Poland Itinerary help

Full disclosure, I didn't love Warsaw. Didn't dislike it, it just didn't charm me like the other wonderful cities we visited in Poland. It's a very large city and mostly all rebuilt after WWII. There are some interesting places to be sure, communist era buildings, interesting churches, good museums and the reconstructed old town. That said, if it were me (and its not) I would do a variation of option 2. I would take 2 nights from Warsaw, and do Gdansk (3nights), Torun(2nights), Krakow (4 nights), Warsaw (2 nights). Torun is a beautiful little city with a lot of history, charming old town and known for Copernicus and gingerbread.

You could spend more time in both Gdansk and Krakow, but that is pretty much the way it always is!

I personally would do Option 2. Also double check for flights Gdansk to Warsaw (I haven’t) - many times a budget flight can work better, although I love trains. None of your stops are too long……

While I loved both Gdansk and Krakow more than Warsaw, with the time you have, I feel like you have a good outline. There is a lot of history in Warsaw, and tons to see in 3 days (which is basically what you get with 4 nights). If I would consider any change to your allotment of nights, I MIGHT say take a night from Warsaw and give it to Gdansk depending upon your flight arrival time in Gdansk and the fact you will arrive with jet lag.

Is there more to see in Poland? Absolutely! But we do the best we can with the time we have.:)

I have a two night pillow in Amsterdam in the beginning of the trip, so that helps with the jet lag.

Also double check for flights Gdansk to Warsaw

The Pendolino high speed train is 2:35 Gdansk to Warsaw, between city centers. A first class ticket can be under 50 Euro [less for 2nd] - why in the world would you want to fly, unless to make a connection at the airport. Plus consider your carbon footprint.

Krakow to Warsaw is 2:20 on the high speed train, relatively painless, so I wouldn't fret over a bit of backtracking. Timing of your departing flight might be the determining factor.

If you're shortchanging anything, it's Gdansk. It has the best museums and the best setting - right on the river - IMHO. Plus great seafood.

Best food may be a tie between Krakow & Warsaw. And you need to have different expectations for Warsaw - it's a large, vibrant, sophisticated city that also happens to have a rebuilt historic area - which is no longer the city center. So a nice contrast to the other two.

Also, whether you intend to visit Auschwitz while in Krakow may be a factor in terms of time, as it really consumes an entire day.

If I had the time that you do, I would go with:

Option two:
Gdansk (+1 to 4 nights).
(Pretty long train ride here)
Krakow (-1 to 3 nights)
Warsaw (4 nights)

It's not because I dislike Krakow (I loved it, and was there for 4 nights) but because I loved Warsaw and kept happily busy there for 8 nights. The lighting with which to see my point of view is that I love sightseeing in big cities and 8 nights is my sweet spot in which to see my list of highlights, try lots of restaurants, visit parks and gardens and attend local events.

I'll be visiting Gdansk this year and am similarly allocating extra time because of the top notch museums, the setting and the food.

If you're not a big city person, and don't enjoy big city attractions, then Warsaw might appeal to you less.

Thanks all for the feedback! It really helps. My first draft of the trip was just Warsaw and Krakow, so I’m happy all think Gdansk is worth the time.

I was asking about flying from Gdansk to Krakow, not Warsaw. Rick’s Central Europe book mentions that given the large size of Poland, easy budget flights from Gdansk to Krakow are quick and can cost less than the train. Just exploring the options.

I had to go back and reread everything to discover that I actually meant “look at flights Gdansk to Krakow” but I accidentally typed Gdansk to Warsaw. Oops. And I mentioned the short flights - not you…..

If the day of the week aligns, Ryan Air has a short direct flight. But the train actually isn’t too bad for time. Plus saves to and from airport distance. Not pushing a flight since I like train rides. Just tossing out options.

We all have our favorite places - so it just comes down to what seems to be good for you. Honestly, 4 nights isn’t long enough for any of those cities but however you divide it up it’s a good start. :)

OP, have you done some searching on the forum for info and trip reports? Sometimes the search function isn't terribly user friendly but you could also go to destinations and scroll through topics. There are quite a few Poland trip reports. I used them for my trip planning and also wrote one after my trip.