Poland itinerary 5 days — How to spend 5 days in Poland to visit Warsaw and Krakow

When you planning a trip to Europe, you probably won’t put Poland in the first place, right?! However, I have spent 10 days in this beautiful country and have to admit that Poland is a gentle, friendly country with countless delicious food and ancient European beauties. I think if you intend to come here, you can shorten the time to 5 days to visit the 2 main cities of Poland are Warsaw and Krakow is enough. Because I was happy, so I stayed for 10 days, but still have no regrets! So, where to go and how to spend 5 days in Poland? Let’s check out our suggested Poland itinerary 5 days to visit the capital of Warsaw and Krakow — the 2 most beautiful destinations of Poland on one journey (Warsaw to Krakow day trip) to figure out the answer!

5 days in Poland: How to get to Poland?

From Vietnam, other Asian countries

From Vietnam there is no direct flight to Poland, you have to transit at least once. The best airlines you should choose are Qatar, Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, ANA, Japan Airlines.. with airfares ranging from $695 to $740 in low season. However, in my opinion, you should not only fly directly to Poland, but should combine with other countries in one journey and fly to countries with cheaper prices such as France, Germany, Italy and then traveling to Poland later. Flying to Germany first and then going to Poland is also quite convenient because the two countries share the same border. From here you just need to take a bus or train and go to any major Polish city.

To find cheap tickets and most suitable flight routes for your trip, you can visit Google Flights, SkyScanner.

Warsaw Airport located about 10km from downtown of Warsaw, to getting from the airport to city center you can catch taxi, bus or train. We had a very detailed guide on how to travel from the airport to city here.

Bus: Catch the bus No. 175, 188, 143, N32, 331. These bus routes directly run to city center.

Train: You can take the S2 or S3 to get to the downtown warsaw. S3 line will take you to the city center train station. The traveling time is about 20 minutes.

Shared Bus Transfer between Warsaw Chopin Airport and Warsaw

Taxi: It takes about 20 minutes to reach the center and the costs about €8 – 12.

From other cities in Europe

This is the way I chose to getting to Poland, there are 2 options I highly recommend: bus and train. Bus is cheaper while train is faster, but the price will be expensive if you book late.

Polski Bus/Flix Bus: Polski Bus is a Polish low-cost bus company with destinations such as Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria. This is my favorite choice because getting to Poland by this bus is quite convenient and cheap. The bus company regularly offers night buses for long distances like from Prague to Warsaw, so if you traveling alone or like a backpacker, this option is very good. But since 2018, this brand has been merged into Flix Bus, so now you want to getting from any city in Europe to Poland, just use Flix Bus.

By train: Countries with land borders with Poland will all have train lines to Warsaw, you can visit omio.com to find the suitable train for your schedule and itinerary.

Currency

Poland does not use Euro, if you intend to come to Poland, you should prepare a credit card to use in case you have not yet exchanged money. Many places in Poland still use a lot of cash, so credit cards are only for dealing with a few cases such as buying train tickets to hotels, eating in restaurants and cafes, go to Old Town of Warsaw / Krakow, there will be money exchange shops. The Polish currency is złoty, USD 1 = 3.89 złoty or to make it easier to remember, 4 złoty = 1 euro.

Poland itinerary 5 days: Where to stay?

In Poland you can easily book a room through Agoda or Booking or even Airbnb as you like with a lot of budget options. However, you should choose to stay in the Old Town Warsaw & Old Town Krakow, which will be more convenient to getting around because the main attractions are located around these areas. In Warsaw & Krakow you can also try to stay in an Airbnb with lots of lovely rooms.

Below are the detailed Poland itinerary 5 days on how to spend 5 days in Poland perfectly.

Poland itinerary 5 days — Day 1: Warsaw

The first day is the day you arrive in Warsaw. You can fly from Vietnam or from a country in Europe. I traveled from Prague to Warsaw by a night bus, which is quite convenient, I was going from 11 pm to 8 am the next morning day, so you will have a whole day to play in Warsaw. For the day 1, you should visit some famous places in the center of Warsaw first.

• Old Town Warsaw: This place is just over 40 years old because during World War II, it was 90% destroyed. But when you come here, you will see that Warsaw Old Town is planned almost the same as before with colorful houses that bring the soul of Warsaw. The only missing point is probably the traces of time on the walls.
• Old Town Market Square
• The Royal Castle in Warsaw (Zamek Królewski w Warszawie): The royal castle is also located in the old town area which is very recognizable with its red brick color.
• Palace of Culture & Science: This is a place I like much, to access inside you pay 12 pln (Zloty)to go to the upper floor to see the whole view of Warsaw.

5 days in Poland — Day 2: Warsaw

On the second day, take advantage of going to places a little further from the center.

• Łazienki Park: It is not only a park but also has Łazienki palace located in the center next to an extremely poetic lake.
• Wilanów Palace: Located quite far from the center, but this palace is worth a visit because of its unique French & Italian blend architecture, in addition, the palace’s royal garden is also great for a walk. It also has a museum.
• POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews/Warsaw Uprising Museum: If you have time, you should visit one of these two museums to learn more about Poland’s somewhat painful history, but it’s a testament to how Poland has surpassed its dark history and developed as it is today.

Warsaw to Krakow day trip — Day 3: Warsaw – Oswiecim – Krakow

Referring to Poland, many people think of this place as the first country to be attacked by Nazi Germany during World War II. So when I came to Poland, I was also curious to know what those crimes and painful past were like. So I went to Oswiecim – where there was a large Nazi concentration camp.

Here I feel a shiver down my spine (feel very frightened) because the toys of murdered children are still kept, the buns of the Jews’ hair are shaved to prepare for execution in the concentration camps, all are the pain of World War II left. Surely a trip to Oswiecim will be uncomfortable for many people, but if you love history and have read about World War II in the books, Oswiecim will bring you like walking through the painful days of Poland in the most real way.

To getting from Warsaw to Oswiecim is by bus, you will need to take 2 trips:

• West Warsaw – Katowice: Take the EIP EIP bus in the direction of Bielsko-Biała Gł.
• Katowice – Oswiecim: Take the bus KSL 94354 to travel to the destination.

Total traveling time is about 3 hours 30 minutes. Then you continue traveling from Oswiecim to Krakow by train which takes 1 hour and 50 minutes. Note that each train from Oswiecim to Krakow is one and a half hours apart, so you need to watch the train time by searching Google Maps to leave the attraction on time.

5 days in Poland — Day 4: Krakow

Personally for me, Krakow is more beautiful, ancient and soulful than Warsaw, because during the World War II, Krakow was not destroyed much and still retains all the works, buidlings, structures from the Middle Ages. When you come to Krakow Old Town, you will quickly admire the St. Mary’s Basilica, the Cloth Hall is located right in the center. The feeling of walking in the old town is very interesting. A little further from the old town is the Wawel Royal Castle & Church. All major attractions you can easily reach by foot because Krakow is relatively small.

Poland itinerary 5 days — Day 5: Krakow – Warsaw

Come back to Warsaw and get ready to return to Vietnam or continue to visiting other European countries. From Krakow to Warsaw, you can travel by train in just 2 hours and 35 minutes.

Other destinations in Poland

These are places that I have not had the opportunity to go yet but are still recommended by my friends for the next trips if I come back. So I suggest a few names for you to consider put them in your itinerary.

Gdańsk

Pozna

Wroclaw

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in, from and to Warsaw you can refer to

• Fryderyk Chopin’s Concert Ticket in Warsaw Old Town
• Warsaw Hop-On Hop-Off City Sightseeing Bus Tour
• Private Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport (WAW) Transfers for Warsaw
• Best of Warsaw Half Day Tour
• Frederic Chopin Evening Walking Tour in Warsaw
• Warsaw Off the Beaten Path Half Day Tour

Are you looking for more top things to do in Poland: Tours, activities, attractions and other things? Let’s check it out here.