A Weekend in Poland

November 3, 2023- November 5, 2023

Spontaneous trips have my heart! This past week a girl I met one time 2 months ago on my trip to Sperlonga, Italy reached out to me and asked if I wanted to go on a trip with her. Of course I said yes, and the next thing we knew we were on our way to Warsaw, Poland the following weekend! This trip was one of the most impactful, exhausting, once-in-a-lifetime trips I’ve ever taken and I loved every second of it.

Our first day in Warsaw, Poland was amazing and shocking because we were welcomed with very cold weather that we were not used to in Rome but we powered through to start our adventures because we only had the weekend and so much to see! After we got settled into our hostel, Oki Doki Hostel in the center of Old Town Warsaw, we ate a very classic Polish meal at Restauracja Barbakan that included potato and cheese pierogis and żurek soup that warmed us right up. Following that we order an apple pie slice with ice cream because there is always room for dessert! In the evening, we simply strolled throughout the Old Market Square in Old Town Warsaw, went into souvenir shops, walked into the Royal Castel, and eventually after a few hours of wandering we settled down at Shabby Chic cafe and had the most delicious hot chocolate I have ever had in my entire life! If you go to Poland, I would 100% recommend hot chocolate. Back at the hostel we found it very comfortable, warm, and friendly and chatted with some other travelers before heading to bed because we had a very early morning the following day.

Our second day in Poland started with a 4:00 am wake up call. We had booked a full day tour from Warsaw to Kraków to take us through the Auschwitz and Auschwitz- Birkenau concentration camps and memorial museums. This was an experience I will never forget. The tour, provided through Get Your Guide, allowed for 2 hours of free time in Old Town Kraków which is when we took the time to eat some sugary waffles and walk to the Wawel Castle. We loaded the tour bus and drove an hour and a half to Auschwitz where we toured the first camp. Then immediately following we drove to the larger camp, Auschwitz- Birkenau, to finish off the tour. I found this experience extremely impactful and informative, and would recommend it to anyone who visits Poland because it’s important to stay educated on our history and this specific tour did an excellent job telling the story. We arrived back in Warsaw at 11:30 pm, so although our trip to Kraków was long and tiresome, it was also unforgettable and amazing.

Our final day was spent almost as if we were locals in Warsaw. We walked down the Royal Road and stopped at Green Nero Cafe to have hot chocolate (once again) and the best carrot cake I have ever eaten! We found ourselves sitting in this cozy cafe for hours just talking and learning so much about each other since we had only met once before this trip. We stumbled upon Saxon Garden which is the ideal park to walk through if you are a fan of autumnal weather. It was absolutely stunning. Our final activity was a quick stop into the Palace of Culture and Science because both of us LOVE museums and it was a very low-impact way to conclude our trip!

If this trip taught me one thing it is to not take things too seriously and live a life doing what you love. Most people regret the things they didn’t do, so go on a trip with someone you barely know, walk through freezing rain at night to see the sights, drink way to much hot chocolate, make plans spontaneously, do it all because you will be thankful for the memories you have from it. I sure am!

Check out my YouTube video of my weekend in Poland here to see more!