Warsaw or Krakow—only 2 days

Unless there is something you must do in Poland (meet family? attend an academic conference?), I'm going to go with choice C -- spend more time in/around the Balkans. I think that would be much preferable to adding a 48-hour visit to Poland. If you must... there are non-stop flights from Warsaw to Zagreb on LOT (but not from Krakow). It looks like a train connection from Warsaw or Krakow would burn an entire day of vacation.

Good luck. Eastern Europe is a lot bigger that it appears to Americans, and it does not have a particularly well integrated transport network.

Warsaw is a story in dynamic recovery from absolute ruin... Lots to do and see. Great food and music. I prefer Krakow for the better preserved history and cultural aspects. It is heck to get to. Last summer it turns out that it was easier to get to Krakow from Prague for us by flying to Warsaw and catching the fast train to Krakow... Go figure.

The train will take a long time. Check out Bahn.com for some train information.

Also, Look at the Man in Seat 61 website for train information. For example:

https://www.seat61.com/international-trains/trains-from-Krakow.htm#Krakow_to_Zagreb

For general flight thoughts Booking.com - flights can give you some ideas as to costs/travel times but check individual airlines too before making a decision.

Thanks for the helpful info... I will check into web sites mentioned..

I agree with the other posts. You can make a lightening visit to Krakow or Warsaw, but unless you have a good reason, your travel time is better spent seeing things closer to the other destinations you will see on this trip.

Some examples of "good reasons to take a 2 day diversion to Poland" would be conference, family, or a specific sight or two that's on your personal bucket list. If it's not conference or family, you should also be asking yourself, "will I get a chance to go to Poland on another trip anytime in the near future?" Otherwise, it's a lot of travel for what you will get in return.

Hi,

If you do decide on Warsaw and Zagreb, it is doable by train if you don't all day and a night train. The route gong from Warsaw to Munich with 2 transfers gets into Munich Hbf ca 21:00 plus, which gives you enough time for dinner in Munich Hbf. The EN night train Munich to Zagreb leaves at 23:00 plus. It is doable if you are used to trains since you'll be on it all day and night.

Going from Krakow to Zagreb is a bit more complex, still doable depending if you are willing to ride the trains that long. The night trains are direct, the day routes may necessarily not be direct. Take Krakow to Wien Hbf night train, change to Munich, ca 4+ hrs, You have ample time here to relax, then take the Munich-Zagreb EN night train.

It all depends on your travel style and comfort zone. I would have no problems doing either one of these since taking night trains don't present any sort of problems with me.