Poland-Tour- Gdansk/Torun/Wroclaw/Zawoja/Krakow
Nov 15th, 2014, 07:06 PM
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Poland-Tour- Gdansk/Torun/Wroclaw/Zawoja/Krakow
My husband and I are planning a trip to Poland in September...I am very excited that I discovered the town that my grandparents came from...just south of Krakow, and will visit it at the end of our trip. First we would like to visit the aforementioned cities, taking the train to each and then renting a car out of Wroclaw to visit my grandparent's town (Zawoja) where I hope to learn more about my heritage. Please advise...are we being too ambitious, should we cut out something, add something? We have never been to Poland. Planning on 4 nights in Gdansk (Long stay to recover from flight) 2 nights in Torun, 4 nights in Wroclaw and area, 3 nights in Zawoja and area and 3 nights in Krakow. Thank You. K
Nov 15th, 2014, 08:03 PM
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You don't say how much time you have for the trip. You have 11 sightseeing days and about 3 days of travel between cities.
Three days in Wroclaw is too much and 2 days in Krakow is too little. You can see Krakow in 2 days if you do not visit Wawel or Auschwitz. 1 day for Podgorze and Kazimierz, the other for the salt mine and a couple of small things in Krakow.
I would cut out Torun and add the day to Krakow.
Poland is a wonderful country full of friendly, warm people. You'll love it.
Three days in Wroclaw is too much and 2 days in Krakow is too little. You can see Krakow in 2 days if you do not visit Wawel or Auschwitz. 1 day for Podgorze and Kazimierz, the other for the salt mine and a couple of small things in Krakow.
I would cut out Torun and add the day to Krakow.
Poland is a wonderful country full of friendly, warm people. You'll love it.
Nov 15th, 2014, 09:58 PM
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I did that exact trip in 2012 except for Zawoja. You can click on my name to read my trip report. I did the trip (solo) by train from Gdansk to Torun to Wroclaw to Krakow, then I headed to Czech Republic where I rented a car. The Polish train system is a bit run down but works. Book 1st class trains for sure - 2nd class is pretty cramped and "1st class" is a little better but not really "nice." 1st class doesn't cost much more than 2nd class. Polish trains are cheap either way.
Note of caution: when you get on your train, look CAREFULLY at your ticket and get on the right car! The train I took from Gdansk to Torun actually split off at some point and part of it DID NOT go to Torun! Each car is labeled for which cities it goes to, and it would say "Torun" as one of the cities. And if your ticket says "car 10" look for car 10, etc. If you give yourself enough time at the Gdansk train station, not a big worry.
I love trains; I took the 5 hr direct from Wroclaw to Krakow, but FYI there are cheap express buses instead if you prefer to save a bit of time. The 5 hr ride was not particularly scenic anyway; I think the bus takes only 3.5 hours.
Your trip doesn't sound overambitious to me at all. I did it with less time in each town (except Krakow). I loved Torun - don't miss it, even if you do only one night. It's a delightful town.
But I agree with adrienne that you should add a night to Krakow somehow if you can. Wroclaw is a nice city too, but there is much less to see there than in Krakow. Then again, you're doing that trip to your grandparents' home town - hard for me to say how much time you'd want there. I'd take a night from Gdansk probably first. It's well worth three nights, though, and I enjoyed it. But do you really need four nights to recover from a flight?
You could probably do just the one night in Torun (I did) - it's a nice town but the town center is not big and you can see it quickly. Or you could kind of "borrow" from Gdansk - do three nights in Gdansk but leave later in the day, two nights in Torun and do it kind of leisurely.
Note of caution: when you get on your train, look CAREFULLY at your ticket and get on the right car! The train I took from Gdansk to Torun actually split off at some point and part of it DID NOT go to Torun! Each car is labeled for which cities it goes to, and it would say "Torun" as one of the cities. And if your ticket says "car 10" look for car 10, etc. If you give yourself enough time at the Gdansk train station, not a big worry.
I love trains; I took the 5 hr direct from Wroclaw to Krakow, but FYI there are cheap express buses instead if you prefer to save a bit of time. The 5 hr ride was not particularly scenic anyway; I think the bus takes only 3.5 hours.
Your trip doesn't sound overambitious to me at all. I did it with less time in each town (except Krakow). I loved Torun - don't miss it, even if you do only one night. It's a delightful town.
But I agree with adrienne that you should add a night to Krakow somehow if you can. Wroclaw is a nice city too, but there is much less to see there than in Krakow. Then again, you're doing that trip to your grandparents' home town - hard for me to say how much time you'd want there. I'd take a night from Gdansk probably first. It's well worth three nights, though, and I enjoyed it. But do you really need four nights to recover from a flight?
You could probably do just the one night in Torun (I did) - it's a nice town but the town center is not big and you can see it quickly. Or you could kind of "borrow" from Gdansk - do three nights in Gdansk but leave later in the day, two nights in Torun and do it kind of leisurely.
Nov 15th, 2014, 10:14 PM
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I agree that you should add some time to lovely Krakow. While there, be sure to see the exquisite Lady with anErmine:
http://www.czartoryski.org/lady.htm
Enjoy!
http://www.czartoryski.org/lady.htm
Enjoy!
Nov 15th, 2014, 10:46 PM
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Three days in Wroclaw is NOT too much but hardly enough for the basics. I had four weeks and never ran out of things to do: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/f86bd/71e92/
Nov 16th, 2014, 05:23 AM
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It is too bad you have decided on train as primary mode of transport. It has been abandoned by the Poles (for very good reasons) in favour of cars.
There are enough attractions in the vicinity of Gdansk and Torun to keep one entertained for a week.
The castles of Malborg, Frombork, Kwidzyn, the fishing villages of Hel, Slowinski Park Narodowy Jastarnia lighthouse are all a short drive. So are the towns of Inowroclaw and Biskupin.
Having a car for the entire trip would allow you to experience more of Poland, instead of just singing that "Jimmy Davis tune we hear all the time"
IMO, a whole day for the Wieliczka salt mine is a waste of time.
I was there in August with my daughter, and, having a car allowed us to get there early, catch the first tour and be back in Krakow for an early lunch.
Mark
There are enough attractions in the vicinity of Gdansk and Torun to keep one entertained for a week.
The castles of Malborg, Frombork, Kwidzyn, the fishing villages of Hel, Slowinski Park Narodowy Jastarnia lighthouse are all a short drive. So are the towns of Inowroclaw and Biskupin.
Having a car for the entire trip would allow you to experience more of Poland, instead of just singing that "Jimmy Davis tune we hear all the time"
IMO, a whole day for the Wieliczka salt mine is a waste of time.
I was there in August with my daughter, and, having a car allowed us to get there early, catch the first tour and be back in Krakow for an early lunch.
Mark
Nov 16th, 2014, 06:40 AM
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Thank you so much for your responses! I need to clarify...we will have 16 nights in Poland. When we get to Wroclaw we will rent a car and see the area and some of the mountain villages on our way to my grandparent's town of Zawoja where I will do some genealogical research. We will also do some hiking in the mountains. We will then we will take transit to Krakow (only 32 miles away). Andrew thanks for all of the train info! Your pictures are wonderful. Mark thanks for the advice on driving but we don't want to have to drive long distances in Poland but we will have a car for a week in Southern Poland. I think we will take a day off of Gdansk and add it to Krakow as others have suggested. I still worry about committing only a day to Torun since how much can you see if you arrive in the afternoon and have to leave the next day? Thanks again for the info everyone.
Dec 8th, 2014, 01:08 PM
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Hi Kassie,
My wife's grand parents both came from Zawoja. We were there in late October of this year also looking for information. We did find parts of one side of the family but nothing on the other. I would love to discuss how things went so I can maybe pick up some tips on your genealogical approach.
Hope to hear from you.
My wife's grand parents both came from Zawoja. We were there in late October of this year also looking for information. We did find parts of one side of the family but nothing on the other. I would love to discuss how things went so I can maybe pick up some tips on your genealogical approach.
Hope to hear from you.
Dec 8th, 2014, 03:11 PM
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<<Malborg>>
That would be Malbork Castle. In the town of the same name. Easy day trip from Gdansk. When we went, the slow train took about 5-10 minutes longer than the fast train, and was actually more comfortable.
Don't underestimate Gdansk - it is very nice at Dluci Targ, the Crane is intriguing, the WWII trail is interesting, especially the post office commemoration statue, and the shipyards are moving.
That would be Malbork Castle. In the town of the same name. Easy day trip from Gdansk. When we went, the slow train took about 5-10 minutes longer than the fast train, and was actually more comfortable.
Don't underestimate Gdansk - it is very nice at Dluci Targ, the Crane is intriguing, the WWII trail is interesting, especially the post office commemoration statue, and the shipyards are moving.
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