Southern Poland 2005

The people, the old town centres, and the salt mine

Quick Tips:

Go to the Polish Railways website and print out the train details in Polish, then book your tickets elsewhere.

Best Way To Get Around:

The rail is cheap, with reserved seats. The trains are prompt and clean.

This is an interesting twist on the fast-food theme, with Georgian kebabs, wraps, and grills served on plates in a proper restaurant atmosphere. It is very tasty, very satisfying, and very popular with local people, young and old alike.

If you like old towns and new culture, Poland is for you. The language is no problem, as everyone wants to use their English but love you for trying to speak Polish. We are in our late 50's and found it easygoing.

We stayed in Hotel Monopole in Wroclaw, full of faded grandeur and creaky parquet, but clean, comfortable, and very convenient to the sights.

In Warsaw, go to the Reytan, modern but convenient to the trams and buses. Look for the steakhouse in the street on the right side of the cinema.

The Europejski in Krakow is better than the Rough Guide suggests. The rooms, with bathrooms, have been refurbished and are very comfortable, and it had the best beds we have slept in!

We went to Auschwitz alone, without a guide and without cameras. It is impossible to describe. Get there in the morning to avoid the parties and to try and capture the atmosphere. Go on to Birkenau; we were moved by its silent immenseness. We took a taxi from our hotel, but you can go by minibus.

The whole Wavel area is open for free, and it’s worth walking around and getting orientated with the day before you want to visit the interiors if you can. They have moved the ticket office onto the slope up from Ul. Bernardynska. There is an indicator board to tell you how many tickets are left for that day, and it drops by large numbers as the guided parties collect their tickets. Eentry to the Royal Apartments is by timed ticket, and the rooms are always uncrowded. You can go free on Monday between 9:30am and 1pm, but go EARLY, or else you won't get in. You buy tickets for the cathedral from an office just opposite its entrance.