Polish Train Travel - Scary?

Hmm, i'm a little blond 20-years-old Finnish girl, going for and interrail starting from next weekend, including train trips warsaw-rzeszow, rzeszow-katowice and finally from katowice i'm going to prague. I was going to book overnight journeys just to save some time but then I asked my polish friend about the safety in polish overnight trains and he told me absolutely not to travel alone at night... I'm happy I asked him first. :D I have travelled by train in poland already, from warsaw to cracow and back but then I was not alone and there were no creepies around so I maybe thought that there's no problem anyway. After reading these posts I will probably force my friend to accompany me to Katowice. :D

Or maybe I'll just try that thing with looking a bit crazy and blinking a lot. Not a problem for me indeed... I've had good luck on my past trips around Europe but now when i'm going for my first interrail I really need to be more careful.

You will bring your friend to another town only to protect you during the night in the train?

Come on, it was a joke.

Just a little tip here, if there is a group of you planning on going somewhere just check with the local airport to see if there are any private planes going anywhere. As we contacted Deblin airport through a friend and got a small plane for 5 of us to Slupsk in the North for 150zl each, and it was a great way to see Poland.

The scariest thing on Polish trains are the toilets...

I travel by trains a lot and most often I am alone and I sleep. What's more, I am a young, slightly built female with no chance to protect myself against physical attack. And somehow, I'm still alive and have never got robbed ;-)

I usually either put my documents and money to my bag and use this bag as a pillow when I sleep - it's not possible put one's hand inside it or pull it from under my head without waking me up. Or I put my precious stuff into an inner hidden pockets of my combat trousers (if I wear them) - it's also very unlikely that someone would steal them. I lay down on the seat, fall asleep and set my alarm clock to wake me up before I arrive at my destination. The only problem I've ever had were loutish passengers I travelled with.

The other thing is that usually when I sleep on a train, I look in a way that most Poles find scary, so maybe that's why nobody has ever dared to rob me ;-)

Polish trains are not safe. Whoever says otherwise is full of bs.

I was on board an afternoon train from Krakow to Warsaw and in my cabin during which time my wallet was stolen from my bag.

Interestingly, I was told at the police station in Warsaw that I was not meant to doze off on trains and as a result it is my fault that I got robbed.

I travel almost on a weekly basis within Europe and never had a single problem with theft. Even the trains in former Yugoslavia seem to be safer than those in Poland.

Jane

They're perfectly safe. I've never had any trouble on them, and that's travelling all round Poland on every type of train.

Well yes, if you fall asleep on any train in the world without having someone looking after your stuff, robberies tend to happen. You can't blame your own stupidity on other people!

Put some dog poop in a purse and set it someplace and watch the robbers face when he sticks his hand in there! LOL.

well, i was taught to keep wallet, id and other important things close to my body. not in the bag or somewhere else. this is basic rule during travelling. I have never ever been robbed in train in Poland, Ukraine, Russia or even in former yugoslavia countries.

Jane2009

An obvious point- 1 event does not make it more or less safe than other places. Best to rely on fact- I've travelled extensively around Russia never are a problem. Are rail journeys around russia "safe"? Nope.

It is what they call in english anecdotal!

well, maybe you were sleeping, then it is partly your fault. Polish trains are just as safe or dangerous as most others. In over four years of taking Polish trains (long distance 5 or 6 times a year, commuter train about 30 times) I have never been robbed or had anything stolen, although I did witness a pickpocketing incident once.