Krakow Travel Forum

Please share with me and others information on how are you going to get to the 6th official European Virtual Tourist Meeting which will take place in krakow on 28-30 May 2010?

I put some info on my homepage but I need your help to update it. Just a few specific questions:
- how to find out the best air fares to Krakow from overseas (Australia, USA, Canada, Argentina, South Africa etc. etc.)?
- when and where to book flights to Krakow?
- what internet pages do you use to find your flights?

Best regards,
And again: you are welcome to Krakow very much! :-)

Matt + Urszula.

late may is perfect for the euromeet i think, because of low prices and plenty of accomodation and you have a big meet in the us in october for those who prefer that time of year and a big meet in australia in late august.

Late May is usually before the big summer tourist rush.
I don't have a job now so until I get one I don't know if I'm going to the meet or not. I can put away some money but I have to prioritize my income. We'll see.

Does anyone have alternative suggestions?
The navigator & I are jumping ship in Strasbourg to attend Euomeet. Transport? Bernd’s Germanwings suggestion Stuttgart-Krakow-Stuttgart with 2 hr connecting train trips from Strasbourg seems to be the best I can find with reasonable cost/travel-time ratio.

Pedroswift,
Check http://www.skyscanner.net at your dates.
There are some offers from SXB (Strasbourg) to KRK (Krakow). For example SXB-Prague, Czech (35 min. or 55 min. for change flights at some dates 27/31 May) - KRK by Czech Airlines. Quite fast and almost 200 euros for return ticket.


Matt.

One more suggestion: whenever you find an interesting offer on skyscanner.net swith to webpage of airline you are going to choose and compare prices.

It's strange that for me flights paid in my Polish currency (on skyscanner.com) are almost 10% cheaper than paid in Euro today. They have to use some strange course rate.

Thanks, Matt I'll try skyscanner.de p.

How could we best get everyone together who would like to do:

Krakow - Ukraine - Krakow

and

Krakow - Sibiu - Krakow

so we can travel together.

Could we have a separate sign-up?

This does not need to be a car ... perhaps people in train or bus or plane - just together.

Martha, I just looked up transportation possibilities from Krakow to Lviv. There seems to be a night train leaving Krakow at 10.34 pm with sleeper cars. The train arrives at 6:03 am at Lviv. That is in my opinion better than being wedged into a bus for long hours.

The website of german railway doesn't tell me the price for this trip. Maybe someone knows a polish or ukrainian website where they give this info.

The overnight train sounds good - my main preoccupation is traveling with other VT'ers.

Only question with the overnight train is wether they will need to keep passports - when my husband and I traveled from Milan to Barcelona in Trenhotel the crew kept one passport.

It would be good if we could form a small group with the people who will be traveling.

Thanks Berndt.

I've just called to PKP (Polish Railway Company) and received the following info which was also added to my Lviv meeting page:
1. Trains on 31 May 2010:
- dep. 1.01 p.m. Krakow Glowny (Main Railway Station in downtown), arr. 11.44 p.m. Lviv (sleeper train to Kiev; in Lviv take a taxi to hotel - taxis are not expensive in Lviv); price is fixed in euros (based on info received by phone from PKP = Polish Railway Company):
2nd class - 24 + 18 = 42 euro (in sleeping compartment for 3 people)
1st class - 35,90 + 34 = 69,90 euro (in sleeping compartment for 2 people) or 35,90 + 68 = 103,90 euro (in single sleeping compartment)
- dep. 11.34 p.m. Krakow Glowny, arr. 6.03 Lviv (night sleeper train but you are awaken at 4.21 a.m. to cross the Polish-Ukrainian border).
2nd class - 19,90 + 13 = 32,90 euro (in sleeping compartment for 3 people)
1st class - 29,80 + 30 = 59,80 euro (in sleeping compartment for 2 people) or 29,80 + 60 = 89,80 euro (in single sleeping compartment).
Reservation online is impossible :-(. Tickets are sold in international ticket office at Krakow Main Train station and they start to sell tickets for all international trains always 60 days prior to departure. I will work on how to make it possible and easier for you to book the tickets.
Timetable online:
http://rozklad-pkp.pl/?q=en/node/143
There are day and night trains back to Krakow, too. If booked in Krakow they cost twice the price of one-way ticket.

Conclusion:
The night train is good option but the ticket reservation system for trains going east of Poland seems to be weird in my opinion. But I am patient and ready to try to break it :-). I started to work on how to allow you to book or/and buy train tickets to Lviv online or by e-mail request earlier and individually.

Matt.

One more info: the price for train tickets is fixed in euros but your price will be converted into Polish currency PLN at fixed PKP (Polish Railway Company) course which is only minimally worse than the course for cash exchange in Krakow today.

Matt.

Dear Martha (nomad7890),

No worries, you know, I will do what I can to make your (and others) long jorney to Krakow, Lviv and Sibiu possible and relatively comfortable. I am busy working on it. You have to know that visiting Lviv, Ukraine is something special and rare and unfortunatelly not that simple as visiting many well known travel destinations in Europe for many reasons (like transportation) but believe me Lviv is great destination for each real traveller just now (before others discover it haha).

Hugs,
Matt under snow at -13C now :-).

Martha and Bernd, I just replied in the other post. I am planning on doing Krakow/Lviv/ Krakow. The sleeping train sounds a good idea.

Thanks Matt!

Sorry about the weather ... I have many offers to shovel snow when I worked in New Jersey. I would come up, fly back to Florida, and shortly after I left they would get a huge storm. Well, I just left Germany-France-Spain ... oops! Somehow I feel guilty!

Back to the thread - I did check the US Visa req's and all is well.

Regarding the train (Matt), if you are able to purchase the tickets I would not mind the least bit sending the funds ahead of time. I think I would prefer the first class tickets.

Teresa ... if this is OK with Matt, would you like to share a compartment?

I forget if we're staying there - but perhaps we could stay nearby or in the same place if possible.

I don't know how full these trains get, but probably it would be good for all the VT'ers that want to go to get their tickets early so we don't have to stay behind.

I am so looking forward to this trip!

We are staying there for a couple of nights, yes Martha. I have a couple of nice hotels under my eye in Lviv. I checked them at Tripadvisor.

Dear Martha and others :-),

Excuse, for many reasons I am not going to buy any tickets to anyone. But, no worries, I promise that I can do what I can to make it possible for you all to get to Lviv (and Sibiu) in as comfortable way as possible.

As for train tickets Krakow-Lviv:
- I am going to go personally to Krakow Main Train Station (I plan to do it at the beginning of January) and check (ask/write appropriate request) what they (Polish Railway Company ticket office in Krakow) can do for us;
- I will try to check whether train tickets to Lviv as relatively expensive as for Poland are usually available last minute, even at the date of departure; well, let me explain that it's possible because not many Poles travel to Lviv by train. Trains in Poland are very cheap - you may pay for example 15 euros to travel 300 miles by train - but except of much more expensive international trains and so called Inter-city express trains - trains in Poland are mostly of low quality and very slow; for "low budget travellers" (mainly Ukrainians living and working in Poland + Poles who visit their families living in Lviv) there are uncomfortable, crowded buses from Polish-Ukraine border to Lviv - very, very cheap but I can't recommend you to travel this way.

Matt.

No problem ... that could get messy!

Funny I just checked on Lufthansa from Krakow to Lviv ... it was about $460 for the fare - PLUS about $800 for 'other charges' including $500 for security.

I think flying will take away from the excitement of getting there.

I'll be on the lookout for further news - looks like I can ride with Teresa to Lviv - then take the car back. Perfect!

Lol Martha! All these forum posts are confusing. I just asked Ursula if she had a place in her car for me, in case she takes it, to Lviv.

I asked her in the other forum post

I see ... I did too! The way I understand I only need a ride from Krakow to Lviv - so we'll wait to hear from Ursula. If she does not take her car, then we can maybe look at the train Berndt suggestede. It's only about a five hour drive - would prefer to go during the day, which is the only downside with the train, missing the scenery - but other than the car, the train sounds like a very good option.

If I will not decide for a car ride I will be together with you in the train!
And I also prefer a train trip during the day.

Great! We'll see what happens a little closer to the date.

Bookmark

hi guys, i really would like to attend to the vt meeting. thanks to my friend, ali, who told me about the meeting, i`m seriously thinking to get there.
i was planning to get to europe around june so i think that these dates are perfect.
please cross your fingers that i can get the visa easily. to be honest with you is not really easy to get visa for bolivian citizens.
anyway, i think that i can be the first bolivian citizen in a vt meeting.

best regards to everybody and all the best for 2010.
marce.

Hello Marcelo,

Haha, you are very welcome. You know, probably most of us (me for sure) have even never seen any people from Bolivia.

Happy New Year 2010 - in 8 hours 18 min. at my place. WOW!

Matt.
P.S. Warning: one day we all go to La Paz for South American VT-meeting.

Happy New Year all.
I do hope that I will be able to get to Krakow to meet everyone - - - Finally.

hi matt!

thanks...for sure that it will be a pleasure to meet you and for sure all of you.
wow! it is definitely a wonderful idea to organize a vt meeting in la paz.
i will be so glad to share about my culture and country.
la paz is definitely an amazing city. for sure that all people will enjoy bolivia.

first the euromeeting in your hometown...come on krakow!!!...i will try so hard to be there.
i´d ask to the pachamama for blessings and so this trip can become true.
best regards..marce:))

Martha, Teresa, Ursula, Ali and others going to Lviv, have you all made a decision anout how you're travelling yet? I'm planning on going by train and hoping that some others will be on the same train.

I could go by train with you, if I can't get a place in any of the cars.

I would actually prefer to go by train as I think it would be a lot more comfortable way to travel. More legroom, cooler etc.

But I think there will definitely be at least two or three others who will feel the same way so hopefully it shouldn't be a problem.