Travel in Poland

I am buying a 10 day 2 month Eurail pass but may have to get a longer pass or go to Turkey another time.

Please research rail fares in Poland first - they are so inexpensive [even first class] that it may not be worth using rail pass days until you're ready to leave the country.

As I just mentioned in another post, I visited Poland the first two weeks of April 2024. Weather was changeable, with a few chilly days with drizzle alternating with balmy Spring weather.

I agree with markcw--a two-month rail pass may be a very poor value if you're going to spend so much time in a low-cost country like Poland. Also keep in mind that when you start going to smaller towns, you may need to use buses. They aren't expensive, but those fares aren't covered by the rail pass. You really need to do some careful rail-fare research. Otherwise, I'm afraid you're going to waste many hundreds of euros.

Germany is now offering a calendar-month pass covering local transportation (regional trains but not the really fast trains). The Deutschland Ticket costs only 58 euros per month in 2025. This further reduces the potential value of a Eurail pass in that part of Europe. Even if you aren't doing enough travel in Germany to justify the Deutschland Ticket (or your time there straddles two months), there are regional train tickets that could cover at least some of your German travel at low cost.

Thanks for the information. I thought that was a high price for 10 travel days. Can you tell me what the best site would be to get information for train schedules and pricing in Poland and The Czech Republic? Will I need to make reservations or just show up at the correct time at the train station. When I traveled to several countries in 2019 I used the Eurail Pass and it was nice to just be able to get on the train without a reservation in 2nd class but I was in less travelled areas of Croatia, Slovenia, Austria and Germany and I only used it 7-8 times through several countries in 4 week period. In 2019 before going to Europe I just used www.bahn.com to check on schedules and times to travel on the trains. Is there a better one to use?

Trains:
https://rozklad-pkp.pl/en
https://koleo.pl/en/
Buses (+some trains):
https://en.e-podroznik.pl/

If you buy tickets from Polish websites seat reservations are included, you don't need to book them separately.

I am sure there are circumstances when raill passes are worth it. I dont travel by train often enough to even begin to consider it and what I have read here in the forum is 7 out of 10 times it wasnt the best solution .... not that it really hurts one way or the other, we are generally talking about small sums of money.

As for where to visit from Poland, sure Prague, but it will be jam packed with tourists in August (if August is your plan). Still, slip in for a few days and the slip out cause its a great city.

But more interesting would be Lviv. The bus from the Polish town of Przemysl on the border its less than a 3 hour trip to Lviv (Lvov). From Krakow Lviiv is direct in under 7 hours by bus. Last time I checked Lviv is a Level 3 with the US State Department and that puts it with places like Egypt and a lot of Central America, Jamica (I think) and parts of Mexico.

Lviv: https://youtu.be/-wS8dMgyYio?si=ECe-VgqkBP7I1r_w
No visa or anything special to visit ... except a local medical insurance polic (about $10) that you can buy here: https://visitukraine.today/?srsltid=AfmBOopv0rrkkCBNjbUkpd0rYMVp0zQJAUasN-1GBo_stWw--OZnUYB4

Ive stayed at the Leopolis Hotel (4) https://leopolishotel.com/ and the Grand Hotel (5) https://grand-hotel.com.ua/ and would not hesitate to stay at either again. Most of the year these are under $150 but do book up quickly so .... (I like really nice hotels, but you can do a good four star in a good area for tourism for $100 I suspect).

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/four-cities-in-poland-2019

If you don't have to travel in summer, don't. Spring or fall, when kids are still in school.
The best source for train information of all kinds is seat61.com

Mr E fails to mention Lviv is in Ukraine.

Carlos. I'm sorry you had to Google it. I suspect the majority reading knew where it was. We generally treat each other as well educated in such matters.... and when we do get stumped (i often do), we secretly Google and say, "i knew that." LOL.

But, no, not for everyone given the current circumstances. But I think we are here in part to open doors for consideration.

Thank you for the information on the train prices. I will stay in the bigger cities and some smaller towns (Gdansk, Torun', Warsaw, maybe Lublin, Krakow, Wroclaw and then to Bratislavia possibly and on to Bratislavia and on to the Czeck Republic. I went on the Deutsche Bahn site but didn't see anything about the pass mentioned. I will check again. Once I started pricing tickets I realized that the Rail Pass was a bad idea. The train prices are inexpensive and I would like to see a lot of different cities. This trip isn't happening until 2026 from May until July sometime starting in Poland. I really appreciate the help!

Thank you cc for the information on the trains and buses. I am going to try to travel as soon as I can in the spring.

Just one more question? would I be better off doing most of the travel in Poland by bus? The PKP Intercity trains seem to go at many different times and arrive to the destinations pretty quick.
Thanks

Just one more question? would I be better off doing most of the travel in Poland by bus?

No - the Polish trains are modern, comfortable and a great value. The "snack" you get in first class is actually a light lunch.

I assume the value of a bus would be in sparsely populated areas not serviced by train. Or you may end up on a bus if you book a tour to Auschwitz from Krakow.

Late to the party and you have good advice. I thought I’d throw my 2022 trip report in - in case it is of any help.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/poland-north-to-south

Thanks Travel Texas Mom! This report was so helpful. I do have the time to spend quite a while in Poland and loved reading about your choices and tips and accommodation choices and restaurant recommendations. I have so many questions. Did you make all of your train reservations ahead of your trip. I saw that you can make them 30 days in advance and they are cheaper that way. I was planning to do most by rail but could rent a car. I still need to carefully read my guidebook to figure out where to go. I was planning on flying into Gdansk, then going to Torrun', Warsaw (maybe Lublin), todz, Wroclaw and Krakow. I was wondering how you chose where to rent a car? Was it to see the Church of Peace? I have rented a car in Germany for a few days back in 2019 and it worked out. I just entered the address of the point where i was going and Google took me there or should I say Siri. I have not figured out how to save google trips offline although I have a friend who could help me with that. I appreciate any help. After Poland my ultimate destination will be Prague with maybe going through Bratisavia and then probably fly home from there or go into Germany for a bit.

Thank you!
Backyard

Texas Travel Mom I plan to go in early May of 2026 and also only know only English and am from Indiana.

Well, I only know English (if you count being from Texas). Ha! I did run into a few places where English wasn’t spoken, but by and large it was ok - especially with Google Translate. I personally found more English the further south I went.

I did make all my train reservations at the same time - it just worked out conveniently for me. And yes, I made them all ahead of time because I like having things sorted out ahead. Whether or not it it’s necessary, I don’t know.

I would say only rent a car if it serves a specific purpose. I liked having mine for staying in Swednica by the Peace Church and driving out to places from there. But it’s not 100% necessary. Somewhere here on the forum is a trip report including going there by minibus public transportation. I think I just used AutoEurope.com to find a rental. Another time I rented from Krakow for 2 days and drove into the mountains south of Krakow to see a few of the wooden churches down there that Carlos’ has written about.

And yes, I just used Google Maps, saving my destinations ahead of time and then downloading Poland as an offline map.

I turn off my home cell and use an Airalo data only eSIM. And then I use WhatsApp for European communication. As long as the other party has WhatsApp also, I can make and receive telephone calls if needed (as well as message).

I am a slow traveler, but I probably spent a day longer in Torun than I really needed - and maybe a day longer in Swednica.

If you are heading to Prague, your order may not be the same as mine. It all depends on transportation….. but Krakow might work fine.

If you scroll through the Poland forum, you will see a lot of great advice and experience! And there’s no right or wrong way - we all travel and prioritize differently. Some people love Warsaw, I love Krakow. Some don’t care for Wroclaw, I do. You will have a great trip!

I was in Poland last April/May (3 weeks) and used the Koleo app for the purchase of train tickets. I purchased most before leaving home-it was one less thing to think about while traveling (also I'm a planner!). I also took walking tours through Walkative in each city and highly recommend the guides from this company. We took six or seven tours; I considered one to be "good" and the rest to be "excellent".

Thanks for the info on Koleo and Walkative. I need a good travel book for Poland. Since I am going to other locations beside Gdansk, Warsaw and Krakow there are books available from Lonely Planet or DK Eyewitness. Since the RS book only covers 3 cities I would like more info. Any recommendations?

DK Eyewitness

Texas Travel Mom

Can you tell me what luggage you used for your trip? I am trying to find something new and lightweight. I noticed that you took a flight from One city in Poland to another in Europe or is my memory failing me? I know the carryons for those airlines have to be smaller.Just wondering what case you used or if you used a large backpack?
Thanks for any suggestions.
Backyard

Baggage on domestic flights: https://www.lot.com/pl/en/journey/baggage/short-haul-baggage
Sometime years there is also Ryanair, but i do not see any domestic flights right now

Hi,

For the 2025 summer trip I bought the 15 day 2 month Eurail Senior Pass 2nd class. I bought it when a promotion was on, which meant the total discount amounted to 25%, and relative to the very favourable Euro/$ exchange rate, the daily Pass expense is 23 Euro based on the Euro price stated on the Pass.

Keep in mind the Deutschland Ticket is not valid on the ICE, EC and IC. My rides in Germany are on the IC or ICE, what are yours? Are you going to France and using the TGV. ?

I use the 20” expandable Travel Pro Maxlite hard-sided spinner. But I am a luggage checker, so I just buy the flight that includes a checked bag (usually includes seat selection). I do also take a backpack as my personal item with no problems.

Thanks for the info. Just wondering if I need to get a bag that will satisfy European airway size limits. I don't plan any flights while in Europe but just thinking just in case. I have heard that some Us based flights are thinking of changing size requirements because so many people use carry on. I always carry on when going to and am wondering how easy the wheeled cases are to handle on trains. My last trip of a lot of train travel was 2019 I wore a Osprey Farpoint 40 but it was a killer going through 4 airports carrying it. Much easier traveling on the train.

Thanks for any advice.
Backyard

Fred,

I have decided to not go to France. Maybe another year. I would like to go to Nuremberg and maybe to some other destinations but those destinations would mean flying out of Frankfurt which I read is not a fun experience. I would like to go to Freiburg which would mean going to Baden-Baden and then Freiberg and maybe on to Zurich to fly home, but that seems like a lot after going through Poland and Bratislavia and the Czech Republic. Or from Nuremberg go to Berlin and fly home from there.

Hi,
I appreciate the great ideas in this thread!! I have trip questions for next month. I just posted on a new thread, but if it's more appropriate, I'll delete and put them in here. Thanks for any guidance.

but those destinations would mean flying out of Frankfurt which I read
is not a fun experience.

I have flow out of or changed flights in Frankfurt not less than 20 times over the years. Its a very, very okay airport for both.

Hey, Luke, it will be more helpful to have your own thread. That way you get all the answers instead of Backyard getting them.

I too have transited through Frankfurt Airporr many times and haven't had any issues.