8 nights Trip - Suggestions Needed - If Poland and Copenhagen can be done in 8 nights

We spent a month in Poland included 5 nights in Krakow and 4 in Gdansk. I think 2 in Poznan. I don't think you have enough time for more than two cities in Poland let alone Copenhagen. Unfortunately, the cities you mention have crowded old towns.

I’ve been to Poland three times. It is a very large country and so much to see and do! Eight nights is only enough for maybe two cities in Poland or one city in Poland and Copenhagen. Remember that travel between locations often eats up most of a day. Since you prefer smaller cities, you might like Krakow or Gdansk more than Warsaw.

Train travel is easy within Poland. If you have your heart set on going to Copenhagen (another destination worth several nights), I would suggest flying. Flights from any of Polands’s main cities only take about 1-1/2 hours, so if you leave early, you would still have most of the day in Copenhagen. I’m not sure how long a ferry would take.

Do you live in Manchester? If so, I would plan a separate trip to Copenhagen. If you live in the US or Canada and are finishing up a trip, then I think it's doable to fly into Gdansk and out of Copenhagen. I couldn't figure out the ferry, but it seems like it would be quite scenic, at least at the beginning and end. I would say 3 days Gdansk, 4 days Copenhagen with the one-day ferry journey. Of course, flying is an option, as well.

Hi Jules,Renee,Gerry..

Thanks for responding..Yes I am based in Manchester, but as I have a limited time Schengen Visa valid until Sep'26, hence wanted to cover as much as possible.

But yes, open to stay only in Poland. I am ok with crowds, but would like to avoid cities, need to have charm/vibe of Old town..

In case of 8 nights from 20th to 28th June, could you recommend 2 or 3 cities that must see, with more scenic beauty and old town charm

Gdansk looks beautiful, but in case I plan flight into Krakow spend 3 nights, would it be possible to cover 3 cities. I don't want to be in a hurry to cover as many places as possible but again don't want to miss out on places.

I'm a little confused. We did really love Krakow, but it is a city, and it does attract many tourists.

If I was going to Poland with just 8 nights, I think I would stay in Gdansk and Krakow. Gdansk being a Hanseatic league city, is quite different than other Polish cities, IMO. There is a lot to do in both cities, and there are possible daytrips from each city.

I agree with Jules that Krakow and Gdansk would be good options for a short trip. Although they are cities, they are not nearly the size of Warsaw. Kraków’s wonderful old town area is original because it was not destroyed or damaged during WWII. Gdansk also has a lovely old town area and boosts two really great museums, one about WWII and the other about the Solidarity movement.

Warsaw was completely flattened during WWII so everything, including its “old” town, has been rebuilt. Still, I enjoyed my time there a lot. The old town is lively, there are some excellent museums, as well as beautiful parks. But with your short time and lack of interest in cities, this might be a third choice for you.

I recommend you get Rick Steves guidebook “Snapshot: Krakow, Warsaw and Gdansk”. It will give you excellent advice and suggestions for a short visit to these three cities.

Thanks Jules,Renee,Geoff

Based on the insights, I am looking at finalising on 3 cities - Krakow/Gdnask and Wroclaw - And Leave Copenhagen for another time.

Looking at these locations, makes sense to either start/land from manchester into Gdansk or Krakow, and fly out from Krakow or Gdansk to Manchester - north to south or vice versa..

Thinking of 20-24 Krakow (4nights), 24-26th Wroclaw (2 nights) , 26-29th (3 nights) Gdansk - Thereby extending my stay by another day (20-29th June).
If I start/land in Gdansk will still keep the number of nights to the ones mentioned above. and fly out from Krakow.

Could you suggest must do's in each of these cities? Would train journey be better compared to a rental car?

Thanks Again

Could you suggest must do's in each of these cities?

https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/poland/gdansk

https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/poland/krakow

I've been to Poland seven times in the last 12 years and just recently (last week) visited Copenhagen and Gdansk. I STRONGLY recommend you drop Copenhagen. First, it is so expensive. We have been there before, but during the May holidays, it was so dirty! Trash strewn all over. Maybe from the holidayers? The sidewalks also were not always in good repair.

Krakow and Gdansk can be equally crowded. Try to do most of your sightseeing Sunday through Friday afternoon, as the hen and stag parties with young people descend on the bigger cities on Friday and Saturday nights..

Gdansk has the "look" of a Hanseatic League city like Copenhagen. It is stunning. The trains and buses in Poland are so good that I wouldn't rent a car. We have stayed in the St. Florian's Suites in Krakow, which is near the train station and the old town, but have also rented a single apartment. If this is your first time in Poland, you might appreciate a hotel unless you are used to apartment stays.

Use Rome2Rio to get an idea of the travel flow. If possible, I would spend two days in Gdansk (one taking the train to Malbork), three in Wroclaw, and three in Krakow. I could almost be a tour guide in Krakow, since I've seen many of the sites a few times.

One thing in Wroclaw: take a day trip (let someone else do the driving) and go to see Ksiaz Castle and the Church of Peace in Swidnica. What an amazing day that was! I believe we used Viator for that. Wroclaw is also stunning with a very different (German) history.

Ask questions if you need.

Caution on Rome2Rio, it often has errors and doesn't always have all the options. Poland has a great train system, and the tickets are quite inexpensive. We did all trains to travel the country except for the bus we did to get to Swidnica from Wroclaw. I would work from the Polish train site.

You would need at least three full days in Gdansk if you want to visit the Malbork castle, and go to the two top notch museums. Each museum could take a day. Museum of the 2nd World War is considered by many to be one of the best WWII museums in Europe. You definitely do not want to miss the Solidarity Museum, which outlines the history of ship building and the solidarity/labor union movement. The movement was one factor that lead to the break up of the Soviet Union. You could perhaps do the Solidarity museum in a half day, and then head to the old town area for the rest of the day.

Swidnica was an easy trip we did on our own. There is a small bus that leaves from the Wroclaw train station. If you do think you need a tour, you could use Viator as a search engine to see what is available. Viator is a third party selling other companies' tours. Find the name of the tour company thru Viator then book direct. Besides perhaps saving you some money, booking direct means the company providing the tour gets more of the ticket price. Further, we have seen many report on the forum of Viator mess ups or last minute cancellations. Book direct is my suggestion.

Hi @Mary,

Thanks for sharing the details , much appreciated ..from the Plan of Events I could see that during my plannned dates 20-29th June, I could have an opportunity to see the following :
June 19-21: Wrocław Good Beer Festival
June 20-21: Wianki Festival, Krakow (midsummer festival; wreaths on rafts in Vistula River,
fireworks, music)
June 19-27 (likely): Crossroads Festival Krakow (world music)

Looking at these festivals , I am leaning to start my trip from Krakow (4 nights), and end it in Gdansk ( 2nights), with the intermediate stop in Wroclaw ( 3 nights)

@d gawell : Thanks for providing tips on what to do in each of these locations . I have visited a few European countries, and am .
comfortable taking up an apartment. I intend to stay either close to the old town or near train station.
As you mentioned Poland has a good cheap public transport, but not sure about the costs. Is there a polish train site that I can use to look for tickets - I could see this one .. https://www.polishtrains.eu/, is this the official Poland site?
I observed that the ICE trains are pretty expensive . I am aware there are regional trains , but multiple stops and longer journey time, so if you could advice on train bookings.

I intend to start journey from Krakow and end destination to be Gdansk.
Plan to do the following in Krakow - Auschwitz , see the Glowny square - Visit Wawel Castle - on a Monday as there are a few Free exhibitions that can be visited..Same for Schindlers Factory..
Spend the evenings along Vistula River - And hopefully can see the events on 20-21st June

@jules m - Thanks for sharing ideas for Wroclaw - I intend to visit Swindica looks interesting, and spend the other 2 days in ols town
For Gdansk - I am not really a museums buff , but may be inclined to see the Solidarity Musuem

Could you advice on the public transport that I can use...any cheap options..
I did see that the travel from Krakow to Gdansk by train was pretty cheap , when compared to journey between Krakow to Wroclaw and then Wroclaw to Gdansk ... with less number of train schedules..

Thanks Again to all..

When we in Poland a few years ago, seniors got 1/3 off the train ticket price, and I believe seniors were 60 years and up. We took some kind of local bus to Swidnica. Very cheap. We didn't take any of the "faster" trains because they really didn't seem to save us much time. Our trip to Poland was very last minute, so we couldn't have purchased tickets in advance for much of a savings.

We traveled in 2021. COVID was still a concern, and we found the trains pretty crowded so I started to book 1st class and didn't find it that much more expensive.