Travel in Krakow Region of Poland
March 18, 2009 11:49 AM Subscribe
I will be traveling to the Krakow region of Poland and have a few questions. Can you help?
I will be traveling to Krakow later this year. First, I am considering renting a car. I need to get to more remote areas in that region and that may be tough to accomplish with public transportation. What’s your experience driving in that region of Poland? Are the roads well marked and in decent condition? In the city of Krakow is parking miserable and the city heavily congested or is driving in that town a decent experience?
I will also be traveling to Germany on this same trip. I am hoping to purchase a cheap cell phone that will work in both Poland and Germany. Is that possible? What should I look for? What’s a cheap approach for a short-term cell?
Lastly, and maybe most importantly, I am taking my father on this trip in hopes of finding the home where his father was born and grew up. The town my grandfather was from is a little town near Krosno called Glowienka. I have tried to contact apparent relatives in that area with absolutely no success. I don’t know if my messages are not reaching them or even if they are no longer living. Do you have any contacts in that area that might help or have any suggestions with how I might get information on this?
Thank you for any help or thoughts.
I will be traveling to Krakow later this year. First, I am considering renting a car. I need to get to more remote areas in that region and that may be tough to accomplish with public transportation. What’s your experience driving in that region of Poland? Are the roads well marked and in decent condition? In the city of Krakow is parking miserable and the city heavily congested or is driving in that town a decent experience?
I will also be traveling to Germany on this same trip. I am hoping to purchase a cheap cell phone that will work in both Poland and Germany. Is that possible? What should I look for? What’s a cheap approach for a short-term cell?
Lastly, and maybe most importantly, I am taking my father on this trip in hopes of finding the home where his father was born and grew up. The town my grandfather was from is a little town near Krosno called Glowienka. I have tried to contact apparent relatives in that area with absolutely no success. I don’t know if my messages are not reaching them or even if they are no longer living. Do you have any contacts in that area that might help or have any suggestions with how I might get information on this?
Thank you for any help or thoughts.
I second what sundri said. Roads are easy and well-marked, but you should be aware that they work a little differently than in America in some ways, so pay attention!
I have a cellphone I use in Europe. They have a different standard there, so don't bring your American one. I found a nice one for about $60, though you could probably get one cheaper. You will need to buy a SIM card for both Poland and Germany. You can easily do this in both places. After that, I just buy a card with a certain amount of credit on it. It's not expensive if your calls are in country, but if you want to call America, get a calling card for international calls too. It'll eat up both your local minutes and itself, but it's still not very cheap.
In a small Polish town, people will probably be very helpful about finding family or folks from "back then" who will help out. Just show up. It doesn't hurt to bring small gifts to those who end up helping you - that's an important part of Easter European culture.
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 1:09 PM on March 18, 2009
I have a cellphone I use in Europe. They have a different standard there, so don't bring your American one. I found a nice one for about $60, though you could probably get one cheaper. You will need to buy a SIM card for both Poland and Germany. You can easily do this in both places. After that, I just buy a card with a certain amount of credit on it. It's not expensive if your calls are in country, but if you want to call America, get a calling card for international calls too. It'll eat up both your local minutes and itself, but it's still not very cheap.
In a small Polish town, people will probably be very helpful about finding family or folks from "back then" who will help out. Just show up. It doesn't hurt to bring small gifts to those who end up helping you - that's an important part of Easter European culture.
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 1:09 PM on March 18, 2009
Krakow is marvelous, but I had hair-raising complications driving into the city a few years back. Horrendous traffic and confusing streets. At one point, I was pinned between a bus to my right and a streetcar to my left. A memorable experience.
However, I was driving freestyle with no GPS. I'm sure you'll do better if you're GPS-equipped. Simply chose your destination and follow the GPS's instructions to the letter.
Apart from big cities and their adjacent suburbs, Polish driving is a cinch, with light traffic and good roads. Like other Eastern European destinations, car ownership isn't as heavy as in the west. I'd even recommend the drive to Auschwitz, which is easy to find and close to Krakow.
Good luck. And don't forget your GPS.
posted by Gordion Knott at 1:10 PM on March 18, 2009
However, I was driving freestyle with no GPS. I'm sure you'll do better if you're GPS-equipped. Simply chose your destination and follow the GPS's instructions to the letter.
Apart from big cities and their adjacent suburbs, Polish driving is a cinch, with light traffic and good roads. Like other Eastern European destinations, car ownership isn't as heavy as in the west. I'd even recommend the drive to Auschwitz, which is easy to find and close to Krakow.
Good luck. And don't forget your GPS.
posted by Gordion Knott at 1:10 PM on March 18, 2009
I did not drive when I was in Krakow, but parking was fairly abundant and it wasn't a hair-raising experience being in traffic with others driving. The biggest issue seemed to be that the roads leading in and out of town to places like the Salt Mines or Auschwitz were single lane roads at parts and seemed to get congested easily. If going to those two destinations I'd leave the car and take the bus as the ticket prices usually include the entrance fee + tour and are only nominally more than buying the ticket alone.
For a cellphone you just need an unlocked GSM cellphone that uses the 900 or 1800 frequencies (a "quad band" model will definitely cover you, a tri-band likely will), I've bought from buy.com and some eBay stores before without problems, without knowing where you are now it's hard to recommend a store. You'll have to buy a Polish SIM card in Poland and a German one for Germany and don't bother to try and get them in advance, it's much easier to do it at a store there.
posted by Challahtronix at 2:21 PM on March 18, 2009
For a cellphone you just need an unlocked GSM cellphone that uses the 900 or 1800 frequencies (a "quad band" model will definitely cover you, a tri-band likely will), I've bought from buy.com and some eBay stores before without problems, without knowing where you are now it's hard to recommend a store. You'll have to buy a Polish SIM card in Poland and a German one for Germany and don't bother to try and get them in advance, it's much easier to do it at a store there.
posted by Challahtronix at 2:21 PM on March 18, 2009
I feel like I spent my (7 years) in a completely different Krakow than these people are talking about. Traffic is getting worse every year as more and more folks buy cars, and rush hour is a nightmare getting in or out of the city. If you are from the states, the tiny streets will freak you out.
The provincial bus service is excellent, and there is nowhere you can't get by bus. Me, I'd leave the car rental for going to Berlin, and take public transport around the Krakow region.
posted by Meatbomb at 2:41 PM on March 18, 2009
The provincial bus service is excellent, and there is nowhere you can't get by bus. Me, I'd leave the car rental for going to Berlin, and take public transport around the Krakow region.
posted by Meatbomb at 2:41 PM on March 18, 2009
I drove from Budapest to Krakow via Bratislava about two years ago. I found that the roads while well maintained and mostly pretty well marked. Many of the roads outside of the city were two lane roads and I occasionally had to deal with a horse drawn cart so don't underestimate driving time. It took much longer than I anticipated, but it was a really nice drive so I'm not complaining. Driving in Krakow was not terrible, but the streets were narrow and crowded. It really helped to have someone in the front seat that could read a map and tell me which way to go. I'm very glad we rented the car as it provided much more freedom than a bus or a train. Parking was about $20-25 per day in a gated lot. I wish we could have stayed longer in Krakow.
posted by prjo at 3:06 PM on March 18, 2009
posted by prjo at 3:06 PM on March 18, 2009
Buying a used phone is easy, tons of shops selling second hand unlocked GSM phones, a simple one with few functions besides phone should easily be less than US 50. You buy a SIM card from one of the competing phone providers (Vodaphone, T-Mobile) and top it up at news kiosks. You can buy a new SIM card in Germany, but it will likely cost more than in Poland.
Krakow traffic is congested, and parking in the downtown is not easy - there are affordable parking lots for pay, though. Don't drive near the inner city square (the Rynek) if you can avoid it - crowded medeival streets, arcane parking rules.
Try calling the Glowienka city hall, and ask for contacts from the local Church. If your family are Jewish, there are specific geneological organizations that deal with Polish Jewish contacts... mefi-mail me for info.
posted by zaelic at 3:06 PM on March 18, 2009
Krakow traffic is congested, and parking in the downtown is not easy - there are affordable parking lots for pay, though. Don't drive near the inner city square (the Rynek) if you can avoid it - crowded medeival streets, arcane parking rules.
Try calling the Glowienka city hall, and ask for contacts from the local Church. If your family are Jewish, there are specific geneological organizations that deal with Polish Jewish contacts... mefi-mail me for info.
posted by zaelic at 3:06 PM on March 18, 2009
Best answer: I'm from California, but I now live in Poland. Everything you mention needing or wanting is here. Through your list:
• Mobile phones are available all over the place. In the center of Krakow is a giant mall right next to the train and bus stations called Galeria Krakowska, and in that mall is a giant electronics shop called Saturn, which will have at least one or two English-speaking student-y types who can point you to a cheap phone. You can pick up a Nokia 1200 - the most basic phone ever, just calls and texts - for about 150 zł (today, a bit less than $50). Prepaid SIM cards (I paid just 18 zł for mine in September and have been recharging it ever since) are available everywhere too; they can almost certainly sell you one at Saturn and set it all up for you right there. The credit does expire after a relatively short amount of time, weeks rather than months, so keep an eye on your balance.
Calling the US will be cheaper with something like Skype Out at an internet cafe; you can set up a Skype account just like you'd set up one for an instant messenger program, then add money (€/$10 at a time, I think) to your account, then just sign in and call normal phones. It's far cheaper than anything else I've found here in Poland - 2.1¢ a minute to any US number, pretty much.
You can set up international roaming on a pre-paid account, but perhaps it will be easier to just get a German SIM when you get to Berlin. Oh - you can also recharge your phone at ATMs (even with a foreign card!), at kiosks (in bad Polish: "prosze, [number] złoty dla [name of pre-paid program from mobile phone company, i.e. SimPlus, Orange, etc.]"), and even in the checkout line at the supermarket.
• This site is the only one I've found that can pull up and search for bus timetables in English, so you can check out the ease/difficulty of getting around the region you'd like to explore. I haven't driven here, but I'm a passenger twice a week on a hundred-kilometer drive on a main two-lane highway (signed red, usually one or two digits), and the condition of the road is comparable to that in the States, though night-time lighting is far less intense, and there's often not much room for passing. In rural areas traffic may be light, but getting into and out of cities may be intimidating. Be ready to drive a manual transmission, and be ready for a lack of shoulders. Gasoline is more expensive than at home, about $4 a gallon.
As far as getting to the town from Kraków, take Highway 4/E40 east to Tarnów, and keep heading east on the now tri-signed Highway 4/73/E40 to Pilzno. Head southeast on 73 to Jasno, then east-turning-generally-southeastish on Highway 28 to Krosno. It looks like it would take a number of transfers to get that far from Krakow alone, so I think a car rental might be a good idea. Here are directions - it's a bit less than a three-hour drive.
• The name of your father's town actually appears to have a ł in it (it seems to be Głowienka rather than Glowienka), which might be hindering your searches. To get the character on a Mac, type option-L, then either shift-L for a capital or just l for a lowercase. Here's both in case you prefer to copy and paste: Ł ł . It's pronounced like the English "w" in "where" or "Wednesday." This is the Polish Wikipedia page for the town.
To contact some useful folks, my best bet would be the gmina - something like an American county. The town's in Gmina Miejsce Piastowe, and their site is here. You can send an e-mail to the county hall at miejsce_piastowe@zgwrp.org.pl, give them a call at + 48 013 43 530 19, or send a fax to + 48 013 43 536 94; there's also a list of contact people in county government here.
Finally, here's what looks like a local cultural/historical organization - I bet they'd be able to point you to some older folks in the community who might remember important details to help you locate the house.
All the best on your quest! And Dee Extrovert above is right about bringing a little something for anyone who helps you along the way, especially in a smaller place like the town you describe; maybe a book of postcards from your town in the States?
posted by mdonley at 5:34 PM on March 18, 2009
• Mobile phones are available all over the place. In the center of Krakow is a giant mall right next to the train and bus stations called Galeria Krakowska, and in that mall is a giant electronics shop called Saturn, which will have at least one or two English-speaking student-y types who can point you to a cheap phone. You can pick up a Nokia 1200 - the most basic phone ever, just calls and texts - for about 150 zł (today, a bit less than $50). Prepaid SIM cards (I paid just 18 zł for mine in September and have been recharging it ever since) are available everywhere too; they can almost certainly sell you one at Saturn and set it all up for you right there. The credit does expire after a relatively short amount of time, weeks rather than months, so keep an eye on your balance.
Calling the US will be cheaper with something like Skype Out at an internet cafe; you can set up a Skype account just like you'd set up one for an instant messenger program, then add money (€/$10 at a time, I think) to your account, then just sign in and call normal phones. It's far cheaper than anything else I've found here in Poland - 2.1¢ a minute to any US number, pretty much.
You can set up international roaming on a pre-paid account, but perhaps it will be easier to just get a German SIM when you get to Berlin. Oh - you can also recharge your phone at ATMs (even with a foreign card!), at kiosks (in bad Polish: "prosze, [number] złoty dla [name of pre-paid program from mobile phone company, i.e. SimPlus, Orange, etc.]"), and even in the checkout line at the supermarket.
• This site is the only one I've found that can pull up and search for bus timetables in English, so you can check out the ease/difficulty of getting around the region you'd like to explore. I haven't driven here, but I'm a passenger twice a week on a hundred-kilometer drive on a main two-lane highway (signed red, usually one or two digits), and the condition of the road is comparable to that in the States, though night-time lighting is far less intense, and there's often not much room for passing. In rural areas traffic may be light, but getting into and out of cities may be intimidating. Be ready to drive a manual transmission, and be ready for a lack of shoulders. Gasoline is more expensive than at home, about $4 a gallon.
As far as getting to the town from Kraków, take Highway 4/E40 east to Tarnów, and keep heading east on the now tri-signed Highway 4/73/E40 to Pilzno. Head southeast on 73 to Jasno, then east-turning-generally-southeastish on Highway 28 to Krosno. It looks like it would take a number of transfers to get that far from Krakow alone, so I think a car rental might be a good idea. Here are directions - it's a bit less than a three-hour drive.
• The name of your father's town actually appears to have a ł in it (it seems to be Głowienka rather than Glowienka), which might be hindering your searches. To get the character on a Mac, type option-L, then either shift-L for a capital or just l for a lowercase. Here's both in case you prefer to copy and paste: Ł ł . It's pronounced like the English "w" in "where" or "Wednesday." This is the Polish Wikipedia page for the town.
To contact some useful folks, my best bet would be the gmina - something like an American county. The town's in Gmina Miejsce Piastowe, and their site is here. You can send an e-mail to the county hall at miejsce_piastowe@zgwrp.org.pl, give them a call at + 48 013 43 530 19, or send a fax to + 48 013 43 536 94; there's also a list of contact people in county government here.
Finally, here's what looks like a local cultural/historical organization - I bet they'd be able to point you to some older folks in the community who might remember important details to help you locate the house.
All the best on your quest! And Dee Extrovert above is right about bringing a little something for anyone who helps you along the way, especially in a smaller place like the town you describe; maybe a book of postcards from your town in the States?
posted by mdonley at 5:34 PM on March 18, 2009
Actually, as far as buses go, I stand corrected: you can get from Kraków to Krosno - just a few miles from your dad's town - on what appears to be literally dozens of buses a day. Timetables here in English.
posted by mdonley at 6:10 PM on March 18, 2009
posted by mdonley at 6:10 PM on March 18, 2009
I drove through Poland a few years ago, I had no problems with the roads or signage. Things may have changed, but when I did it, I found it much cheaper to hire a car in Germany than in Poland.
posted by HiroProtagonist at 7:07 PM on March 18, 2009
posted by HiroProtagonist at 7:07 PM on March 18, 2009
Response by poster: Wow! Thanks so much for the helpful, thorough and thoughtful responses. I thought I would be lucky to get a few hints and pointers. But, this response is so much more than I could have hoped for.
Thanks to all! I will report back to the post after the trip later this year.
posted by GregWithLime at 5:31 PM on March 19, 2009
Thanks to all! I will report back to the post after the trip later this year.
posted by GregWithLime at 5:31 PM on March 19, 2009
Response by poster: I have now made the trip to Krakow and have returned home. Unfortunately, my father became ill and did not make the trip. We still went to Krakow without him but did not go to Glowienka. I hope to return there one day with my father.
With regards to driving in Krakow and the surrounding area, I would not recommend it. I decided not to rent a car and am so glad that I did not. In the medieval parts of the city center, driving would have been near impossible and extremely frustrating for the novice. Instead, take the fast and easy train that leaves to and from the airport every 30 minutes. It was just a few USD each way.
Once in the city center, we found it easy to walk all around from the north end of the city center to Wawel and the Jewish neighborhood to the south. We took a city bus out to the salt mine. It was only 80 USD cents each way. What a deal! Just make sure that you have coin change to buy your ticket on the bus.
We also took a public bus out to Auschwitz. Then, on the way back, we made a deal with a tour bus that had space and got a ride back to Krakow with them.
I absolutely loved Krakow. The mix of the old and new is ever-present and the culture is deep and proud. I look forward to returning one day in the future.
posted by GregWithLime at 7:08 PM on June 8, 2009
With regards to driving in Krakow and the surrounding area, I would not recommend it. I decided not to rent a car and am so glad that I did not. In the medieval parts of the city center, driving would have been near impossible and extremely frustrating for the novice. Instead, take the fast and easy train that leaves to and from the airport every 30 minutes. It was just a few USD each way.
Once in the city center, we found it easy to walk all around from the north end of the city center to Wawel and the Jewish neighborhood to the south. We took a city bus out to the salt mine. It was only 80 USD cents each way. What a deal! Just make sure that you have coin change to buy your ticket on the bus.
We also took a public bus out to Auschwitz. Then, on the way back, we made a deal with a tour bus that had space and got a ride back to Krakow with them.
I absolutely loved Krakow. The mix of the old and new is ever-present and the culture is deep and proud. I look forward to returning one day in the future.
posted by GregWithLime at 7:08 PM on June 8, 2009
It's really serendipitous that you just wrote and bumped this into my recent activity, GregWithLime, because I just returned from Myslenice (30km S of Krakow) today, and I rented a car. I tried once to get into Krakow, and turned back, the traffic just as worse as I assumed it would be by now. The highway linking Myslenice to Krakow, and anything south of Myslenice, is under massive roadworks with frequent delays and speed reductions.
I'd like to put my 2c in as well for pro-public transit in the Krakow area.
posted by Meatbomb at 8:18 AM on June 9, 2009
I'd like to put my 2c in as well for pro-public transit in the Krakow area.
posted by Meatbomb at 8:18 AM on June 9, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
For getting around Krakow city proper, I would just use the tram depending on where you are staying obviously, no need to drive unless you want to get out of the city. I found parking easy. If you are near the city center you can walk to the most of the interesting stuff and tram to the rest. We even took the buss to Auschwitz even though we had the car.
Out of Krakow there is a nice big Highway which can take you across Poland and pretty much all the way to Berlin, if I remember correctly. There are a few toll points on that road, but sadly I forget the cost -- just make sure you have enough cash in hand or a working credit card (we had a few problems with our english debit card here and resorted to one that drew on our American account).
Can't help with cell phone suggestions (there are pay-as-you-go ones available all over though) or family connections, except to say that trying to find my wife's and my own family connections in Poland and Vienna has proven nearly impossible.
It was a great city to visit, nice food, nice drink, nice people. I wish I had stayed much, much longer. Have fun.
posted by sundri at 12:25 PM on March 18, 2009