Poland may not be the first destination that comes to travelers mind when they think of vacations in Europe, but this little country in central Europe, whose history seems to be like a real obstacle course, has more than a single richness to show its visitors. The history and the Polish culture tend to be hidden by big European touristic destinations, but Poland has a very specific way to tell its history, which is noticeable in every street, every wall, and every place in each city of the country. The Polish nation, sometimes powerful, sometimes broken, sometimes even vanished, deserves to have a place in each traveler’s heart.
During our one week stay, we were able to discover the wonders of the capital city of Warsaw and of the wonderful city of Cracow. We also plunged into the past with the concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, an experience that left its mark on us forever. This nation, who surfaced from its past, has a lot of offer you. We will write about this little fragment of history that we traveled across and which meant our very first travel together and our first articles on this blog.
Dates: 14th – 21st of April 2019
Flight: Bordeaux-Warsaw with Wizzair (about 130€ round-trip ticket)
From the airport: No worries, it is very easy to go to the city center of Warsaw thanks to buses which are very regular and pass just in front of the airport’s exit. The ride takes quite a lot of time however, because the city is very vast. Ticket machines are available in English, so there is no problem to buy tickets.
Accommodation: ClickTheFlat Constitution Square Apart Rooms (about 200€ for 2 persons for 7 nights)
This accommodation is a flat in the center of Warsaw which is run by a traveler couple who don’t live there. Be careful: the city is spatially very vast, we had the impression by looking on the maps that we were very close of the city center, while we actually needed to take the tramway (tramway stop at 3 minutes walking distance) to go to the old town (15 minutes ride). It was necessary to take the tramway (or the bus) to go to most of the must-seen. However, we were at 15-20 minutes walking distance of the train station, which was very convenient. The kitchen, two bathrooms and toilets (with a washing machine) are shared with three or four other rooms. The bedroom is private and was really well fitted out.
Language: Polish.
English is very well spoken by the inhabitants, which makes exchanges very easy.
Money: Even if Poland belongs to the European Union, it does not use Euros, but zlotys. However, it is easy to change currency on site in the Kantors that you can find everywhere in the city, especially near the touristic places. They will change your money with correct exchange rates, very closed to the one determined by the stock exchange (avoid the airport, which proposes exchange rates that are not favorable at all.)
We can also get money out of several automatic distributors (with a commission) and credit cards are accepted in most of the places. Don’t forget to tell your bank about the travel in order to know the fees and commissions concerning the payments by card. Above all, keep with you some cash to pay some visits, such as some synagogues.
Expenses on site: Poland is not an expensive country, if you compare it to many countries in Western Europe. You can enjoy a good meal in a good restaurant for 6 or 7 euros. A complete meal in Macdonald’s including desert costs between 5 and 6 euros. Carrefour Express, present in the whole town (with also some famous shops such as Carrefour Market) is much cheaper than the one we have in Western Europe.
Transport: We had some problems with the transportation system in Warsaw. It seems not possible to avoid transports, because of the size of the city. The stops location is not practical. Indeed, for a same stop, the two sides of the line are sometimes located some meters apart from each other. When you get out of the bus, some stops directly open on the road, which is very dangerous because of the cars going fast.
You can buy the tickets either at machines present in some stops, or at machines inside the trams. Be careful: some are old and others are new. The old ones do not accept credit cards but only cash, which is a problem when you just arrive and do possess any zloty.
For those who would be tempted to cheat, you need to know that controls in Warsaw are very regular: during our 4-days stay, we were controlled two times in the city center. We recommend you to always ask for the receipt while buying it at a machine, because they sometime refuse to print out your tickets. We experienced it, and needed to explain in English to a Polish inspector the reason why we had not printed tickets but only the receipt.
Warsaw also has a metro network, but we did not use it during our travel.
Finally, be careful when crossing boulevards and avenues: crosswalks are not always easily noticeable: some are under the ground with tunnels linking each side of the street.
In Krakow, the touristic places are gathered in the historic center. Nonetheless, some placed are located apart. Don’t hesitate to use Uber (very cheap, about 3€)
Must-taste: Pierogis are to discover absolutely. This traditional dish can be eaten sweet or savory. It looks like raviolis or dim, but it is a pastry filled with whatever you want (meat, vegetables, potatoes, jams…). Paczkis are also not to be missed. Theses fried doughnuts are traditionally stuffed with rose jam (or other flavors) and are delicious and perfect for an improvised breakfast or a pause on the afternoon. We did not have the occasion to taste Zapienakis, which are yet renowned.
2 Steps Abroad 