Poland for hipsters
August 28, 2017 10:44 PM Subscribe
Warsaw, Poznan, Krakow, Wroclaw... What is there to see and do? And eat :D
Planning a 2 week road trip in Poland. With toddler :/ what is there to see and do, a little bit more than "walk in old Town" (which we will do of course) and "go to the zoo" (which we will also do). Museum, food, and other recommendations welcome. Husband's Polish is good but mine is fairly shitty. September/October time frame.
We're in the very early stages of planning, and will have a car, so any must see spots along the way are welcome too. And if we must see Gdansk or Zakopane then tell me that too. Thanks world travelers!
Planning a 2 week road trip in Poland. With toddler :/ what is there to see and do, a little bit more than "walk in old Town" (which we will do of course) and "go to the zoo" (which we will also do). Museum, food, and other recommendations welcome. Husband's Polish is good but mine is fairly shitty. September/October time frame.
We're in the very early stages of planning, and will have a car, so any must see spots along the way are welcome too. And if we must see Gdansk or Zakopane then tell me that too. Thanks world travelers!
When in Krakow, see the Wieliczka salt mine. Bring a kid-carrier or pick up a cheap umbrella stroller (there are many stairs) for the little one. Having a car might be good - looks like there are train works September-October that might make using public transit from city center a bit of a question mark. When it comes to getting around, check out the Jakdojade app in your favorite smartphone flavor. I found it indispensable for negotiating public transit if you don't want to drive everywhere.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 12:36 AM on August 29, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 12:36 AM on August 29, 2017 [3 favorites]
In Warsaw you should visit the Copernicus science museum, there's tons of touchy things for young (and old) kids. Best visited during the week, as it's very busy on Saturdays or any other time kids are off school. If your toddler likes tanks and planes then the Polish Army Museum is nice to wander around outside.
The zoo in Krakow is nicer than the zoo in Warsaw, but Warsaw Zoo is fine for a half day visit.
Public transport is really much better than trying to park in Warsaw city center, 2nding Jakdojade as a very useful app. Polish drivers are fairly crazy, and in Warsaw they are worse.
posted by samj at 2:24 AM on August 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
The zoo in Krakow is nicer than the zoo in Warsaw, but Warsaw Zoo is fine for a half day visit.
Public transport is really much better than trying to park in Warsaw city center, 2nding Jakdojade as a very useful app. Polish drivers are fairly crazy, and in Warsaw they are worse.
posted by samj at 2:24 AM on August 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
I don't think I've ever been to Krakow without getting a Zapiekanka at some point, but I don't know whether you like street food.
Close to Krakow there is also the Błędów desert, which I liked (mainly however because I had never been to something 'desert-like' before) - maybe worth the small detour.
Oh and I really like strolling around in Gdansk. Plus, it's close to the ocean and while it will be too cold to swim, that's always worth a visit. :)
posted by bigendian at 3:09 AM on August 29, 2017
Close to Krakow there is also the Błędów desert, which I liked (mainly however because I had never been to something 'desert-like' before) - maybe worth the small detour.
Oh and I really like strolling around in Gdansk. Plus, it's close to the ocean and while it will be too cold to swim, that's always worth a visit. :)
posted by bigendian at 3:09 AM on August 29, 2017
If you end up in Gdasnk be sure to have a meal at Tawerna Mestwin (a Kashubian restaraunt), the food was soooo good I still think about it 3 years later.
posted by modesty.blaise at 6:09 AM on August 29, 2017
posted by modesty.blaise at 6:09 AM on August 29, 2017
I've never been, but I used to work at an art gallery that helped place some art at Stary Brower in Poznan. If hitting up a mall with monumental art sounds like a good time, check it out!
posted by quatsch at 7:30 AM on August 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by quatsch at 7:30 AM on August 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
The best meal I've ever had in my life was in Warsaw at Stary Dom. Flights of terrific Polish beers, steak tartare made tableside, big plates of ribs and roast chicken, herring, goose... Sort of the classy, people dressed up a little (not opera dressed up, but church dressed up, certainly) version of hearty traditional Polish cuisine. The best thing I can tell you about it is that when Polish folks we met that day asked us where we were going for dinner that night, we were roundly congratulated on our fantastic taste. Literally everything we ate was magical.
Look at the food pics in the gallery. It's unbelievable.
Although really, if your tastes tilt toward hearty, meat and potatoes stuff, it becomes exceptionally easy to find a great dinner in Warsaw. I'm from the Southern US and my wife is Romanian, so this was very much up our alleys. We were in heaven every time we ate. But nothing was as amazing as Stary Dom.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:38 AM on August 29, 2017
Look at the food pics in the gallery. It's unbelievable.
Although really, if your tastes tilt toward hearty, meat and potatoes stuff, it becomes exceptionally easy to find a great dinner in Warsaw. I'm from the Southern US and my wife is Romanian, so this was very much up our alleys. We were in heaven every time we ate. But nothing was as amazing as Stary Dom.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:38 AM on August 29, 2017
At that age, my kiddo much preferred low-key non-agenda park visits. Things like the rose garden in Warsaw, the mermaid statue in the center of Old Town in Warsaw, and the dragon in Krakow that breathes fire when you push a button. Łazienki Park (Park Łazienkowski) was a nice visit, too. I went in early September 7 years ago, and the weather was quite pleasant.
posted by jillithd at 11:21 AM on August 29, 2017
posted by jillithd at 11:21 AM on August 29, 2017
My ex and I did a communist tour of an industrial town outside of Krakow where we had lunch at a milk bar (cafeteria), rode in a Cold War Trabant (we even got to drive the car), and drank vodka and ate pickles with the tour guide. It was pretty darn fun. On my phone so I can't link but I believe it was called Crazy Communist Tours and should be pretty easy to find.
posted by Neely O'Hara at 7:47 PM on August 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Neely O'Hara at 7:47 PM on August 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
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posted by Too-Ticky at 11:46 PM on August 28, 2017