Why do you visit Poland?

Go to Lublin, that region is the finest in Poland for hops.


Don't go to the Polonia stadium in Warsaw.

I have family here and it's just the reason I keep going back here :)

Did someone mention MONEY,and some here for cheap high life:)

I have been to Poland recently for two weeks and the purpose was for business... I was there in February end and it was pretty cold. I have been to Warsaw, Szczecin, Bydgoszcz, £ódź and Częstochowa. The people were friendly but noticed most of them don't smile... Due to winter everything looked more of dull. than i made second visit in May with a friend in Szczecin and also been to kołobrzeg. That time it was nice climate. I would like to visit the country again and hope to visit Krakow on coming visit.

Dave climate has a lot to do with it. My point of view was different where you see the drab I was in winter wonderland with the crisp squeaky snow and chilled air and so on. It has been pointed out to me that I may be an optimist however and my nikname was yeti lol. So yeah.

@Devang: not only in Poland but also in whole area (the Czech are much worse), people are not overwhelming smiling and "merry" (I don't want to say "gay" ;)). At first. I was very shocked but now am used to it and whenever I go to the West, especially to Southern countries, I am shocked to see people so full of life...

I suppose the climate and also the life conditions have big impact...

To Ski, visit friends, or spend at least one or two weekends per month outside the complicated country where i live.

" At first. I was very shocked but now am used to it and whenever I go to the West, especially to Southern countries, "

Once the aunt of my Gf said that people like me, that smile all the time, are suspicious...

@InPolska Yes i do agree the climate and the history have to play a role in it... Most of generation of 50+ age i met always talking of communist time and i made lot of traveling in train and saw lot of cemeteries everywhere and echoes of war and communist time... though i have lived in Hungary as well earlier and yes it was same.. but still people were little more lively than Polish. Yes it was also surprising for me to notice this time early morning i got down in Szczecin and people were drinking Beer and Vodka morning 7 AM.

As i keep on traveling around Europe, i would say it was definitely nice to visit Poland and i would like to visit back some new cities...

If you are in Poland in Wroclaw I recommend to make use of their services wratislaviatour.com/wycieczki-z-wroclawia/wszystkie-wycieczki-z-wroclawia/. I was going to visit only Wroclaw but the guide was so fantastic that we went with him also to Krakow and Częstochowa.

I think Poland is atractive country for all pepole who want meet some new history in this region of Europe. I live in Wroclove, so I naturally recommend this city :D Go on website portalion.com/wroclaw/zabytki to meet places in Wroclove. Stay here hotelewam.co.uk/638-hotel-wieniawa-wroclaw.html So if, You think my tips is useful, you can ask me anything ;)

In my opinion many people from Western countries have still wrong picture about Poland, which nowadays is modern, developed with fantastic hotel infrastructure. I was travelling around Europe as hotel auditor, including Germany, Switzerland and Italy and what I can tell you, Poland is really attractive pleace. What is more, the prices are much lower. For example in Cracow for a luxury flat in the city center you spend 50 euro per night, while in Western country you can get for this price small room in a budget hotel...

There are some lovely hotels in Poland - absolutely on a western standard and yes, outside Warsaw (top heavy with more upscale hotels and weak in the budget/hostel sector) especially, the prices compare very well for northern Europe.

Hey, I visited Poland lately. I was curious to see all the WWII memorials and the most attractive citites like: Krakow, Gdansk, Warsaw and Wroclaw. Of course I've been to Auschwitz & Birkenau, Schindler Factory Museum and Stutthof concentration camp. Of course that wasn't my only experience. I had a very pleasent time sightseeing through Poland. It's a very beautiful and friendly country. People are very nice and for my suprise almost everyone can speak English. I also need to recommend everyone travel agency that took a great care of me: escape 2 poland .co.uk (if you're thinking about going to Poland but you're as poor in organising trips as me). I wish you all as great time in Poland as I had. Cheers

I was in Latvia and just travelling other cities in Europe. I went to Warsaw, Wroclaw and Krakow. I really loved Wroclaw cause o my dwarf addiction. I am doing wooden engraving dwarf as a hobby. Since I heard the stories about Shoemaker gnomes( I know they weren't real but I was 4-5 yo guys, don't think I am insane) I loved them. Maybe cause of that I loved the city. Hope next time I will visit other cities.

Beautiful nature and good prices

The prices are also much lower in Vietnam or Thailand. This is simply because people's incomes there are much lower and so is their free spending money as compared to the countries you mention.


It certainly gives that impression in some parts of major cities or expensive hotels, but just scratch the surface, another words live and work like an average local, listen to the media and the church rhetoric and the charm will quickly evaporate...

Its simple:

- Great nature
- Long history
- Amazing attractions like Wieliczka, history Auschwitz, Copernicus Museum, Białowieski National Park, Bieszczady
- OK roads
- Europe standard
- Not that expansive
- Mountains, lakes, see

Old thread, new take on last post. Couldn't help note with curiosity the placement of Auschwitz right next to the Kopernikus Museum along with other "tourist" attractions.

A noteworthy juxtaposition, I'd say:-) After visiting a death camp, what does one do for an encore......dab one's eyes a little and move on?

Guess I just can't see celebrating human tragedy while on vacation.

@Lyzko

Going to do an Auschwitz tour. See it as a reminder and a lesson than a "celebration" and you'll be alright.

totally agree,that is why i did not do the 'Auschwitz tour' when i was in Krakow.
It seemed wrong somehow.

"Celebrating" ?
Why would you celebrate ?
I would go to pay my respect, not celebrate.

@johnny reb
Exactly. Seems Lyzko is just typical liberal. No values other than money and celebrations/entertainment obsession.
Sad.

Johnny and Notty, you both fail to see Lyzko's point which is precisely that a trip to Auschwitz should not be presented as a form of tourist attraction alongside other 'sight-seeing'.

Incidentally Notty, you'll find that a typical liberal tends to have a healthy social conscience, unlike most newly upwardly mobile Poles who are indeed obsessed with money and image, judging from the nausea-inducing Polish lifestyle magazines urging idiot readers to spend 400 złotych on a plastic light switch - and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Some of them really are. As for money they are called "nowobogaccy" or "nuworysze" (the latter being an import from the French 'nouveau riche').

As for image, the most famous are called "celebryci". They are defined in Polish as "znani z tego, że są znani".


Indeed, someone has been calling Auschwitz an amazing attraction. This is amazing, isn't it?

@Ziemowit
There are many many many more "celebryci" in the West and they basically represent the Western "culture". Sadly it makes it way into Poland.

Well now hang on a second, this is an interesting topic. Ostentatious public displays of wealth are as much a part of traditional Polish culture as they are of any western ones. In fact Poland is merely rediscovering something that is clearly deeply buried within the national psyche. Here's a nice quote on the subject of the szlachta of the early seventeeth century, from Adam Zamoyski (sic):

'[....]invested in things they could wear or use out in the open clothes, jewels, arms, saddlery, horses, servants and almost anything else that could be paraded. Weapons were covered in gold, silver and precious stones. Saddles and bridles were embroidered with gold thread and sewn with sequins. It was common for a nobleman who had a number of fine horses and several caparisons to have them all harnessed and led along behind him by pages, rather than leave them at home where no one would be able to see them.'

The thing I find sad is that such displays now involve mass-produced plastic tat :D

Where I live (Prussianized Wielkopolska) the really wealthy people took pains to _not_ flaunt their wealth. There were signs if you knew how to look for them but it was much less 'in your face' than the more Russified Varsovians or Austrianized Krakovians...

That's fallen off a bit with the inevitable homogenization that's happened over the last 25 years but is still present.

I finally did the Auschwitz tour. It was an eye-opening experience. Emotions weren't running high so it's not as bad as some claim.

Learn quite a bit from our English tour guide. Worth the visit to learn something about history.

Salt Mine and Kraków next if time allows.

Curious as to what you consider "not as bad as some claim", Paul. If you're referring to the condition of the site itself, I can't judge because I've never been.

If you're however referring to the total experience of bearing witness to the unspeakable acts committed by those who forgot that G_d, not Man, is the measure of all things, I submit you are either naive to a fault, still a child who cannot comprehend, or, a rather warped individual!

Hope you had a "nice time". Somehow, I just wouldn't have an appetite for viewing human tragedy while on vacationLOL

@Lyzko

I prefaced my statement with emotions so I am talking about how the atmosphere wasn't intense that one would "whimp out" and/or shy away from the horrific reality of the past. Maybe because I am a man enough to face it while females and a good number of males today are "softies".

I certainly didn't discount the horrors of what men did when they disregarded God (yes you can use the word, no need to censor) and did unspeakable things.

I am a God-fearing human. Blessed be God forever and ever.

Amen.