Hello, My husband and I are going to see Christmas markets in Germany in late November-Dec 8. We plan to stay in Dresden or Gorlitz then cross over into Poland to tour for a portion of time, anywhere from 3-7 nights (my husband's family was originally from Poland, so we'd like to get a taste for the country). We were wondering about recommendations for where to go...favorite small towns and sites that you might not find in a tour guide. We like charming/historic small towns, castles, pretty churches, pretty vistas and countryside, food, and culture.
We're considering this as an itinerary, I'm most interested in things to see along the way of these paths, but we're still in the early planning stage so we aren't afraid to tweak it if there's something else we should really see:
From Gorlitz go to Bolewasic, site see. Go to Karpacz or Jelenia Gora for a night to break up the journey to Krakow. See Ksiaz castle on the way to Krakow. Stay in Krakow for 2-3 days, seeing the castle, Christmas market, salt mines, possibly take a Polish cooking class. Then onto Zakopane to 2-3 nights to relax at a resort, see the Christmas market, and perhaps take a sleigh ride. Then we'll fly out from Krakow.
We're not sure about mode of transportation yet, it might be train or possibly a car (or some combination). We'd also be up for hiring a tour guide or driver to take us to see a few sights in remote areas. Any help would be most appreciated!