POLAND - WHAT TO SEE AND DO
Review by Barb & Ron Kroll
Fodor's Poland
(Fodor's) ISBN 978-1400017515 1400017513
This Fodor's guidebook covers what to see in Poland's cities and countryside. Readers learn about location of attractions, when to go, contemporary Polish culture, customs and food.
They find information on castles and palaces, outdoor activities such as kayaking and mountain climbing, the café scene, folk art, churches, history and music. Sightseeing options include helpful facts.
Hotels in Poland
Regional information includes sections on restaurants, hotels, costs and timing of your visit. City information has sections on What to See, Where to Eat, Where to Stay, Shopping, Spas, Nightlife and the Arts.
Examples provide contact information with phone numbers, addresses and websites. Readers learn how to get there by car, bus and train. Driving directions are in miles and kilometers.
City maps
This Poland guidebook has no images, but features many city and regional driving maps.
Close Up sidebars provide information about Polish history, famous citizens, archaelogical sights and architecture. An intriguing example is the Wroclaw Spot the Dwarves sidebar, which illustrates how Poles fought oppression with a touch of humor.
Outdoor activities
For each region, Fodor's Poland lists suggested itineraries and walks, top five things to see and things to do, such as hiking, kayaking, birdwatching, nightlife and music.
The Essentials section offers helpful information on passports, visas, apartment and house rentals, car rental and insurance, guided tours and cruises.
Where to eat
The Communications section provides details on Internet, telephone, language and greetings, with local taboos.
Eating Out describes Polish restaurants and fast food places to eat. The list of Polish foods, in English and Polish, ranges from borscht (soup) to paczki (doughnuts), with advice on meal times, tipping, wine, beer and spirits.
Driving trip
Trzebnica and Sobotka are two towns near Wroclaw in Silesia.
Trzebnica is famous for its Cistercian Abbey. Sobotka is the starting point for pilgrims wanting to climb Mount Sleza and discover the mysterious stone statues believed to be Celtic in origin.
Contents
PLANNING YOUR TRIP- About this book
- What's Where
- When to go
- Quintessential Poland
- If You Like
- Great Itineraries
- On the Calendar
WARSAW AND MAZOVIA
- Exploring Warsaw
- Where to Eat
- Where to Stay
- Nighlife & the Arts
- Sports & the Outdoors
- Shopping
- Excursions from Warsaw
- Warsaw & Mazovia Essentials
- Wroclaw
- Trzebnica
- Sobotka
- Swidnica
- Zamek Ksiaz
- Cieplice Slaskie
- Jawor
- Karpacz
- Kudowa Zdroj
- Katowice
- Czestochowa
- Pszczyna
- Cieszyn
- Silesia Essentials
- Posnan
- Kruszwica
- Kornik Castle
- Rogalin Palace
- Gniezno
- Biskupin
- Ostrow Lednicki
- Strzelno
- Torun
- Golub-Dobrzyn Castle
- Wielkopolska Essentials
- The Tri-City (Gdansk, Sopot & Gdynia)
- Malbork Castle
- Frombork
- Pojezierze Drawskie
- Czaplinek
- Zamek Wedel
- Zamek Joannitow
- Stare Drawsko
- Polczyn Zdroj
- Borne-Sulinowo
- Zamek Krag
- Szczecinek
- Szczecin
- Wolin Island
- Kamien Pomorski
- Baltic Coast & Pomerania Essentials
- Olsztyn
- Lidzbark Warminski
- The Mazury Lake District
- Pojezierze Suwalskie
- Lublin
- Kozlowka Castle
- Pulaway
- Kazmierz Dolny
- Zamosc
- Lancut
- Mazury & Eastern Poland Essentials
- Exploring Krakow
- Where to Eat
- Where to Stay
- Nightlife & the Arts
- Shopping
- Krakow Essentials
- Ojcow National Park
- Auschwitz & Birkenau
- Tyniec Abbey
- Wieliczka Salt Mine
- The Pope's Express
- Alwernia
- Niepolomice
- Zakopane
- Dolina Koscieliska
- Lake Morskie Oko
- Nowy Targ
- The Pieniny & Czorsztyn Lake Region
- Nowy Sacz
- Stary Sacz
- Krynica
- Malopolska & The Tatras Essentials
- A Short History of Poland
- Polish Folk Art
- Doing Business in Poland
- Recommended Books & Films
- Polish Vocabulary
- POLAND ESSENTIALS
INDEX
ABOUT OUR AUTHORS
- More Than Books
- 40 Million Bricks
- He Left His Heart in Warsaw
- The Warsaw Rising of 1944
- A Material Girl
- Nocturne in C-Sharp Minor
- The Artists' Museum of Art
- Spot the Dwarves
- Swan Song
- The Bridges of Wroclaw
- The Power of Peat
- Movie Marathon
- Ephemeral and Lasting
- Hacquetia Epipactis
- Saint Adalbert & the Congress of Gniezno
- Stary Lichen
- Three Men Called Edward Raczynski
- The Doors of Gniezno
- The Baptism of Poland
- Mikolaj Kopernik
- The Rise & Fall (and Rise) of the Polish Riviera
- The Youngest City on the Baltic
- All Through the Knights
- Under the Lindens
- Szczecin: A Mirror of Pomeranian History
- Born in the U.S.A.
- Kresy-Poland's Eastern Borderlands
- The Zamoyskis of Zamosc
- Mysterious Mounds
- The Japanese Connection
- A Sane Argument
- The Bagel Returns Home
- What is Spiss?
- Lost Treasure of the Incas
- Naive Epiphany
Authors
A native of Krakow, Dorota Wasik is the primary author of Poland. She has published Living in Krakow and Visible Cities Krakow.
Marcin Jasionowicz, an art historian, did the chapter on Wielkopolska.
Another art historian and writer, Sylwia Trzaska wrote Szczecin, Wolin Island, Pojezierze Drawskie and an essay on folk art.
Marta Slusarczyk-Snoch, former department head of the Malopolska Regional Government, is a diplomatic protocol and business consultant. She provided material and guidance about the Tri-City section and Polish business culture.
Dorota Lesniak-Rychlak, former editor of the monthly Architektura i biznes, contributed information on hiking trails in the Tatras and the Krutynia River Trail.