Poland Itinerary September-october 2024

Well, assuming Auschwitz is a full-day trip, you have 6 places in 14 days.

Not clear if you see any of these as day trips, or if Ljubljana is part of the
15 days. But, 14/6 is less than 2.5, so you have allocated ~2.4 days per
location which has to include transportation. In my view, you need to
be considering whether this is too many places. Also, staying in smaller
cities and commuting into the larger ones for sightseeing will add
overhead to your schedules.

With only 14 nights on the ground I don't think you have time to see all you want. Also you seem to be bouncing around the entire length of the country, I'd probably just focus on one area of Poland to minimize travel time eating away at your already limited vacation time. My suggestions for minimum nights in each place you have already listed:

Gdańsk - 4 nights
Toruń - 2 nights
Wrocław -3 nights
Kraków - 4 nights
Zakopane - 2 nights
Warsaw - 3 nights

As you can see 18 nights minimum to make your current itinerary work.

Since you are flying in to Gdansk and leaving from Warsaw you might consider just visiting the north/central part of the country, Poland is a big country after all. Also your original plan is very heavy on big cities, which is what you don't like I gather? Here's an itinerary incorporating more of what you might like and sticking within a general geographic area:

Fly in
Gdańsk (4 nights) - day trip to Sopot and Hel Peninsula
Malbork (1 night) - See Malbork Castle
Toruń (2 nights)
Ełk (4 nights) - explore Masurian Lakes District
Warsaw (3 nights)
Fly out

Using Ełk as a home base you can explore the Masurian Lakes District once former east Prussia. The region consists of over 2,000 lakes interconnected by rivers and canals, dotted with red-bricked medieval Teutonic towns. It's a popular destination for local Polish families who enjoy fishing, kayaking, hiking, and cycling. IMO the Masurian Lakes District is an undiscovered gem for those seeking tranquility and a connection with Polish nature and history.

In general I concur with Carlos' suggestions above. However, you explicitly mentioned Auschwitz, and if that is a priority to you, that suggests Krakow.

You could do Malbork as a day trip from Gdansk. If you then replace Ełk with Krakow, you can fit in Auschwitz - even a day trip to Zakopane.

The high speed train from Krakow to Warsaw is relatively quick [same for Gdansk to Warsaw] - you could return to Warsaw early evening and stay at the airport for your flight out. Or save Warsaw for the very end. A bit of backtracking may be necessary. Most rail itineraries from Torun to Krakow go through Warsaw.

As Carlos points out, Poland is a large country and Krakow is a bit of an outlier from the Gdansk - Warsaw corridor.

Wow, Thank you all for your thoughtful ideas. It seems like we are taking in too much. Im pretty sure we will have another opportunity to go back to Poland so... I think from a priority standpoint we really want to go to Auschwitz and the Tatra Mountains.
We love mountains to hike and mountain bike so Im thinking we may have to forgo Gdansk and Torun this trip and keep it to central and southern areas. We will need to do laundry along the way so I thought a combo of AB&B and Hotels should work.
This Forum is so nice for us to get great ideas from all of you seasoned travelers.
My wife's family came from near Warsaw I believe, and that is also a priority. We don't do too much in terms of museums in the cities.
I love meeting the people and learning about the culture. I also love food and BEER!! Although I'm having to watch my sodium intake because of BP. Anyway we are so excited to sample Poland.

Any special accommodations that you folks recommend in Krackow, Warsaw, or Zakopane areas?
Again thanks so much for all the feedback in such a timely fashion.
Best wishes
Nigel

I spent 5 days over Christmas in Wroclaw and we absolutely loved it. If it’s still on your potential itinerary, let me know and I’ll post a few of our favorites and my trip report (if of interest). I’d definitely love to return and see more of Poland.

For lodging, in Warsaw, the Chopin Boutique B & B is featured in the RS guidebook - it has a Bohemian flavor to it - very comfortable, I had a gigantic room. Good breakfast. Great location on a quiet street, but close to everything.

In Krakow, I stayed at the Wawel Hotel - on a quiet side street, but close to the main square. It is attached to the popular Black Duck restaurant, which is also the breakfast room.

For laundry, in Warsaw, the amazing Speed Queen 24 chain - cleanest laundromat I've ever used. In Krakow, this should be the equivalent: https://maps.app.goo.gl/9Zbyw4jLPAzUWVYX8

Yes Meg I think we will at try to visit Wroclaw. So would love more information if you don't mind. Looks like we will limit our travels to Krackow, Wroclaw, Zakopane areas and end up in Warsaw at the end.

Thanks markcw for the hotels and laundry ideas. We appreciate it all!

I think we will at try to visit Wroclaw. So would love more information if you don't mind. Looks like we will limit our travels to Krackow, Wroclaw, Zakopane areas and end up in Warsaw at the end.

Hi Nigel, with your new itinerary I think if you have a comfortable amount of time to make it work, but as I mentioned previously you are only really focusing on big cities:

Kraków - 5 nights
Zakopane - 2 nights
Wrocław -3 nights
Warsaw - 4 nights

I've traveled all through southern Poland for several years now. Wroclaw is 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 explore, 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.

Here are some of my trip reports + photos of my travels in Southern Poland:
Wrocław + Lower Silesia Region 2017
Kraków + Eagle's Nest Castle Trail 2019
Southern Poland 2022
Katowice + Upper Silesia 2023

Here is my trip report:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/germany-poland-and-iceland-family-travel-over-the-holidays

Hopefully it helps with a few ideas! I used the blog Wroclaw Guide quite a bit for inspiration. We were also traveling with a friend whose family lived in Wroclaw and he speaks Polish so we had his insight. Hopefully you have a wonderful trip!

Given your time frame you are wise to save Gdansk and Torun for another trip. We recently returned from 17 nights/five locations in Poland and could have easily spent at least one more night at each location. Wroclaw was my favorite, although there were no stops that I disliked :). We were there three nights; it was a little rushed but we did take one day to rent a car and visit Ksiaz Castle and the Swidnica Peace Church. Definitely a trade-off as we could have found more to do in Wroclaw, but a very worthwhile day trip. So many choices, you can't go wrong!