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Driving around Poland, is diesel available and can we find lodgings as we go?


FaunHearst 1 | 1  
7 Jul 2009 /  #1
My wife and I are leaving for Poland in 2 months and plan to drive ourselves around Poland in a big circular route. Do you recommend gas or diesel automobiles? Is diesel fuel readily available throughout Poland? Will we need to have lodging prearranged throughout the trip or should we be able to find lodging as we proceed from stop to stop. If we avoided Warsaw completely, would we regret it later?
scarbyirp  
7 Jul 2009 /  #2
Hi FaunHearst,

plan to drive ourselves around Poland in a big circular route

Be safe, Poland has a terrible road safety record you'll find that there is a low compliance with basic road safety regulations, poor infrastructure, mixed traffic i.e. lots of freight trucks, competing with farm vehicles and luxury models on single lane carriageways, linear villages, drink drivers, and under-performing emergency medical and rescue services and a general lack of awareness and disregard about the importance of road safety.

Do you recommend gas or diesel automobiles?

Diesel for sure. 2.0Litre diesel engine should cost you around 6 Litres per 100km.

Is diesel fuel readily available throughout Poland?

No problem. There are filling stations are in every town, and some villages too.

Will we need to have lodging prearranged throughout the trip or should we be able to find lodging as we proceed from stop to stop.

If you are coming over in September most, if not all, hotels will have vacancies.

If we avoided Warsaw completely, would we regret it later?

I think you would, it might not be Polands most attrative city, but check out the old town (stare miasto), there are plenty of museums, parks, shopping malls to see, etc.
delphiandomine 88 | 18,131  
11 Jul 2009 /  #3
Do you recommend gas or diesel automobiles? Is diesel fuel readily available throughout Poland?

I recommend you don't come if you need to ask such questions. You might not be savvy enough to deal with Poland...
bunia 1 | 134  
11 Jul 2009 /  #4
Is diesel fuel readily available throughout Poland?

Nope
We still only use horses and donkeys in villages.
pawian 224 | 24,479  
11 Jul 2009 /  #5
I myself ride an exclusive cart with rubber wheels!!!

Girls in my village are crazy about me!
OP FaunHearst 1 | 1  
11 Jul 2009 /  #6
Thanks... for all of the helpful and genuine replies.
time means 5 | 1,309  
11 Jul 2009 /  #7
should we be able to find lodging as we proceed from stop to stop.

lmao
delphiandomine 88 | 18,131  
12 Jul 2009 /  #8
In all seriousness - if you need to ask such questions, you should really consider doing another country than Poland. I'm not being offensive, just the way it is - if you don't know such basic things - then you're unlikely to be able to distinguish between a genuine roadside motel and a brothel for instance.
sobieski 106 | 2,118  
16 Jul 2009 /  #9
Is diesel fuel readily available throughout Poland?

Hmm... Interesting question. To be honest here in Poland the steam age just has finished....
No seriously... What kind of question is this? Does he think Poland is on the outer edge of space? Or that the diesel engine just has been introduced in this country?

Hopeless.
dnz 17 | 710  
16 Jul 2009 /  #10
Diesel isn't available in Poland at all anywhere ever, Trucks coming through the country have to stop at lidls to fill up on bean oil and sheeps urine.

Regarding accomodation in Poland have you ever watched the film Hostel, I seriously recommend it before coming to poland.

imdb.com/title/tt0450278

The main problem with driving in Poland is that its easy to rent a car but its very difficult to get fuel, There are many "gas" stations but they aren't actually "gas" stations at all, they are a complex facade with which to lure foreigners to stop theyre car so they can be raped and pillaged (similar to what the vikings did). In my opinion the best way of moving around poland is by Unicycle which proves to be the most comfortable and the most efficient,

Hope this helps
dnz 17 | 710  
16 Jul 2009 /  #11
regarding hotels I would recommend the ones at the side of the road, the best ones are usually next to "night clubs" the staff there are apparently very accommodating.
sobieski 106 | 2,118  
19 Jul 2009 /  #12
Same goes for the "tirówki". I hear they are very tourist-friendly, and you get HIV free of charge as a bonus :)
sobieski 106 | 2,118  
20 Jul 2009 /  #13
In the end we can joke about this, but isn't it truly maddening helpless? I mean somebody actually is writing stuff like that and believes it as well?

Does it come from plain ignorance, wrong education or getting your way into college by playing American football?
It defies any logic.
delphiandomine 88 | 18,131  
20 Jul 2009 /  #14
It's unbelievable, I agree. I would think it's just someone on the windup, but when you read travelblogs by people who get upset because there isn't a 4 lane highway from Bialystok to Gdansk or whatever, you realise that they're serious.
dnz 17 | 710  
20 Jul 2009 /  #15
4 lane highway? That might just take off you know......
cleo  
29 Jul 2009 /  #16
Geez, what a surly bunch you people are. Why bother to come on here and post when you have nothing constructive to say. Diesel cars in the US are not popular because of fuel standards so stations selling diesel are few and far between. Thus, Faun's question was not out of the ordinary.

I don't think people are being insulting or ignorant when they pose their questions but you people certainly are.

What a bunch of unwelcoming jerks.
wildrover 98 | 4,438  
29 Jul 2009 /  #17
Yeah i thought people were a bit harsh.... There was a time not so many years ago when i was enquiring of Polish friends about how available fuel was in Poland before i came here for the first time on my way to Russia.....

I wasn,t expecting everyone to be riding around in a horse and cart , but never having been here , i had no idea if there were plenty of garages on the roads , and were they open 24 hours a day.....

For years and years we were told that the people the other side of the Berlin wall were evil communists who were not at all like us in the west , and who had none of the things we took for granted....so its not suprising that we are a little ignorant of the true facts about Poland and the east..... It is of course a nice suprise for those of us brave enough to visit the evil east , and discover a lovely country , with great people........ I wound up staying here.....
antwerpen  
29 Jul 2009 /  #18
Geez, what a surly bunch you people are. Why bother to come on here and post when you have nothing constructive to say. Diesel cars in the US are not popular because of fuel standards so stations selling diesel are few and far between. Thus, Faun's question was not out of the ordinary.

What do you mean fuel "standards" in the US?

Isn't your petrol 85 octane, that could be sold as Derv in continental europe :)

Diesel cars aren't popular in the US because you would all rather drive around in 5000 cc monsters producing a fraction of the power of the more technologically advanced smaller european and Japanese produced rivals hence why your motor industry is going down the pan.
cleo  
29 Jul 2009 /  #19
Just can't play nice can you?!!

Regardless of what you may think of our "fuel standards" or our auto industry, diesel is not widely available in many stations. Thus, Faun's question was valid and not condescending.

Why don't you remove that chip off your shoulder. No one is bashing your country.
Jamesmr  
19 Sep 2009 /  #20
Cleo, time you took a trip around Poland. I am English, have lived here for 16 yrs and very happy. West is Best? eat your words. I have travelled considerably and Poland gets towards the top of the list of places. Deisel is everwhere. Accomodation in every town and people are very helpfull.

Poland has hundreds of beautiful places to visit and see, unspoilt countryside. maybe you go back a few years when you visit the poorer places, but please you make it sound barbaric. I think you are just voicing off drunken words that your ears have been listening to, you've never travelled beyond your village border and wouldn't know the difference between a filling station and a Mc Donalds drive in.
cleo  
29 Sep 2009 /  #21
Hey James-

Never said West is best and never implied it either. Eat your own words!! Was simply defending someone who asked innocent questions and was being pilloried for those questions. Yes, Poland is a beautiful country and I'm proud to have been born there. Glad you enjoy living in my country.
kiwi  
19 Oct 2009 /  #22
hahahah... nice one Cleo !

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