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Car rental from Wroclaw to Gdansk

Posted by (Twin Cities of MN) on

Looking for comments on driving in Poland. My husband and I tend to use train/bus whenever possible, but we have rented a number of times in France and once in Spain. We like to avoid driving in cities especially large cities. We tend to travel to a city by train, and pick up a car when we leave town and then drop it when we arrive to another large city. I see that if I rent from Autoeurope (Alamo) I could pick up a car at the Wroclaw Airport and return at the Gdansk airport.

We would drive to Swidnica, Gniezno and Bydgoszcz. Looking for comments on ease of driving and also leaving from Wroclaw airport and driving into the Gdansk airport. If this seems like something I'd do, I would look at whether we need IDP and if there is a one-way charge (From quick glance, I don't see that there is)

(We will use train for the rest of the trip which also includes Krakow, Zakopane, Torun and Warsaw)

Posted by
45 posts

Since you've driven in Europe, I'm sure you know that most of the cars are stick shift. It will be more expensive to get an automatic, but they have them. Since Poland joined the EU, the EU has poured tons of money into the roads in Poland. Now there are a lot of expressways/tollways instead of driving down 2-lane roads behind trucks or little Communist Fiats. I used to drive in Poland (and other countries in Europe), but the trains are so nice and I'm getting so old that now I just take a train.

The airport in Wrocław is just outside the city so will be easy to get on A8 to get to S5. Gdansk airport is also far enough outside of the city. The cities you want to stop at aren't that big. Since you've driven in Europe, you shouldn't have any trouble.

You will need an IDP. You must drive with your headlights on all the time. Unlike cars in the U.S., you usually need to turn on the lights; they aren't automatic. Watch the traffic signs carefully and also where you can/can't park.

Some suggestions:
Zakopane isn't what it used to be. I'd still recommend it because the mountains are gorgeous and you have to hike or ride up to Morskie Oko. The town itself is now very commercialized. Get a room away from the main square. Lots of drunks singing in the main streets, especially on weekends. Get a pair of fuzzy sheepskin slippers for a souvenir! Try the smoked cheese - you'll see it everywhere. Say hi to my cousins!

Don't miss the Racławice panorama in Wrocław. Say hi to my cousin Paweł!

Have a wonderful trip.

Posted by
249 posts

In 2017 my partner and I rented a car in Wroclaw for a few days, dropping it off in Krakow. We did not get the car at the airport, but I remember the airport as being small and easy to get around.

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