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safety in Krakow

Does anyone have recent information on travel to Krakow/Auschwitz relative to the Ukrainian situation? A family member is going next week and I am concerned for safety. Covid is the least of it.

Posted by
7049 posts

I have family in Poland. The train stations are quite full with a many people coming in from Ukraine day in-day out (the major cities - Warsaw and Krakow - are maxed out). I doubt that poses any safety problem to a tourist - what exactly are you worried about? You can surely expect inconvenience and transport disruptions, but not safety threats (unless the war crosses boundaries into Poland). Your comment on Covid is misguided, however. That is a real risk. Ukraine has an abysmally low vaccination rate and Poland's rate is nothing to brag about either - mask usage is inconsistent and not exactly enthusiastic. People are in very crowded conditions for long periods of time, which is a real risk. I would not discount it.

Posted by
167 posts

Agnes is right. My relatives in Poland tell me that the Ukrainians have about a 30% vaccination rate and most of the nonbordering European countries are making it very difficult for them to go there. They don't want Ukrainians because of the COVID issue so Poland carries the burden.

I would love to travel to Poland to see my relatives and visit Krakow but worry that I would be a burden at this time. Of course, my family would never admit that because they are so overwhelmingly kind and gracious.

Posted by
196 posts

Covid is no issue in Poland and has been no issue for at least last several weeks. It has disappeared from headlines and private conversations. Despite over 2million people entering Poland from Ukraine there has been no increase in cases. It's no suprise actually as studies show that about 95% of Poles have covid antibodies either through natural infection or vaccination, in Ukrainians it's about 85% despite low vaccination levels in Ukraine.

Practically all remaining restrictions (masks, quarantine) are set to be lifted from next week. Vaccine passports were never required for anything in Poland.

Posted by
17639 posts

Good to hear. I have been talking daily with some Ukrainian friends now living in, or near, Krakow, the Polish people have been amazing ... thank you.

Posted by
167 posts

I'm thinking that the Polish people collectively deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. If you know your WWII history, the relations between the two countries was hostile as the Ukrainians sided with the Germans. Of course, their only other choice was to side with the Russians, who believe it or not, were WORSE than the Germans. Now, Poland has set these old hostilities aside and has shown tremendous kindness and hospitality.

Posted by
3874 posts

If you know your WWII history, the relations between the two countries was hostile as the Ukrainians sided with the Germans.

Yes but Polish people's connection with Ukrainians goes back long before WWII, several centuries back to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. I think that centuries old shared-connection still holds a place in the national psyche of both peoples.

One of the most beloved Polish folk songs called "Hej Sokoły", from Ukrainian-Polish Tomasz Padura, tells the story of a Cossack saying goodbye to his Ukrainian love for the last time. The song has became very popular on YouTube since that start of the Russian invasion, to celebrate the connection between Polish and Ukrainian peoples.

Posted by
6733 posts

I'm thinking that the Polish people collectively deserve the Nobel Peace Prize.

THIS.

The nation of Poland has shown the world their true heart. They are to be thanked and blessed, and going forward they deserve all our support and praise.

From what I am hearing and reading, the torrent of refugees is straining Poland's capacity to absorb them, even with the best of intentions and great effort (on one news report I saw last night, the journalist reporting from Krakow said the city has been "transformed" over the past couple weeks). This war is probably going to go on for a long time, huge numbers of refugees will probably continue to flow into Poland (and other neighboring countries, though Poland has received the vast majority, and probably will continue to do so).

Krakow is a lovely, beautiful city, well worth visiting. At some point tourists may need to ask if their visiting is contributing more to the city's economic well being, or if they just have enough on their plate right now dealing with the refugee crisis and tourism may need to wait a while. I do not pretend to know the answer to that (I'm sure it's a mix of both). Once things settle down, I will be ready to book a trip to support the local economy and to help all of Eastern Europe rebuild.

Posted by
7049 posts

Let's also not forget Moldova, which is getting more refugees per capita than Poland (the most of any country on a per capita basis), is much poorer with a fraction of the population, and has less resources to absorb them. They planned on accommodating 10,000-15,000 and received ten times that number. They are neither a NATO nor EU country - they really need help, and even more so than Poland. They are dealing with probably the most vulnerable subset of refugees who are unlikely to have the means to "go further" into wealthier EU countries like France, Germany, etc. Saw a report on Moldova in NY Times today and they are really struggling, and yet still kind and generous.

Posted by
6733 posts

Yes, and Moldova has their own troubles, too: another fake, break-away "independent republic" set up by the Russians, carved out of Moldova -- Transdniestria -- recognized only by Russia -- now squeezed in between southern Ukraine and Moldova. Just like the Russian enclaves in Ukraine that were used as a pretext to attack Ukraine. Same playbook. There already are Russian soldiers occupying that part of Moldova. "Transdniestria" blocks about 1/3 of the border between Ukraine and Moldova.

As I understand it, Moldova's constitution requires it to be "neutral", so NATO membership does not look to be likely. They do have some kind of "Association" agreement wit the EU, but that appears to be mostly focused on trade (still, when that agreement with the EU was signed, Russia retaliated by cutting off trade with Moldova...).

Putin has recently spoken publicly about neighbors that "belong to Russia", listing Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, as well as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania....for that matter he also said that Russia "discovered" Antarctica so it rightfully belonged to them, and complained that they did not get a fair deal when Russia sold Alaska to the USA, so they should also take that back.

Lessons learned from Ukraine's experience need to be applied quickly.

Posted by
167 posts

"Putin has recently spoken publicly about neighbors that "belong to Russia", listing Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, as well as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania....for that matter he also said that Russia "discovered" Antarctica so it rightfully belonged to them, and complained that they did not get a fair deal when Russia sold Alaska to the USA, so they should also take that back.

Lessons learned from Ukraine's experience need to be applied quickly."

You are so correct! Putin wants to also claim a region in California!

Posted by
11056 posts

To eliminate train problems, have your Krakow hotel book you a small group day tour to Auschwitz.

Posted by
1217 posts

Suki, I was just thinking about this. We are planning on being in Krakow in June on an RS tour. I had planned on taking the train to Wieliczka Salt Mine and back, but am wondering if I should book a private driver instead so that we don't take up space on a train that would better serve a refugee.

Posted by
3874 posts

Or better yet you could hire private guide with thier own transport. Guides with their own cars can also be very useful for other day trips from Krakow that are not so easy to reach with public transport, like the eagles' nest castles.

I'm heading to Poland in a little over a week, but I'm planning on renting my own car, so not to use public transport. Plus most of the places I'm visiting will be in the countryside where there's no regular bus or train service.

Posted by
2 posts

I'll be traveling to Krakow in 2 weeks. I've already booked a ticket to Auschwitz and was planning to take public transport, but I'm wondering if that could be problematic based on the comments above. However, most tours I've seen include the admission fee and other extras (lunch, etc) along with transport, but I just need the transport. Would you all recommend hiring a car/taxi service rather than public transport, given the current situation? If so, does anyone have a recommendation for a service that only provides the transport?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Posted by
25 posts

Hi my son just returned from Krakow yesterday. He said everything was”normal”. He did go to Auschwitz with a tour, no public transport. I would avoid the train station and use private transit if possible.

Posted by
1217 posts

We just booked private transport for June out to Wieliczka and back with RS recommended Marta Chmielowska
www.privateguideinkrakow.com.pl Either she, her husband, or her daughter will take you. Auschwitz is among the drives they do so I would see if she has availability. It is just the transportation.

Posted by
2 posts

Thanks everyone for the helpful suggestions! I arranged for transport to Auschwitz with Marta Chmielowska as suggested, and she was great. Her husband also drove us separately to the salt mines for an evening concert. We were happy to have both of them, as the check in process in both places was a bit confusing. But otherwise, public transport seemed to be running fine and without an extra surge of passengers. I agree with the other assessment that the city otherwise seemed "normal" and very safe.