We have started to plan our September 2016 trip to several places including Poland. Some of the hotels in Warsaw seem overpriced if booked in advance, but seem to have great last minute deals. Rick discusses these fluctuating rates in his guidebook. Has anyone had any experience just waiting to the last minute to book for Warsaw, for early to mid September? If so I am interested in hearing about your adventure. Thanks for your time.
I never wait until the last minute except in an emergency (sightseeing time is worth money to me), but try looking at booking.com the night before or day of your arrival, or sign up for their last minute deal alerts.
thanks for that, I almost always book in advance, too.
I don't know if your itinerary is set, but prices can be a lot lower on the weekends. I was there over a weekend and ended up staying in a rather luxurious room in a chain hotel near the train station for quite a low price. If you have some flexibilityi in your schedule, you might aim for a weekend.
I'm from Warsaw (born and grew up there) and you should have no problem at all finding well-priced hotels (if you book, say 4 months ahead). You're going in 2016 - that's a LONG way away. It's even easy to stay at top hotels (Hilton, Radisson Blu, etc) smack in the center of the city very cheaply on the weekends (since the business people are gone and rooms would stay empty otherwise). There are also very charming places to stay along the Royal Route on the way to the Old Town. You can check out booking.com and find them there.
Last year in April I booked 2 days in advance and got a great deal (based on Rick Steves advice). You should be fine, maybe just keep an eye out on hotels you like :)