Corryn

Last year we took two escorted tours to Spain and Croatia and were thrilled with our experiences, as we saw a great deal of each country on each tour.
Our next trip was to be to see the various regions of Poland, but am encountering problems. We definitely want to go the escorted tour route again, but find that no big tour company offers just Poland, Really was interested in a more comprehensive visit to the country, but now I am questioning the wisdom of that thought
Would you be so kind as to help me with this dilemma. Does Poland warrant a complete 2 week tour (as the big companies think not), or should we choose one of the numerous tours that include a couple of days each in Budapest, Prague, Vienna, Warsaw, and Krakow? I did find some smaller companies that offer just Poland, but I need some input as to what is the best decision.
I know you will probably advise doing Poland on our own, but that is out of the question.

crazychick

The question you are asking is shall we do one trip to the country Poland, or The cities Budapest, Vienna, Prague and Poland ( the country).
Without knowing why you wanted to spend 2 weeks in Poland it is hard to say. Myself I would not do 2 weeks in Poland . I would look at a trip that would include Krakow, maybe Warsaw and some or all of the other cities not sure what options you are looking. Is it really out of the question to not take a tour and to plan your own trip that takes you where you want to go.

bettyk

I've been researching the same thing and am having trouble finding exactly what we want too.

Here is what I've found:

http://www.amta.com/Amta/Tours/Tours.aspx

Supposedly a very reliable travel agency that specializes in Central and Eastern Europe.

http://www.s-traveler.com/esc_poland.html

The Sophisticated Traveler is another tour operator that provides tours of Eastern and Central European countries.

http://www.orbistravel.com

Orbis is Poland's largest travel agency.

You might also check www.vacationstogo.com and click on their Escorted Tours link and look for Poland tours.

Hope this helps.

Corryn

Crazychick,
We want to do just Poland, because we enjoyed our 14 day trip to Spain and our 14 day trip to Croatia. During those trips, we just saw different regions of the whole country. We opted not to include Portugal for our Spain trip because we felt we would miss some areas of Spain. It was so interesting to see the countrysides and sights of the different areas.
I think to get the feel of an area you must visit in all directions. I just do not want to hop around and spend 2 days in each country just to see one sight.
However, since a Poland only tour is not offered, I am wondering if the reason may be that there just is not enough to see. That is why I need some input from knowledgeable travelers.

Corryn

Bettyk,

I have researched the websites. Have also found a comprehensive tour by staypoland.com, that sounds perfect, but I know nothing about the company. They use great hotels, offer more meals, and there doesn't seem to be extra excursions for additional payment.
Have tried to get some info or reviews by past customers, but I was not successful.
Am just a little skeptical about doing business via email. Hoping I still may find some info on how reputable this agency would be.

bettyk

Yes, I've looked at Stay Poland also. I didn't mention them because their Poland tours are shorter than what you had mentioned. Yes, it's difficult to know what kind of customer service they provide when little can be found about them.

PeterB

Corryn: bettyk just gave you some good links ...
http://www.orbistravel.com
http://www.amta.com
I think amta buys from orbis ... and you really can't go wrong with orbis ... both are Polish agancies ... I have bought airline tickets from both in past, and also used Orbis for hotels long time ago ... but never used them for escorted tours ... In my travels I did see Orbis buses and tour groups ... and they always were slightly better then all others ... so unless you are looking for something that's budget I would then go with Orbis ...

worldview

Hello, Corryn. I'm currently planning a 3 week trip in August. We're planning to visit Prague, Budapest, Krakow, and Warsaw. With 4 or so days at each city, we're hoping to do day trips to some of the neigboring sights. Our trip is probably on the cheaper side than what you're looking at. How much do you expect to spend, per person for this trip? I understand your method of travel, and i'm beginning to question my 'planned' trip. Do you have any additional information on Poland to share via email? If you click on my screen name, you will find different blogs related to Poland and these other cities. Some of the ideas shared here may be helpful, although they don't deal with guided tours.