Strykow and we will be looking for rentals near his work and possibly Lodz.
I went there a few times. It's a sleepy place, as much a village as a town. You might prefer Lodz unless you like village life. Lowicz or Zgierz are possibilities. Lowicz has a nice town square but the rest is dreary. Zgierz is similar. Both have a supermarket etc but not much to do if you don't speak the language. The appearance of Lodz can be a bit of a shock at first, especially if you're new to Central or Eastern Europe, but the city has everything you'd want and appearances in this case are deceptive. Personally I rather like Lodz.
There will be more scope for renting a house in Lodz due to its size. In smaller places there's usually something for rent but it is far less likely to be what you're looking for.
There are plenty of cycle paths in Poland, especially in the cities, but on main roads and in the countryside the standard of driving is appalling. Nevertheless plenty of people have bikes - cycling is even a bit of a national pastime.
We have looked into the shipping costs of bringing 2 of our vehicles
In Lodz the public transport is excellent - you might find yourself using a car less and less. A foreign licence plate may attract unwelcome attention from the police who are not what you are used to. If you're outside Lodz however, a car is essential.
Don't worry too much about shipping things. You can buy anything you might conceivably need in Lodz. What country are you from?
To add, I was chatting to a friend near Strykow who said there are some new housing developments round there - apparently quite nice. He also suggested looking at Pabianice. I used to go there on business sometimes and stay there - it's a nice place.
