Trying to decide about what time of year to go to Poland in ‘27.

We went on this tour in early to mid June and the weather was great. I had kept an eye on the weather in Gdansk Warsaw and Krakow to see when I wanted to go. Weather can be so unpredictable of course, but I think going too early in spring you would be at risk of some pretty cold temperatures, especially in Gdansk. If you want to go early or late I would lean toward late (Fall) but that’s just my opinion. I felt that the RS Poland tour was exceptional. Everything about it was great. We went to the WWII museum on our own before the tour started. Fantastic. We stayed 2 extra nights in Krakow and went to Auschwitz, the salt mine, and also did go to see the Lady with an Ermine!

One other thing to add is that I never felt that things were overrun with tourists in Poland. Any crowds were because school kids take field trips to historic and cultural sites in June. Lots of kids!

I'd go in May or September. And no it's nowhere near as busy as Paris or Rome. I'd look at day length when you're considering when to go, too.

I'm actually headed to Poland in early September this year (solo trip, not with a tour group). I picked the date because it worked well with my work schedule, my child school schedule and childcare, and because I read it's good weather-wise. Most European kids would have just started school so I don't anticipate many field trips during first week of school year.
The focus for my trip is WWII as well, and I'll be doing a full day study guide tour at Auschwitz. This will be my first trip to Poland. I was going to Gdansk initially before Krakow, but had to rearrange travel schedule because of other cities I added.

From Krakow I'll fly to Budapest (first time there) for a few days, then fly to Amsterdam for a day layover before flying back to the US. I've been to Amsterdam before but never to Ann Frank's house, so that's my priority (and I have scheduled on my calendar to log on when tickets become available for my day there).
I've been to Vienna and Paris, and would vote for Vienna if you are looking for another city nearby. Prague is also a fantastic city.

I've booked Krakow for the third week of September this year. I debated between September and October and looked through historical weather for the past few years on timeanddate.com. Obviously it's not an exact science, but as pbscd mentioned, there's more daylight hours in September.

We went on the last RS Poland tour in fall of 2025. The weather was fine. We wore fall jackets and/ or a light puffy.

The RS Poland Tour was absolutely fantastic. Highly recommend.

No advice on the time of year question, other than to confirm that your bucket list item is well worth the trip. I had the massive good fortune to see "Lady with an Ermine" in 2012 not too long after it had been partially restored and was on solo display. A tourmate and I got to the museum when it opened and we had her and the room all to ourselves (and the security guy, of course). She is stunning in person and I was definitely overcome (and I don't generally do that). Like the Mona Lisa, she's smaller than you expect but just as beautiful as you could ever hope.

If you have not watched the documentary "Rape of Europa" or read the book Monuments Men by Robert Edsel, both are worth a look. She's one of the rescued paintings.

Thanks so much for the great feedback. Best of Poland seems to be one of the most universally enjoyed by everyone tours. I keep reading such positive reviews. Athens & the Heart of Greece was another one I wasn’t sure about except for all the amazing reports and indeed it was a terrific experience.

Thanks saf and pbscd for your input on the crowds. And good thought, Joy about maybe not too many school trips early in the school year. I hope you and Mary come back and share your experiences after your September trips.

And CL I totally understand about being overcome by a painting. Thanks for the recommendations, I have read or watched them. I’ll recommend and urge you to read ‘The Night Portrait’ by Laura Morelli if you have missed it. It’s a dual timeline novel about Leonardo painting it in Milan and the WWW ll Nazi confiscation of the painting. It’s really good!

I have to make a decision on the time of year and get my name in when the new schedule comes out in April. I think I’m leaning to fall but now that I’ve come to the decision to take the tour, it does seem a long time away.

Lyndash, I'll definitely write a trip report. I just ordered ‘The Night Portrait’ by Laura Morelli, thanks! I'm really excited about seeing Lady with an Ermine.

Thank you for the book recommendation, that one slipped by me. It's on my to-read list now!

Lyndash,
I went on the Rick Steves tour in mid-May, 2024, perfect for weather, flowers in bloom and lighter crowds. Although, we encountered school groups throughout our visit in Poland. Actually, that was refreshing to see, all the school kids.

Another reason to go in May is the Corpus Christi procession in the Krakow Town Square on May 30. Several of us had front row seats at a cafe right on the square. in 2027, the tour dates would be May 18-27 and you could stay post tour for the Procession on May 30th.

As others have mentioned, if you can, arrive a few days early to Gdansk and stay later for Krakow.

This is in my top 5 RS tours! A tip I haven't seen elsewhere, seek out a Georgian restaurant oo two, the cuisine is so delicious and different from Polish/German/Russian food. We ate at an outdoor cafe in Gdansk and one in Torun that we really enjoyed!

If you are interested in Marie Curie, try to visit the very well-organized museum in Warsaw, it's small but might!

I hope it didn’t sound as though I didn’t like that there were school field trips. I actually rather enjoyed seeing all the school kids with their youthful energy and was impressed with their good behavior. With that being said, it does seem like there are many field trips that take place toward the end of the school year, but never interfered with our schedule or tour. :-)

The Lady does indeed live in Krakow! She is truly beautiful! We were in Poland for about 19 days last year- Sept thru to Oct 6th. By ourselves, not a tour. Weather was excellent everywhere but quite cool in Warsaw. Medium puffers sufficed. Numbers nothing like Rome which I had found awful. Lots of flower markets, despite it being Autumn but Poland is big on flowers. Moderate temps made walking very easy. Gdansk was unmissable IMO particularly for museums. The outdoor cafes are wonderful. If you have Netflix, do watch The Lead Children, a true account of the bravery of a Dr v the repressive regime in 1970s. Set in Silesia and filmed around Katowice which we also visited.

We went on our own last May, for pretty much the entire month, and a Rick Steves group was at our B&B in Warsaw while we were there. Spring was ideal - only one truly rainy day, and no overwhelming crowds.

Saf - your comment was fine. I must say that I was overwhelmed in Kyoto in May with the amount of school field trips. And I have a child in middle school (and I am a chaperone sometimes), so when I am on my solo trips, I actually prefer to not bump on those groups.
But I am usually more concerned about weather and to not be at a location during major holidays when everything gets so packed.

Saf, I didn’t take your comments amiss at all. I too enjoy watching the school groups. I’m always impressed with the way the docents engage the kids. I saw groups in the Orangerie, the Cluny and the Rodin during my time in Paris early this month. I always hope they are implanting that seed for those kids to appreciate and possibly love art when they grow up. It’s added so much to my life that I’m grateful for.