Southern Poland Itinerary - April 2025

Looks good to me! Southwest Poland is my favorite part of the country so you are visiting a lot of places I've been to (and highly recommend). A few initial thoughts:

Personally I don't think Warsaw is necessary, especially if the focus of your trip is southern Poland.

I've been to the Zakopane area in April and there was still light snow + flurries, not terribly pleasant.

I assume you are aware that Poland bassically shuts down over Easter?

Around Świdnica I'd try to dip into the Kłodzko valley region, a lot to see and do there.

If you have spare time around Katowice I'd suggest a stop at Pszczyna to see the Baroque town + historic German Chateau

Between Katowice and Krakow is the Medieval Monastery of Tyniec, very impressive and one of the oldest in Poland.

Hope this helps :)

That certainly helps – thank you! I'll look into the suggestions and incorporating them.
We're concerned about holiday closures. Based on our research, Kraków seems like the best option for Easter weekend, as most sites are only closed on Sunday and Monday (with some Jewish sites potentially open).

We're considering an alternative: reversing our trip: start in Krakow, moving west and spending Easter weekend at Książ Castle, which has an Easter weekend promotion with events and meals. We'd end in Wroclaw. What would you recommend?

All I will say is that Carlos helped me immensely on my trip and has great suggestions.

And Warsaw would fit well with Gdansk and Torun if that trip were to happen later. I had been to England 4 times before I ever went to London. There is rarely enough time for everywhere, so you just have to make your choices. And I love Krakow.

If you are looking for unique places to stay, here are a couple that I loved (NOT fancy or castle-like at all!).
https://maps.app.goo.gl/TNuiVDmjRn5QfsyQA?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy: In Swidnica on the grounds of the Peace Church
And
https://maps.app.goo.gl/aS7aUxp2Vd7XprM89?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy: Klezmer Hois in Krakow

But read reviews carefully. I would more than happily stay again at either but they ARE unique.

We're considering an alternative: reversing our trip: start in Krakow, moving west and spending Easter weekend at Książ Castle, which has an Easter weekend promotion with events and meals. We'd end in Wroclaw. What would you recommend?

You could reverse it, but I still think Krakow will have a better chance of some things being open on Easter, but still I'd image not a lot. From Wroclaw you could then take the FlixBus to Prague (modern comfortable cross country buses).

Never heard of the Easter weekend thing at Książ Castle, so can't speak to that sorry :)

Since you have a car, I would try to do an overnight in Sanok and visit the skansen there, which is Poland's largest. I was there in 2023. Very impressive! Hire a guide.

Thanks! I've heard about Sanok, but wasn't sure if it was worth the extra driving...maybe we'll try to squeeze it in. Are you suggesting booking a tour on-site, or a local guide to visit with you? We're a little concerned about availability of signage/English guides at some of the sites beyond Krakow.

I was in Sanok to do research for a book and I had a private guide. It costs about $40 for several hours in English. You need to request it. It is essential to have a guide since the buildings are kept locked (theft.)

You can take a train or a bus to Sanok through Rzeszów. Sanok is just so lovely, and it is the largest skansen in Poland. I've been to several and we are returning this fall and staying there for a few days. My husband's grandmothers are both from this region, so to see how his ancestors lived is important.

To be honest, unless you are Jewish and want to see the POLIN museum in Warsaw, I would skip Warsaw this time. POLIN is absolutely wonderful for anyone, though. I spent 4 hours there.

Thank you for the advice. So much info. here that's honestly not in books or easy to find elsewhere. I'm still nailing down if we can swing Sanok, but it's definitely moved onto my bucket list!