Travel / Planning a trip to Poland - Krakow, Auschwitz, Zakopane and other places - winter, Christmas [56]


True, but as Jon357 says it's a lot of travel for just spending a few hours there!

Also I'd say at that time of year, whilst unlikely, over 3 hours each way isn't unheard of, I wouldn't attempt it, I know that much!

Travel / Planning a trip to Poland - Krakow, Auschwitz, Zakopane and other places - winter, Christmas [56]

Out of curiosity, why not get the high speed train from Kraków to Warsaw, stay there for a few days then get the same high speed train onto Gdansk?

I've only ever been on the old slow train, but I'm lead to believe the new one is pretty good, sub 3 hours for each leg of the journey.

Also, Zakopane and back on Dec 28th is impossible unless you plan to stay on the bus and go straight back, the journey time could easily be 3 hours plus at that time of year, do you really want to spend 6 hours on a round trip?

Personally I'm a fan of Zakopane and the Tatras and given the time of year I'd be tempted to give up on going up higher than Warsaw to spend a bit more time sightseeing / going out and less time travelling.

That said there's nothing wrong with the Northern Cities, I'm merely only suggesting to skip them because you are pressed for time, if you don't mind the travel then go for it!

Travel / Planning a trip to Poland - Krakow, Auschwitz, Zakopane and other places - winter, Christmas [56]

You have a tough itinerary there!

11 days is relatively ambitious unless you are the kind of person that is keen to get up and go every morning though. I think you would struggle to fit in any other cities as well!

Also as someone else suggested the prices you've been quoted for the trains and buses are insane, whatever website you saw those on, don't go near it, a private taxi from Kraków to Zakopane is only 400zl for example!

One thing to remember is that although the Tatras (and Kraków) looks great in the snow, in can make travelling around difficult. Poland tends to cope with snow far better than we do here in the UK, but of course sometimes the traffic can get really bad (actually on the Kraków - Zakopane route it's just always busy at that time of year regardless of the weather).

Travel / Buying Zlotys in Poland (4-week holiday - Lublin/Zamosc) [19]

Given the inter-bank rate isn't 6 it would be very unlikely anyone would offer you a rate of 6 to change GBP into PLN, are you sure it's not the reverse (i.e. a bad rate)?

In my experience the Kantor's offer amazing value, super tight spreads (around 3bps in some cases which rivals the wholesale markets for GBPPLN), alhough not sure if they take cards.

That said different Kantor's charge different amounts, presumably depending on whether they need GBP or PLN more, so it's always worth walking round a few!

Law / Do I need a boat licence for a lake in Poland? [9]

From what I've seen many lakes in Poland don't allow boats with outboards, it may help if you say where you're planning to visit?

Law / Paying tax on UK I.S.A. in Poland? [20]

Yes exactly and it's tricky to find out much on the subject :-(

UK, Ireland / IMPORTANT - PETITION AGAINST THE SCRAPPING OF POLISH A-LEVEL QUALIFICATION [8]

That seems insane, surely here in the UK we should be offering more foreign language A-levels not less!!!

Love / Polish Wedding Venue near Krakow [22]

For the ceremony we eventually went for Willa Decjusza, which was great, no complaints there.

For the reception we went for the Crown Piast, basically because of the size. On the day they were fine, but the amount of arguments and frankly poor service with/by the staff (mainly caused by management to be fair) during the organisation and build up would make me hesitant in recommending them. Check out my trip advisor review for loads more detail if you were thinking of there.

Travel / Vacation in Great Polish Masurian Lakes area (Mazury) [37]

Great thank you for your help, I have documentation (i.e. a photo-licence) for Sailing and Powerboating so that should be okay (the qualifications I have, RYA Dayskipper and RYA Intermediate Powerboat are recognised across virtually all of Europe and I've used them in Turkey and even Tahiti so hopefully Poland accepts them too)!

In the UK a jet-skiing licence can be gained by doing a one day course, I was hoping the same may be possible in Poland (not a big deal if not of course, I can always do one here before we come)!

Does anyone know of any maps or marine charts that show where all the various restrictions are, that would be quite useful?

Also are there any recommendations on companies that hire out watersports equipment?

Travel / Vacation in Great Polish Masurian Lakes area (Mazury) [37]

Merged: Masurian Lakes Holiday in Poland This Summer!

We are intending to go to the lakes this summer for 1 or 2 weeks, I've never been before and my wife has when she was little (she thinks)!

We have a small baby (will be about 1 year old when we go) and will also be going with a group of friends, say 2-5 additional people (so between 4-8, with one of those being a small baby)!

We haven't decided whether we're going to do self catering or not yet, but firstly what area should we stay in?

Ideally we'd like somewhere that has plenty of activities, so a resort would be nice, but not essential, so long as we are close to somewhere that has watersports facilities.

Ideally my wife would like a hotel which has a small beach and preferably a swimming pool.

I'm keen on somewhere that has some or all of the following:

Jet skis
Powerboats
Sailing boats and/or dinghies
Windsurfing

I have done the relevant RYA courses in the UK to hire a small powerboat or sailing yacht, but have never windsurfed, is there anywhere that would do beginner sessions?

Also, is it possible to hire jet skis without a licence and/or is there anywhere that does courses if not?

In terms of being near a town, what area(s) is/are the most interesting for a group of 30 somethings (with 1 baby on-board) and also any hotel/accommodation recommendations nearby?

We'll be flying from London, so presumably Warsaw or Gdansk are the easiest airports (I appreciate the nearest geographical airport may not be the quickest and of course it depends which town we end up staying nearby)?

I appreciate that's really vague, but if anyone has any suggestions that would be great (if it makes a difference my wife speaks fluent Polish, but everyone else in the group is English)!

News / Will Poland ever host the Olympics? [18]

They were going to, in 2022...but pulled out because of the insane costs!

A shame in some respects, but probably the right decision for the Polish/Slovakian taxpayer.

Travel / Where is the best place to snowboard in Poland? [8]

We are flexible, but we're thinking of one of the following:

Zakopane
Białka
Bukowina
Czarna Gora

But open to suggestions!

Language / Can anyone recommend an app that has a good number of Polish verbs conjugated? [7]

iOS sadly! :-(

Language / Can anyone recommend an app that has a good number of Polish verbs conjugated? [7]

Cool thank you, will check them out!

Language / Can anyone recommend an app that has a good number of Polish verbs conjugated? [7]

I'm not fluent and that site is amaing, exactly what I need, thank you!

Travel / Białka Tatrzańska- Activities to do over Christmas & New Year [5]

That looks like quite a nich place, but a long way (without a car) from any ski lifts. As we won't have a car we'd prefer to be close to some lifts (although not necessarily fussed which ones, so long as there are a few blues and maybe a red)!

Travel / Sailing in Masuria Poland - boat rental [4]

Merged: Poland's Masurian Lakes- Boat Hire

We are thinking of going to the lakes next summer and were hoping to hire a boat for a week or two. I do sail, but as we'll have a baby with us this year we'll be keeping it strictly to one of those slow moving cruisers people use on the French Canals (like the ones Le Boat or Localboat offer)! Both of those now do offer charter in Mazury I believe, but I suspect it will be much cheaper to go with a local company, so if anyone can recommend a company that could offer the following that would be much appreciated:

6-8 berth
1 (ideally 2, but that may not be possible) toilet/bathroom, not one of those awful chemical ones, a proper one!
Available for 5-10 days at a time
Pickup close (well as close as possible, I appreciate we will have to travel a bit) to a train station as we will fly into Gdansk or Warsaw and then get a train (unless told otherwise, as I assume a cab direct would be insanely expensive).

Powerboat (not sail), a small engine is fine

That's about it, any recommendations appreciated!

Travel / Where is the best place to snowboard in Poland? [8]

We just got back from Białka and thought it was great...so where to next?

To recap, this is what we've done on our winter travels in Poland over the last few years:

Warsaw (2011)- There was snow, it was very cold, but of course this wasn't a ski holiday, which is now what we'd prefer! Maybe we'll go back in the summer sometime!

Szczyrk (2012)- No snow and seemingly no snow cannon's, a nice town, we would be tempted to go back, but not for New Year again as its too risky, any suggestions on when would be best?

Zakopane (2013)- No natural snow, the cannons meant there was some on the beginner piste's, which was good enough for us back then, but probably not if we go back, so again New Year may not be the best time. Also, why are the trains/buses so slow getting there? Other than a cab from the airport, is there a better way to get there (from Krakow)?

Biłka Tatrzanska (2014)- A really nice little town, not much there, so may get a bit boring after a few times, but they have loads of snow cannons and this year at least we got lucky with the snowfall! On a separate thread I've asked about what more we could do here (as we are keen to go back once or twice at least): https://polishforums.com/travel/bialka-tatrzanska-activities-christmas-new-year-72246/ so feel free to contribute if you have ideas!

So where to next (specifically for a skiing/snowboarding holiday, although we are beginners, so a few blue runs will be fine for us)?

I like the idea of Slovakia, but from what I see its significantly more expensive (especially the ski passes) and my wife prefers to stick to Poland, so if possible any other suggestions on where we can go to next? The quicker the journey from the airport the better (as we would like to do another 1 or 2 weekends over the winter flying from Stansted)!

We're going to Poland over Easter again, was thinking of going to the mountains...but will it still be possible to ski/board (i.e. will there still be snow coverage), or will it be to late in the year?

Travel / Mobile internet for tourists in Poland? [35]

Orange do a 20zl 1GB data package, but no idea what their coverage outside of the main cities is like (it may be fine, I've just never tried it)!

Also if you need a nano SIM you will need to get someone to cut it as they only do regular or Micro SIMs.

Travel / Białka Tatrzańska- Activities to do over Christmas & New Year [5]

Yep we've gone for the family room, so that's good, the thermal pools are on the list and we'll look out for the garage!

We've just got back from Białka, so I thought I'd write a quick summary, for those that haven't been yet!

Overall we really liked the place, we got lucky with some good cold weather and decent snowfall for a few days over Christmas, although bizarrely they didn't fire the snow cannon's on Jan 1st/2nd when the slopes were clearly in need of them. Does anyone with more knowledge of snow cannon's than me (I have none), know why this might be (the temp over these days ranged from about +1 to -3)?

To be honest, that's my only real gripe with the area, we thought it was really nice and picturesque....small yes, but as we are beginner skiers a tiny resort with a good number of fairly easy runs and a good ski school was absolutely perfect for us!

That aside, we stayed in Pod Kotelinca and were severely disappointed (I'll post a link to my lengthily trip advisor review once its been approved, rather than go into detail here), any recommendations on where to stay next time? We were quite impressed with Bania, but its double (or more) the price of anywhere else it seems!

Other than that, we didn't get to go on the snow mobiles (but found the hut), so hopefully we can do that next time! Is there anything else anyone would recommend doing there?

We were thinking of going back, perhaps even as soon as the end of Jan, I know these days its impossible to predict, but is it likely the snow coverage would be good then, or if not, when would be better (we can do the end of Feb onwards too, but not the start/middle)?

Travel / Can I take a train directly from Krakow to the Chopin International Airport? [6]

Yes very true! I just assumed he/she meant Krakow!

Travel / Can I take a train directly from Krakow to the Chopin International Airport? [6]

He/she is talking about Krakow airport I would presume!

Normally yes there is a train, but it's closed for upgrading work at the mo.

Travel / Recommendations for guide books about Poland's Masurian Lakes? [3]

Cool thank you, I will have a look through those!

Language / Popular simple children's books in Polish? [11]

Great thank you, checking them out as we speak...

Other suggestions of course also greatly appreciated!

Language / Popular simple children's books in Polish? [11]

[Moved from]: Recommendations for Polish Childrens Books, Nursery Rhymes & Cartoons?

We've just had a baby girl and we would like to bring her up speaking English and Polish. We live in England and she will get exposure to Polish through my wife and her Polish grandparents who are under strict instructions to only speak Polish to her!!!

However I would like to get some childrens books (physical not ebooks if possible) as well as some nursery rhymes/childrens songs in Polish on Mp3 and better still some Polish cartoons in mp4 format (will be played on an iPad so any format that works on that).

Can anyone recommend any good websites, commercial is fine, I'm not looking for free downloads, happy to pay, I just want to make sure we have something to assist her language development (and being realistic my Polish learning too)!!!

Travel / Visiting Krakow next April ( where to stay and what to do ) [4]

It really depends on your budget, by UK standards there are plenty of cheap (and nice) places right in the centre. Do you have a rough idea of how much you want to spend in zl?

As for places to visit/Things to do during the day:

Wawel Castle
Auschwitz
The Salt Mines
City Tour
Jewish District
River trip to Tyniec (you can hire a boat yourself if you have a licence)

Bars & Restaurants:

Check out the bar at the top of hotel Kosak, not lively as such, but its got the best views in the city.
We always like to start off at Movida as they do good (and well priced) cocktails.
Spend at least 1 evening in the Jewish district, there are loads of bars and restaurants, its a lively area, worth checking out
Babcia Malina- Simple traditional Polish food, but a firm favourite, we always go there!

There are loads of clubs and bars dotted around, obviously the closer to the square the more expensive, so its worth moving a bit away from the square, personally I think the Jewish district is the best part of Krakow to go out in, but I'm sure there will be plenty of locals who know the city much better than me!

Food / Perfect Pierogi? (keen to perfect the recipe) [12]

Great thank you, I will try those measures and report back!