Pretty sure weâve settled on about 10 days in Poland this August (we includes well-travelled 6/8 year olds). Never been, gladly accept any advice.
Krakow is quite touristy but not ruinously and a great fun place to visit. I would definitely recommend it.
Wroclaw is a very nice market town with a German influence and quite a young, affluent population so lots of entertainment and nightlife.
Warsaw is not the most stunning city in the day, but the nightlife is incredible.
Krakow is bloody lovely - touristy but for a reason. Worth knowing that loads of bars/restaurants are underground/cellars so it can sometimes be hard to just stumble on stuff. Make sure you take in Kazimierz.
Gdansk and the coast is definitely worth a visit. You can get the train straight there from Krakow and Gdansk has an international airport so you could always fly into Krakow and home from Gdansk. Itâs also close to the lake district which is probably the premier nature destination of the whole country:
Cities-wise, would be unusual not to visit Warsaw (and itâs midway between Krakow and Gdansk if you do do that route). Seems to have an unfair reputation as being a bit boring but I love it. Of the smaller cities, ToruĹ is very nice and doable as a day trip from Warsaw.
Not been to the Tatras but would like to 
If we went back Iâd probably fly into Gdansk and work our way South and fly back from Krakow. Maybe something likeâŚ
Liked most places, tbh. Probably wouldnât go back to Katowice or Szczecin, and Poznan seemed a bit boring, idk.
Prepare your own food if youâre going to the capital, itâll be a Warsaw Pact lunch
ToruĹ is a really nice small city
Not helping you narrow down places to go but I had a really nice couple of days in Katowice. The coach from Krakow was about an hour.
Even in August the sea in Gdansk will be Baltic
Gdansk is my favourite Polish city - itâs wonderful. Krakow is beautiful but be careful with timings - whilst obviously a good thing it can get overrun with school children on their mandatory visit to Auschwitz (avoid the bigger hotels). Iâm off to Wroclaw next month.
When we return to Gdansk weâre going to split the trip with Warsaw - the train was incredibly cheap.
Poland is a really strange one for me in that I loved it when I went there 12 years ago to pay homage at Auschwitz, staying in Krakow, but Iâve never thought about going back since.
I blame too much choice for my ambivalence, although this thread has been food for thought.
Gdansk is a beautiful city and well worth a visit. Loads of nice bars etc, beautiful buildings, take in some of the Solidarity info. Thereâs plenty to do and when done, or throw in a trip along the coast to Sopot. The beach front is stunning.
Krakow is great also. Be careful with the apple juice and zubrowka in the cellar bars though. Another beautiful city nice to wander around. Absolutely visit Auschwitz if you can although, as silly as this may sound, it was far more affecting that i expected and floored me that day/evening.
I go to Ostrzyce by the lakes most years and its just stunning. Quiet, cheap and the lakes are wonderful for swimming, walks around beautiful hills and forests. Pretty damn idyllic.
Can usually get around quite well by train i have found, both in terms of ease and cost.
Iâve always had fun in polandâŚenjoy!
Echo the need to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau, but Iâm slightly ashamed to say that it didnât affect me to the extent that I hoped it would. For me because of the siteâs vast, impersonal nature I just couldnât connect with it. Yad Vashem, on the other handâŚnever cried so much.
Well, travelling with a 6 year old means we wonât be visiting Auschwitz (nor probably cellar bars either, unless theyâre more kid friendly than they sound).
But still appreciate all the recs!
Sounds like something the whole family would like, but we werenât planning on renting a car, so is it at all feasible to get there by train/bus?
Stayed in Warsaw for a bit a few years ago. Would recomend it for a day if youâre passing through, but not for a holiday. Standard, modern city, albeit with a few interesting targets for visiting. Presumably would have been stunning without WW2/USSR etc
I was under the impression that it was rebuilt brick by brick to replicate itâs pre-war splendor. Or am I thinking of Dresden?
Maybe the little old town bit? It isnât a very splendid city imo.
Thinking about stopping in Warsaw for a day or 2 to break up the journey from Krakow to Gdansk. As an afficionado of cemeteries, the Jewish one in Warsaw looks like a must see.
No, it doesnât look splendid at all. Typical, grey monolithic Soviet fair. Like the rebuilding of Coventry, a wasted opportunity.