A Week in Poland is Not Enough

The trip through Poland covered Warsaw, Poznan, Wroclaw, Krakow, and Zakopane. A week to do the four big cities, with trips to Czestochowa and Auschwitz, was nowhere near enough time. Then a week in Zakopane, no skiing, but plenty of things to do, especially being there when one of the music festivals is there. Although it was a short time, we did get to see a lot. Czestochowa was overwhelming, and we needed a day but only got a couple of hours. Auschwitz is a place to go and just sit and look.

Quick Tips:

We did not see anywhere that had discount coupons. But there are many tour magazines to tell you what is going on in each town. These magazines are available at no cost.

Best Way To Get Around:

We were on a tour but did take a taxi a couple of time, which were very reasonable. The squares in each town are definitely made to walk. You can spent hours visiting all the places that are in each of the town squares.

A great place to end the day, outdoor, indoor, upstairs, downstairs seating. This place was fantastic. The food was excellent, the prices were great, the wine list just right. The staff was excellent. We ate here 2 days and had drinks 1 night. Music was great, piano on some nights and guitar on others. Mellow jazz. Want a treat in Warsaw, stop here—you will enjoy.

When you go to Wroclaw, and you must go, Inspiracja (bar and restaurant) is where you must stop. It's amazing. Separate dining areas for any number of people. Outstanding food, excellent staff and ambiance, great bar, and wine drinks available. And music. A three-piece jazz group with a female singer was outstanding. The restaurant is not hard to find, right near the flower stands in the town center. There is seating outside. Prices were more than reasonable, with a friendly staff and one of the most beautiful dining areas we have ever seen. A must-stop when in Wroclaw.

In the city of Czestochowa at the monastery of Jasna Gora is one of the most famous paintings, the "Black Madonna of Czestochowa." First and foremost, this will be at least a half-day tour, not a quick in and out. It doesn't matter what religion you are, this must be seen. There is so much to see—a museum, a basilica, a chapel, alters—it's overwhelming.

There are stations of the cross standing on artificial rocks, and there are paintings of the station of the cross by Jerzy Duda Gracz, the most magnificent paintings you will ever see. Getting to see the painting of the Black Madonna is not easy; if you are not in the chapel itself, you are allowed to walk along the side, a quick walk along the side, definitely not enough time to do it justice. But a stop here is definitely on the must-see list.

These two famous camps are just about 3km apart. Birkenau was the larger of the two camps and was the mass destruction camp. Auschwitz was the smaller of the camps and was predominately a work camp, although there was a crematorium and a gas chamber there. Really not much to say; you go there and are quiet. Block 11 at Auschwitz was a prison within a prison, and the ground-floor cellars have been preserved in their original form.