Springtime in Poland - 2019

Krakow - 5 nights - Hotel Polski Pod Bialyn

We were there over Easter Sunday and Monday so many things were closed for the holiday. Breakfast was not included in the hotel but there is a Costa Coffee and other cafes/restaurants very nearby. If you have light luggage, it’s easy to walk from the train/bus station to the hotel. There is a large shopping center between the train station and the hotel.

Noteworthy Restaurants:

Cheap, Hearty Food:

• Bar Mleczny (Milk Bar)
• Chimera
• Cylop Pizza
• Antler Poutine & Burger

Delicious Splurge:

• Restauracja pod Aniolami

Places We Liked:

• Main Market Square
• Japanese Museum
• Walk Around Kazimierz
• Warwel Castle Grounds
• Pharmacy Under the Eagle
• Walking Around the Planty (Scenic Park)

I’m looking at Poland for 2020. If I may ask what airline did you fly? We live in Chattanooga and fly out of Atlanta. Also what was the weather like? We usually take our trips in early May.
Thanks in advance.

Wroclaw - 4 nights - Hotel Europeum (breakfast included)

Wroclaw is a beautiful city with excellent public transportation and lots to see and do - especially nice for walking or biking. If we return, we’d like to attend an event at the Wroclaw Philharmonic or Wroclaw Opera.

Places We Liked:

• National Museum
• Zoo
• Japanese Gardens
• City Produce Market
• City Walk including Wroclaw University
• Upscale Shopping Centers

Noteworthy Restaurants:

• Mexican - Panczo (there are several other fun restaurants on this
  street - Wita Stwosza)

• Pizza Margherita

Hi Katheryne!

We flew Delta/KLM and had good connections in both Dusseldorf (going) and Amsterdam (returning).

The weather was mixed - (our travel dates were April 17-May 7) we had a couple of warm days but it was chilly and breezy for several days of our trip - that was a bit unexpected and I had layers but could have used another long-sleeved top or two. I was glad that I packed a rain jacket as we had a few rainy days as well.

You'll enjoy travel in Poland and I was happy with this itinerary though there is much more to explore!

Warsaw - 4 nights - Mamaison Hotel Le Regina

Places We Liked:

• National Museum
• Warsaw Uprising Museum
• Warsaw Historical Museum (just the movie)
• Jewish Historical Institute
• Walking the Royal Way

Noteworthy Restaurants:

• Breakfast wasn’t included at our hotel so we liked Bombonierka Cafe
  nearby and also Tu Lubie closer to the Old Town Square.

• Restaurant Honoratka (more for the atmosphere than the food) - apparently Chopin ate here.

Torun: - 2 nights - Hotel Spichrz (excellent breakfast included)

Note: We were here for May 1 and May 3 holiday when many things were closed. We stayed 2 nights.

Places We Liked:

• Various gingerbread shops (it’s their thing)
• Statue of Copernicus
• Medieval Festival and Marketplace near the ruins of the castle.
• St. James Church (we were surprised to learn that there is a segment of the Camino de Santiago in Poland and the route goes through Torun.)

Noteworthy Restaurants:

• The Restaurant at Hotel Spichrz was excellent (though we were less than thrilled with our room there - it’s a very nice hotel but we just unfortunate enough to reserve an uncomfortable room - other rooms there are very nice.)
• The Bread House Cafe - excellent sandwiches and pastries.

Gdansk - 5 nights - Hotel Liberum.

Places We Liked:

• European Solidarity Center with Monument to Fallen Shipyard Workers
• Hala Targawa Market
• World War II Museum
• National Art Museum
• Chilly day trip to Sopot on the Baltic Sea
• St. Mary's Church

Noteworthy Restaurants:

• Pomelo - Nice Bistro
• Machina Eats and Beats - Pasta and Salads
• Bar Pod Ryba - Baked Potatoes stuffed with nearly any combo you can imagine.

Great trip report with a lot of detailed and useful information, glad Poland was such a pleasant surprise! Those filled pastries with jam, Pączki, are really heaven-on-earth, especially after they just came out of the oven, yum! :)

The best Pączki I ever had were in a small town of Sosnowiec in the southern Silesia region, the place was called Pączkarnia Dobrze Nadziane, they had really creative fillings like Tiramisu and Coconut.

Wow Carlos! Those paczki sound so delicious! I’m adding Sosnowiec to a itinerary plan for our next trip to Poland! Thanks for the tip!

It's great that you were able to be so generous in terms of time in each of these cities, I think it probably made for a better trip. But even with 20 days, Poland is so big that you can easily have another trip with a whole other set of sights, especially much smaller towns and even some villages (I'm from there - that's the only reason why I said that :-). Would you have done the time allocation any differently, or did it work out perfectly for the cities you selected to see? Would you go back, perhaps during another season? I think spring and fall are both wonderful, but the larger cities really come alive in summer (but the downside is heat and crowds, as to be expected).

I like the format of your trip report!

Hi Agnes!

This was a great itinerary for an overview trip and felt just about right - we’re pretty relaxed travelers and like to settle in when we can. Maybe 4 days in Gdańsk would have been enough. We’d love to return to explore some of the smaller cities and villages. The costs are so reasonable - travel in Poland is an excellent value!!

travel in Poland is an excellent value!!

I agree, especially re: lodging, food/restaurants, transport, and of course the museums/attractions which are really inexpensive. I would say just looking at your average per night cost, there were probably some splurges in there, right? Like the hotel in Warsaw? I don't use Airbnb, for example, but it's crazy inexpensive in Poland ( surprising even to me) and the places are really nice looking (bright, very modern, Euro kitchens, etc.)

Thanks Sharon for sharing your wonderful journey. Easy to read, informative and detailed perfectly. This will be bookmarked! Poland is on our radar for a future trip. Glad you had a great trip!

Thank you Janis!

And yes, Agnes - Warsaw was a splurge at $170.00 per night. Toruń was the least expensive and the others were in the $125.00 range. We don’t use AirBnb either but I imagine there are some very nice accommodations.

We ate very well for just a few US dollars!

We spent two weeks in Poland last summer and enjoyed it immensely. In Warsaw we stayed at the Polonia Palace hotel which was also a splurge at $150 a night. Old world charm is how I would describe it. Breakfast was included and it was the most extensive, delicious food we ever had at a hotel. We will definitely visit Poland again in the near future. I also like your format.

Sharon thank you so much for sharing your trip to Poland with us! Being of Polish descent my sister and I were really looking forward to visiting the land of our heritage. Our family came from north of Warsaw and we fell in love with that area as well as the people! As we observed locals during our visit it seemed that we truly belonged as so many resembled the family we know. We also found Poland to be a bargain to travel but the feeling of common background was the most special take away from our time in Warsaw and Krakow. It many times is overlooked by travelers, but Poland truly has so much to offer!

A great trip report, sounds like you had a wonderful time! I felt the same way about Poland—very pleasantly surprised by how much I loved it—I visited Krakow, Warsaw and Gdansk in 2015 and I’ve been thinking it’s time to return, perhaps add a couple of new cities.

A great report, Sharon! Thanks for sharing. I have only been to Krakow. I absolutely loved it! I hope to put together a 3-week trek through Poland in the next few years, and the information you supplied is very helpful. I also like the format!

Great report. Really enjoyed reading it.

Thanks for the detailed and interesting report.

Your report reminded of my 3 trips, which included the cities you went to , minus Wroclaw, have yet to visit that town, The Mrs and I took trains and one bus...no rental car.

Last summer the Mrs went back to do her 4th trip in Poland , ca 3 weeks, this time solo , and revisited Warsaw, Krakow, and for the first time Lublin.

Lovely report, thank you for sharing! You put some new places in Poland on the radar for me.