Advice needed on a trip to Warsaw, Lublin and Zamosc

What i really need to know is how much time to allow for a trip to visit all 3 cities, as I am hoping to incorporate visiting Sobibór and Bełżec.

It's possible I could go at the end of next month, but I wouldn't be able to stay longer than a week, so it's more likely to be in the summer.

I would be flying into Warsaw and out of Rzeszów to avoid costs associated with travel to and from Modlin airport. This means that the last city i would visit would be Lublin, as trains from Zamość to Rzeszów take a lot longer.

I think 3 nights in Warsaw should be long enough for me to see everything and I would then get a train to Zamość.
How long should I allow for staying in Zamość? If possible I would like to visit Bełżec from there, so how long i stay would depend on if this is possible ( no idea what transport links are like as i don't want to hire a car ). I would probably not be arriving that early in the day either as it's a longish train trip.

How feasible is a visit to Sobibór from Lublin? Again is this possible to get to by using public transport? As Majdanek is on the outskirts of Lublin I will definitely be visiting this camp, so am really unsure whether to allow for 2 or 3 days In Lublin.

Finally, is there anywhere that i really shouldn't miss seeing that is relatively close to either Lublin or Zamość? No more than an hour away by train.

Any help greatly appreciated :)

Hi Pam, I'll write you a reply about at this when I'm at a proper computer tomorrow. OK?

Ok, thanks Harry.

Hi there. I'm originally from Zamosc so I can tell you few things about it :)
As you probably know already Zamosc isn't a big city. It's a beautiful small town and to visit it you don't probably need more than 1-2 days, depending if you want to see just the old part or wonder a bit around the new parts as well. There are quite a few things around Zamosc that might be worth visiting if you like small, green towns with forests and lakes. You can go from Zamosc (by bus, minibus or train) to places like Zwierzyniec, Krasnobrod, Susiec. You can go kayaking, trekking or just relaxing at the lakes and forests there.

So you can spend a few days in the region if that's what you like
Have fun :)

I'd strongly suggest coming at the end of next month: come summer temperatures will be over 30c and most places outside Warsaw do not have a/c. I think that the new regional trains have it but I it might not work well enough, your TLK train to Lublin almost certainly won't have any a/c. Also, in the Sobibor area mosquitos can be a real pain in summer.


Can you not fly out of Lublin airport? Rzeszow airport isn't exactly city centre, so you're be looking at about 50zl to get there from the station (Warsaw to Modlin is 99zl fixed fee with Glob taxi). Also, from memory there are only about three trains per day from Zamosc to Rzeszow and they can get very very crowded. I'd fly from either Lublin or Warsaw or Modlin.


Three nights should be enough for Warsaw. The don't miss stuff is MDM and south central Warsaw (afternoon/evening you arrive), Old Town and New Town (a longish morning), the Royal Route and Lazienki (the afternoon of that same day), Uprising museum (a morning) and the ghetto (the afternoon of that same day). The train to Zamosc is one of the best trains in Poland, but do get the one-change train which leaves Warsaw at about 11 am, the morning and evening trains can get crowded. Spending the extra 20zl for first class to Lublin might be a good investment. If you have to change in Rejowiec you can expect that train to be old and crappy, the ones which go direct from Lublin to Zamosc are far better (they're about two years old).


You can see Zamosc in a day (it's very beautiful but also pretty small). Belzec could be a problem to get to. I'm pretty sure that passenger trains no longer run there and I'm not sure about direct buses (you may have to change in Tomaszow Lubelski). It's about an 80 km round trip, so you might be able to convince a taxi driver in Zamosc to take you there and back (with about 90 minutes of waiting time there) for 150zl or so. Alternatively contact Tourist Info in Zamosc and ask them for advice. The museum at Belzec is small but very good, don't miss the map showing when each village/town/city in Poland lost its Jews (the lights in each place go out as the months go past until there are no lights left). Belzec is by far the most powerful of the death camps, so I really do recommend making the effort to get there. I'd suggest two nights in Zamosc (with sitting in Zamosc Old Town square the best way to get your head back together after Belzec).


I wouldn't like to do that as a day-trip from Lublin. It's about a two-hour drive from Lublin to Wlodawa, so allow more like two and a half for a bus, and then Sobibor camp is about 12km south of Wlodawa. You'd need to get a taxi from Wlodawa to Sobibor camp (note that Sobibor camp is not in the village of the same name) and then make sure he waits for the 90 minutes it takes you to walk round the place. The museum at Sobibor camps is tiny and not the best, one time I was there it seemed to contain more dead flies than exhibits. But the camp is worth visiting (with a guide-book and a map), it's the only one of the Aktion Reinhard camps where you can very easily make out the lay-out (at the other two post-war memorials stop you from doing that), also it's the one where there's most still left (the commandant's house is still there, the punishment cell for SS guards who misbehaved, barbed wire still in trees, even the very ramp which was used to unloaded the cattle trucks).

Wlodawa itself is nice enough for a small town and has a rather nice synagogue which now contains a regional museum. I suppose you could possibly get a bus from Zamosc to Wlodawa first thing in the morning (that would take about two hours), visit Sobibor and then go on to Lublin. Either that or do a night in Wlodawa, apart from anything else the place is cheaper than chips, I think I paid 80zl for a perfectly acceptable single room with private bathroom.


I think that you might find you're 'camped out' after Belzec and Sobibor. Majdanek frankly needs a bit of work doing to it; I'd certainly suggest Belzec and Sobibor over Majdanek. Lublin is a cracking city but you can see most of the touristy bits in a couple of days. Maybe one day for the old town and 'new town' (plus the only shopping mall I know of which was built on the site of a concentration camp, and by an Israeli firm too) and then the next day for Majdenek (if you insist) and then a walk round the Aktion Reinhard traces (there are some crackers, including the house where Globocnik lived and a building that used to be an SS casino and brothel).


There are a few places worth a visit but limiting yourself to train only makes them far less attractive. Do you really not want to hire a car?

I'll try ;) thanks for the advice.


Lublin only flies to Stansted which isn't the best place for me to get home from.


I haven't completely made my mind up yet to fly out of Rzeszów, but the problem is that I would be arriving and leaving from Modlin on a Sunday, so I'm fairly sure taxi fares would be higher.


Sounds like a good plan, thanks :)


That's the one I'm looking at, just under 5 hrs. Can't find price details on PKP website though. Tariff option seems to have disappeared and clicking on buy ticket isn't giving me much joy either.


If I could do this then I'd be really happy. 150zl or so isn't bad at all, if I can get it around that price. Have to practice my bargaining skills.


I've read a fair bit about it and visiting these camps is one of my main reasons for going East. I would be gutted to miss out on seeing it, especially as it's not that far away.


Hmm. This seems like the better option to me although I dare say it's not going to be straightforward. Have to look into it more when I get to Zamość I think.

So 2 days to see Lublin then. I really don't want to miss out on seeing anything at all, because I might not get the chance to go back and it makes sense to see as much as I can while I'm there. I'm over a week though if I do 3 nights in Warsaw, 2 in Zamość and 2 in Lublin. I would still have to get back to either Warsaw or Rzeszów the day before my flight to UK, which makes 8 nights. Flights to Rzeszów are on a Monday, so I could do this if I flew out of there.


I've never driven on the opposite side of the road, or in a left hand drive car. Plus I know exactly what Polish drivers can be like.

Basically I'm a chicken.

I'll reply to the rest of your post tomorrow, but don't Wizz fly to Lublin from Luton?

I think they do Harry, but Luton's almost as bad to get to as Stansted. Besides, Bristol airport's half an hour away so it's a no brainer.

Doesn't make sense to fly from anywhere else.

They are, but not so much higher that it's worth going to Rzeszow. Is it not possible for you to fly and/or out on a Saturday?


I don't think that you can buy that whole ticket online. Part of it (the bit from Lublin to Zamosc) is a regional rail operator.


You might be able to sort something out with the tourist info office in Zamosc. I remember that they were very helpful. If not, I think that we used Tele Taxi Zamosc. Most taxi companies here charge double rate per km for outside the city but that is because they think that they aren't going to get a fare back into the city; point out that you'll be going both ways so they can just charge the regular price (plus 20zl to 30zl per hour waiting time). Also, er, I understand that some drivers may lower their rates if you agree to just pay cash without the meter being on (personally I always want a receipt so I don't know myself).


I'd strongly suggest researching it before you get there: all the timetables etc will be online. I'd also strongly recommend extending your stay and doing a night in Wlodawa, it's very much a quiet backwater but any time you get the chance to extend your holiday by a night for less than 20 quid, you might as well.


Yes, two whole days.


Lublin is close enough to Warsaw that you wouldn't need to overnight in Warsaw if you were flying back in the afternoon, which is yet another reason why you should really look long and hard at flying LOT rather than Ryanair.

there's a bus which goes twice a day from Zamosc to Rzeszow, reasonably comfortable but can get busy so best to make a reservation, think it was about 50-60PLN one way from memory: supertransport.com.pl/?page_id=6 and from Rzeszow centre to airport it is about 50PLN for taxi & I think bus 224 from Dworzec is about 3.50PLN but it only goes around working hours, there's also std local buses that go out there as well numbers 51 & 53 but not sure of their timetable.

Not from Bristol and i really don't want the hassle of getting to another airport.


I wasn't trying to buy it, I was just trying to get some idea of fares. Tariff option no longer seems to be there.


Unfortunately I would as the 2 different departure days I'm looking at have flights too early for me to travel back on same day.
Only other option I can see is to have 2 nights in Warsaw when i arrive, and get an early enough train from Lublin back to Warsaw the day before I fly back, to allow me to see the rest of what I missed at the start of the trip.


Ok thanks, if I do decide to leave from Rzeszów I'll look into it. Bus seems to be faster than the train, but I also know how crowded buses get, so yes, I'd definitely reserve if I take this option.

Just change the date of your query to check the price, 'Kup bilet' button works only when tickets are available for purchase, other wise it gives you an error, and I think in most cases you can get a ticket only one month ahead. Also if you have to change from 'Interscity' to 'Przewozy Regionalne' and buying option is available only for Intercity, change your query to the part of the journey you can not buy the ticket for, and hit the search button again. You should be able to buy tickets separately. Some local rail operators do not sell their tickets through the PKP website, like 'Koleje Śląskie' for example, but you can still buy them online through their own websites. I hope this helps a bit :)

Thanks Milawi, know how much my trip will cost now :) yes, I did keep getting an error up as I was obviously looking too far ahead.

Remember these places are crushingly oppressive. Not pleasant at all.


Depends what you want to see in Lublin. You could manage it in a day. Two if you want to go to Majdanek. Visits to Poland are best done in a relaxed way though rather than a whistlestop tour.

Zamość is just good for an overnight though. It's beautiful, but small. Warsaw however has lots to see.

I know, and I understand that not everyone would want to visit places such as these.


Castle and museum, Majdanek,Cathedral, Synagogue, probably the Jewish cemetery as I always seem to end up in cemeteries in Poland. Probably pretty much what everyone else does to be honest.


Which is why I'm debating staying longer than a week, but I can only do that in the summer.
I don't want to come back feeling like I need a holiday to get over this one.


I know, I have a long list :)

I really would suggest you consider flying LOT from Heathrow. I've just had a look at LOT's website and can see flights in May for 635zl return (admittedly you need to fly midweek). Ryanair flying midweek is £127 and on Sundays is £145. So the price (factoring the expense of getting to and from Modlin) is less and the flight times are far better.

I've had a look out of curiosity, but I am limited to one particular week next month because of work.
I would have to fly on a weekend, unless I come in the summer.
LOT price for the flights is exactly £200 as opposed to Ryanair's price of £128.18 although I do get an extra day in PL.
Exact same dates and LOT price is £178.50.
BUT the flight leaves at 6.30 am, so I would have to leave at a stupid time in the morning, and get someone to drive me.

Flight back in to Heathrow arrives at 9.45pm, and again someone would have to pick me up.
It's just not worth it to be honest. But thanks very much for all your help Harry.

It might be an idea to check prices for mid-week at that time of year.

An extra night (or two) needn't cost that much more (in somewhere like Wlodawa you're looking at the price of round of drinks in the average UK pub, even in Lublin you're only talking about £30 per night for a decent single room) but it will add greatly to an otherwise fairly packed and whistle-stop visit to Poland.

I didn't think a week would be long enough to be honest, it's too much rushing around. Far more likely I will come in the summer when I have more time and can play around with dates a bit more. I'd much rather have a couple of extra days and get to see everything I want than go home with regrets.

I'll be booking it pretty soon though, hotels in Lublin are filling up quite quickly :(
Only had a very quick look at hotels in Włodawa. All of then seem to be in the surrounding area and not in Włodawa itself.

That is pretty sensible.


That sounds unlikely, there's usually lots of room in Lublin. Anyway, I'd greatly recommend an apartment instead of a hotel there: numer6.pl. Prices there start at 100zl per night.


Those places are holiday camps near the lakes. Nice but a bit of pain in the arse if you don't have your own transport. For town centre I'd suggest this place my mate and I stayed at a couple of years ago: gosciniecpodkowa.pl. It's not a Ritz but it is perfectly clean and pretty comfortable, has friendly owners and is quiet. I think we paid about 60zl per single room with a massive breakfast; from memory we has some food on arrival, and a couple of beers, did our thing in town, had supper and got hammered: the total bill for all the food and the booze and the rooms was under 200zl!

On Booking. they're filling up quickly.


Thanks for that Harry, it looks perfectly ok to me :)

They always say '3 people looking' or 'only 2 rooms left at that price'. It isn't always true.

Booking is very bad for claiming that there's "only 2 rooms" at whatever price. Although with the better places in both Lublin and Zamosc it is worth booking quite far ahead as they are not huge and do get full. For Zamosc you basically only have two choices: the Senator and the Mercure Zamosc Stare Miasto (no idea why they insist on that name, it's the only Mercure in Zamosc). There are other hotels, at least two of which are decent but you really do want to be in the Old Town in Zamosc and the only other hotel there, the Renesans, is utterly dire and vastly depressing to even look at. The Senator is perhaps slightly better but more old fashioned and slightly more expensive (as well as not being so well located). I personally always stay in the Mercure. A quick look at their website shows them offering standard rooms for 122.50zl per night without breakfast or 173.39zl with breakfast (breakfast there is pretty dire and better avoided even if free, charging 50zl for it is an utter joke), but I'd very strongly suggest spending an extra tenner and getting a superior room for 171.50zl per night. Those rates are 30% off rack but must be booked 30 days in advance and are non-refundable. Even better would be emailing the hotel and asking them if they can give you the 30% early booking discount for one of the apartments. Those are showing a rack rate of 345zl per night (without breakfast) and they frankly are not worth that; however at 235zl they are worth thinking about (or at least the ones with windows looking south to the rynek and west along the street, the ones with some windows east onto the town hall are not as good).

For Lublin I'd suggest the Waksman or the apartment I linked to above. But the Trybunalska place is a new one to me and is well located and not too badly priced (140 per night), especially as it has a/c. Where are you thinking of staying in Lublin? Come to think of it, where are you thinking of staying in Warsaw?

This website might be worth a look. I've used them before:
nocowanie.eu/?command=search_location&r=0&atrakcje=0&q=Lublin+&geo=0&id_lokalizacji=0&kat=&kat%5B%5D=126&kat%5B%5D=71&kat%5B%5D=2&kat%5B%5D=163&kat%5B%5D=84&kat%5B%5D=186&data%5Bod%5D=2014-06-04&data%5Bdo%5D=2014-06-08&miejsca=0

Booking,com was right. Mercure for the dates I'm looking at has gone, and I've checked with other websites too. Senator is still available, but I've also seen this place which seems ok, includes breakfast, and is £55 for 2 nights ( only 2 rooms left though )

Do you know anything about this place?


I've looked at 4 hotels in Lublin, but haven't made my mind up yet.
Mercure, although it's not quite in the centre, Waksman is the most expensive, Trybunalska, and Dom na Podwalu which is bang next to the castle.


Took your advice from back along, and I'm opting for Ibis in the old town. I looked at loads of hotels and this one seemed to be the best. I think there's another Ibis near the uprising museum? If so, is that one better located? I would presume as it's a chain the standards would be fairly similar?

I've checked out buses and yes, it's about 2 and1/2 hrs from Zamość to Włodawa, and an hour and a half back from Włodawa to Lublin.

I've also found that there's a train that runs in the summer from Zamość to Bełzec, 1 and 1/2 hours each way, but an alternative if I can't negotiate a reasonable price to get there by taxi.

I will e-mail the hotel that you recommended for Włodawa. I want to stay in the town and not on the outskirts somewhere so this seems ideal.


Thanks Jon, I'll definitely check it out as i'll be looking for the best deal whichever hotels I decide to book.

Mercure is fully booked for two nights in a row mid-week in summer? That's unusual.


Can't say I know it. I've certainly walked past the place several times (it's on the way from the rynek to the brewery) but have never felt any urge to go in. It appears to be rooms above a restaurant/bar.


I've not stayed in the Mercure but a friend stayed there one night when the Mrs and I were in the Vanilla. He said it was pretty much a bog standard Mercure, nothing special or unique, could have been anywhere, but not much wrong with it either. I'd strongly suggest Numer 6 if they have space: it's cheap and perfectly acceptable. Waksman is where I generally stay in Lublin myself, charming little place (and almost next door to arguably the finest brew-pub in Poland, which also offers pretty decent food too); however, if you're there in summer, ask for a room which faces away from the street. Trybunalska looks fine but I'd be slightly concerned about noise (although I suppose with a/c you can just have the window closed).


The ibis near the old town (it's actually a 15-minute walk from the old town) is better located: it's walking distance to the old town (and new town) and also near a metro station (not that you'll need to take the metro) and a tramline to the centre of the city. The ibis Solidarnosci (I think it's officially the Ibis Warszawa Centrum) is much better for the uprising museum and better for the ghetto, particularly the small ghetto, it's also three stops from the pl Zamkowy tram stop. They're both by the same chain and so have pretty much the same standards. The only difference other than the ability to walk to the old town is that the ibis Solidarnosci is usually slightly cheaper than the Ibis Stare Miasto. I've just realised that I can actually see both of them from where I am now.


Depending on the timing of the trains, I'd be very very tempted to get the train even if I could negotiate a reasonable price for a taxi. The journey from Lublin to Zamosc is part of the last journey hundreds of thousands ever took, and it seems to make sense to finish the journey by going all the way to Belzec.

I looked at it as it's fairly central and has good reviews, but not made my mind up yet.


How does it work with booking an apartment? Problem is I never take a mobile when i go on holiday, and I'm presuming that I would have to contact the owner once I get there to pick up the keys. I doubt they would just be waiting around. It's the one thing that puts me off booking apartments to be honest.


I'll stick with that one then. I think the nearest metro station is Gdańska? Just checking for when I get the train to Zamość.


This is probably best option although I would still need to get a taxi to get to actual camp when i get to Bełżec. Leaves me a lot of hanging around time though. Train gets into Bełżec at 9.20 am, so presume I would be at camp by 10 taking a taxi. Next train back though doesn't leave till 15.15. I am wondering how much time I would need to have a good look round Zamość itself, despite it being small. I would be arriving late afternoon from Warsaw, so not much time on that day, and if I stay 2 nights and go to Bełżec following day, I wouldn't get back from the camp until about 5pm if I get the train. Basically I would be left with 2 evenings taking into account traveling. Also, exactly how reliable are pkp timetables generally? I've printed out timetables before, and when I've got to PL, found that what I've printed doesn't correspond to whats running ( and yes, I checked that the train I wanted to catch actually ran on the day ). I'm just a bit worried that a lot of my holiday depends on train and bus times being accurate and running on the day.

Zamosc is worth at least a day. The old town is about 1500 vintage and built in Italian style. Loads of bars arround the square to sit and enjoy a beer or 2, eat very well and people watch.

You should go and have a look at the Rotunda (1800's) where about 8000 people were murdered by Nazi forces. Zamosc was going to be renamed Himlerstad I've been told.

travel.zamosc.pl/en/page/633/the-rotund

The surrounding countryside is beautiful, wheatfields, forest and lots of wildlife. Just a pity the travel connection are not good yet.
Getting much better though. 2 hours from here and you get onto motorway all the way to Dunkirk or Calais. I find it easier to drive here compared to UK.

Have a good trip over. Give me a call if U need any more propaganda. Bit biased as wife is from here.

That's not exactly the case. The name Himmlerstadt was proposed but Himmler rejected the name, on the basis that there was not yet a Hitlerstadt (there's quite a bit of debate about where Hitlerstadt would have actually ever been), so instead it was agreed that the new name would be Pflugstadt ('plough-town').