Looking at many messages on the internet it portrays driving in poland is horrible. Questions
1.I will be renting a small car like the OPEL CORSA. Whats the odds it will be stolen if I don't use $$$$$$ guarded parking. Or do they just steal luxury cars.
2. Whats the odds it will be broken into if not in $$$$$$ guarded parking.
As far as bad drivers I'm not too concerned as I survived Portugal and Italy. Both countries have crazy drivers.
Just find yourself a "parking strzezony" (guarded parking as you say) and you'll be fine. That's what i did in the past - it wasnt too expensive. When you do rent the car, make sure it's not fully loaded and it will be helpful if the radio is removable. Car thefts in poland have gone down in recent years, but it still happens.
Personally i prefer public transport. With the lack of highways and adequate roads in poland, it's often faster or just as fast to take the train/bus/taxi. It's dirt cheap too.
If you can avoid driving in Poland-then do. The Poles love to drink and drive and they 'run out of road' so often. Hiring a car can be expensive too but an Opel Corsa does not sound like a luxury car to me.
I'd say driving in Poland is not as bad as driving in NYC. In NYC, you need nerves of steel; and the roads in NYC are a lot worse there then in Poland.
You won't need to use guarded parking if you have a Corsa. It's unlikely to be broken into unless you leave bags in it which can be seen from the outside. Just don't ever leave anything vital in it (passport, cash, etc.).
I do not think Poland differs from any other country in relation to Car Theft. If you are unlucky you may get your car stolen however there is a larger percentage of chance that it will not be touched. Do not leave valuables in the car or bags, even shopping bags can arouse curiousity.. make sure the inside of the car is invitation free.
Lived ther 13 years only had 1 car stolen, a daewoo. Not much chance really. Drivers are really bad. Overtake on blind bends, drive too close, too fast and park like idiots. Other than that:- Great
You are correct !! We had to go thru NYC for about 30 miles and I think I lost 10 years.As I said earlier I survived Portugal and Italy and I believe NYC is worse.
I rented a Chrysler Voyager and it was as easy as anywhere else in Europe. My biggest problem for city parking (in Krakow) was not knowing where to buy tickets ( in shops or from traffic warden) but my local guides did that for me.
Away from main lorry (truck) routes the roads are good. Driving standards are no worse than anywhere else in Europe - and far better than Asia. As for theft, don't leave valuables visible in the car, and I honestly cannot believe that a Corsa would ever be a thief magnet; people aren't that desparate and even Wildrover would only want a new one.
Obviously all mainland Europeans drive on the wrong side of the road but so do Americans - which is why I always rent cars in Europe, so the steering wheel is in the right place.
since this is related to rental cars Im gonna post it here. Anybody know any car rental firms in Poland (nr Krakow airport) which dont require you to have a credit card in the drivers name?
Well, Hertz requires the credit card to be in your (the driver's) name. I don't know about the others, but I guess they should some info (also in English)
Nothing ever happend to my rent a car. Rent modest car ( no VW or Audi) . Park in lighted areas. Keep inside clean, open compartments. Always turn alarm on. Drive with lights on - always! Park in designated areas to avoid tickets and towing, or cap on your tire. Watch for radars and cops , but you get usually warnings from other drivers:) Get diesel - is cheaper:)!
Poland has clearly not shaken off this bad rep as being a nation of car thieves but things are not as bad as they are portrayed to be. There is always a risk but standard cars are often left alone, like anywhere
There are "pay and display" car parks and car parks with an attendant to issue tickets but for on-street parking (or more usually on-sidewalk parking in the narrow streets) you need to buy time tickets which are valid for 30 or 60 minutes - so If you want to park for 4 1/2 hours you need 4 x 60mins & 1 x 30 mins, which you leave in visible in windscreen like confetti.
Now comes the tricky part: Nominally you can buy these from a newsagent or a traffic warden but you need local knowledge to recognise a traffic warden or find a newsagent.
I was Lucky that my friend was a local and bought tickets in a pharmacy (drug store) and managed to spot the warden on other occaisions.
Like all cities, there are more restrictions close to the centre but if you don't mind a longer walk to the centre, some side streets have no restrictions.
Just beware of agressive young male drivers in old BMWs. Hmmm, sounds like anywhere really. Jut beware of the third lane rule. If you drive from say Warsaw to Gdansk, the majority of the way it is not motorway, A road a best. Anyhow this road with two lanes, develops a third lane which hoovers intermintantly on half of each of the two lanes. The third lane is the most dangerous, avoid it and watch out for cars, bikes and huge ******* trucks, screaming down the middle.
come on, nobody steals corsas... what's the point? don't leave it in "strange" neighbouhoods (if you see a lot of hoodies or bold guys, park somewhere else)
Well I drive each year 20.000 kms on home-work travel in Warsaw (actually from Warsaw to somewhere beyond Nadarzyn) and my VW Touran has never been stolen anywhere. One stupid git scratched it one over the whole length of the car with a screwdriver (but then this can happy anywhere in the world).
The most-stolen cars in Poland these days are apparantlly Maluchs and Trabants because of the spare parts :) And if you can rent a car you can for sure pay a few zloty for a guarded parking space. Paying for parking = you feed the nearest meter with some coins and put your ticket behind the windscreen. Simple, no ? Buyig tickets in a pharmacy ???/ I can guarantee they will look very odd at you here in Warsaw if you want to do that.
