We are spending a week in Poland touring various sites from Warsaw to Krakow, and have one extra day afterwards.
An escorted day trip would be nice due to its stress-free nature and not being able to read Polish, but the tours I've researched thus far are comically expensive.
Any ideas would be appreciated. We like culture, history, and heavy day drinking.
I sent a PM.
This is a pretty open-ended question. I assume you have checked Get Your Guide for some small group day trips from Krakow - it sounds like you will be there. Last summer, I scheduled several for a group and they all ran @$100/pp and were full days. Alternatively, find your way up to Szał Cafe, overlooking Rynek Glowny for views with your drinks. Then make your way to Starka | Restaurant & Vodkas, for some really interesting flavors (and good food).
Thank you, TexasTravelMom: Well, we're just looking at our options for one more day of touring from the Warsaw/Chopin airport hotel, preferably around Warsaw as we will already have had tours of that city. Just looking for ideas.
Considered the Wolf's Lair but that's a long drive and expensive on a tour.
Thank you. Mike
Oh BMWBGV, I may have misunderstood. I think there is a memorial at the Treblinka concentration camp site that is doable from Warsaw if you're interested in that history. The small picturesque town of Kazimierz Dolny is worth a visit.
stan, I'm considering that tour, but we're visiting Auschwitz prior, and I don't know if my wife would be up to another concentration camp if you know what I mean.
I suggest Tourn, about 2 hours northwest of Warsaw by train. Torun is an old medieval city and a UNESCO world heritage site, that used to be part of the Teutonic Knights crusader state, so has a lot of very well preserved brick gothic architecture from that time period. It was miraculously spared destruction during world war II, so it is very well preserved. Torun was also the birthplace of Nicholas Copernicus.
Ah! Then strike all my ideas. 🤣
TTM, as an aside Mary and I visited Dachau back in the 90s. When we were planning a trip to Poland and discussed visiting Auschwitz, she was reluctant, but eventually thought it was important enough to see in person. Of course we will take no selfies or probably pictures at all. I can't imagine taking a selfie there.
Carlos, thank you. I'm a little nervous about navigating public transport, maybe.
Both of these are still within Warsaw:
I took a guided 3 hour "Warsaw Historical Group Tour" that picked us up in a minivan at our hotel and dropped us off either in Old Town or back at our hotels. During the tour, the driver dropped us off at one side of Lazienki Park and picked us up on the far other side, while we walked with the guide through the lovely park. You'd have to do the drinking yourselves, after.
https://www.getyourguide.com/warsaw-l41/warsaw-3-hour-historical-morning-city-tour-t72009/
We learned some interesting bits of food culture/history while walking around the city during the very well run Eat Polska Food Tour:
https://eatpolska.com/foodtour/warsaw/
You'll start with a shot of vodka and eat a LOT of food along the way, from street food to full sit down meals to a final dessert in a historical cafe. Pace yourself!
Eat Polska also has a Vodka Tour (which I've not taken) that advertises 5-6 Vodka tastings and 6-7 food pairings:
https://eatpolska.com/vodkatour/warsaw/
CWsocial, good options there. Thanks.
Carlos, thank you. I'm a little nervous about navigating public transport, maybe.
The train system in Poland is quite modern, I think it's comparable to what you would find in Western Europe. If you're comfortable taking the train in Germany or France then I think you'll be fine in Poland. I've taken the train many times in Poland, mainly between Warsaw and Krakow and Wroclaw.
Driving in Poland on the other hand is quite difficult, which I have done as well a few times. Mainly it's because of Polish drivers who once they get behind a wheel they can be quite aggressive and dangerously driving. Outside of a car, Poles are generally quite nice and friendly.
On the history aspect: I suggest Modlin, doable by train from Warsaw, to see the fortress constructed by the Russians and the Army Museum in Warsaw if you want to focus on that option.
Fred, I like the Modlin idea. Now I wish we had an extra day!
Carlos, we lived in Germany for quite awhile and I know enough German to get me into trouble, but Polish is a whole other ballgame. I do understand English is widely spoken in the cities, which is selfish to say but a nice bonus.
I'll do a little more research but it looks like DIY with the train is a heckuva lot cheaper than the escorted tours, and some of those tours they don't do much but pick you up and drop you off.
We're staying at the Air Hotel--love that name--outside of Chopin International, so I need to figure that out.
Folks like you have me counting my blessings, but in a positive manner lol.
I second the suggestion for Torun, a lovely town known for gingerbread. I think it's great to mix in a smaller place on a trip like this, and I'm sure you could easily manage the train. I also liked Płock ("Pwotsk", more or less), but travel time there probably wouldn't be faster even though it's a lot closer to Warsaw. A bus might be faster than a train to Płock, but I think it would still be at least a couple of hours each way.
There's also Łódź ("Woodge") with a lot of Art Nouveau architecture. Łódź requires less time on trains but is a rather large city that feels like one, so quite likely not the contrast you'd be looking for.
Warsaw has some interesting smaller museums probably not mentioned in all guidebooks. In the same neighborhood are the Neon Museum and the Museum of Life Under Communism. They are both privately-run rather than fancy, government-operated museums (of which Poland has many very excellent examples), but they are interesting.
acraven, I have always been fascinated by WWII and life during the East Bloc communist years. I need to check to see which museums we're going to see in Warsaw, but there are a few in addition to the Jewish Ghetto.
Yes, we'll likely defer to the smaller town/castle option.
On another note I understand the U.S. has a permanent and expanded Army and Air Force presence, which I hope will serve as a deterrent to Putin, and the Polish government has welcomed them with open arms.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/four-cities-in-poland-2019
Can skip down TR to "Lodz"
The train and Torun could be a lovely day. I did opt for a taxi to and from the station - it’s a bit far. It has a lovely square for dinner, a river, a gingerbread tour, and I enjoyed the Copernicus Museum also. An easy place to wander.
Tim, thanks for the link. Looks like I need to add three extra days to my trip!
TTM, as a science major anything Copernicus is fascinating. Among the great scientists of all time just behind Newton, imo.
...as a science major anything Copernicus is fascinating.
It's unclear exactly what your itinerary includes - in Warsaw, does it include the Copernicus Science Center? You might find it to be of interest.
I've been researching Polish trains for my upcoming visit in April - while not as slick as Trenitalia's for Italy, the Polish train web site is useable once you spend some time with it, and select English as your language:
There appear to be a number of third party sites selling Polish train tickets - you might look at www.polishtrains.eu - it's all in English and the layout is a bit simpler. So as a way to research timetables and fares, it may be easier. Then take your chances, or go to the official site to purchase.
In regard to a daytrip, what concerns me about Torun from Warsaw is that the fast train is still 2:20 - when you factor in getting to/from each station, that would eat more than six hours out of your day, just for transportation.
The suggestion for Lodz may make more sense, as the train ride is only 1:20. Given the history of Lodz, which was a former manufacturing center, you may find the various museums and adaptive reuse of former industrial buildings to be of interest.
But either looks to be an easy train ride from Warsaw, and shouldn't be that challenging even if you don't speak Polish.
@BigMike, if you are interested in Cold War, WWII, and even WWI history I strongly suggest you visit the Polish Aviation Museum in Krakow, I was there just last summer and it was most excellent, the best part, it is hardly known to foreigners had the place mostly to myself!
During WWII the Germans packed up Berlin's Nazi era aviation museum (Deutsche Luftfahrtsammlung museum) in a cargo train for safekeeping, including Göring's private WWI plane collection. At the end of the war the train was abandoned in Poland and now it is in the Polish Aviation Museum. Know it is the best single collection of WWI and interwar German aviation, many the only surviving examples in the world. They also have many Cold War planes and helicopters, including Pope John Paul's personal Papal helicopter. The most impressive part for me was the hall of airplane engines, showing the progress from the first airplane engines through WWI and II, to the jet engines of the Cold War.
https://www.inyourpocket.com/krakow/polish-aviation-museum_17103v
Carlos, yeah, that stuff fascinates me. My wife had to drag me out of the National Museum of the Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, OH. Thanks, man.
Chuck Yeager is from my home state, thus the inspiration.
