Leeds Warsaw - advice for travel without using aeroplanes
Discussion
Me and my good lady have a wedding we have to attend in Warsaw in September, neither of us have a problem with flying but we both find it quite tedius and fancy a bit of an excuse for an adventure. Options being considered are hiring a car to drive from Leeds to Poland or using the train.
I haven't really driven much in Europe and have never been further than London on the train but having looked at the cost of hiring something interesting to do the journey in (I don't fancy it in my current choices) I'd swaying more towards the train. Not the PH option I guess but with a sleeper carriage option for the overnight stretch and the promise of lots of drinking for a few days the train seems to make sense.
Does anyone have any hints and tips as to the best way to get from the UK to Warsaw by train (Leeds > Kings Cross will be the first step) or any companies that can do bookings for this kind of thing to cover all the tickets for each stage? I want minimal fuss, maximum comfort and low cost where possible
Any input would be appreciated, even if it's just to tell me I'm stupid and should fly
ETA: Also happy to consider slight diversions on the route if there is a "must see" along the way.
I haven't really driven much in Europe and have never been further than London on the train but having looked at the cost of hiring something interesting to do the journey in (I don't fancy it in my current choices) I'd swaying more towards the train. Not the PH option I guess but with a sleeper carriage option for the overnight stretch and the promise of lots of drinking for a few days the train seems to make sense.
Does anyone have any hints and tips as to the best way to get from the UK to Warsaw by train (Leeds > Kings Cross will be the first step) or any companies that can do bookings for this kind of thing to cover all the tickets for each stage? I want minimal fuss, maximum comfort and low cost where possible
Any input would be appreciated, even if it's just to tell me I'm stupid and should fly
ETA: Also happy to consider slight diversions on the route if there is a "must see" along the way.
Edited by thetapeworm on Tuesday 3rd August 11:11
www.bahn.de for train info. Will give you options for the whole journey.
Pretty much everything you need to know about using the train is either on or linked to this site: http://www.seat61.com/
Also you might consider going Hull to Rotterdam as an overnight foot passenger and picking up the train from there.
[It is unlikely that any hire car company outside Poland would allow you to take a hire car into Poland, imo]
Also you might consider going Hull to Rotterdam as an overnight foot passenger and picking up the train from there.
[It is unlikely that any hire car company outside Poland would allow you to take a hire car into Poland, imo]
Great links, thanks, will have a good look at those in a moment but the first one has highlighted that it's possible to plan the journey for anything between 19 and 29 hours depending on how you do it so a 10 hour saving would be nice.
On the hire car thing I was unrealistically thinking I could do a hire company a favour by taking a LHD car back for them and then do the same with a RHD on the return journey. I guess immigrants don't hire one way cars though judging by the number of "PL" branded plates here
JB! said:
avoid belgium and holland. train services are sloooooow.
train to london, underground to waterloo, realise that you're at the wrong station, underground back to kings cross st pancras, train to paris, from there i'd aim straight for germany, then poland.
plus, overnight stop in paris...
EFAtrain to london, underground to waterloo, realise that you're at the wrong station, underground back to kings cross st pancras, train to paris, from there i'd aim straight for germany, then poland.
plus, overnight stop in paris...
Edited by samwilliams on Tuesday 3rd August 12:10
samwilliams said:
JB! said:
avoid belgium and holland. train services are sloooooow.
train to london, underground to waterloo, realise that you're at the wrong station, underground back to kings cross st pancras, train to paris, from there i'd aim straight for germany, then poland.
plus, overnight stop in paris...
EFAtrain to london, underground to waterloo, realise that you're at the wrong station, underground back to kings cross st pancras, train to paris, from there i'd aim straight for germany, then poland.
plus, overnight stop in paris...
Edited by samwilliams on Tuesday 3rd August 12:10
and i work on the railway, i really should know...
It looks as though we are going to attempt driving but I want to hire a car as I still haven't sold my Puma and bought something nicer for longer trips.
Does anyone know of any hire companies that allow you to take book a car in the UK and take it overseas before bringing it back? Most of the major ones I've checked tonight seem to have terms that restrict the car to the country it's hired in.
I'll call a few to see if they can offer anything that isn't covered online but if anyone knows of any companies that are open to this kind of thing please let me know.
I suspect I'll be looking for something like a Focus / Astra / Golf to keep costs down.
I drive to Poznan which is along the same route to Warsaw a couple of times a year and absolutely love it. The worst part of the journey is from the Polish border to the motorway (toll 12PLN and I believe they do take cards) which is around 60km of single carriageway through various small towns and villages. The motorway is also being extended so that it reaches the border and this is causing all sorts of problems. From your dates it looks like you will be crossing the border on a weekday so expect delays due to a section of the road being completely dug up and all the traffic having to take a slight detour through the village of Rzepin. I would advise avoiding this section during the day and aim to get through there either early morning or late evening/night.
Also have your wits about you when on Polish roads. I'm assuming that either you or your partner are Polish in which case you should have an idea of what to expect. The most important thing to remember is that in Poland overtaking vehicles have right of way, a great rule in theory but can catch the unwary out. All the single carriageway roads have a small hard shoulder so don't be afraid to use it when someone is overtaking, this includes traffic overtaking you which there will be a lot of. It's best to get out of their way and leave them to get on with it. Beware of blind bends and brows of hills because solid white lines don't seem to mean much either.
I'm probably making it sound worse than it is but as long as you are cautious you will be fine. If you get stuck behind a truck and you are having problems getting past it due to being unsighted then just leave a big enough gap so others can get past you and simply sit it out. Once you get to the motorway it's like reaching motoring nirvana as the speed limit is 130kph and the road is virtually deserted.
I can't recommend too many things to stop and see as usually I just get my head down and eat up the miles but if Cold War or WW2 stuff floats your boat then I would recommend a stop at Marionborn service station just past Helmstedt in Germany. This was formerly known as Checkpoint Alpha, you've probably heard of it's brother Checkpoint Charle, and it was one of the major crossing points between east and west Germany. A good chunk of the infrastructure is still there and it's now a museam with I believe some of the original East German border guards doing the guided tours.
http://goo.gl/maps/3tVA
For WW2 stuff there are the Ostwall bunkers.
http://polandpoland.com/miedzyrzecz_fortifications...
I believe there are also some at Boryszyn where you can have a tour of the underground bunkers but that's about as much as I know about that.
Whatever you do I'm sure you'll have a great time and don't worry too much about the Polish roads, they just add to the sense of adventure.
Also have your wits about you when on Polish roads. I'm assuming that either you or your partner are Polish in which case you should have an idea of what to expect. The most important thing to remember is that in Poland overtaking vehicles have right of way, a great rule in theory but can catch the unwary out. All the single carriageway roads have a small hard shoulder so don't be afraid to use it when someone is overtaking, this includes traffic overtaking you which there will be a lot of. It's best to get out of their way and leave them to get on with it. Beware of blind bends and brows of hills because solid white lines don't seem to mean much either.
I'm probably making it sound worse than it is but as long as you are cautious you will be fine. If you get stuck behind a truck and you are having problems getting past it due to being unsighted then just leave a big enough gap so others can get past you and simply sit it out. Once you get to the motorway it's like reaching motoring nirvana as the speed limit is 130kph and the road is virtually deserted.
I can't recommend too many things to stop and see as usually I just get my head down and eat up the miles but if Cold War or WW2 stuff floats your boat then I would recommend a stop at Marionborn service station just past Helmstedt in Germany. This was formerly known as Checkpoint Alpha, you've probably heard of it's brother Checkpoint Charle, and it was one of the major crossing points between east and west Germany. A good chunk of the infrastructure is still there and it's now a museam with I believe some of the original East German border guards doing the guided tours.
http://goo.gl/maps/3tVA
For WW2 stuff there are the Ostwall bunkers.
http://polandpoland.com/miedzyrzecz_fortifications...
I believe there are also some at Boryszyn where you can have a tour of the underground bunkers but that's about as much as I know about that.
Whatever you do I'm sure you'll have a great time and don't worry too much about the Polish roads, they just add to the sense of adventure.
Great post, thanks for taking the time to put that together. The Polish connection is via second marriages and acquired family rather than being too direct but they are a great bunch and I'm looking forward to my first visit to the country having spent time with them in the UK.
I've been warned about the driving styles already but it's always nice to have a reminder and I'll be adopting the relaxed approach and keeping out of the way where I can.
At the moment hiring something seems to be proving rather difficult so it looks like one of the Pumas is going on an adventure, better stock up on pain killers for my back
No problem I think you'll have a great time. The one thing I forgot to mention is headlights. In Poland it is now the law that headlights have to be used at all times of day. They did this due to the EU wide law that I believe is coming in in 2012. I'm sure you will forget as I nearly always do but eventually some kind soul will give you a flash to remind you so if you see oncoming cars flashing their lights at you that's what it is.
If you have any other questions then feel free to ask.
If you have any other questions then feel free to ask.
Edited by Arnold The Bat on Sunday 15th August 11:26
thetapeworm said:
At the moment hiring something seems to be proving rather difficult so it looks like one of the Pumas is going on an adventure, better stock up on pain killers for my back
Slightly lateral suggestion: what about train to, for instance, Lille; then pick up a hire car there? at least you'd then also be driving something that had the stearing wheel on the correct side for the roads and maybe they'd be less twitchy about you crossing boarders? (I don't know if this would be true, but can't hurt to ask)ETA: just looked at Avis website, does mention that you can take a car abroad, but that have to take extra continental cover insurance.
Edited by llewop on Sunday 15th August 18:20
thetapeworm said:
Poncho pilot said:
We can do overseas rentals. We're based in Norwich but it'll give you an idea of costs. What dates are you looking at going?
1st > 8th September give or take a day or so either way.You'll probably be looking at a fair bit more for unlimited mileage. And expect quite a high insurance excess.
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