Germany-Czech Republic-Poland Holiday July 2013

[burns20]

After wimping out I've booked flights into Berlin and back from Wroclaw. My routing is vaguely as follows but open to suggestions routewise/beerwise/transport wise;

Berlin-Leipzig-Karlovy Vary-Prague-Olomouc-Auschwitz-Krakow-Warsaw-Gdansk-Poznan-Wolsztyn-Leszno-Wroclaw

Debating a stop off at either Lodz or Torun - any recommendations?

 

[Masboroughlad]

Sopot by the sea near Gdansk. Zakopane in the mountains-lovely train ride.

Have fun. I love Poland!

 

[306024]

Yes I'd agree, an interesting country. I'll sometimes try various Polish food from shops here in the UK.

Anyway Gdansk and Poznan are both worth some time, as well as the better known Krakow and Warsaw. The political history of Gdansk is well documented in the museum near the dockyard entrance.

Allow lots of time for Auschwitz, I won't say any more as you will form your own impressions.

Decent beer is not difficult to find - there is a place in the Town Square in Poznan and across the river in Gdansk that both brew on the premises.

 

[87015]

The Hel branch is worth doing IMO from Gdansk along the sea. Beer on the beach before returning via the ridiculously good cake shop by the station... Although I fear having made all TLK services compulsory reservation may cause meltdown along there this year given usual crowding.

 

[burns20]

Thanks for all your recommendations. Going to sack off Lodz and Torun and attempt to go to Hel and back lol

Trying to work out if the steam workings on the Poznan to Woltzsyn line still run as the experience website only mentions excursions.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I've always wanted to visit Przsemysl on the Ukraine border, as possibly the most unpronounceable place in Europe...
I'd also like to do Krakow-Zakopane-Poprad Tatry-Košice-Budapest, but there are no trains any more between Zakopane-Poprad Tatry, only a bus.

 

[30907]

Wolsztyn still runs Mo-Fr only, twice daily as long as it doesn't break down.
If you can read or machine-translate German, check http://www.parowozy.com.pl/newsd.htm close to day of travel to avoid unpleasant surprises (though the surprise can sometimes be a rare diesel loco...)

You will realise that Poland is a vast country, and something like Zakopane-Gdansk might be worth doing overnight, though the sleepers are traditional non-AC types.

I've stayed in Poznan a couple of times and liked it, though it's not in the same league as Krakow. I didn't make it to the best bits of Wroclaw owing to PKP's erratic punctuality but people rave about it...

 

[Zamracene749]

Beer in Leipzig- try Ohne Bedencken, Bayerisch Bahnhof and Zill's tunnel- those were the places my mates and myself enjoyed last autumn drinking Gose- you'll either love it or loathe it!

I'd also recommend a trip to Hel- be aware though that the trains do get absolutely wedged- the ones I caught were literally crush loaded. If ferries float your boat (sorry!) you can get back to any of the tri-city ports quite easily across the bay to or from Hel to make a nice round trip.

There is a cracking underground bar in Gydnia (close to Maksymiliania station) called Degustatornia, good selection of ales (including the local Amber range) and friendly too. They had a branch in Gdansk but I never visited.

Not so much an ale bar, but had a pleasant afternoon in Proletaryat in Poznan, just south of the Rynek.

Have fun

 

[Masboroughlad]

We did Zakopane to Gdansk by sleeper in the early 90s. Poland was a REALLY interesting country then. Very little English, few Western brands. No street lighting in much of Krakow (and elsewhere no doubt) after 8 and very weak light even when on. Zakopane was a small mountain town then with very few hotels not the sprawling commercial resort it us now. Much if the air in the cities was putrid and full of black bits from factories.....

In some ways I preferred its unusualness then......

 

[theblackwatch]

The Hel branch is worth doing IMO from Gdansk along the sea. Beer on the beach before returning via the ridiculously good cake shop by the station... Although I fear having made all TLK services compulsory reservation may cause meltdown along there this year given usual crowding.

This was one of the farces I found on a visit to Poland earlier this month. One day, we wanted reservations for the 08.45 ex Poznan, and joined a long queue at the ticket office at 08.10. By 08.30, there were 3 people ahead of us, at which point the chap being the desk decided to close that window.

I have to say Poland was a country that didn't have any 'wow' factor for me. Most places I go to, I really want to go back, Poland was ok but that was all - although being based in Poznan for a few days, I didn't get down to Krakow where I would like to visit. Czech, on the other hand, is a country I love. To the OP, if in Prague, a visit to the Vytopna restaurant is a must - drinks are served by train! We had a forum meal there last year, there's a bit more about the place in the thread at http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=66765

 

[gordonthemoron]

two recommended pubs: Krakow - House of Beer & Poznan - Basilicum. Both sell lots of different sorts of micro brews. Hel is good, there's a massive WWII artillery gun emplacment near Hel itself. Don't worry about TLK being reservation compulsory, you can pay that on the train, just seek out the guard. Also in Poland, seek out the Polski Smak, Polski Ceny bars, very cheap although the beer may be dodgy, there's one in Gdansk, 2 in Poznan & 4 in Wroclaw

 

[northwichcat]

If you've got time and not previously visited it Potsdam is worth visiting.

 

[burns20]

I've visited Potsdam a few years ago and Vytopna Restaurant in April.

I love the Czech Republic but have overdone it I think (nearly all lines done) in the 6 years of travelling.

Just done a search for a sleeper from Warsaw to Hel and it mentions a change at Kutno at 1am...now is this a physical change or do they have portions shunted?

 

[gordonthemoron]

That looks like a physical change to me. PKP aren't very punctual and don't hold connections in my experience. Wouldn't want to be stranded in Kutno in the middle of the night

 

[87015]

That looks like a physical change to me. PKP aren't very punctual and don't hold connections in my experience. Wouldn't want to be stranded in Kutno in the middle of the night

HAFAS shows two through portions from Warsaw to Hel, 22.30 & 23.00 from Warsaw in the high summer which is in line with previous years, I'd be very surprised if they made any attempt to get rid of them given how (stupidly) well they load.

I'm hoping someone will do a report at some stage on how well enforced the TLK compulsory res situation is and whether it pushes even more people onto PR services.

 

[30907]

http://intercity.pl/en shows the sleeper services as through trains/connections.

http://rozklad.sitkol.pl/bin/query.exe/en? shows 35502 as a through train, 28500 as changing number at Gdynia.

However, Polish train times are notoriously liable to alter at short notice, so recheck even after booking!

 

[theblackwatch]

I'm hoping someone will do a report at some stage on how well enforced the TLK compulsory res situation is and whether it pushes even more people onto PR services.

Adding to my message earlier, from my experiences earlier this month:

I obtained reservations for most TLK trains I did (these being quite long journeys). As previously mentioned, obtaining them can be a farce, having separate queues for each window at Poznan station and then being faced with the window I was in closing after 20 minutes of waiting left me no option but to just board. The gripper on that train didn't ask for any reservations. Later the same day, I attempted to obtain a reservation for another train, but failed to do so - I normally write down what I want and hand it to the ticket office staff, but I think the chap behind the counter thought I wanted a reservation for a train on July 14th rather than one at 14.07 that day - he wrote something on my piece of paper with the numbers '30' and '15.06' on it. At this point I gave up attempting to get one. The train was pretty full, so I just headed to the bar car and sat in that and had a beer - there was a grip, but no check of reservations. Incidentally, both these moves were on a Saturday.

During the week, the seemed more desperate about reservations. they were checked on the 4 or 5 TLK trains I did. On one service, I hadn't got one (due to a change of planned move), and the gripper did one for me on the train - it was for seats in a different carriage, but he seemed quite happy for us to stay in the compo we had found that was empty.

The whole thing just seems to create unnecessary work for staff and queuing for passengers.

 

[burns20]

The only TLK trains I'm going to get are;

Krakow-Warsaw
Warsaw-Hel
Gdansk-Poznan and
Leszno-Wroclaw

Will try and buy the day before I travel to ease stress.

Any recommendations for a beer stop between Kutna Hora and Olomouc?

 

[F Great Eastern]

I did Krakow to Warsaw on TLK a few years back, lets just say I haven't done that route on TLK since apart from a very early morning train once was enough. The compartment based trains make the whole thing worse and I've never been on such a packed train.

Think London Underground during peak at it's worst then some more and then what it would be like for three hours with various peoples limbs wedged into you, in a narrow aisle with a wall for the train body one side, and compartment wall the other side, with nowhere to hold on.

Someone earlier said literally crush loaded. It was indeed like that, some people I saw climb out of windows at a stop en-route since it was impossible to walk down the aisle.

 

[amerb]

It is not surprising that trains in Poland are overcrowded during peak, especially during holidays. Sleepers to towns such as Hel, Zakopane etc. are usually fully booked even 4 weeks before travel (PKP Intercity doesn't invest in these carriages). So I recommend you to book tickets as early as it its possible. You can also count on some discounts ('EARLY BIRD' offer - in Polish - 'WCZEŚNIEJ') up to 15%..., if you buy tickets no later than 14 or 7 days before the date of journey.

Reffering to compulsory reservation in TLKs I think that most passengers in Poland (including me) have been looking forward to this facility. It guarantees a seat for person who has booked it before (no law of the jungle, entering through windows etc.). Maybe something doesn't work properly, but my general opinion is positive. Reservation in TLKs, EXs and EICs is totally free (excluding sleepers, couchettes and manager compartments).

If there is something I can help you with, please ask me in this thread.

 

[F Great Eastern]

When I was travelling they would sell as many people as wanted to buy a ticket for a TLK train and there was no option of reserving a seat unless you went first class and there was certainly no bar on that train, just 5 carriages of compartments full to the brim.

The last time I was in Poland I was on what looked like a brand new PR RegioExpress train from Poznan to Warsaw, that was a far nicer journey, Free Wifi too!

 

[amerb]

Yes, modernised carriages in RegioExpress trains are quite comfortable, but PR operates only 3 RegioExpress trains - MEWA from Szczecin to Warsaw ; WARTA from Lublin to Poznań and CHEMIK from Warsaw to Katowice.

Unfortunately, the most popular carriages in REs are these ones coming from 1970s and 1980s.

 

[burns20]

Have started ticking the non compulsory reservations option on the journey planner to give me a back up plan.

Only fall down is I won't be able to book the sleeper from Warsaw to Hel until I get to Krakow 2 days before.

The online reservation only shows times. What is the window of reservations released?

 

[amerb]

You will be able to book a ticket only 30 days before the date of travel.

Please note, that timetables may be changed - it's common in Poland.

 

[burns20]

Thank you Amerb

 

[181]

Would http://www.polrail.com/ be any use to you? They're recommended on seat61, and I found them helpful when I used them a couple of years ago -- I was able to tell them what I wanted and wait for them to book it when bookings opened (which if I remember rightly was later than advertised), rather than having to keep checking myself whether I could book.

 

[amerb]

I don't recommend you to book tickets by http://www.polrail.com. Its prices are 50% (and more) higher than regular prices. To my mind, the best way to buy tickets is to book them directly on http://www.intercity.pl/en. You needn't even print your ticket, you can show it on your mobile phone, laptop and another mobile device.

 

[burns20]

Fare anomalies on EGRONET tickets

In Germany to Czech Republic €16

In Czech Republic to Germany 150Kc (€5)

Crafty sods

 

[30907]

Same applies on most of the cross-border day rovers - which is why you can't buy the CZ or PL ones online in advance AFAIK, only in the country concerned!

 

[181]

I don't recommend you to book tickets by http://www.polrail.com. Its prices are 50% (and more) higher than regular prices.

Fair enough, it won't suit everyone. My booking was for the Warsaw-Cologne night train where there's a large difference between advance purchase and flexible fares -- I may have paid more than by booking directly, but I wasn't sure how long there would be between the (delayed) opening of bookings and the cheap fares selling out, and if I'd missed them I'd have paid a lot more.