Itinerary Questions, Krakow - Gdansk Summer 2023

Why not to spend those three nights in Warsaw, which is conveniently on the trainline between Krakow and Gdansk? No need to rent a car that way.

I agree with Carlos. Warsaw is well worth the stop. The old town square is wonderful. I don't know anything about Moszna Castle so I can't answer that question.

Thanks for the reply Carlos but we prefer smaller and lesser known towns over big cities and main tourist sites... And while Krakow and Gdansk are well know to tourists in Poland, they are lesser visited than other European cities. That said, would be open to an option different than Wroclaw. Also, is driving not a good idea? The car rental was quite affordable, even one-way!

When I traveled around Poland in 2018, Krakow and Gdansk were full of tourists. Wroclaw was the next most touristy city but definitely a lot less overrun. Poznan and Warsaw were more real-world. Yes, Warsaw is a very large city, but I felt I was surrounded mostly by local residents rather than foreign tourists. You don't have a lot of time, so I'm not suggesting you must go to Warsaw, but I fear you're going to be very surprised when you get to Krakow and Gdansk--lovely places, but well and truly discovered.

Try:
- Łódź
- Rzeszów
- Częstochowa
- Radom
- Lublin
- Kazimierz Dolny
- Sandomierz

PS. I agree about not skipping Warsaw. For a European capital, it's pretty compact and not overwhelmed with tourists (except for Old Town)

Drop the car in Wroclaw, I see no reason to keep it for the part of the trips that is city to city. And in my opinion you should spend a night in Poznan.

Hi Cindy, thanks for the extra info. To be honest I'm thinking that Gdansk and Krakow are both more touristy than Warsaw, although being each slightly smaller.

I can understand to break up the trip with a smaller town. In that case instead of Poznan (which is a bustling workaday business center), I would actually spend those 3 days at the picturesque town of Gniezno, about halfway in between Gdansk and Krakow. When I made the drive from Gdansk and Krakow, Gniezno was my halfway stop for a few days.

Gniezno is the historic and legendary birthplace of Poland, the first capital before even Krakow. Home to the impressive Gniezno Cathedral, one of the oldest religious buildings in Poland, filled with all manner of interesting art and relics. Gniezno is blissfully off the radar, I doubt you will see another foreign tourist there. If visiting Gniezno a car is a good idea.

From Gniezno you can day trip to Biskupin an Iron Age fortified settlement of the early Slavic and Lusitanian cultures. Nicely reconstructed with a great adjacent archaeological museum.

You can read more here: https://www.inyourpocket.com/Gniezno/gniezno-polands-first-capital_77917f

Auschwitz is an easy day trip from Krakow. I know nothing about Moszna Castle, but the other destinations you mention are easily done by train. The trains is Poland are inexpensive (at least they were several years ago), and they are extremely punctual. If it were me, I would forget the car and go by train. Wroclaw is very nice; Poznan is okay. I was not a huge fan of Warsaw, but it’s a worthwhile stop. If you don’t like big cities, and I’m with you on this, skip it. Krakow, on the other hand, was one of my very favorite cities, and I loved Gdansk too. You can easily daytrip to Malbork Castle from Gdansk if you want to see a Polish castle. It’s very close and a great castle.

Thanks for all the suggestions! Driving seemed to be the best option especially if we wanted to do Mozsna or other sights along the way however, if we opt to not do a car, does anyone know if the major train stations have luggage storage or lockers?

Thanks again