Feedback on Poland itinerary

Hi there!!

This summer, we're planning to explore Poland from July 4th to 23rd. I’ve outlined our rough itinerary below—could you let me know if the number of days allocated to each destination makes sense or if there’s anything we should change? Thanks in advance!

S4 Departure, overnight in Würzburg (Germany) to break up the drive. D5 Travel day with visits: Jawor and Świdnica churches, Książ Castle (likely just the exterior), and a few other stops. Overnight in Wrocław. L6 Explore Wrocław M7 Explore Wrocław M8 Visit Kłodzko—is one day enough? Overnight near Auschwitz. J9 Visit Auschwitz, overnight in Kraków V10 Explore Kraków S11 Explore Kraków D12 Visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine, overnight near Zakopane L13 Zakopane M14 Zakopane M15 Visit Zamość, overnight in Lublin J16 Explore Lublin, overnight in Masuria (TBD) V17 Explore Masuria S18 Explore Masuria D19 Depart for Gdańsk, visit the Teutonic Castle, overnight in Gdańsk L20 Explore Gdańsk M21 Explore Gdańsk J22 Explore Gdańsk, possible day trip to Sopot? V23 Visit Toruń, then drive back to Germany. Overnight stop like on the way out. S24 Home!

Best, Christophe

hi, this itinerary doesn’t include a visit to Warsaw. It’d be a shame to skip this capital city, though!

No visit to Warsaw. It would be a shame to overlook this capital

I had the same thought!

Sure, at first glance Warsaw doesn’t have the charm of Kraków, but it’s worth a visit. The Old Town, entirely rebuilt after World War II, is really pretty (UNESCO World Heritage) and there are some interesting museums.

Anyway, you shouldn’t miss the milk bars—I got totally hooked! In two weeks, I only visited Warsaw, Kraków, and Łódź, and it was in Warsaw that I saw the most. Near my hotel, there was one frequented mostly by Poles that I went to every day. In some milk bars, the dishes are in English, but in others, only in Polish (and Ukrainian). It’s a great chance to try typical, cheap dishes.

Good evening, unfortunately I don’t see what to cut! We love nature too, and we’re already visiting quite a few cities... Worst case, we figured there are direct flights to Warsaw, and we could do it in 3-4 days. Best regards, Christophe

Hi,

For the part I know, it seems well-balanced except for: - Maybe Sunday the 5th. I’m not sure about the road you’ll have. For Ksiaz Castle, I highly recommend visiting the undergrounds—Hitler’s Riese project; - Definitely in Kłodzko. I think it’s a shame not to go a bit further to see the Table Mountains (and the Chapel of Skulls, which is interesting but doesn’t justify the trip on its own). One solution could be to sleep along the way and only visit Auschwitz in the early afternoon, which would also allow you to re-enter Auschwitz I during the "self-guided visit" slots after the mandatory guided tour (required for Birkenau) of both sites. - Watch out for Zakopane and its surroundings. It’s *very* crowded. Even when staying a bit further away (like we did in Bukowina Tatrzańska), you get the impression all of Poland is on vacation there. Remember to book cable cars in advance, AND parking for hikes near Morskie Oko—it’s impossible to park otherwise. Same for the Erratic Rocks in the Table Mountains: book both entry and parking. This parking issue is a real trap.

For your info, I’m sharing our itinerary below (summer 2025). We were missing a day for Wrocław, and we had an extra day in Kłodzko (not because there’s nothing to see, but because a lot is only in Polish). We also made the radical choice to skip Warsaw to keep a nature-focused part. Small note: not all visits are listed—it’s more of a checklist to verify balance. For example, on the day we visited Malbork Castle, we also saw the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk (which we could’ve moved to the next day).

Day 1: Sunday, July 27 Travel Night: Poznań

Day 2: Monday, July 28 Visit Poznań Travel Night: Gdańsk

Day 3: Tuesday, July 29 Gdańsk Night: Gdańsk

Day 4: Wednesday, July 30 Malbork Castle Night: Gdańsk

Day 5: Thursday, July 31 Around Gdańsk Night: Gdańsk

Day 6: Friday, August 1 Gdańsk Train at 5:11 PM Night: Łódź

Day 7: Saturday, August 2 Łódź Night: Łódź

Day 8: Sunday, August 3 Auschwitz Night: Kraków

Day 9: Monday, August 4 City Schindler’s Museum Underground rental Night: Kraków

Day 10: Tuesday, August 5 Cathedral and castle Night: Kraków

Day 11: Wednesday, August 6 Nowa Huta Night: Kraków

Day 12: Thursday, August 7 Wieliczka Salt Mine Church in Dębno Night: Bukowina Tatrzańska

Day 13: Friday, August 8 Night: Bukowina Tatrzańska

Day 14: Saturday, August 9 Night: Bukowina Tatrzańska

Day 15: Sunday, August 10 Chochołów—St. John the Baptist Sanctuary in Orawka and the Ethnographic Museum in Zubrzyca Górna. Night: Wisła

Day 16: Monday, August 11 Hike Night: Wisła

Day 17: Tuesday, August 12 Trip to Moszna Castle Night: Kłodzko

Day 18: Wednesday, August 13 Chapel of Skulls Table Mountains Night: Kłodzko

Day 19: Thursday, August 14 Night: Kłodzko

Day 20: Friday, August 15 Wałbrzych Książ Castle—Peace Churches Night: Wrocław

Day 21: Saturday, August 16 Wrocław Night: Wrocław

Day 22: Sunday, August 17 Travel Night: Paris

we thought there are direct flights to Warsaw and that we could do it in 3-4 days.

You're right, it's better to spend three or four days in Warsaw than to just pass through quickly.

Good evening,

I think with the stop in Würzburg to break up the drive, you’ll go by car, like we did last year.

We had a bit more time than you—we left on July 14th and returned on August 27th.

Here’s the route we took, and I’ll share some comments in another post:

July 14–17: Argenteuil → Würzburg July 17–21: Würzburg → Dresden July 21–25: Dresden → Wrocław July 25–28: Kraków → Zakopane July 31–Aug 2: Zakopane → Łańcut Aug 2–4: Łańcut → Zamość Aug 4–6: Zamość → Lublin Aug 6–7: Lublin → Białystok Aug 7–9: Białystok → Giżycko Aug 9–10: Giżycko → Frombork Aug 10–13: Frombork → Gdańsk Aug 14–19: Joniec (60 km from Warsaw) for the World Mölkky Championships and a visit to Warsaw Aug 19–21: Joniec → Poznań Aug 21–25: Poznań → Berlin Aug 25–26: Berlin → Goslar Aug 26–27: Goslar → Marburg Aug 27: Marburg → Argenteuil

darn, I had started my comments but after a bad click it disappeared. I'll try to redo it tomorrow.

Hi again,

Just a heads-up: it looks like you might’ve missed Tuesday or Wednesday in the last week. Either way, Saturday is July 25th. That gives you a day to check out the Table Mountains at your own pace. ;)

Hi and thanks for the reply!

Great idea about the Table Mountains—so I think I’ll do as you suggested, sleep along the way and schedule the Auschwitz visit for the afternoon. Cable cars and parking to book, got it!! Best regards, Christophe

True, I skipped a day!

Hi! Yes, by car, in the Chambéry area!

For Sunday the 5th, driving from Würzburg to visit the churches, it's still about a 6-hour trip, which means getting up early that day. 1 hour for each church visit, 30 minutes of driving between the two, or even 2 hours for the castle if we do it the same day! I need to check the closing times.

Hi there! Warsaw again!! For parking in the city in Poland, is it like in France? Can you pay by card? What about highways, tolls, free-flow, e-toll? Best regards, Christophe

Hi,

There’s a very extensive e-toll system, but it’s mainly for trucks. Cars and motorcycles mostly pay on the A4 Mysłowice (Katowice) – Balice (Kraków) and two border sections: the A1 Rusocin (Gdańsk) – Nowa Wieś (Toruń) and a border stretch Świecko (German border) ↔ Konin. No vignettes—neither physical nor electronic—just toll booths, though other payment options exist. The highways are excellent, of a higher standard than French or German ones, and the speed limit is 140, I think. In Poland, you can pay for everything by card.

Michel

Thanks, that’s much clearer! I was worried about free-flow or e-toll… I didn’t want to have to log onto a site to pay, since I don’t speak Polish and my English is pretty rough! Are euros accepted everywhere for visits, or should I plan to have some zloty and where can I exchange them? Best, Christophe

The euro isn't accepted anywhere. The best option is to pay by card, with no foreign transaction fees; after that, a little PLN exchanged at a currency exchange office or ATM withdrawal.

Michel