Touring Poland
 

Has anyone got ant info on touring Poland.This will be my first tour abroad and was wondering what to expect for accomodation,road conditions etc
Regards Nick

Been over a few times. (last time few years ago). Very beautiful. North coast nice, but bit same'y. Gdansk very beautiful. Krackow & Zakopane (and czech side) definately the best areas to go for.
Cheap & generally cheerful. Petrol no probs, unleaded easily available. Oil same. Some Companies funny about green cards - can get at border I believe. Take a phase book ! Plenty of good camping (and motels) - Get map from toutrist centres.
email me if you want to ask anything specific.
Can't remember any negatives. When we first went they thought my '78 BMW R80/7 was beyond luxury - and there were no bikes about, it has changed since!
One thing - watch the 'trans continental' routes - mixture of modern vehicles driving too fast, and knacked soviet trucks. Dangerous mix - vehicles expect you to be a moped and don't notice your speed. If stopped by Police shrug a lot and smile like a looney !
But over all, good choice I'd say.
Drop me a line if you need any more.

hi nickprit,

good choice, poland is very nice in the summer and also in the winter (but not on a bike).
The places I liked most are: Leba on the Baltic Sea, Krakow, a town south of Katowitice but I don't remeber the name now, and of course the Masuren Lake District.
Poland is good for biking but the small roads can be rough going - but fun. Don't ride at night, as some trucks don't have light.
And always try to find a good place to park the bike for the night and lock it to something.
I didn't like Gdansk, but that was in 1992 and a lot has changed I bet.
Have fun - and the polish girls are just ....
MIKA

Dear Nick!

Go there! You won't be disappointed. I biked around Poland for one month two years ago and it was great. We didn't make any bad experiences with crime or nasty people.
For destinations I would recommend: North-East and South- East. Anyway we liked the eastern parts a lot more.
We rented a canoe for one week in the Masuren area, wich was fabulous. Also the nicest and most quiet roads, I think.
As for accomondation, I think camping is the best idea. Don't expecxt campsites, but nobody ever cared when we pitched our tent in the wild.
Have fun! Patrick

I'm Polish but now live in the US. I visited Poland this summer and traveled all around. If you have any Questions drop me a line.


Mark

I guess you need to know a couple things .

1. The Polish drive like loonies . They will drive over the top of you to get in front of you it seems sometimes . Especially those who can afford powerful new cars .

2. Roads are generally poorly surfaced and narrow ( hence the passing ) . Expect slow average speeds . But you're on holiday so you're not in a hurry right ?

3. It's generally quite flat apart from the very south so its not so exciting scenery or riding .

Thats three , sorry :-)

I toured through Poland in August of 2001 on my motorcycle, and had a great time.

I entered at the south end of the country, crossing in from Slovakia. I did not know that Canadians needed a visa to enter Poland, and the border guards were very apologetic about this - they felt bad that they had to send me back to Bratislava to get a visa. I didn't mind the ride back (3 hours) - the highways through Slovakia were in great shape, and nice and twisty. As good as or better than Canadian or American roads. Slovakia is a really delightful country for sport bike riding.

When I arrived at the Polish Embassy in Bratislava the following morning, I found out that the border guards had phoned ahead and advised I was coming - I was given 'red carpet' visa service, and was back on the road in 30 minutes. When I showed up at the same border post exactly 24 hours after my first visit, they recognized me and welcomed me back - 30 seconds, total, to cross the border. No inspections of my bike, luggage, anything like that, either at the Slovakian border or at the Polish border.

The only criticism I have of the roads in Poland is that they are heavily rutted in certain areas - mostly the routes leading into and out of the industrial areas of the larger cities. I chose to stick to the secondary roads, rather than the principal highways, and found good riding conditions, wonderful geography and excellent hospitality.

Theft of the bike is a constant concern in Poland, because of Poland's proximity to Ukraine and Russia. I was always able to find a place to stay overnight where the motorcycle could be locked up. If I stayed at a B&B, the family would put it in their own garage, and park a car or tractor behind it. Every 'better' hotel in the country offers locked and guarded parking - the Poles do cater to Western European visitors.

I traveled across southern Poland, spending over a week in the country, and then exited into Germany. I don't speak a word of Polish but was able to muddle my way through without difficulty using English and French. Altogether I thought Poland was a very nice country, good value, no problems with buying fuel, food, Big Mac's, using major credit cards at all the service stations, hotels, etc. I would not hesitate to return, and I recommend Poland to other riders.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Nickprit:
Has anyone got ant info on touring Poland.This will be my first tour abroad and was wondering what to expect for accomodation,road conditions etc
Regards Nick<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Hi Nick
I have been to Poland last Summer and I had great time.
People are very friendly and relaxed.
In warsaw I went to a Jewish restaurant on the main road just passed the ruins of the walls (Sorry, I can't remember the name of the road) and I had an excellent meal.
On the same road there is also a cafe' called "belle epoque" which I highly recommend.
If you like nature you might want to explore the area near Lithuania (above byalistok).
Be carefull on the roads, you will find lots of heavy traffic (lorries) and big bumps where your weels could get stuck.
If you need the insurance you best apply for Warta (the main polish insurer).
Enjoy
Paolo

Eruschetta brings up a good point, which cannot be stressed highly enough to first time visitors to Poland, and this is about bumps and ruts in the road.

There is a great deal of unregulated and overweight truck traffic in Poland. The effect of this is that single-lane roads that are frequented by commecial trucks develop ruts, where the truck tires fit, that can be as deep as 6 inches, compared to the rest of the road surface.

If you encounter this type of condition (and you will, you cannot escape it) during dry conditions on a sunny day, you can get used to it, although it is very unsettling to be riding along in a rut such as this. It is almost like motorcycling down a bobsled run. Your ability to maneuver around on the road - and thus to take evasive action if someone else is coming at you in your lane, etc. - is greatly limited by these ruts.

However, if you were to encounter some of these ruts during any kind of reduced visibility conditions (night, fog, etc.) or when the road was wet, or even damp, you could easily lose control of your bike.

The ruts are most common on single lane highways (i.e. not four lane roads), and on the main approach roads in and out of cities.

You can avoid them, to a certain extent, by staying on the secondary roads that are not used by the trucks.

They are a real safety hazard.

I,m from Poland.

some of travellers have a "short look" for a polish country but now i's not so pink so was last year.
but the mountains, lakes etc. are still wonderful.

if you have any special questions, make the post.



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best regards
Grzegorz Zajac