My wife and I are going to Austria and would like to make a trip to Poland. We were wondering if it would be better to take a train from Vienna or Innsbruck. Also we were interested in staying in one of the castles or palaces south of Krakow(or somewhere else if you have a better suggestion). Has anyone out there stayed in one? If so how was the experience? Easy transportation to and from? We speak no Polish or German. Thank you in advance for your input.

Definitely better from Vienna. It'll take about 6-7 hours from there (I took an overnight train, though as we crossed two borders, we kept being woken up for passport checks). Innsbruck is on the other side of Austria, and requires about 5 hours just to reach Vienna - in any case I would doubt that there are any direct trains from Innsbruck to Krakow (the southernmost major Polish city, and by all acounts the nicest - I liked it anyway) - you would probably have to change in Vienna. You'll be able to get by with just English - they speak it in the hotels, and when out, pointing at menus always worked for me when I couldn't speak the language.

Thanks for the information Chris. We are planning on leaving from Vienna then!

Hi Gregg, <BR> <BR>I wonder how long you will be in Krakow? Your available time may influence your decision to stay in one of the castles you mentioned on a previous post. <BR> <BR>Stayed with my husband and daughter in both Krasiczyn and Lancut. Both were very nice, but Lancut would be preferable for facilities, museum and ease of getting there from Krakow by train. It would take a few hours by train, but is fairly easy to do. However, Lancut books up fairly quickly, and you may be arriving very close to the annual music festival, so definately call ahead for availability. Perhaps you have their website? If not - http://www.hotelspoland.com/castle_palace/lancut/ <BR> <BR>Even though both places were interesting and enjoyable, if your time is limited to just a few days, I would suggest staying in Krakow and taking advantage of all there is to see in the local area. <BR> <BR>Have a great trip! <BR> <BR>Susan <BR>

The trouble with the sleepers from Vienna is that you reach Krakow at 0528, an ugly hour. To get a full night I suggest you sleep from Vienna to Warsaw Central. Domestic fares are low in Poland, so if you want Krakow (a beautiful city) you can simply turn round and go south three hours on a breakfast car train. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines, of London, in Teplice