I am in the early stages of planning a vacation to Poland. i am hitting Warsaw and Krakow, and touring Auschwitz and the Wieliczka salt mine for sure. Considering going north to Gdansk, but that remains undecided.
I think I’d also like to veer off to Prague for a day.
Anyone done any of this? Am I missing anything that I should not miss?
Thanks,
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I would also recommend the river gorge rafting on river Dunajec, Czorsztyn and Niedzica castles. Don’t forget Schindlers factory in Krakow too.
I liked the lake country in the north east. The village of Święta Lipka is especially nice. If you are up in that area, Hitler’s bunker is in the region too.
I’d recommend visiting Auschwitz last, as it is a very heavy & discouraging experience. It will take a heavier toll on you than you may expect–at least that was my experience.
If you like mountains, nature, and that sort of shit, I’d recommend Zakopane and Morskie Oko, in particular. Plus, while you’re there, have some oscypek (the regional smoked sheep cheese delicacy.)
Howabout this spot? I think seeing wisent would be cool( assuming you can with any reliability ).
I agree. But you should definitely go, it’s quite unlike anything I have ever experienced.
I think I went to the salt mines, but the fact I’m not sure isn’t a great recommendation, perhaps. On the other hand, it was 15 years ago. I’d go again if I had the opportunity.
If you like blonde young ladies, Krakow has an abundance of them. Just don’t count on persuading them to take any interest :). I liked the vibe of Krakow on both occasions I visited, not for that reason particularly. Be aware that in the summer, Krakow and Prague in the evenings are likely to be littered with unruly British stag parties. Doesn’t usually cause problems and easily avoided by heading to quieter streets.
I spent a few weeks in Krakow a couple years ago for work. I thought it was a neat city, although I found their pierogi and borsch based cuisine uninspiring.
It is uncanny how every girl there looks like Maria Sharapova, just different heights.
Funny thing is, last time I was there – and it was about 15 years ago – I actually had a bitch of a time finding a Polish restaurant. My family is Polish, and I love Polish food, especially stuff like zurek (Polish sour soup) and bigos (hunter’s stew–a meat and cabbage stew.) And, man, that clear, Polish style of borscht (barszcz) served with krokety (croquettes, usually meat-filled). MMM!!! So I wanted to introduce a fellow traveller to it. I walked up to several Polish people in the Rynek (central square/market) and asked them where I could find a good Polish restaurant (and I asked them in Polish), and not a single person was able to point me to one. One said something to the effect of “why would we go out for Polish food? We eat that at home!” 
ETA: I never did end up finding that Polish restaurant.
Well, I live in Poland, so might be able to answer some questions, though I’m not sure about tourist attraction recommendations. 
All the places mentioned will be crowded with tourists in the summer. Gdańsk and the Tricity in general are worth visiting, but if you’d be going there directly from the south of Poland, I’d recommend looking for a flight, for example from Kraków to Gdańsk, unless you think you would enjoy spending 6 to 10 hours on a train (not much to see along the way, mostly fields).