I am just at the beginning stage of planning a 3 week trip to Poland in September. I know I want to go to Warsaw, Krakow and Gdansk but I am unsure as to what other places of interest ( other than the concentration camps) there are. I will probably rent a car to get around, but would also consider having a private guide for a day or so. What ideas do you Fodorites have for me?

Helo Lolo12, You have 7 months to organize your excursion to Poland. Warszawa, Gdansk and Krakow are givens. All Poland is 'interesting'. I think the new cathedral at Lichen may or should be your number 1 destination. Wroclaw is another 1st choice..Poles like Lancut. Czestochowa is not to be missed. Or do a tour along the Odra or Vistula. You could visit Chopin sites. A month's worth of library research will get you a lifetime of sites to visit.

Hi L,

>What ideas do you Fodorites have for me?<

Get some guidebooks to Poland; plan an itinerary, accomodations, etc; come back and let us help you improve it.

I can think of Torun and Wroclaw as one of the top choices for You. You can visit Torun on Your way to Gdansk, make sure to visit Malbork as well, one of the biggest castles in Europe, very well preserved. If You go to Wroclaw try to reach Walbrzych it's an hour drive. The city is not the nicest, but it has wonderful Ksiaz palace. From Krakow You can reach Tatry rugged mountains with great folklore traditions. Do visit Czestochowa! DO NOT visit Lichen! Or do if You'd like to see the perfect example of what kitsch is. On Your way from Warsaw to Cracow, make sure You'll hook Kazimierz. Little, perfect settled town with lot to do and see. Ideal for relaxation.
With rented car 3 weeks should be enough for You to see the most representative places. In September You will probably get the nicest weather - sunny but not hot. But get an umbrella in case.
And please remeber one: concentration camp are not Polish! Many Poles died there too. Many people tend to forget that. Enjoy Your trip!

As from Krakow, which is one of my favorite cities in Europe, I really liked Wroclaw and with that much time, you really ought to go there, also. It's a very nice city -- beautiful old square and historical buildings there, street markets, a lot of historic older churches, a few great museums, and a very nice city just to walk around with parks, etc. There is all kinds of information on Wroclaw on their website, as I recall, or check out info in www.inyourpocket.com for lots of POlish cities.

We were on an Eastern Europe tour in 2003, and the two weeks were wonderful. Might sound odd, but a tour of the salt mines, I think between Warsaw and Krakow (geography fuzzy), was certainly a highlight of the trip. Have a good time!