Traveling to Poland from USA for family research

Dzien dobry!
I will be traveling to Poland in late Oktober and will stay for two weeks. So many questions - so little time left before I arrive. I have searched this site before making this post so I apologize if this has been asked and answered before:

1. Can I rent a car and drive it from Poland to and from Slovakia without any problems?
2. Can anyone recommend a trusting person or agency to help with family research and guidance while in Poland?
3. How easy or hard is it to get access to old family records in a church or library?
4. What time of the day does it get dark in late Oktober?
5. Can I visit cemeteries any time of the day?
6. I don't understand the difference between villages, towns, cities, districts, regions - how do I tell the difference?
7. Looking for information or people with surnames: Leszczyk, Chodkowski, Napierkowski, Szczepanski, Rymarowicz, Kus, Franchzk.

These are all the questions for now. I am sure I will have more soon. THANK YOU!!

1. Can I rent a car and drive it from Poland to and from Slovakia without any problems?

I wouldn't recommend it if you have never been to Poland. Driving in USA and in Polans are two completely different worlds. Just take a train, it'll be much cheaper and safer.

2. Can anyone recommend a trusting person or agency to help with family research and guidance while in Poland?

I'm not sure, but you could strat here: pck.pl

3. How easy or hard is it to get access to old family records in a church or library?

It may depend on where you want to do it. If you visit a small church in a small village and you don't speak Polish, it may be hard.

4. What time of the day does it get dark in late Oktober?

04:15 PM, according to this: calendar.k-ce.pl/index.php

5. Can I visit cemeteries any time of the day?

Some yes, some no.

6. I don't understand the difference between villages, towns, cities, districts, regions - how do I tell the difference?

what do you mean?

Cinek

Thank you Cinek for your response! I appreciate the help. As far as question #6, it's hard for me to explain I guess. I just struggle when looking at maps in trying to determine the size of some places. We don't have villages in the USA so are they similar to towns or are they much smaller? Is there a population number range that would determine a village, town, city etc.? (For example, a population of 500 would be equal to a town or certain area?) This question isn't all that important I guess. It's just something I was trying to figure out. Thank you again and have a great day!

What cities (towns, villages, etc.) shall you be visiting?


Here's a bit of advice. Stay away from Lublin cemetery in the middle of the night; unless you have a liking for scary things...

• 
  spooky
  

Some car rentals won't let you drive to another country, in case it gets stolen, it's out of their jurisdiction.
We also have counties in the US, townships, villages, cities, states.
Who you looking for in the Szczepanski clan?

Try avis and ask them for green card(its an insurance on the car for driving overseas from Poland)I never had a problem driving to ukraine.belarus,russia,and slovakia with that

Hello Urszula, My great grandmother claims (on documentation) her maiden name was Szczepanski. Her first name was Anna and she immigrated to the USA in the early 1900's with her step daughter, to meet up with her husband Wladislaw Leszczyk.