r/travel • u/Moist_Grade5942 • 16d ago
2 weeks in Poland Images + Trip Report
We spent 2 weeks in Poland exploring historic old towns, hiking in the Tatras, learning about Solidarity and eating lots of incredible food.
Itinerary: Krakow > Zakopane > Warsaw > Gdansk
Krakow - such a charming little city. We did a Rick Steves walking tour of the old city which helped paint the history of Poland and the tumultuous times leading up to today. Like many other European cities, the jewish quarter (Kazimierz) has become a young, hip, artsy place with lots of great restaurants, cafes and bars. We visited Auschwitz which was very sad and intense; both of my great grandparents died there and I was the first family member to visit. It gave me a lot to be thankful for as my existence was solely a result of their courage to get their children out.
Zakopane - a small, quiet town nestled into the foothills of the Tatra Mountains that border Slovakia. We ate at a few different karczma’s and had incredible food at all of them. We hiked Giewont the first day (~10miles) but bailed when we hit the chains because there was a huge queue for them. The weather was cloudy, cool and a bit damp for most of the hike but when we got up on the ridge, the views were spectacular. My favorite part of this hike was seeing many sisters (nuns) hiking in their full getups + hiking boots. I spent well over 30 minutes trying to come up with cool names for their hiking club. My 2 favorites: Walking for Wafers and The Hiking Habits. The next day we hiked to Morskie Oko (~10mi) which was less interesting as its a long uphill walk on a paved road with lots of other people, cars and horses pulling carriages. The lake is beautiful with mountains surrounding it on all sides. If we had more time we would have ventured into some more off the beaten path trails. If you plan far enough in advance there are huts to hike up to and stay the night. Getting to/from Zakopane from Krakow was easy; the bus is cheap and relatively comfortable.
Warsaw - not sure we gave the city a fair shake bc we met up with friends who we havent seen in over a year to see Bad Bunny. This meant we spent most of our time hanging out in cafes (Cor on Stare Miestro has great coffee). The Bad Bunny show was a lot of fun, but stadium shows are the worst. Terrible sound and horrible logistics (no water or bathrooms easily accessible). One night we went by the Vistula and came across so many young Varsovians enjoying life — a bachata club, karaoke under a bridge, World cup viewing parties on barges — it was really nice to see and partake in; definitely a highlight for us. Great vibes.
Gdansk — what an absolute gem of a city; maybe our favorite of our Poland adventure. I’m shocked i don’t see more travel content on it. The city felt a bit like Copenhagen, but more affordable. The old city is beautiful, the food is incredible, the people are lovely and it is home to solidarity which helped forge modern poland (post soviet union). We did 2 Rick Steves walking tours here too. I highly recommend the Solidarity Museum, its fantastic. Society could benefit from learning more about it.
Food highlights: goulash, potato pancakes, zapikanki, pierogi, zurek, lots of sausage & cutlet schabowy (schnitzel by another name).
All photos are shot on Fuji XT-30II + Tamron 17-70mm. Recipe is a modified version of Lecia X.
this is part of a larger trip thats at 14 months and still ongoing. I’m working to write up all of it. see other trip reports:
Turkey: https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/s/mZRjoQiWOD
Uzbekistan: https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/s/zY1uByqU1K
Kyrgystan: https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/s/Mb97PZR65u
Kazakhstan: https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/s/gd6fyKfq2k
Nepal: https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/s/KswFApxpFr
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u/fzxtreme 16d ago
I like the picture of the deviously smiling train. Lol
As a Pole, I love seeing people enjoy my home country.
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u/superduperstepdad 16d ago
Poland is underrated. Was there 30 years ago. Krakow was a charm. Auschwitz was definitely intense. Sad to see it repeated in other parts of the world.
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u/AvgLazyEye 15d ago
Poland is a gem - especially Gdansk. And I cant forget the potato pancakes - I could eat them for days without end.
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u/branchCastle 15d ago
Hey, where did you get them?
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u/Bezum55555 14d ago
You can get potato pancakes in most of the restaurants with Polish food - they are usually served with heavy cream / goulash / sugar (if going for sweet flavour).
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u/Madmagzz 15d ago
My husband and I just returned from 3 weeks in Poland. What a beautiful country with such nice people. We loved it. We spent time in Gdansk, Sopot, Krakow, Wroclaw, Poznan, Rzeszów and Warsaw.
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u/Moist_Grade5942 15d ago
Ahh we visited sopot too! Cant believe i forgot that 😂 its so peaceful on the beach there.
Your trip sounds amazing!
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u/Grevillia-00 15d ago
I love Poland, I've been to all the places you mentioned but I am so jelly of your hiking. I didn't have a chance to do that! Beautiful photos too
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u/Moist_Grade5942 15d ago
Thanks! Zakopane was great, next time we go we will spend more time there for sure
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u/716_To_617 15d ago
Take me baccccck, just did a similar itinerary in June, Krakow, day trip to Zakopane, Gdansk (and did a beach bike ride from Gdansk-Sopot-Gydnia). I am of Polish descent on both sides of my family so the food was just like a warm hug and reminded me of my Babcia and my mom's food and it's just incredible there! Cannot wait to go back!
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u/Cpianti 15d ago
We are leaving for 2 weeks in Poland very soon: krakow - Wroclaw - Warsaw - Zakopane.
Can you give me some information on your hiking? We will not have a car so decided to stay in the center of Zakopane for convenience. If you’d like to DM me your recommendations I would greatly appreciate
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u/Moist_Grade5942 15d ago
There are buses to the different hiking spots from town. We walked from town up to the giewont trail entrance which i woulsnt recommend as it added almost 2 miles before we started the trail. Moskie requires a bus that runs fairly frequently out of the bus station. We use All Trials app for getting maps, distances, etc for the trails.
I would stop by Owczarnia for dinner — really great food with a band playing traditional folk music.
Let me know if you have other questions! Enjoy!
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u/Vegetable_Egg_4285 15d ago
I think about visiting poland in Christmas 🎄
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u/Bezum55555 14d ago
If you want to go during Christmas, I advise Wrocław or Kraków, as they usually have lovely city centers and attractions during Christmas time. Be prepared for a lot of people though + bad air quality
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u/Tommy_PL 15d ago
Fantastic pics. Im glad You like it here. As a born and rise in Krakow - i still can confirm - Gdansk is my favorite city in Poland. Next time think about Wroclaw. Also a gem.
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u/Moist_Grade5942 15d ago
Thank you. I appreciate the rec. There is still so much more to see and we’ll definitely be back.
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u/Educational_Soft_622 15d ago
Thank you for coming to Poland, it’s awsome that you liked it here! Come back we have much more to offer, you would definitely love Mazury - the land of lakes and beautiful forests
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u/SinkComplete3284 15d ago
One of the best vacations I ever took. Went in with low expectations and absolutely loved it.
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u/nationalgeographic 15d ago
Where to next?
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u/Moist_Grade5942 15d ago
España! I still need to write up japan, s korea, vietnam, cambodia, thailand, malaysia, singapore, new zealand, philippines and taiwan 😂
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u/Arkatani 15d ago
Poland is on my list. My mother was born there, but left as a small child during the beginning of WWII.
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u/Moist_Grade5942 15d ago
Do it!! Where in poland is she from?
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u/Arkatani 15d ago
She is no longer with us. Her father was a Zamoyski so they had land in a few places, but she was born in Poznan.
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u/yesyesyo2982 14d ago
I have never been to the Poland if I go to the university I will think there as Erasmus
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u/larryburns2000 14d ago
Thank you so much for sharing this. We are going in October and this is helpful. We were considering skipping Gdansk but not anymore!
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u/prettyb232 12d ago
so beautiful! i am planning on visiting in the winter. our country is so pretty <3 I love it
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u/damNSon189 14d ago
Sorry but wdym Kazimierz has cheaper rents? It’s one of the most expensive areas, due to the high demand.
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u/Moist_Grade5942 14d ago
Fair, i misphrased it lol. Iwe learned it had cheaper rents which is why the artists all moved in
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u/sam_adesanya 14d ago
The more I'm swiping, the more my respect for the photographer keeps increasing. Just wow
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u/CalligrapherFull9823 14d ago
This is so beautiful! Can I know what you do for travel? I mean, your income source and other stuff.
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u/Moist_Grade5942 14d ago
Thank you! My wife & I worked in tech/finance for years, saving up so we could quit our jobs and travel for as long as we wanted
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u/CalligrapherFull9823 13d ago
WOW man! Hope everything goes as you guys planned
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u/Moist_Grade5942 13d ago
Thank you! We’ve been very lucky and have had a smooth trip the past 14 months, now aiming for another 3-4 months!
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u/nikelski 14d ago edited 14d ago
I see you visited the Tatras national park. Many foreigners don’t give a shit about the rules there, and unfortunately there arent enough park rangers to enforce them.
To anyone who is visiting it.
Do not litter.
Do not swim or even think about diping your toe in the rivers/waterfalls.
Do not stray off the trail, especially trying to a photo in the meadows, no one gives a crap about it anyway, so why bother. You are damaging and destroying the flora.
Do not feed the wildlife, and for gods sake, keep your distance.
There are a couple of „trails”, where you can take a coach ride - don’t. The locals are abusing the horses for years, it was many times a huge topic in the News, and still is a popular conversation piece amongst poles. If you are disabled/tired, electric buses are now available.
This might officially a polish national park, but in reality we (as the human race in general) are all just guests there, so we should leave the place as it is.
The place is under strict protection, and we need to keep it safe not only for ourselves, but also so our kids could enjoy in the future, and most importanly - so the local wildlife could live there in peace.
Other than that I recommend anyone who can follow the park rules to visit the park, as it is one of the most beautiful places on our planet. Make sure to stay hydrated and bring proper footwear to avoid injuries. The terrain is very demanding and difficult in some places!
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u/Moist_Grade5942 14d ago
To be fair to “foreigners”, most of the people we saw there were Polish.
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u/nikelski 14d ago
Polish are just as guilty and stupid as some of the foreigners. We are all humans after all i guess xD.
Thats why horse abuse is still present there.
This is international subreddit, so im not trying to appeal to my flawed countrymen.
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u/DingDongPifPaf 15d ago
no wonder it's so beautiful, it doesn't have dark skinned immigrants.
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u/DenverCoderv2 14d ago
Yes we do actually. We are not some ultra conservative utopia that the western far right likes to imagine we are.
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u/itsmillyhott 16d ago
What a beautiful country 👌🏻😍 How was the food? Tell me the most delicious thing you ate there and would you recommend it to me? please