Long weekend - Gdansk, Krakow or Warsaw?

Krakow because it was never bombed during the war, both Warsaw and Gdansk were flattened. Furthermore, you are a 1h 30m direct bus ride from Auschwitz-Birkenau that makes a powerful day trip. You need a minimum of four nights in Krakow.

Krakow is one of my favorite cities in Europe. There's so much to do and it has a fun, youthful vibe. Auschwitz is an excellent day trip, though sobering of course. You can also visit a salt mine, which is not something you can do everywhere.

I agree with Krakow, but you should be really sure of your transportation before you commit to this. We have been to Germany many times, and Czech Republic. But it has always been a struggle to tack Poland on to a visit to an adjacent country. We finally went from home to Warsaw as the first stop from the USA, and went to see friends near London after ten days in Poland.

Even when we were in northeast Germany, it was too hard to get there and back.

I agree that it's not appropriate for a "long weekend", but people will inevitably ask you if you went to Auschwitz. EDIT: The OP did not mention Auschwitz, but I wanted to bring it up.

Although it's inferior to Krakow, you could also consider Wroclaw. It's perhaps more ... lighthearted ... than Krakow.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/four-cities-in-poland-2019

The internet is telling me "It's recommended" (but not by whom) that children under 14 not be taken to Auschwitz, though there is no age limit. Krakow's a beautiful city with other attractions (the salt mine outside town is worth considering), so skipping Auschwitz isn't an issue. However, Krakow has been well and truly discovered (as has Gdansk), so don't expect a backdoor experience.

Gdansk is also gorgeous but I'm not sure about filling 4 nights since your group will probably not want to spend huge amounts of time at the Solidarity and WWII Museums. Maybe it would work with a trip to Malbork--which I haven't seen.

Warsaw opted to rebuild only a small part of the city in the old style, so it doesn't look as historic as the other two. It has a real-world feel and a wealth of museums and memorials, many of them related to WWII and the Communist era. The Poles are justifiably proud of how hard they fought for their country, and the museums tell that story well, but the content is still rather dark. Warsaw has a wide variety of restaurants.

I spent more time in Warsaw than in Krakow and Gdansk, but I'm not sure it would be as engaging to your children.

First time....it is a toss up between Warsaw and Krakow, both are well worth it, lovely, and easily accessible by train, (day or night), definitely so if coming from Austria or Germany.

If you want to see a city that came out of the war unscathed, basically intact, I would suggest Krakow. As the Soviets approached in 1945, the Germans pulled out. We stayed in Krakow for 4 nights. That was in July 2001.

Two Ideas:

Fly in to Krakow, spend 2 nights see some of the sights in the city, then take the train south to Zakopane for 2 nights. Zakopane is a charming mountain resort town deep in the Tatra mountains, I think the kids will love it! Zakopane makes for a great base to explore the near by Tatra Mountains National Park including the fun hike up to Morskie Oko. You can also take the funicular up to Gubałówka summit for great views, restaurants, shops.

Or

Fly in to Wroclaw (My favourite city in Poland) which at various time was part of the Kingdom of Poland, Bohemia, the Habsburg Monarchy, the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire, and finally back to Poland after WWII. The architectural eye candy around the old center reflects this unique history, as it incorporates a little of every country that has ruled the city - from Polish Gothic to Austrian Baroque and German Modernist. Both the local cuisine and culture reflect this multi-layered history too.

The area around Wroclaw, the Silesian region, is a fascinating area to day trip in, full of time-warped old castles, 19th century spa towns, Prussian fortresses, giant wooden Protestant churches, and rumours of hidden Nazi gold. In and around Wroclaw there are 3 UNESCO Heritage Sites.

All three are fabulous cities, but for a first visit to Poland, on a long weekend, there’s no question that the answer is Krakow. And there is plenty to see there for a long weekend, please don’t go trying to fit other things in.

Krakow is more attractive than Warsaw because it emerged from WW2 relatively unscathed and is a pleasure to visit however I wouldn't consider taking your children to Auschwitz. Whilst there is no age limit it is a very powerful site and, in my opinion, is too much for children.

Warsaw is more dynamic, youthful and exciting. There are some fantastic museums, a great food culture and the Old Town provides a touch of architectural beauty, made even more impressive by the fact that it was rebuilt entirely from scratch.

If I asked my kids my eldest would most likely say Krakow whilst my youngest would opt for Warsaw. As an adult Warsaw just tips the scales for me.