Traveling to Poland: Tips for First-Timers

I am glad to hear you had such a good time in Poland. My husband and I are planning to go there summer of 2008. I read somewhere else about the friendliness of the people in Poland and a Polish saying....Guests in the home, God in the home....
What are the names of the good eateries and where are they located? My ancestors emmigrated from Galicia to Chicago around 1900, I would like to visit Southern Poland and explore the Tatras, Carpathians and the villages of my ancestors.

All travellers and tourists to Poland, I bet you'll have amazing time! Don't worry about things like shopping (Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw, Lodz and all the bigger cities have shopping opportunities equal to London :) food (awesome! of course there is a Polskie Jadlo chain with traditional meals and stuff, but I personally recommend milky bars, where you can fill your stomach for less than a pound and taste the best samples of PL cusine!) - just enjoy your trips! If you ahve any specific questions, I will be happy to help you (as I am based in Warsaw, and have first-hand experience ;)

thanks on the advice ladystardust .. im in warszawa 6-9th august with my daughter so will look out for these milky bars (though they are a chocolate bar here in the UK)

Ladystardust....do you recommend Lodz as a good city to visit? I have already been to
Warsaw and Krakow.

Kranzler,
I would recommend tri-city: Gdansk-Sopot-Gdynia, if you haven't done it yet.

Kranzler, Łódź is a very industrial place - enchanting when you like this urban climate, tiring if you don't - but you can always pay a visit just to see for yourself! I agree with Miranda - the Tricity is swell, plus I would add Wroclaw - I thing the most fabulous city in Poland! Beautiful beyond imagination, very cosmopolitan and tourist friendly... Check it out if you can!
Telefonitika - milky bars are unique ;) Check out the link ;) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_mleczny

checked out the link hunnie (ladystardust) thanks i will certainly use them when i go with my daughter in the summer
i even clicked on the link for all the milk bars in poland here is the link if anyone else wants to know : h t t p://smupo.achjoj.info/bary_mleczne (take spaces out of http)

Well sometimes I find that the popular destinations like Krakow, Gdansk, etc. are overrun with tourists. Perhaps there are some hidden jewels to be found in Lodz (sorry don't have a Polish keyboard). That's why I asked about this city. Maybe it would be worthwhile just to spend an afternoon there. I have heard that the infrastructure there is substandard and thought maybe it would be a throwback to the days before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

You're very welcome ;) Remember to get some pierogis!

You should also see the Bieszczady mountains (south- eastern Poland), but you'd need someone that could act as a translator, because the locals usually don't speak english. Bieszczady are a magical region, with tragic history- after WW2, in the late 40' many anti- communist guirella troops (both Ukrainian and Polish) were still fighting with the reds there; after they managed to kill an important regime general, and when it became clear that local population supports the partisans, Stalin ordered commies to excile them all. After a few months, only the ruins of burnt villages remained. For many years commies tried to resettle the region, but even now, if compared to any other place in Poland, it looks half deserted, and you can still find ruins of old churches, or forgotten cemetaries in the middle of the wilderness. Try visiting Wolosate (before the war, it was as populated as Zakopane, now, less than ten families live there) with the old orthodox cemetary remnants, and great oportunity to go for a walk to Tarnica mountain.

I encourage You to see this region, as I myself fell in love with those mountains long time ago.

You'll find more info at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bieszczady_Mountains

I heard that you have to bring a certain amount of money with you, for each day you spend there, something like 300 zloty a day (money for a place to stay, and for food). But in my case I'm staying with family, does that still qualify for me?

i was wondering how would one stay with a polish family i here it is quite cheap and it beats staying in a hostel thanks

hey Beatka, how was Poland . I am going in September for the first time since we left .... twenty years ago. I have lots of family there and need some ideas what to bring them from home (canada) any ideas?

anybody with any ideas for presents from this continent ( i am in Canada) I have family in Poland ranging from 7 year old boy to old grandparents. Should I wait to buy there or is it too expensive?

electronic devices are expensive in Poland, i-pods, digital cameras, computer games, cd's etc. are always cool presents. You can buy pretty much everything in Poland now. Certain foods are different, like some cereals, peanut-butter. Books in english about Canada could be interesting. T-shirts with neat designs are popular, baseball caps and Adidas shoes. They are very popular there.

maple syrup

three weeks well 20days till i arrive in Poland .. its come round fast and now im flapping getting things sorted for it lmao

my daughters school (new one) has just done a school link/partnered with a school in Poland ~ Rabka i think it was so they are interested in any footage or photos we take on our travels

just mailed you T - wondered when id see you on the forum :-)

I'm excited for you .....I'm hoping to go to Krakow again next year......can't wait :)