Hi all, <BR><BR>A friend and I will be traveling to Poland and Prague at the end of March and could use some advice. We plan on spending 2 days (1 night)in Warsaw, train to Krakow, spend 3 days and 3 nights in Krakow, overnight train to Prague, and 3 days, 3 nights in Prague (may pare this back to 2 if we have to shorten our vaca time). <BR>1) Any hotel recommendations for any of these cities would be very welcome (any price range -- we'd just like to get a good deal for a decent to nice room).<BR>2) any must-see sights? We've picked up a couple of guidebooks, but if anyone has any thoughts on what shouldn't be missed, please let us know.<BR>3) Any train guidance would be fantastic. We're not so worried about the Warsaw-Krakow train, but if you have recently done the Krakow-Prague trip, do you have any tips? Can you get a 2-person sleeper? Any idea of the cost for that? Where/When should we buy tickets?<BR>Thanks everyone. This sight has been really helpful every time I have traveled, and I try to help as well when I can. Cheers!

Hi Christy, I've been in all three and quite frankly there is so much in Prague and Krakow that I would skip Warsaw and concentrate on the other two. <BR>Krakow has the Salt mines from the 13th century. You could do Walvel castle and the Salt mines in one day. <BR>Auschwitz and Birkanau will consume most of one day. <BR>Old town Krakow is worth exploring, then there is the old Jewish Quarter to wander around in where Spielberg filmed Shindlers list. <BR>The original Shindlers factory building is still there, but you need either a car or taxi to get to it.<BR>Prague is a beautiful city with charming buildings. A must see is the main square and Wensasla(sp) sq. If you want to shop, get a little away from the main sq. IMO the museum of Science and Technology is a great museum. <BR>You should also plan to visit the old Jewish Cemetery. <BR>

I've been to all three and would skip Warsaw as well. Large city,nice enough but not much character although the rebuilt old town is nice.<BR><BR>Krakov OTOH is a magnificent little gem!<BR><BR>And Prague is Prague...which is great<BR><BR>US

Hi Christy, I'm going to Krakow and Prague in May so I'm very excited for you and will be waiting for your trip report-please do one when you return! I'm not going to Warsaw for the reasons mentioned above. We are spending around 5 days in both cities and will do day trips from there. I think that is the best way for my family to do it anyway. I am having trouble finding a hotel in Krakow. Who would of thunk it? Prague wasn't so easy either, but I got help on this web site and rented an apartment. The train has me perplexed also. Ben Haines wrote me a wonderful message. Its posted on here somewhere. Heres what I got out of it. Its not easy to find a ticket seller that speaks english at the train station. Its better to reserve and pay for a 2 bed compartment that you can lock from the inside. Otherwise you're in a 6 bed couchette (whatever) with strangers who may or may not try to take your things. The train leaves Krakow at 10:45p.m. and arrives Prague 7;30a.m. if its on time. I think it costs about $120.00 usd. (I think that sounds like alot) I hope I'm wrong about the price. I wish someone could tell me if I could purchase the ticket here on line or have a travel agent do it before we leave for our trip. I'm wishing you good luck, because whatever you learn will benefit me too! Have a wonderful time. Hope someone answers this.

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I am afraid I forget what I wrote to the very courteous Zwho, but here is what I know. <BR><BR>I agree that with so little time you should cut out Warsaw. The Old Town is attractive, but not greatly different from those of Krakow and Prague, and the rest of the city is Soviet grid pattern.<BR><BR>Two hotels with value for money in Krakow are the Fortuna Bis and the Pollera. I have no favourite in Prague, yet.<BR><BR>The trains from Warsaw Central to Krakow Glowna are among the best in Poland, and if it is convenient you could choose a time that will let you breakfast or lunch in the restaurant car. I am afraid there are travelling thieves, so when you eat you should either take your cases into the restaurant car or ask a fellow-traveller to keep an eye on them while you are away. The central stations of Warsaw, Krakow and Prague all have pickpockets who work in gangs of three. The trick is in the hotel to put your rail ticket and some cash into a pocket, and all else, including passports and credit cards, into a packet inside your biggest bag. Once on board, with the compartment door closed, you can take out the passports if you will need them, and perhaps one credit card for use as you drive from the station to your next hotel. <BR><BR>A feature of Krakow Glowna station is the taxi rank on the station roof. You leave the Warsaw train, put luggage onto a trolley, wheel to the lift, go up, and there you are at a car park and taxi stand. You want a taxi with a name and phone number painted on the side. Leaving is the reverse. Very handy.<BR><BR>The reference library of a city near you may have the Thomas Cook European Timetable. This shows that your night train loads at Krakow Glowna from about 2215, and leaves at 2245, with 1, 2 and 3 berth sleepers and crowded 6 berth couchettes. While I disliked booking in Krakow Glowna station, I think the international booking office upstairs at Warsaw Central station is not bad at all. Many staff speak English, and they take credit cards. Or if you are booking in Krakow I suggest the Orbis office near the Pollera hotel. Not such good English, but friendly. I think you pay cash there. If you are travelling around Easter you want to book your berth ten days ahead. If that means from the USA, I offer two agencies<BR>Euraide, offices in Florida and Germany: http://www.euraide.de/. Telephone in USA 1 941-480-1555. Fax 1 941-480-1522. E-mail [email protected]<BR>DER travel agency in the USA, formerly owned by German rail: http://www.der.com. E mail for information [email protected] and for sales [email protected]<BR>Please avoid RailEurope and their big handling fees.<BR><BR><BR>

In Paris, London and other great cities of Europe you can book at any large station: the staff at the easternmost window of Charing Cross station are especially experienced and able. Please do not use staff of RailEurope on Piccadilly, who are not.<BR><BR>I am afraid I do not know the fares and sleeper supplements, but can say that 2 berth first class is about 50 percent more than 3 berth second class, where you travel with Polish strangers. There is a note on getting the best from sleepers and couchettes at http://www.twenj.com/tipsnighttrains.htm/.<BR><BR>Ten minutes before you reach Prague Hlavni you can put your passports back well inside a big bag, to be drawn out only when you reach your new hotel.<BR><BR>In the main art gallery of Krakow is da Vinci?s lady with an ermine, a great picture. The tourist office in the Cloth Exchange on the great square will sell you a good booklet including all the music on offer that month. If you haven?t tried klezmer please do. I can only say that for my part I took a tram to near Schindler?s factory, and walked the last part. Please do not take a package visit to Ausschwitz, but hop on a minibus on front of the station, see at least the first camp (though Birkenau is shattering, too), and let yourselves stand and weep if that is all there is to do. It is.<BR><BR>Please write if I can help further, and especially if you are as kind as zwho. Welcome to Europe<BR><BR>[email protected]<BR>

If you look at the previous post titled &quot;Train from Krakow to Prague&quot;, you will get some of your questions answered about the overnight train. The 2 bunk bed compartment that I mentioned was probably the 6 berth couchette mentioned here.

Thank you Art, uncle sam, zwho, ben and denis for your responses. You've all been very helpful. Unfortunately, because of the way we are traveling, I think we may have to fly into Warsaw. We were actually going to spend 2 nights in Warsaw, but when we read that it didn't have much to see, we pared it back to just the first night -- mostly because we will have a long flight to get there and will want to rest some before heading down to Krakow. I know, a week is really not long enough, but given my employer, I am happy I can cobble together that much (!) time. Ben, thank you so much for all your train information. As we are two women, we will be especially careful for our safety. Also, your info on the sleepers and where to purchase tickets was wonderful. Thank you for your service to all the fodorites. I've noticed your brilliant input on these forums many, many times. <BR><BR>We're still trying to nail down our hotel reservations. In Krakow, we are looking at Hotel Saski for $68/night, or Pod Roza for $116 a night. Any thoughts on whether those are good deals? Still don't have a clue where we'll be staying in Prague, and may stay at Jan Sobieski in Warsaw (think that was about $109 per night). Also, Ben, thanks for tipping us off on not taking a tour group to Auchwitz. I'd rather take a self-guided tour there, anyway. Any thoughts about the salt mines? Are they worth a side trip?<BR>One more question for all of you: where did you find the best cultural souvenir buys? I'm not sure what we are interested in, but we usually so some early holiday shopping when we are traveling. Tips on good buys would be awesome. thanks again to all of you. You're terrific!

For Warsaw, I would not go for Jan Sobieski - pretty non-descript location. For the 2 day/1 night - agree with other comments - see if you can get a good deal at Sheraton, very close to Lacienzki Park which will be one of your go to sites. Hotel has busy bar with good atmosphere. Also Sofitel is better than JS for location. I have seen similar prices for both as you are getting for JS. Avoid Marriott and any hotel near station, (unless you want the convenience for the Krakow trip)- its a nasty, ugly area, where if you are going to be mugged in Warsaw, it will probably be around there. I lived in Warsaw for 3 mths and never had any problems but locals did warn me of being careful there. Get taxis in Warsaw - very cheap and very good rep, metre on, no problems. Only heard one story of taxi driver trying to rip someone off and no threat of violence(complete contrast to Prague and Budapest which still have notoriously dishonest and dangerous cab drivers).

<BR><BR>From Warsaw airport a bus runs every 20 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes at weekends straight to the Marriott hotel, which is beside Warsaw Central station. The area is stuffed with security guards, but you should still beware pickpockets, and whether you stop in Warsaw or no you are going to go through the station area some time. Can I persuade you to think again ? I think there is a rail ticket office at the airport. You can transfer fast by bus ten kilometres from the airport to Central station and by restaurant car train which takes 3 hours from Central station to Krakow Glowna: you can snooze the hole train tide if you choose. To the station roof for the taxi, to your hotel, and so to bed.<BR><BR>I am afraid I have not seen the salt mines. For shopping, Poland is strong in textiles (a tablecloth ?), pottery (but do you need more pots?) and cut glass. Prices will drop if you ask your hotelier in Krsakow to name a big department store, for Poles not tourists, and look around there. I remember one on Zwierzniecka Prague offers much the same lines. For Bohemian glass I like a non-tourist shop 400 meters south of Andel metro station.<BR><BR>The note at http://www.twenj.com/tipsnighttrains.htm/ distinguishes 6 berth couchette compartments from 1, 2 and 3 berth sleepers. You need sleepers.<BR>Please write again if I can help further. Thanks for your kind words.<BR><BR>Ben Haines

Christy, If you're still looking, these are my hotel recommendations. When my husband and I were in Prague last May we stayed at the Hotel Salvator, approx $80. per night. Great central location just five minutes from old town square. In Krakow we stayed at the Hotel Polonia, just two minutes from the main train station, just outside the walls of the old town, and also $75-80. per night . Both hotels rated three stars, clean, had good breakfasts (Salvator's better) and had efficient and helpful staff. Of the two, the Polonia was my favorite. It had old world elegance and charm, a small but formal lobby with tapestries and lace curtains, large breakfast room which was also a restaurant for lunches and evening meals. Rooms were large (ours also had a balcony). We enjoyed staying at both hotels and would stay at each again.<BR><BR>Definitely see Da Vinci's &quot;Lady with Ermine&quot; in the museum in Krakow. It has a room to itself which allows for peaceful and lengthy viewing.

Just a few comments<BR>Stayed in Pod Roza in Krakow and liked it lots -super breakfast.Stayed in the Mercure Frederic Chopin in Warsaw-about a kilometre directly up the road from the station towards the Old Town Square.We walked there from the station where the airport bus dropped us.The Mercure has a very good coffee shop.<BR>I was apprehensive at the station but it did not pose a problem We carried our bags under our arms and I watched my husband's back if he was in front and vice-versa.As you are advised so often ,just take more care than normal.<BR>We bought train tickets when we arrived at the airport and travelled 1st class for what seemed like a very reasonable sum. A sandwich lunch was included.<BR>As for purchases I bought a very nice cotton blouse with drawn-thread work in the market hall in Krakow and also two wooden carvings of Jewish musicians which attract a lot of attention from visitors to our house.In Prague I bought some small glass bottles with coloured glass fruits set in to a derression in the side-difficult to explain but quite unique. These were fron a shop in the old town after you come off the Charles Bridge and head straight up on the right hand side after the arch.

Last October we had the same itinerary - Warsaw, Krakow, Prague. We did, however, have a little more time than you. Warsaw 2 nights, Krakow 3 nights and Prague 5 nights. Although Krakow and Prague definitely have more to see and do than Warsaw, I am glad we had the time in Warsaw. The people in Poland are very friendly and want very much for you to enjoy their country. In Warsaw we stayed at the Holiday Inn. Can't say much about it; certainly didn't have much charm and the location didn't appeal to us either. It was across from the railroad station. The train ride from Warsaw to Krakow is about 3 hours with no transfers. The trains were all on time and very clean and modern. In Krakow we stayed at the Pod Roza. The location is great and we were pleased with our room, which was quite large. Breakfast was excellent and we enjoyed having a night cap in the bar. The salt mines were very interesting. The Pod Roza helped us with a 1/2 day tour for this. We trained from Krakow to Prague, but did not use the overnight train. It was a long day trip with two train changes, but it went smoothly and we enjoyed the ride on a rainy day. In Prague we stayed at the Maxmillian and were once again very pleased with location, room, breakfast and the staff. Prague is beautiful and there is much to do. We do not feel we were able to see and do as much as we wanted, and plan to return to Prague and take some day trips. We were very careful and alert to pickpockets and did not have any problems. We both use money belts under our clothes. We did meet a couple from the states on a city tour in Prague who told us a thief stole her wallet out of a zippered purse, which was under her arm while she was on the tram. This was a well traveled couple who also thought they were being very careful. We enjoyed a concert in both Krakow and Prague. We bought tickets the day of the concert at the concert halls. Can't remember the price of the tickets, but they were inexpensive and the performances were of a high quality. We were surprised at the quality of the food. We knew it would be less expensive than most of Europe, but we had no idea it would be so good. We got all of our train tickets and transfers from Paul Lafier Tours before we left. Hope some of this information helps. Have a wonderful trip!