4 nights- Krakow + Gdasnk doable?

Just returned last week from 17 nights in Poland; we are also "slow travelers". We spent five nights in Krakow and four in Gdansk and could easily have spent more time in each. If you choose just one you will have no problem filling your days! If you want to venture outside of the city, day trips from Krakow include the Wieliczka Salt Mine or Auschwitz-Birkenau. From Gdansk you can be at Malbork Castle or the seaside town of Sopot within thirty minutes (by train). Either choice is a good one:)!

Thank you for your comments! We have decided to add an extra night to the trip & splitting it 3 (Krakow)+ 2 (Gdansk). I understand this is not ideal but since this is the only time we have & probably be the only time we visit Poland for a few years until we return for a visit, we will try & make the most of it.

Any advice on areas to stay in both cities? In Krakow, I am looking at the obvious Old Town hotels & then, Kazimierz- any preferences between the two & why? Don't want to be in the absolute thick of busy areas but also don't want to be in an extremely quiet area (looking at good semi luxury/ luxury hotels).

Also, language-wise, assuming you don't speak Polish, was it a big problem or will it be ok to get by with google translate + locals speaking enough English?

English in those 2 cities should be no problem.

Yes, you are absolutely short-changing both cities, but I understand the urge to sample both. Sometimes not spending enough time (or spending it in too big a hurry) gives us a bad feeling about a place. Just don’t let it do that for you. :)

In Gdansk I suggest that you do NOT stay directly on Dlugi Targ in the heart of the Old Town! It's great for being in the center of things but very noisy at night, especially on weekends/holidays. Staying even one or two streets away would be noticeably quieter. We were in an apartment, but there was a Hampton by Hilton just behind us. It would be a great location if you had a room away from the Dlugi Targ side. It looked like there were options on Granary Island, which is just outside of the Old Town area.

Not knowing Polish will not be a problem in either city. You will be greeted with, "Dzień dobry" whenever you enter a hotel/restaurant/store. I returned the greeting, then would request "English, please". A few folks close to our ages (60's) and older replied "a little" and we went from there. But 90% (or more) of the time English was easily spoken and understood.

Thanks for those pointers, all! Exactly what I was looking for.

Den- would you say the same about Krakow Old town as well? I am actually actively trying to find the side street hotels to avoid too much noise & "busy-ness" right outside our stay.

A friend and I stayed at Hotel Fama Residence and liked it. It's on Długa but about a 7-minute stroll from the river. Good price. Simple but clean rooms. Good breakfast. Air conditioning. It was quiet. Book on their website for a discount.

In Krakow we stayed in an apartment across from the Holy Trinity Church at Dominikanska, so just outside the Old Town area. It was along a tram line, across from a taxi stand and restaurants-and we found the area to be very quiet at night.

In Krakow, I found Kazimierz to be more authentic and less touristy - and supposedly many of the better restaurants are in that area. So perhaps an option if you can find upscale lodging there - just note that it will be a short tram ride to the old town, and a bit farther to the train station.

I stayed at the Wawel Hotel, which is just a block or two from the main square on a quiet side street. It is attached to the popular and excellent Black Duck restaurant [reserve for dinner], which also served as the breakfast room.

In Gdansk I stayed at Hotel Admiral, which I was told is a RS tour Hotel. It is a half block from Fisherman's Square, which is on the water [across from the Ferris wheel]- the Hilton is right there on the water, and that might be one for you to look at. Admiral had an amazing breakfast buffet - especially if you like herring in the morning.

English spoken virtually everywhere. I found language to be a slight problem when navigating, as street and location names are quite foreign, and didn't always stick in the brain.

I've just returned from Gdansk. I stayed at the Radisson Blu on Długi Targ, a very good hotel with a fantastic breakfast, one of the best I've experienced. I stayed in an executive room that was located at the rear of the hotel, it was a great room and very quiet. One night I had to move rooms because of a problem in mine that couldn't be fixed until the morning so they placed me in one of the suites that overlooked Długi Targ. I actuially disliked that room because it was far too noisy from the revellers in the street below so I was glad to return to my original room. The location of the hotel was perfect so if you do consider staying there then make sure to request a room at the back.

Didn't have a problem with language, almost everyone had at least a small amount of English knowledge (in all cases it was perfectly acceptable and far better than my Polish), younger people tend to have a better level of English.

I would say that Gdansk has more to offer than Krakow both in terms of museums and architecture.

For food avoid the Old Town, there are better restaurants on the outskirts. One evening I didn't follow my own advice and booked a table at a restaurant on the riverfront which had very good reviews. However, when my food arrived (suspiciously quickly) it was steaming hot and had clearly been heated up in the microwave. The food is evidently prepared well in advance and microwaved to order and just as I was finishing my meal I understood one of the reasons why as a tour group of 30 or more Amercian tourists arrived (not sure if it was an RS tour or not). Clearly to have such a large number of customers descend on a restaurant at the same time it is not possible to freshly prepare all the food required given the size of the kitchen and staff. I have no idea why it has received such good reviews and just goes to show how subjective restaurant reviews are.

Thank you all, again! Very helpful comments. While I would love to spend all our time in Gdansk, but as TexasTravelMom mentioned, the urge to sample both is real! I know it is a personal decision but assuming you had to split the 5 nights we have would anyone here split it 2 Krakow + 3 Gdansk instead or go with our current plan? Just collecting information to think more!

Oh, that is, for me, well and truly an impossible question to answer - because 2 nights = 1 full day. And 1 day in either of those sounds impossible. I think you have to look at what you intend to do or see in each to make that decision, as well as what time you would arrive in each based on flight or train times. In either city, it is possible to do nothing but walk streets for a full day, just seeing the outline of the town. But in both there is also much much more. Just a choice.

I had a lovely apartment in Gdansk (but stayed 5 nights) and in Krakow I have stayed at the Radisson Blu on Floriana and at the Klezmer Hois in Kazimierz. Both were great and at somewhat opposite ends of the experience spectrum. I tend to stay in somewhat quirky places, given a choice, and the Klezmer Hois is one of my favorite places ever. But it sure wouldn’t be for everyone. :)

but assuming you had to split the 5 nights we have would anyone here split it 2 Krakow + 3 Gdansk instead or go with our current plan?

You should factor in the rather long train ride between the two cities - I believe it will be around six hours - that may then work out to the same amount of time available in each location. If you stay three nights in the first location, that would only give you a day and a half in the second.

I don't know if you are an early riser; my hubby and I are. We opted to take early trains between cities, arriving by 11. Then we stored our luggage in a locker at the station or at the hotel/apartment. We felt this gave us extra time in the new city.

If you take the EIP (fast) train between Gdansk and Krakow do consider first class tickets. An early purchase (I believe sales open 30 days in advance) was only a few dollars more than second class and included a meal served at our seats.

I'm late to this thread.

I was in Krakow last month. Like you, I wanted to stay in an area walkable to both the Old Town and Kazimierz.

I found both areas interesting but like a previous poster thought Kazimierz was less touristy.

I stayed at the Holiday Inn which was in a great location....on a side street just outside the Old town (one block) yet less than a ten minute walk to the heart of the Kazimierz. Plenty of restaurants and shops nearby and easily walkable to restaurants in both areas.

I speak no Polish and got along just fine. Wherever someone didn't speak at least a little English, Google translate came to the rescue. In fact, Google Translate's ability to use the phone's camera to translate labels and things has saved me numerous times.