Old Big Cities or Zamosc Countryside?

Hello,

I have to choose between 2 routes for 1 week in May in Poland:

Route A - Krakow (with side trips) / Zamosc / Lublin / Kazimierz Dolny / Warsaw;

Route B - Krakow (with side trips) / Wroclaw / Poznan / Torun / Chelmno / Gdansk;

Which one is more rewarding?

Thanks,

jabp

Hi, well they're quite different. Mainly Route B tries to cover a lot more territory, and in a week, you'd only get a night in each. Krakow, Wroclaw, Poznan, Torun, Gdansk (haven't been to Chelmno) are all very pretty, but in kind of a similar way, and I suspect if you did all these in a week, you might start to feel a certain deja vu. If you wanted to do that route, you could Krakow, Wroclaw, Gdansk, and cut out the rest. You'll get the idea, and it would be more manageable and not feel so rushed.

I would probably advise Route A, though. Zamosc is pretty, and different from the other major centres (although half a day is plenty). Lublin is interesting (go up the tower, sorry I forget which one but it's in the LP), and has a nice - and authentic (not reconstructed) - old town, Kazimierz Dolny is very pretty and different again, and Warsaw - well, I live there so I'm biased. Many would say you could skip it, but I think it's worth a trip - again, the capital, and something quite different from others places in Poland. I think Route A is more varied, and also more off the beaten track - you'll feel like you've seen more different things, and things many others wouldn't bother with. You've got the traditional beautiful old town with Krakow.

Have fun!

and if you go route a, use minibuses between zamosc/lublin/kazimierz/warsaw. it's the easiest and cheapst way - they go all the time (every 20-40 minutes), and cost about 10-20 zl each leg I think, if i remember correctly. it's a pretty ride, too.

Prevalent majority of foreigners I know find the route B more interesting (but will be more expensive also);
Zamosc is nice for 2-3 hours only, Lublin is worth of visit if you are interested in churches;
In my opinion definitely route B, but consider cut Poznan and Chelmno;