Rick Steve’s Poland tour- did you wish you had more time

I took this tour this past summer, 2025. It was my first time in Poland. Not being of Polish extraction, other than what I learned in world history class, I knew little of Poland. So the tour was a totally new adventure. And to put it in the simplest term, it delivered as promised and was an absolute wonderful tour. You will certainly enjoy it. If you get Agnieszka as your guide, you will have an even better time - she was delightful, knowledgeable and attentive to each person in the group.

To your questions, added days? I arrived in Gdansk in the evening of the day prior to the tour’s start. In retrospect, I wish I had another day or two. Gdansk is a delightful city. In my opinion, a “must see” is the new World War II museum. I spent several hours at it and even then felt as though I didn’t have enough time. I highly recommend it. There were several other sights I would like to have visited, such as Westerplatte, the northern coastal cities of Gdynia and Sopot, just to mention a few. Yes, you need at least two additional days in Gdansk, IMHO.

At the other end of trip, when it concludes in Krakow, you need another day there, It may be somber and heavy, but a day trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau is something you really should consider. Heavy but powerful. It isn’t included on the tour. Easy to get to from Krakow, about an hour away.

Finally, I added three more days to visit Wroclaw. Easy to reach by train, and equally as easy to get back to Warsaw for a flight home. A wonderful city. Smaller than either Krakow or Warsaw. Something of a college town. Beautiful architecture, eateries. A great walking city. I would recommend it.

So yes, the tour is a great one. But I think a few days added on both ends would be worth your consideration.

Questions, etc, please feel free to ask via the forum or PM.

JimD

We did the RS Poland tour last summer and thought it was amazing. On the way, we flew into Amsterdam so we could stay in the Netherlands for four nights to get over jet lag and check out somewhere else on our way to Poland. We stayed in Leiden and that was a great choice. Then when we flew to Gdansk we had one extra night there before the tour started, which actually gave us a couple of days to explore Gdansk ahead of time, since we arrived from Amsterdam fairly early on the short flight. Definitely check out the WWII Museum if you can since that isn’t on the tour. Keep in mind that museums are closed on Mondays and are free on Tuesdays. We went on a Tuesday and it was very crowded and we had to wait to get in for awhile. Lots of school kids since it was the free day. I recommend getting there early if you go on a Tuesday. Get the audio guide headset as well. It was very good. At the end of the tour we stayed 2 extra nights in Krakow which worked out well. We went to Auschwitz one day and the salt mine the next day. I am really glad we had the extra time at both the beginning and end of the tour. I highly recommend doing that. Enjoy the tour it’s fantastic!

We visited Poland last May, and were staying in Warsaw at the Chopin Boutique B&B Hotel while a Rick Steves tour group was also there for part of the time. We actually stayed 6 nights in Warsaw, while the tour group’s schedule had them moving onward sooner.

We were in Wroclaw (I have to keep reminding myself it’s pronounced Vrotes-waff)

We visited Poland last May, and were staying in Warsaw at the Chopin Boutique B&B Hotel while a Rick Steves tour group was also there for part of the time. We actually stayed 6 nights in Warsaw, while the tour group’s schedule had them moving onward sooner.

We did visit Auschwitz/Birkenau while staying in Krakow, which I saw as important, and we also stayed in Wroclaw (I have to keep reminding myself it’s pronounced Vrotes-waff), which JimD mentioned above, for a couple of nights.

Farther south from Krakow, we also stayed in Zakopane, which is very worthwhile if you want to spend any time in the mountains, which can include hiking.

Given that the tour only spends two nights in Gdansk and three in Krakow, I think that adding time at both ends makes sense - two days for each city at a minimum. With the variety of experiences available throughout Poland, I don't think starting your visit before the tour in another country is necessary.

I took this tour in May 2024, one of my top 5 Rick Steves tours! I arrived 3 days in Gdańsk before the tour began and enjoyed the ambiance and activities available in Gdańsk. Someone already mentioned the WWII Museum, very detailed, well organized collection about the war. Deeply meaningful, so much so, I had to take myself out of there after 2 or so hours. I stayed one day post tour in Krakow but didn’t go to Auschwitz. I wish I could have had more time in Warsaw and some other towns that have been mentioned. Poland is so wonderful! Many on our tour were of Polish descent but I am not. I was curious to learn more about the country that Russia and Germany kept dividing up over the centuries!

If you can, I would absolutely encourage you to spend more time on both ends of your tour (and fly into Gdansk). Both Sopot & Gydnia are a short train ride away from Gdansk & the Emigration Museum in Gydnia is outstanding. Take the train to the Hel peninsula to visit the town of Hel. Krakow is simply amazing & I always discover something new with each visit. There are markets, small museums, architecture, so much history. Enjoy your time in Poland!

We took the RS Poland tour last May, and I'm of Polish ancestry. It was incredibly meaningful and beautiful to me. We flew into Warsaw and immediately took the train for a few hours to Poznan, a beautiful small city with lots of history. We did a Viatour walking tour there and the rest of the time on our own. Two days later we took the train a couple of hours to Gdansk in time to meet up to start the tour. We had some free time in Gdansk and I felt I had experienced a lot by the time our tour departed there a few days later.

As others have said, extend your stay in Krakow. We did a half day trip to the salt mines, a day to Zakopanie and the Tatra Mountains (highly recommend) and a half day at Schindler's Factory. This gave us plenty of free time to rewalk the streets we loved from the tour, visit the market again, and to dine at various restaurants, mostly around the main square. We left planning to return to Krakow.