Poland sightseeing/ Travel

[endlesslydoingdishes]

Im considering booking a 3 day trip to Poland for my Partners birthday in May. I know he would like to visit the war camps and enjoy some Polish hospitality re. pubs and dining out. Beyond that, I'm pretty ignorant about what the country has to offer. Has anyone been, or is from Poland, and could offer suggestions?

Travelling in May, ideally
Flights would be from Glasgow (I'm assuming that's possible, I've not checked yet!)
3 days would be good, likely mid week through to weekend a.k.a Thurs to Saturday etc

Where would you be flying to?

I loved Krakow, very attractive. Went to salt mine, wondered about a lot, great food places and bars, saw some Klezmer music being performed.
We did go to Auschwitz and it really affected DH, who isn't a sensitive soul and knew a lot of the history already. Said he really wished he hadn't gone. We were all affected to a degree, quite sombre for the rest of the day, but DH was really upset. Made me think twice about these places being viewed as tourist attractions and not just because of the impact on us. They were very informative and educational but there's still tourists wondering around eating crisps.

@LadyMcLadyface

Where would you be flying to?

Hopefully Krakow, which I believe is closest to Auschwitz. Google implies that journey is possible via EasyJet, from Glasgow

If you want to visit concentration camps then Kracow is probably the best place to visit. You can stay in the city centre and arrange a private trip to Auschwitz, we did it combined with a trip to the wieliczka salt mines which are worth a visit.
There is plenty to see in the city centre, the Jewish quarter, Wawel castle, and the main square which has lots of bars and restaurants.

We visited Poland a few years ago for a wedding and traveled round. We loved it and would like to go back one day. We flew into Katowice with Wizz Air. We started in Zakopane for a few days, which is a stunning place. It's a ski resort in the winter, and great for walking etc in the summer. We then got a bus to Krakow which is also worth a visit. Found buses really easy to book online, they have wi-fi, toilets etc and are super cheap (think it was polski bus). We then got a 7 hour train journey up to Wronki to meet up with family for the wedding. It is very easy to travel round the country, even with our limited language and knowledge.

Been to Poland a few times - all over - love it there! Krakow is your best bet for Auschwitz, but bear in mind that it's about 90 minutes one way so the visit will take most of your day (worth it though, a very sobering experience).

Krakow is fantastic - the museums are excellent. I recommend the Schindler's Factory Museum, and the Pharmacy Under the Eagle museum, both in Podgorze (across the river). Wawel castle is always worth a look. Kazimierz is great for lovely restaurants (at both ends of the budget!) Pod Aniolami is also excellent. There is also a museum under the main square which is also really good.

For something a bit different, you can hire a driver to take you in a Trabant or Maluch to tour Nowa Huta, which was built by the Soviets as one of their Ideal cities. I really enjoyed that.

For a bar that isn't so touristy, I recommend Piwnica Pod Baranami (Basement Under the Ram) in the main square, it's next to a Starbucks. It's in a cellar, and has a lovely atmosphere.

Oh, and for Krakow, it will likely be Edinburgh (I'm Scottish!)

Second the suggestion for Wieliczka salt mines if flying to Krakow, also worth visiting Zakopane (resort town in Tatry mountains) for a day trip if possible. There's also this for nice views: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko%C5%9Bciuszko_Mound

And in Kazimierz the Jewish district you can get zapiekanki at Plac Wolny (Polish Street food, half baguette Baked with toppings, sooo good) and also recommend Klezmer hois restaurant there.

Food: there's a nice restaurant called Dynia on Krupnicza Street and a great wine bar on the same street called Sklep stoccaggio which serves Polish and international wines. The restaurant 'u babci maliny' in the old town is fab for cheap and cheerful Polish food. Things to try are pierogi, placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes), zurek (soup), cheesecake with raspberry sauce... Polish food is fantastic and they're also very vegetarian friendly.

All I can think of for now, Poland is a wonderful country to visit ❤

My favourite place in Poland was the Tatry mountains, but doesn't fit in well with other places on OP's itinerary.

My favourite thing to do there was the Dunajec River rafting but yeah maybe tricky to fit into a 3-day trip

Thanks all, so many great suggestions. I'm going to look them all up and try work out a possible itinerary