Rick Steves Poland Tour

The tour is called "Eastern Europe" and it only stops in one Polish city - Krakow. None of the tours focus exclusively on Poland.
https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/eastern-europe/eastern-europe-tour

Thank you. Kind of figured Poland might be part of the Eastern Europe tour.
What about Sept./Oct. Weather? It appears to be a BIG temp difference from Sept. To Oct.

Up to high 60's in Sept/low 50's in Oct. Sound right?

Sept. appears to be the month of choice.
Can anyone recommended a Poland tour company?
Thanks again.

The weather has been so wacky, there's no telling what any month will bring (within reason). I think the beginning of October would be ok, but I wouldn't push it past middle of October. The later in the year, the earlier it gets dark as well (if that's a consideration). I don't know about tours in Poland but I'm sure there are companies out there that have them (just Google it and see - I know Trafalgar is one of them and that company gets good reviews). I cannot understate though how easy it is to tour independently (and less expensively than a tour). There are free walking tours in every major city. Just start with a guidebook and go from there.

Joy I will send you a PM. Yes, I wish RS would come up with a Poland tour, but they must not think there is a market for it, unlike Bulgaria.

We were there in September and it was a lot warmer than 60s. But you can't predict.

Years ago someone on the forum recommended a company called Stay Poland Tours. I have no first hand experience with them, but you can check their website for more info!

Joy,

"Can anyone recommended a Poland tour company?"

Do you mean a Poland tour company other than Rick Steves? If so, have a look at these tours.

Although Rick Steves does not do a Poland tour, he does have a guidebook for Warsaw/Krakow/Gdansk. I found it very helpful for some independent travel. We followed several excellent walking tours from the book.

Thank you. I just found his books, EASTERN EUROPE and KRAKOW, WARSAW & GDANSK.
Time for a cup of tea and research reading!
Thank you to all who responded to my questions. I'm sure I'll be asking for more of your wonderful advice!

Rather than an all inclusive guided tour you might consider organizing your own trip (flights, trains and hotels) and relying on some of the excellent day trips and tours on offer from Gdansk, Warsaw and Krakow. It's pretty easy to get around the country on your own. The train system is cheap and efficient, and accommodations are amazingly cheap if you'd care to do your own research.
The "Things to do" pull-down menu on Trip Advisor has a comprehensive listing of tour companies and day trips on offer, along with (reasonably) reliable ratings for each. Would be a good place to start.
September can be a mixed bag weatherwise. On one of our trips to Krakow we arrived to steamy temperatures in the 90's for the first few days, then the first major cold front of Autumn came thru and reduced temps into the very pleasant 60' and 70's ... beautiful Indian Summer weather for the duration of our stay. Scheduling your trip for the second half of the month might be the safer bet to avoid the last of the lingering heat & humidity of summer.
An open jaw (multi-destination) flight plan, ie flying into Warsaw and out of Krakow, would be a good way to organize your trip to avoid a day backtracking for your flight home.

Thanks, Robert. Great info, especially about the weather. We're even considering. March. May be too cold?

Definitely too cold in March and even April (although April could be ok). It's technically winter in March so that means snow and dreariness and getting dark early.

I agree - March is still winter and April is probably still too soon. It's not so much the cold as it is the general dreariness - ie leaden, overcast skies most days, not much fun to be out and about.
September/October are much better options.

Thanks, all. Looks like it will be September, if not this year, 2020. Plenty of time to read these tours books, Rick Steves, plus The Rough Guide to Poland, and Lonely Planet. All give a lot of good info, not to mention this forum. You travelers are tops!

I was in Poland for about 2 weeks in mid-September, Gdansk to Krakow and the weather was pleasant, never chilly, only what I'd call hot (80+) once or twice. Don't look at average monthly temps, they really tell you less than nothing. Go to this site to find actual day-by-day weather for most any city for the last 10 years. Looking at a month at a time, for the past 5-6 years is a good indication of what to expect.

Hi Joy,

Weather in Poland is a bit unpredictable in September and October - you can have a hot sunny day with temperature over 20 Celsius degree or cold autumn day with heavy rain. It's difficult to say :)

What is certain that the temperature difference in the seaside is not that significant. In Gdansk there's rarely a real summer or cold winter - it's always rather chilly and windy, so if you're not into high temperatures, then Gdansk might be just for you :)

I think it might be a good idea to organize your trip yourself and go for guided tours which will complement your stay. I've been using Get Your Guide and liked them - they have a lot of different options to choose from.

If you would like to get to know more about Gdansk and Krakow have a look at the below articles:

https://overhere.eu/blog/complete-guide-all-best-gdansk-attractions/
https://overhere.eu/blog/krakow-zakopane-trip-5-day-itinerary/

If you're in southern Poland, you might also want to visit Wroclaw - a beautiful city located on Oder river banks, also called The City of 100 Bridges (there are about 130 bridges in Wroclaw). What I like about this city is that there are lots of attractions but the prices are lower than in Warsaw, Gdansk or Krakow.

We left a heat wave in Berlin to arrive to very cool temperatures and wind in Krakow in early September.

Suki-thank you for your weather report!
And thank you also to all those who responded to my Poland inquiries.
My husband and I have decided to put Poland on hold 'til 2020. We both can't decide whether to do a tour or travel independently. So our answer: take another river cruise (!), along the Moselle & Rhine. Disembark in Cologne; take a train to Berlin, tour Berlin for 5 nights.
Of course I have already scoured rs's forum for Berlin info. A lot to pack into 5 full days.
I will be back to this site for more Poland, which I haven't given up on!

We are touring Norway independently and Poland in mid August this summer. We are using Polish American Tours (PAT) for a 7 day tour of southern Poland (believe it is entitled Magic of Poland). The Catholic diocese in Omaha, NE has used PAT tours for pilgrimage tours for years and acquaintances have been very pleased with this company, owned by Polish immigrants.

Polish Origins is a great company if you want more of a family history experience. I've been to Krakow twice, Gdansk, Warsaw and some smaller villages. It is quite easy to plan your own travel in Poland. While I would likely NEVER take a bus in the USA, buses and trains are a great way of getting around Poland. I use a combination of planes, buses, and trains.