perhaps somebody can tell you what Osobowy means, and why you found it. The other main station in Krakow is Plaszow: the night train from Berlin does not go there.<BR><BR>While I am writing, may I add that Krakow Glowny is known for pickpockets who work in gangs of three. Before I leave the train I transfer passport, tickets, all credit cards but one, and all cash but the needs of that day to my big bag, to be taken out only on arrival at my hotel. If you know your hotel and are going there by taxi you will find Krakow Glowny well planned. On your arrival platform there is a lift. You take it up to the station roof. This is a car park and taxi stand. You choose a taxi with phone numbers and a name painted on the side (others may cheat you), tell the driver your hotel, and ask him to stop on the way at a Bankautomat, which is an ATM machine, where you can draw your zloties.<BR><BR>Please write if I can help further.<BR><BR>Ben Haines, London<BR><BR><BR>

Sorry: that is 1850, not 1950.<BR><BR>Ben Haines

Hello,<BR> I live in Cracow in Poland and work here as a tour leader. I do escorted tours by my own car to Salt Mine , Auschwitz, Czestochowa, Zakopane and other places for request. Honesty and resonable prices guaranted. <BR>Best regards,Roman<BR><BR>

Krakow Glowny is bang in the centre of Krakow. Lots of places in the station offer to find you accomodation. I stayed at the Floryan hotel which was clean and mid priced. Florianska which is in the old part of Krakow is 5 minutes walk through a park. I never did find local tour agencies to Oswiecim ( Auschwitz ) apart from at the train station. Krakow is like an undiscovered Prague but it is becoming more discovered day by day. I took the train from Budapest to Krakow via one change at Katowice. Recommend Krakow for couples but unfortunately being there mid-week cant say that it rocked. Auschwitz-Birkenau needs a strong stomach initially. Another tourist place is the salt mines. Didn't go there .. saw salt mines ( and internal salt cathedral ) in Zipiquira just outside Bogota, Colombia.

Welcome to Poland! Vocabulary is most interesting. Poles are practical, they use words well. Glowa is word for head. Hence,Krakow Glowny, is phrase for head or main train station. Word for East is Wschod-Sun rising. West is Zachod or Sun setting. Warszawa Wschod becomes Warsaw West station. All schedules and such are posted. Some trains only run on work days. There are different kinds of train service. Pociagach ekspreswych, an express, limited stop train. Osobowe, from word meaning people. Train stops at each station. The old "milk train". If safety is a concern, please consider busses or hiring a van and driver. Try Polish city websites. Find out what is happening at the time you will be there. Lodz has great theater/opera/ballet. Best tickets usually less than $10. Find the "cepalia shop". Best souvenirs. Change money at a Kantor stall. Not at the airport or hotel. ATM service seems to be everywhere and is reliable. Some are on the street and some inside banks or markets. Driving? Always take drivers license, passport, car papers and etc., with you when leaving car. Lock car. Leave nothing in view. "Ja mam turysta prosze... I am a tourist please ...Find and buy small Polish/English dictionary.

George, this is the most peculiar Polish language I ever saw. <BR>Glowa (head) has nothing to do with Glowny (which means "main"). They look similar but you are wrong.<BR><BR>And what is this "Ja mam turysta prosze... I am a tourist please ..."<BR><BR>The way you translated is "I have a tourist, please"<BR>If you want to say You are tourist just say "Ja jestem tourista" And in this case don't say "please" (prosze) in the end of the sentence, it doesn't make sense<BR><BR>I think that it is ver nice of you trying to communicate in Polish when you went there. Howeve, giving people on this board incorrect logistics of the language is wrong approach.

George: Found your post helpful despite minor language errors. Re "if safty is a concern...", are you suggesting that the trains are unsafe? Any other information you want to share about Poland? Thanks.

Train Safety..Five years ago we traveled through Poland with few problems. Each year since then conditions have worsened. Pickpockets are very skilled and little seems being done to get rid of them. I have tried to get IHT Travel to quiz the US Embassy in Warsaw about the number of lost or stolen passports per month or such. At visits to the embassy we usually meet someone who was on a train and had his passport stolen. I am sure that the credit card companies could supply information concerning their requests for replacement cards. We quit riding trains and bought an automobile. No incidents since. Busses are safer.

Me, my husband and a friend of ours spent a great five days in Krakow a little while back. We stayed in the old Jewish quarter (Kaziemierz (sp?)) at a very unusual hotel called the Klezmer-Hois. It is a Jewish hotel and there are Klezmer music concerts every night in the good kosher restaurant. I thought it was charming - quirky rooms with antiques, although no phones in rooms (they do have TVs). About 15 minutes walk from the old town square (Rynek Glowny). We walked everywhere and had no problems. Highlights were the Salt Mines, Auschwitz/Birkenau (if you can call that a highlight) and a trip to Zakopane - all lovely!

ttt

This is for Heather who stayed at Klezmer-Hois in Cracow. Can you email me or just post back here how you found this place, how I could find it and what it costs? We are doing a family trip this summer and it sounds perfect for the 2 days we want to spend there. Thanks, Mary

Agi, what do you think of the Hotel Copernicus?

Hello, I will be sending a gift to a friend that loves sweets. She is mid-twenty and lives in Dobre Miasto, Poland. Could you recommend an American candy or cookie that may be popular there.
I would greatly appreciate this, thank you so much

Welcome to Fodors Fmestanza. Perhaps you didn't notice that this thread is more than 15 years old.

If you want specific information you should start a new topic of your own.