Since we have an upcoming trip to Poland next May, I figured someone on CC might have some ideas about places we should go. My S and DIL live in Warsaw. We’re going to spend a few days in the Krakow area and go to Auschwitz one day. After that, we’ll go back to Warsaw for a few days. DH will go home after seven days and I will stay another week. My DIL asked me to research places we’d like to go the second week. Does anyone have any suggestions? I like history and hiking, mainly. Not so much into shopping.
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Warsaw and Krakow are both amazing and full of historical sites. Are you looking for specific places to visit in those cities, or other cities to explore? Gdansk is interesting, Zakopane is beuatiful - but really between Warsaw and Krakow you could easily fill a few weeks without running out of things to do, especially if you take a day to see Auchwitz, the salt mines (also a popular day trip from Krakow), if you are interested in Holocaust history, there are Treblinka tours out of Warsaw. The old Jewish cemetery, the Jewish ghetto, the Schindler factor, Wawel Castle…There’s quite a bit to do for any history buff.
Thanks so much! I’m looking for other towns/cities to visit the second week. My DIL mentioned Gdansk as a possibility. I am very interested in WWII and Holocaust history, though. I remember reading a book about Treblinka when I was in high school that really impacted me, so thanks for suggesting that. I hadn’t heard of Zakopane, so I will look that up.
I’m a little concerned about DH. His grandfather was Jewish and lived in Eastern Europe as a young child. The family came to America in 1906 or so when they realized things were going downhill for Jews. DH has been told there are no Jews left in the village his family lived in and we know he lost relatives in WWII. He says he wants to explore Holocaust history, but I know him - he is very tenderhearted. He can’t even watch serious plays without taking them to heart for days.
It can be a very weighty experience, even for those without direct connections. But it is very much worth doing. Both Warsaw and Krakow will have a lot to see in terms of Jewish history - synagogues, cemeteries, what remains of the ghettos. And of course day trip tours of the camps. None of it is easy to see, but I do think it must be confronted, if you have the opportunity.
Gdansk is very interesting if you are interested in the history of the Solidarity movement, as it really began there.
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Oh, I didn’t know about Solidarity starting in Gdansk! DH would be interested in that, but he might be gone by the time we visit there.
Yes, there is museum there about Solidarity history, too.
If you would like context for your trip in the form of a historical novel, consider Michener’s Poland.
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Thanks for the suggestion, I love Michener. Just ordered it on Amazon. 
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S2 and H met up in Gdansk last summer and they both really enjoyed it. Said it’s a very pretty city and lots of good food. Krakow is one of my favorite cities. Good that you’ll be there before the swarms of summer tourists arrive!
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While in Warsaw we’ve stayed here a few time…LOVED it. The last stay was in 2018…so things might have changed. But it is a beautiful hotel, one of the few buildings surviving catastrophic damage during the bombings. They had a vodka bar at the breakfast buffet
I stayed at the Polonia last year and it was quite nice.
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I will look into it, thanks!
If you are interested in WWII the Wolfs Lair might be of interest as well. It’s off the beaten path in the woods. If you want beauty after all the depressing WWII sites, you could go on to the Masurian Lake District for a few days for beautiful nature and quiet.
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