Insights about winter in Poland. Polish winter during holidays as charming as spring?

Hey there, I'm going to be traveling to Poland (yahoo!) however its going to be during a Polish winter (a harsh one as well by the sounds of it) Anyway I just wanted to find out if a Polish winter can be just as charming as a Polish spring? Do ppl manage to have a good social life despite the cold and early darkness?.......Also im terrified at the thought of being on Polish roads particularly during winter, for obvious reasons, are ppl more cautious then or is it same old dangerous Polish driving?

Cheers.

Well ... it's the same as anywhere, I guess. Some people want to stay indoors, others are more resilient and go out despite the cold weather. And regarding traffic: the fact that they drive around with winter tires gives them a false sense of security. "Hugging a tree" or any other obstacle for that matter, is a common occurence in the winter. But that shouldn't put you off from driving around yourself. Isn't it so that you should always try to anticipate to what other drivers are doing? It just needs a little bit of extra attention.

They always say that ;) so far so good :)


Yes, especially if you ski or snowboard, it's the best fun you can have with your clothes on!


Be cautious, especially if you are not used to driving in the snow, go to an empty car park and practice.

Remember there is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes.

it's the warmest november for a long time, according to the weather folk on tv.

One thing you have to remember is that you need to go and get winter tyres.

I'm English - this is not a joke. I did without for a few years because I thought I could brazen it out. Daft idea. The contrast in winter is amazing.

Depending which city you are coming to! In Kraków you will have plenty of opportunities to socialize, in small places - not so many. It's a good idea to come during the Carnival - we don't have pageants, but we have club events.

I read somewhere that Polish brown bears are currently hunting alot more meat as opposed to eating berries and insects...bear with me (no pun)......it is relevant...

The scientist say this is because our furry friends have sensed a long winter this season.

So if the cute little bears have got it right its gonna be cold and looooong.

I actually prefer Polish winters to those in the Uk because in Polska it is a dry cold as opposed to a wet cold which we have in the UK. Wrap up warm swallow your pride and don LongJohns.

As for driving I prefer it when there is lots of snow and ice because people are forced to slow down by the conditions.

Yes, same thing, but with snow, mud and slippery roads without proper safety planning. Also, same drivers;). Watch out.
Anyway, till January there will rather be no snow, just rain and cold, followed by freaking freezing & snow & ice in Jan, Feb and March. That's how it has usually been last years, more or less.


Maybe they needed to switch from wild berries to meat because they got Montezuma's revenge. I wouldn't draw far fetched concludsions such as long-term weather predictions, on the basis of bears' diet shifts;)

Maybe:

If you had a garden you'd have noticed how the early frosts killed a lot of insects and the fruit this year has been appalling - too much rain at the wrong times, pest infestations.

Bears don't have gardens, but they notice when their food goes missing. As I'm sure you would. It doesn't say much about the weather forecast though.

Have you met any Polish drivers?

Thanks a lot guys this is great....


Im going to be staying mainly in Podhale near Zakopane. Although I will be hoping to visit Krakow


ahaha thats good to hear cause I was thinking of going skiing.


hmm yea i thought that might be the case..... Add to that the sensation of driving on the wrong side of the road ahhh........Is taking public transport considered safer, like a bus or something?

Poles don't know how to ski - so look out!
If you have a car, it's best going off to the Austrian Alps - that'll be about 8 hours drive for you. A flat for 4 costs about EUR 80 a night (that's not per person).

I've not heard anybody say anything good about a Polish ski resort - apart from the food on occasion.

I'll be staying in the Polish Highlands, so I could probably jst ski in my backyard, like I did when I was a kid. And there is a ridiculous amount of ski resorts there, maybe not to the standards of Austrian Alps, but respectful.

A ski-do is serious gear.

I bow in respect of a greater being :)

yep, it was invented in Canada:)

If there is snow, then yes. Without snow it can be gray and depressing... It is unpredictible, but in Podhale you should have more snow than in most of Poland.


Again, considering that your target area are hills of Podhale then winter tires is a must.

As for skiing Polish ski resorts are usually quite poor. But still can be a lot of fun, just try to avoid holidays and weekends. Otherways you will lose a lot of time in queues. You should check out what are options in Slovakia because it is nearby. Personally I've never been skiing there, but there is much more big mountains there, so maybe they have better resorts.

thenews.pl/national/?id=142438
About the bears.

In any case I wouldn't worry THAT much. Public transport can be safer but less convenient. Just drive cautiously on the right side of the road and you'll be fine;)

Merged: Best city of Poland for winter holiday?

What's the best city for winter holidays?

Kingston Jamaica or Lagos or Abuja. Maybe Milton Keynes.

Wroclaw