Poland.....advice needed *please
Poland.....advice needed *please
Author
Discussion

Farky

Original Poster:

936 posts

235 months

Monday 25th February 2019
quotequote all
As the Title says.......
Who has ridden to Poland (from UK)
Please tell me all there is to know.......
Seriously considering doing it in the Summer this year!
Any advice is greatly appreciated

jjones

4,492 posts

224 months

Monday 25th February 2019
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Took a car around Poland a couple of years ago. Only tip I can think of is the ladies dressed up at the side of the roads that look like they are waiting for a bus to take them to a night club are not really waiting for a bus. Oh and they make everything out of concrete!!

poo at Paul's

14,620 posts

206 months

Tuesday 26th February 2019
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It's similar to riding to any Market Town in the UK now, only with less Polish people.

naetype

890 posts

281 months

Tuesday 26th February 2019
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Drove there a year or so ago via the French Alps as part of a major European Tour, heading for Auschwitz, Berlin (which is now my favourite city) then back to Eurotunnel. Would never drive to or through Poland ever again and certainly not on a bike. Mile after mile of nothing but flat countryside makes central France look like the Himalaya's.

Never driven anywhere for so long that was so utterly featureless and boring. Some of the cities are nice apparently but driving/riding there again is a big fat NOPE from me.

And yes, everything is made of concrete, including the bread at breakfast.

7w7

551 posts

152 months

Tuesday 26th February 2019
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naetype said:
Drove there a year or so ago via the French Alps as part of a major European Tour, heading for Auschwitz, Berlin (which is now my favourite city) then back to Eurotunnel. Would never drive to or through Poland ever again and certainly not on a bike. Mile after mile of nothing but flat countryside makes central France look like the Himalaya's.

Never driven anywhere for so long that was so utterly featureless and boring. Some of the cities are nice apparently but driving/riding there again is a big fat NOPE from me.

And yes, everything is made of concrete, including the bread at breakfast.
The south is lovely, some good roads and lovely scenery. Can't speak for the rest of it.

Rubin215

4,201 posts

187 months

Tuesday 26th February 2019
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DFDS overnight ferry South Shields to Ijmuiden, take your party clothes and hope there's a hen-night on the boat at the same time as you.

Off the ferry at 10am, on the road by 10:30 (assuming you go before brexit), head on to the A1/E30/A2 and head towards Berlin.
Turn on to A13/A15 then E36 aiming for Wroclaw, then get on to the A4 heading to Krakow.
Do-able in about 16 hours of riding so either one massive day in the saddle or two long days with an overnight somewhere in Germany.

Go to the zoo in Wroclaw, spend some time in Krakow, visit Auschwitz (Oświęcim) and the salt mines at Wieliczka, have a couple of day trips to Czech Republic and Slovakia and then go home.

Seriously, there are far better places to go by bike that are a lot less hassle and, if you desperately want to do the Poland tourism thing, you would be much cheaper getting a budget flight and hiring a car once you're there.

Farky

Original Poster:

936 posts

235 months

Tuesday 26th February 2019
quotequote all
Cheers guys......
Will have 2 wks off work, thinking about heading over on the bike to visit Friends that live over there.

Rubin215

4,201 posts

187 months

Wednesday 27th February 2019
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Farky said:
Cheers guys......
Will have 2 wks off work, thinking about heading over on the bike to visit Friends that live over there.
It's a very expensive, very tiring way of doing it.

1000 miles by bike to get there, 1000 miles by bike back remember...

DuckSauce

390 posts

98 months

Wednesday 27th February 2019
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The Mrs is Polish and it's a lovely country, but wouldn't do it on a bike. We're driving the car over in the summer, it's a long 16hr drive to where we're going.
Her brothers all ride bikes and they've all said they wouldn't ride a bike in Poland.

Highly recommend the war museum in Warsaw

soad

34,735 posts

207 months

Wednesday 27th February 2019
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Some roads will be horrible?

ianrb

1,644 posts

171 months

Wednesday 27th February 2019
quotequote all
Rubin215 said:
DFDS overnight ferry South Shields to Ijmuiden, take your party clothes and hope there's a hen-night on the boat at the same time as you.

Off the ferry at 10am, on the road by 10:30 (assuming you go before brexit), head on to the A1/E30/A2 and head towards Berlin.
Turn on to A13/A15 then E36 aiming for Wroclaw, then get on to the A4 heading to Krakow.
Do-able in about 16 hours of riding so either one massive day in the saddle or two long days with an overnight somewhere in Germany.

Go to the zoo in Wroclaw, spend some time in Krakow, visit Auschwitz (O?wi?cim) and the salt mines at Wieliczka, have a couple of day trips to Czech Republic and Slovakia and then go home.

Seriously, there are far better places to go by bike that are a lot less hassle and, if you desperately want to do the Poland tourism thing, you would be much cheaper getting a budget flight and hiring a car once you're there.
I thought it sailed from North Shields, or have they moved it?


black-k1

12,808 posts

260 months

Wednesday 27th February 2019
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I've never been to Poland so can't really give advice but, given the number (or lack of) routes in Best Biking Roads

https://www.bestbikingroads.com/motorcycle-roads/c...

I would question if it's the best place to take a bike.

Rubin215

4,201 posts

187 months

Wednesday 27th February 2019
quotequote all
ianrb said:
Rubin215 said:
DFDS overnight ferry South Shields to Ijmuiden, take your party clothes and hope there's a hen-night on the boat at the same time as you.

Off the ferry at 10am, on the road by 10:30 (assuming you go before brexit), head on to the A1/E30/A2 and head towards Berlin.
Turn on to A13/A15 then E36 aiming for Wroclaw, then get on to the A4 heading to Krakow.
Do-able in about 16 hours of riding so either one massive day in the saddle or two long days with an overnight somewhere in Germany.

Go to the zoo in Wroclaw, spend some time in Krakow, visit Auschwitz (O?wi?cim) and the salt mines at Wieliczka, have a couple of day trips to Czech Republic and Slovakia and then go home.

Seriously, there are far better places to go by bike that are a lot less hassle and, if you desperately want to do the Poland tourism thing, you would be much cheaper getting a budget flight and hiring a car once you're there.
I thought it sailed from North Shields, or have they moved it?
North Shields?
No mate they haven't moved it, that would be one heck of a task...

But yeah, you're right, the ferry does sail from there, not South Shields.

Andy XRV

3,930 posts

211 months

Wednesday 27th February 2019
quotequote all
Poland is a really great place to ride and in my experience the people couldn't be more friendly so forget all the misconceptions. Some of the roads are good and some are really really bad hehe We crossed into Poland on the N18 around Olszyna and it really was as if someone had drawn a line in the sand and the smooth racetrack German surface ended and the building site temporary roads began.

But the further south we went the better the main roads were. We're heading to Gdansk this year via the Baltic coast there and the nation parks back.
Our little group is done with the usual well worn European biker routes so I can see us heading in Eastern Europe more and more, it really is so so friendly. If you've have the time riding through Czechia is stunning and a great experience too.

My only advice is to plan your route. Most of the heavy lorries don't want to pay the motorway tolls so they tend to use the old A roads. At times they can be nose to tail in both directions so trying to pass them can really tighten your sphincter. We use google street view to find the smaller B type roads which were perfect but don't be in a rush.

Oh, and when you get off the beaten track google translate (or similar) is not only a must but a whole lot of fun wink

Happy riding

Rubin215

4,201 posts

187 months

Wednesday 27th February 2019
quotequote all
Andy XRV said:
If you've have the time riding through Czechia is stunning and a great experience too.
Except don't ever call it that.
It's Czech Republic.

The name Czechia is an American invention and hated by Czechs worldwide.

Andy XRV

3,930 posts

211 months

Thursday 28th February 2019
quotequote all
Rubin215 said:
Andy XRV said:
If you've have the time riding through Czechia is stunning and a great experience too.
Except don't ever call it that.
It's Czech Republic.

The name Czechia is an American invention and hated by Czechs worldwide.
Although I agree that some of the Czech people don't like it at all from what I've read it was the Czech leaders, most prominently the president, Milos Zeman, who was the leading champion behind the shortened name.

Rubin215

4,201 posts

187 months

Thursday 28th February 2019
quotequote all
Andy XRV said:
Rubin215 said:
Andy XRV said:
If you've have the time riding through Czechia is stunning and a great experience too.
Except don't ever call it that.
It's Czech Republic.

The name Czechia is an American invention and hated by Czechs worldwide.
Although I agree that some of the Czech people don't like it at all from what I've read it was the Czech leaders, most prominently the president, Milos Zeman, who was the leading champion behind the shortened name.
And, at the risk of going slightly off-topic, it's our current government who are dragging us towards brexit, despite the wishes of the majority of the population and the clusterfk it is undoubtedly going to cause...