I've been going to Poland for 20+ years and Mark is right, as soon as you make even the tiniest bit of effort to speak the language the Poles are much friendlier.
Working with polish people was a super fun experience with me as a teen, they taught me tons of words. Some bad words, but some really helpful ones. And cause theres so many polish people in my country too, I got to greet customers in polish too! When you speak someones language they really open up
I've been learning Polish for some years, and it's really not that hard. Ł is basically an English W W is an English V Sz is like an English Sh Cz is like an English Ch Rz and Ż is like the S in pleasure And Polish people are generally very happy and impressed when you speak their language.
@@plousho1947 "Język polski to najbardziej precyzyjny język, jaki możesz spotkać i najtrudniejszy wg. międzynarodowych rankingów. Język polski to duża ilość: wyrazów, reguł, odmian i wyjątków. Średnio na jedno słowo angielskie przypada 28 słów polskich." / " The Polish language is one of the most precise language you can meet and one of the most difficult language in international rankings. Polish is a large number of words, rules, variations and exceptions. On average, there are 28 Polish words for one English word. Eg.: word "gra" and it's variations: angielskikorepetycjewarszawa.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/jezyk.png :D or those: www.nkjp.uni.lodz.pl/images/dojsc_do_wyniki.png
I really like Krakow, been there twice. But the last time I tried to go out twice for beers, pubs, etc. and could not find a good place... There were A TON of people drinking (or drunk) in the street, but very few bars. It was just weird. It was mostly restaurants or touristy bars in the main square, or downright clubs. But neither actual pubs nor these type of pub/clubs which are essentially pubs with a small-ish dancing floor, which I could find in other places in Poland.
My experience traveling in Poland this summer confirms everything you said in this video, Mark. I had a wonderful time, but 10 days was not enough. I look forward to visiting again. I visited only Krakow, Warsaw, Toruń, and Gdańsk but there is so much more to see. As an amateur WWII history buff, I explored many intriguing, moving, and well designed museums. The tragic history can be intense and emotional to learn about but it is so important not to forget. I enjoyed the delicious food, magnificent churches, wonderful museums, and engaging historical sites throughout Poland. Yes, having small change (zloty coins) is a must but lots of places take credits cards. Street vendors and smaller tourist sites are where change is necessary. Merchants just don’t seem to keep change on them. I took trains to get from city to city and it was easy and seemed quick enough to me. I bought my tickets in advance online since I had a specific itinerary in place, so I can’t speak to buying them in person. Public transportation was easy to use the little amount I used it. I love to walk, personally. Finally, Poland is cheap, which makes it easier to enjoy a trip. Nobody likes spending lots of money, right? If you are considering going to Poland I can’t recommend it enough. Mark’s video seems spot-on to me. Thanks, again!
Also, I agree with previous comments about visiting Auschwitz and Birkenau. I took the public bus which was extremely cheap and easy. It allowed me to be flexible and make my day visit as long as I wanted. If you buy a ticket for a pricier guided bus tour then you are stuck to their timeline and will have little to no time to explore Auschwitz and Birkenau on your own. But, do your research before your trip. The museum has specific policies that change throughout the year regarding reserving a ticket, booking a tour guide (the museum calls them educators), etc. it may seem a little confusing but a little research goes a long way in being an informed tourist.
Tell your son to go to Kraków. It's honestly my favourite city in Europe. Even just a 2 day trip is enough to go around the main square and to see Wawel castle. It's beautiful, as soon as you come in through the florian gates into the old town there's these beautiful paintings that cover the walls. One of my favourite things to see. Also a top tip, don't eat or drink where the tourists drink, go to a 'bar mleczny' things are super cheap and tasty and it's the food the polish eat.
The police is Poland is indeed really strict on the not drinking in public policy. When my friends and I got a cold beer and enjoyed it on a street bench after a long journey it only took five minutes for a van with 8 police officers to pull in with blue lights. Luckily they understood we were dumb tourist unaware of this policy and they politely asked us to finish our beer at the hostel.
I agree with you both, but sometimes laws can be confusing. Like if you drink alcohol on a street side terrace that belongs to a bar, technically you're drinking in public. And regarding knowing the law, over here in Utrecht, NL those laws change from one neighborhood to the next one. For a tourist it's almost impossible to gather this information.
At some ATM's you can choose an option to withdraw "another amount" in order to have smaller bills. I always withdraw 80 zł and get 50 zł, 20 zł and 10 zł bills. 😉
I visited Krakow a couple years ago What an amazing city and country. I loved it I work with quite a lot of polish guys in work I'm always asking questions about the country. I will visit again soon hopefully.
A tip from me: if there's a little yellow box on the train, put your ticket in to validate your ticket. Failing to do this leaves you open to getting a fine, even though you have purchased a ticket for that journey!
Thank you so much! My plan to visit Poland is now possibly happening. I'm starting to save up for this trip.😀Thanks for your very realistic information 👌
Almost everyone in this country below 40 years of has speak in english very good if not fluent.( and quite often few different languages) Maybe with accent - but still good. From my personal point of view : People are very well educated, friendly, very well organised very helpful , tolerant, bur also opportunist when you try to change their points of view ( no matter of age) and real patriots , they love their country, culture, and they are quite possesive about that. Poland is very intresting , cheap, very good public transport (trains, buses, trams, bikes and car rent, private buses especially in lesser towns) and safe place to visit. By geography - the have everything here : mountains of very differend kinds, rivers, lakes, sea,woods, swarms and even desserts. Their culture, history, and countrysides are really amazing so colurful so differend and in some way's so similiar ...I cannot grasp this similiarity but some day I will. Country very diversed by local dishes and customs. Food - amazing fresh, healthy and strong ( lot of meat, cheese cabbages, potatos, milk , seasonal fruits , wild mushrooms , but people are no overweighted. They are like to walk they are fit and strong ). They have very good beers , and vodka's and strong heads to drinking. Very clean streets, very colourful buildings. Highly recomennded. I will return for sure but for longer one week it is no much time to visit. Worth of money seriously.
Milutave A.B I do not claim to speak Polish. However, you are claiming that almost everyone under 40 in Poland speaks very good English, which is not true at all.
+Milutave A.B I'm a Polish-American and the Polish language is an ASS kicker for me.SUPER Tough language!! I'm trying to learn Polish as I'd like to visit "my homeland," BUT I think I'd have to live to be 100 before I'd be fluent in Polish😀!!
@@jakubjurkiewicz9575 but not much different than for example Czech in my experience. For example Dobry dien(Czech) or Dzien Dobry (Polish) or Dziekuje(Polish) or Dekuji(Czech) sure other things will be different but for a foreigner there are similarities.
I am an American who has had the wonderful privilege of living in Kraków for 9 1/2 years. I love this city and never tire of it. You are right about the getting change thing when buying something. Even busy places, where you know they have a lot of cash on hand, would act like it was such a hassle for them to make change for me. But recently I have noticed that attitude seems to be waning. But my experience regarding crossing the streets here is quite different from your observations. Cars readily stop just seeing a person waiting to cross. In order not to have a car stop for me, I don’t act like I want to cross the street until all cars have gone past me. That is how good they are about stopping for pedestrians in Kraków. You are right about any attempt to speak some Polish. It will usually bring a smile to the face of the person you are speaking to. They understand how difficult their language is for foreigners. It is November now and I really enjoy this time of year. Most of the tourists are gone and I can enjoy my beautiful city in relative calm.
I was in Krakow and Tarnow for a week in October...What a beautiful place, food and lodging are a bargain. The bus system is very good and cheap.as are taxis. I know very little Polish but if you try the locals love it, Most poles know more english than you think.. My Grandparents were born in the Tarnow area and I found a grave with my family name in a Wola Redzinska cemetery.. I Highly recommend Krakow for a base there is so much to do and see and you can use the bus system to get anywhere in Poland.
Pls note that the service thing is not about friendliness but rather a cultural difference. Most Poles would (and do) consider American-style, overly attentive service not friendly at all, but rather nosy, rude and annoying.
I went to Krakow back in August and it was amazing, I really recommend the free walking tours with Krakow Explorers, they are really great guys who are experts in krakow's history and make the tour really entertaining, we stumbled upon them by chance and it was the best thing we did when we were there. We didn't have time to head up to Gdansk but that's next on the list for sure!
Thirsty Girl69 we did tours to both Auschwitz and the Salt Mines and I'd highly recommend both! We used a company our Air bnb host recommended called Discover Krakow who were really great, we would've loved to have been able to do a day trip to Zakopane but we didn't have enough time unfortunately
Lemme paste it here: "Język polski to najbardziej precyzyjny język, jaki możesz spotkać i najtrudniejszy wg. międzynarodowych rankingów. Język polski to duża ilość: wyrazów, reguł, odmian i wyjątków. Średnio na jedno słowo angielskie przypada 28 słów polskich." / "The Polish language is one of the most precise language you can meet and one of the most difficult language in international rankings. Polish is a large number of words, rules, variations and exceptions. On average, there are 28 Polish words for one English word. Eg.: word "gra"/"game" and it's variations/flections: angielskikorepetycjewarszawa.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/jezyk.png :D or those: www.nkjp.uni.lodz.pl/images/dojsc_do_wyniki.png But yep, we're glad and happy, when foreigners are trying to speak in our language :)
Agree so much...so many foreigners think it is funny to say it. I don't even use it in real life myself that much and it is a pain when every foreigner starts with "oh i know a Polish word"
Just wanted to say that your videos are amazing! Very informative and interesting! I love the energy and positive vibes as well. Hi from Canada and my home country Russia :)
You know what I like the most in your films? You have so much respect for people in countries you visit....I really like the way you talk about people. Greets from polish guy livin in Germany :)
I really enjoy your videos. They are so informative yet concise. My husband and I really appreciate a travel youtuber who doesn’t ramble on and on before getting to the point!
I would disagree about how long it takes to travel from each city. If you use the new Pendenlino trains, it is only a little more than 2 hr to travel from Krakow to Warsaw. They're quite nice and cheap! (Compared with high-speed trains in other countries.)
Mark the plans are to build the largest airport in Europe. From the airport, it will be possible to reach every major city in Poland by train in 2 hours. The whole has to be ready for nine years.
Cheap domestic flights with Ryanair and also domestic flights (but more expensive) with LOT (Polish Airlines). Don't forget about fast train Pendolino (Express InterCity Premium): Wroclaw - Warsaw, Krakow - Warsaw - Gdansk and plenty of differnt types train services between other cities. If you book your ticket online (InterCity) 30 days before departure, you will get a very low price. Remember, you have to keep your ID (national card or passport) together with your ticket purchased online - just to confirm your name on it and to prove you are owner of this ticket (our stupid polish policies), if not - you may be fined 500 zl. So, if you are on a budget, then you can choose FlixBus... Have a nice journey.
Two things that surprised me in Krákow in 2018: The thing about change is so true. I've never been to a country were even bigger stores kinda think it is a hassle to give a lot of change. LOTS of places take cards though which I love! Krákow has lots and lots of veggie options, clearly marked in restaurants. There is also plenty more full vegetarian or vegan restaurants than I expected. Food is good!
Another great "Polish" video. Thank you Mark, for promoting my country. If you'll ever plan to visit Szczecin/West Pomerania and need a guide, ....at your service. :)
Witam wszystkich przyjaciele z Polski , soon, i will be visiting Poland( may be by june 2019). heard alot about this beautiful country. (i hope, i wil get VISA)- Love from India. Dziękuję Ci
Just got back from a 4 day trip to Poland. Beautiful country, amazing cathedrals and churches and some very good tours to offer (Salt mines, Auschwitz being the best). Overall had a good trip, just some advice: I traveled with my friend (also male) so we were two men on tour. Literally EVERYWHERE we went (only at night) we were constantly harassed by reps advertising "clubs". These are not clubs in the traditional sense, these are brothels and they are dodgy as hell. They will rinse you of your money and make is hard to leave. They coerce you into a "free drink" that isn't actually free and then block the entrance when you try to leave. Avoid at all costs! The most common place we found these reps harassing people (only men) were the main square and the Jewish old town. They are incredibly persistent and very annoying.
Thank you of doing the videos, you are not that ignorant like most people i meet during traveling when it comes to the east of europe. And yes, im not ashamed of being from the East, the East rocks!!
wolter have u created any video to do with belarus...evidently its a tough country to get into from what i have read about it...they make it almost super difficult for anyone non-russian or ex-soviet citizen to get into...dont think they have stepped out from behind he iron curtain as yet...love to listen to your insights on this place!!! The place that prohibits ppl fm coming has obviously piqued my curiosity beyond hell!!!
Visit city on salt - Inowrocław. In Kujawy, it is near Toruń and Bydgoszcz. Inowrocław was capital city of Plemię Kujawian. And if you will be in city on salt, you may visit Solanki, Szkoła Podstawowa nr. 1, museum of salt, rynek and some other places. In Solanki you may eat ice creams, visit pijalnia wód and Pope's Gardens. In pijalnia wód you can buy water and many other things. Pope's Gardens are so beatifull. Szkoła Podstawowa nr. 1 is 101 years old (it was created in 1918). Rynek is just very old, but ALLWAYS remember. Pay respect to Polish heroes, and never say that last Polish king was good. I hope you will visit beatifull city of Inowrocław.
If you are flying into Krakow and staying in the city centre, a taxi is a fixed price of 90 Zlotti's (€22 / £18) direct to your hotel or place of choice in the city centre. I recommend this over a coach transfer or bus, as the taxi will give you information as you drive, and you can see the beautiful countryside. Just get the taxi from the taxi rank, if someone comes up to you asking if you want a taxi, just say "no thanks" and go to the official taxi rank and get in one yourself. Particularly in Warsaw, it's not dangerous but they will charge you 3 times as much. Also, if you are thinking of going to Auschwitz, don't buy one of those guided bus tours, just go to the bus station and buy a ticket, it is about one fifth of the price.
it is my dream to visit because its my bio grandfathers parents homeland, he still speaks the language. and i was adopted by a polish mom and im trying to get back to my polish roots.
I'm really hoping to go to Poland this year. Never been out of my country before. Out of all the European countries, Poland is the one i want to go to. Seems like such a nice place with nice people. Any polish folks want to give me some advice/tips of your country? Hope to visit this year! 😊
I very like your videos about Poland but I have one issue.. In every video when you speak about Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps you don't say it was a GERMAN concentration camps. Don't be afraid of say that, the same as German nazists.. somebody who don't know history very well would think that nazists was a Polish faction and that is not true. Maybe it's small detail but for me and another people who are intrested history in more advanced way it's very important detail. Sorry for my English, I'm Polish guy Greetings for you
Watch the video. In the bottom right corner, you have the name of the place. ruclips.net/video/ekz6i58kVpI/видео.html My surroundings look like this: ruclips.net/video/hz5wf_9k78g/видео.html If you have questions, I will answer.
My sister was learning polish as a kid because my stepmother was from Krakow. We were at the zoo and she said mom that's a Foka, " seal". Let's just say the people around us didn't hear seal.
@nater 1 That's funny!! As a kid, my Polish grandma would NEVER curse in English, BUT she didn't Have ANY problem dropping gówno whenever necessary. I Can't count the number of times I heard, "Oh, Charlie, tell me the truth, DON'T give me that Bull 🐂gówno!!" 😀
You must have permission from the embassy to stay temporarily. The studies are free provided they are in a full-time mode. Unemployment in Poland is below 6 %. It depends what you are looking for and what you can do.
There are a lot of places willing to hire English speaking foreigners. When it comes to studying here. We do have a lot of good schools that offer all the classes in English but they might be hard to get into. You should try Erasmus its a student exchange program. When it comes to visas. It's not really hard Poland is relatively open. If you are from the US or Canada there should not be any major problems. And a fun fact The Kraków university is one of the oldest in the world 13th I believe it was established in 1364.
Really good video. I highly recommended you a visit Poznań - fisrts capital, all Great Poland (lots of lakes, georgeus forest castles and palaces , Toruń- place of birth Copernicus (call small Kraków), the bigest undegrand in the world in Międzyrzecz ( west Poland) :)
Going to Krakow end of June/ beginning of July for 4 days. dont drink but do plan on eating out 2/3 of those nights. it’ll be me and one more person. how much of US dollars should we convert to cash for that amount of time? should we use all cash or use card as well?
I know this is late but maybe posterity will use this. In Poland you can use almost all ATM to withdraw directly from a foreign account, just make sure your bank offers a fair rate. And recently there was a nationwide event promoting the use of card payment, now nearly every shop and street stall offers card payment. You can pay directly using your currency again just make sure you get fair rates from your bank. The seller directly receives polish money so don't worry.
ay I've been watching a few of these videos and been enjoying them, but I got a question. Traveling is expensive and you seem to do a lot of it, where do you work or get money to travel to all these amazing places.
@@Pining_for_the_fjords It's pronounced just like it's spelled. ;) Actually it doesn't take much to learn Polish pronunciation, and at least it's consistent.
5:33 Główny is not Station, Stacja is Station. Główny means Main. Kraków Głowny is Main Kraków.
I've been going to Poland for 20+ years and Mark is right, as soon as you make even the tiniest bit of effort to speak the language the Poles are much friendlier.
Working with polish people was a super fun experience with me as a teen, they taught me tons of words. Some bad words, but some really helpful ones. And cause theres so many polish people in my country too, I got to greet customers in polish too!
When you speak someones language they really open up
@@LannasMissingLink Not the French.
I've been learning Polish for some years, and it's really not that hard.
Ł is basically an English W
W is an English V
Sz is like an English Sh
Cz is like an English Ch
Rz and Ż is like the S in pleasure
And Polish people are generally very happy and impressed when you speak their language.
there's 25 ways to say tomato
@@plousho1947 "Język polski to najbardziej precyzyjny język, jaki możesz spotkać i najtrudniejszy wg. międzynarodowych rankingów. Język polski to duża ilość: wyrazów, reguł, odmian i wyjątków. Średnio na jedno słowo angielskie przypada 28 słów polskich." / "
The Polish language is one of the most precise language you can meet and one of the most difficult language in international rankings. Polish is a large number of words, rules, variations and exceptions. On average, there are 28 Polish words for one English word. Eg.: word "gra" and it's variations: angielskikorepetycjewarszawa.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/jezyk.png :D or those: www.nkjp.uni.lodz.pl/images/dojsc_do_wyniki.png
Thank you so much! I want to try to pronounce letters correctly when I am there in 2 weeks!
Why do they have low self esteem?
What of J?
I am a brazilian living im Kraków for one year now and I love this place.
Tell me when you are here so we can have a beer!
Thanks for that words! 🇵🇱❤
Kkkk como você foi parar por aí ... Que bom que gostou.
I really like Krakow, been there twice. But the last time I tried to go out twice for beers, pubs, etc. and could not find a good place... There were A TON of people drinking (or drunk) in the street, but very few bars. It was just weird. It was mostly restaurants or touristy bars in the main square, or downright clubs. But neither actual pubs nor these type of pub/clubs which are essentially pubs with a small-ish dancing floor, which I could find in other places in Poland.
My experience traveling in Poland this summer confirms everything you said in this video, Mark. I had a wonderful time, but 10 days was not enough. I look forward to visiting again. I visited only Krakow, Warsaw, Toruń, and Gdańsk but there is so much more to see. As an amateur WWII history buff, I explored many intriguing, moving, and well designed museums. The tragic history can be intense and emotional to learn about but it is so important not to forget.
I enjoyed the delicious food, magnificent churches, wonderful museums, and engaging historical sites throughout Poland. Yes, having small change (zloty coins) is a must but lots of places take credits cards. Street vendors and smaller tourist sites are where change is necessary. Merchants just don’t seem to keep change on them. I took trains to get from city to city and it was easy and seemed quick enough to me. I bought my tickets in advance online since I had a specific itinerary in place, so I can’t speak to buying them in person. Public transportation was easy to use the little amount I used it. I love to walk, personally.
Finally, Poland is cheap, which makes it easier to enjoy a trip. Nobody likes spending lots of money, right?
If you are considering going to Poland I can’t recommend it enough. Mark’s video seems spot-on to me. Thanks, again!
Also, I agree with previous comments about visiting Auschwitz and Birkenau. I took the public bus which was extremely cheap and easy. It allowed me to be flexible and make my day visit as long as I wanted. If you buy a ticket for a pricier guided bus tour then you are stuck to their timeline and will have little to no time to explore Auschwitz and Birkenau on your own. But, do your research before your trip. The museum has specific policies that change throughout the year regarding reserving a ticket, booking a tour guide (the museum calls them educators), etc. it may seem a little confusing but a little research goes a long way in being an informed tourist.
Finally you got "proszę" right! Cheers from Poland, dude :D
It took some time... and dwa piwa but I got there ;)
Mark, if you say Wroclaw correctly, I will give you a beer box or I will take you to my friend's brewery.
@@woltersworld hi wolter o wanted to ask in poland they use dollars or euro or only they currency?
Poland's architecture looks beautiful, my son would love it.
Greetings from South Africa
Tell your son to go to Kraków. It's honestly my favourite city in Europe. Even just a 2 day trip is enough to go around the main square and to see Wawel castle. It's beautiful, as soon as you come in through the florian gates into the old town there's these beautiful paintings that cover the walls. One of my favourite things to see. Also a top tip, don't eat or drink where the tourists drink, go to a 'bar mleczny' things are super cheap and tasty and it's the food the polish eat.
@@joshuablundell1790 Thank you kindly for the recommendation
S.A. is gorgeous country but pity its so dangerous
@@jimmyuk007 you are correct, South Africa is such a beautiful country, unfortunately our crime rate is pretty high.
Yeah its mostly german
The police is Poland is indeed really strict on the not drinking in public policy. When my friends and I got a cold beer and enjoyed it on a street bench after a long journey it only took five minutes for a van with 8 police officers to pull in with blue lights. Luckily they understood we were dumb tourist unaware of this policy and they politely asked us to finish our beer at the hostel.
Its important to not drink alkohol then children are looking
That was nice of them. It's the tourists responsibility to know the laws of the country they visit.
I agree with you both, but sometimes laws can be confusing. Like if you drink alcohol on a street side terrace that belongs to a bar, technically you're drinking in public. And regarding knowing the law, over here in Utrecht, NL those laws change from one neighborhood to the next one. For a tourist it's almost impossible to gather this information.
Mario Hendriks I guess lots of things changed When I grew up there it was no problem drinking in public at all.
At some ATM's you can choose an option to withdraw "another amount" in order to have smaller bills. I always withdraw 80 zł and get 50 zł, 20 zł and 10 zł bills. 😉
I visited Krakow a couple years ago What an amazing city and country. I loved it I work with quite a lot of polish guys in work I'm always asking questions about the country. I will visit again soon hopefully.
A tip from me: if there's a little yellow box on the train, put your ticket in to validate your ticket.
Failing to do this leaves you open to getting a fine, even though you have purchased a ticket for that journey!
Thank you so much! My plan to visit Poland is now possibly happening. I'm starting to save up
for this trip.😀Thanks for your very realistic information 👌
Almost everyone in this country below 40 years of has speak in english very good if not fluent.( and quite often few different languages) Maybe with accent - but still good. From my personal point of view : People are very well educated, friendly, very well organised very helpful , tolerant, bur also opportunist when you try to change their points of view ( no matter of age) and real patriots , they love their country, culture, and they are quite possesive about that. Poland is very intresting , cheap, very good public transport (trains, buses, trams, bikes and car rent, private buses especially in lesser towns) and safe place to visit. By geography - the have everything here : mountains of very differend kinds, rivers, lakes, sea,woods, swarms and even desserts. Their culture, history, and countrysides are really amazing so colurful so differend and in some way's so similiar ...I cannot grasp this similiarity but some day I will. Country very diversed by local dishes and customs. Food - amazing fresh, healthy and strong ( lot of meat, cheese cabbages, potatos, milk , seasonal fruits , wild mushrooms , but people are no overweighted. They are like to walk they are fit and strong ). They have very good beers , and vodka's and strong heads to drinking. Very clean streets, very colourful buildings. Highly recomennded. I will return for sure but for longer one week it is no much time to visit. Worth of money seriously.
..and where are you from? Polish government should employ you as living advertising of our country
Most Poles speak very bad English.
@@tylerb9877 Try to speak in polish ;)
Milutave A.B
I do not claim to speak Polish.
However, you are claiming that almost everyone under 40 in Poland speaks very good English, which is not true at all.
+Milutave A.B
I'm a Polish-American and the Polish language is an ASS kicker for me.SUPER Tough language!! I'm trying to learn Polish as I'd like to visit "my homeland," BUT I think I'd have to live to be 100 before I'd be fluent in Polish😀!!
Once you know atleast one slavic language you can basically travel into most of slavic states.
Not really. Polish is much different from Russian or Ukrainian.
@@jakubjurkiewicz9575 but not much different than for example Czech in my experience. For example Dobry dien(Czech) or Dzien Dobry (Polish) or Dziekuje(Polish) or Dekuji(Czech) sure other things will be different but for a foreigner there are similarities.
I am an American who has had the wonderful privilege of living in Kraków for 9 1/2 years. I love this city and never tire of it. You are right about the getting change thing when buying something. Even busy places, where you know they have a lot of cash on hand, would act like it was such a hassle for them to make change for me. But recently I have noticed that attitude seems to be waning. But my experience regarding crossing the streets here is quite different from your observations. Cars readily stop just seeing a person waiting to cross. In order not to have a car stop for me, I don’t act like I want to cross the street until all cars have gone past me. That is how good they are about stopping for pedestrians in Kraków. You are right about any attempt to speak some Polish. It will usually bring a smile to the face of the person you are speaking to. They understand how difficult their language is for foreigners. It is November now and I really enjoy this time of year. Most of the tourists are gone and I can enjoy my beautiful city in relative calm.
You can get by in Poland without even using cash. They will accept credit cards everywhere. It's great.
I was in Krakow and Tarnow for a week in October...What a beautiful place, food and lodging are a bargain. The bus system is very good and cheap.as are taxis. I know very little Polish but if you try the locals love it, Most poles know more english than you think.. My Grandparents were born in the Tarnow area and I found a grave with my family name in a Wola Redzinska cemetery.. I Highly recommend Krakow for a base there is so much to do and see and you can use the bus system to get anywhere in Poland.
Pls note that the service thing is not about friendliness but rather a cultural difference. Most Poles would (and do) consider American-style, overly attentive service not friendly at all, but rather nosy, rude and annoying.
I went to Krakow back in August and it was amazing, I really recommend the free walking tours with Krakow Explorers, they are really great guys who are experts in krakow's history and make the tour really entertaining, we stumbled upon them by chance and it was the best thing we did when we were there. We didn't have time to head up to Gdansk but that's next on the list for sure!
Thirsty Girl69 we did tours to both Auschwitz and the Salt Mines and I'd highly recommend both! We used a company our Air bnb host recommended called Discover Krakow who were really great, we would've loved to have been able to do a day trip to Zakopane but we didn't have enough time unfortunately
Lemme paste it here: "Język polski to najbardziej precyzyjny język, jaki możesz spotkać i najtrudniejszy wg. międzynarodowych rankingów. Język polski to duża ilość: wyrazów, reguł, odmian i wyjątków. Średnio na jedno słowo angielskie przypada 28 słów polskich." / "The Polish language is one of the most precise language you can meet and one of the most difficult language in international rankings. Polish is a large number of words, rules, variations and exceptions. On average, there are 28 Polish words for one English word. Eg.: word "gra"/"game" and it's variations/flections: angielskikorepetycjewarszawa.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/jezyk.png :D or those: www.nkjp.uni.lodz.pl/images/dojsc_do_wyniki.png
But yep, we're glad and happy, when foreigners are trying to speak in our language :)
K Word is terrabile! Even Polish are tired of hearing it everywhere
Agree so much...so many foreigners think it is funny to say it. I don't even use it in real life myself that much and it is a pain when every foreigner starts with "oh i know a Polish word"
@hkistreet i guess its the same with perkele vittu 😂
Or the same like "Como la polla"
mały kanał kurwa, nie pierdol!😂
w czeskim też jest kurva, w rosyjskim курва też
I am going to Szczecin in Feb and Krakow in May :D
Just wanted to say that your videos are amazing! Very informative and interesting! I love the energy and positive vibes as well. Hi from Canada and my home country Russia :)
You know what I like the most in your films? You have so much respect for people in countries you visit....I really like the way you talk about people. Greets from polish guy livin in Germany :)
I really enjoy your videos. They are so informative yet concise. My husband and I really appreciate a travel youtuber who doesn’t ramble on and on before getting to the point!
I would disagree about how long it takes to travel from each city. If you use the new Pendenlino trains, it is only a little more than 2 hr to travel from Krakow to Warsaw. They're quite nice and cheap! (Compared with high-speed trains in other countries.)
Yeah. The train between Krakow and Warsaw is fine for sure. You are right there
And you can get a cheep plane from Krakow to Gdansk
Mark the plans are to build the largest airport in Europe. From the airport, it will be possible to reach every major city in Poland by train in 2 hours. The whole has to be ready for nine years.
@@szymonzielinski7160 cool. thanks for the heads up.
Cheap domestic flights with Ryanair and also domestic flights (but more expensive) with LOT (Polish Airlines). Don't forget about fast train Pendolino (Express InterCity Premium): Wroclaw - Warsaw, Krakow - Warsaw - Gdansk and plenty of differnt types train services between other cities. If you book your ticket online (InterCity) 30 days before departure, you will get a very low price. Remember, you have to keep your ID (national card or passport) together with your ticket purchased online - just to confirm your name on it and to prove you are owner of this ticket (our stupid polish policies), if not - you may be fined 500 zl.
So, if you are on a budget, then you can choose FlixBus...
Have a nice journey.
If you are going to pronounce Wawel and piwo with the v sound, please use it as well in your pronunciation of Krakow.
POLISH DONUTS!!😍😍
Thank goodness he didn't say "prosim" again lol
My parents took me there on vacation in 1975. Yes, Communist era. What a difference!
That is wild!! What was it like?
@@LincolnintheAdirondacks If you want to see a wild country, go to Germany or France.
AlwaysOn I drove there from Köln last spring. We went to Wroclaw, Katowice, Kraków, and Łodz. Beautiful country!
Wahoo interesting I just planned to visit Poland
Two things that surprised me in Krákow in 2018:
The thing about change is so true. I've never been to a country were even bigger stores kinda think it is a hassle to give a lot of change. LOTS of places take cards though which I love!
Krákow has lots and lots of veggie options, clearly marked in restaurants. There is also plenty more full vegetarian or vegan restaurants than I expected. Food is good!
Crossing the street is also true. Most cars did not stop for me on crosswalks but rather slowed down..
I loved your video. You got the new polish subscriber. Peace
Another great "Polish" video. Thank you Mark, for promoting my country. If you'll ever plan to visit Szczecin/West Pomerania and need a guide, ....at your service. :)
Picked up a couple of Beautiful carved chess sets in the Sukiennice in Krakow, had a great time there.
beautiful City, delicious food!👍 am planning to go there for the fourth time this year
Going to Krakow (after Köln & Berlin) in 6 days w/ the fam!!! Thanks for all your vids!
Witam wszystkich
przyjaciele z Polski , soon, i will be visiting Poland( may be by june 2019). heard alot about this beautiful country. (i hope, i wil get VISA)- Love from India.
Dziękuję Ci
From 17 September there is a direct flight from Delhi to Warsaw.
@@szymonzielinski7160 Dziękuję Ci !
See you in Poland
Just got back from a 4 day trip to Poland. Beautiful country, amazing cathedrals and churches and some very good tours to offer (Salt mines, Auschwitz being the best). Overall had a good trip, just some advice: I traveled with my friend (also male) so we were two men on tour. Literally EVERYWHERE we went (only at night) we were constantly harassed by reps advertising "clubs". These are not clubs in the traditional sense, these are brothels and they are dodgy as hell. They will rinse you of your money and make is hard to leave. They coerce you into a "free drink" that isn't actually free and then block the entrance when you try to leave. Avoid at all costs! The most common place we found these reps harassing people (only men) were the main square and the Jewish old town. They are incredibly persistent and very annoying.
I know. Inwas there by myself and they hounded me about going
Its a thing that most polish people don't know about. They only target turists from outside poland.
We have A Good Group of POLES Living in Canada Mark...So I've taken A Few notes in POLISH...
Thank you of doing the videos, you are not that ignorant like most people i meet during traveling when it comes to the east of europe. And yes, im not ashamed of being from the East, the East rocks!!
Mark you’re my hero. I love your videos and wish I lived your life. Cheers
Krakow, Warsaw, and Gdansk and the 3 big tourist cities in Poland.
wolter have u created any video to do with belarus...evidently its a tough country to get into from what i have read about it...they make it almost super difficult for anyone non-russian or ex-soviet citizen to get into...dont think they have stepped out from behind he iron curtain as yet...love to listen to your insights on this place!!! The place that prohibits ppl fm coming has obviously piqued my curiosity beyond hell!!!
Great video, thanks! I looove Poland 🥰
I know poland has many great artists and animators
Hi Mark! Will you do a video about Gdansk? :)
I was in Kraków for New Years!
And you need to check out Poznań.
Visit city on salt - Inowrocław. In Kujawy, it is near Toruń and Bydgoszcz. Inowrocław was capital city of Plemię Kujawian. And if you will be in city on salt, you may visit Solanki, Szkoła Podstawowa nr. 1, museum of salt, rynek and some other places. In Solanki you may eat ice creams, visit pijalnia wód and Pope's Gardens. In pijalnia wód you can buy water and many other things. Pope's Gardens are so beatifull. Szkoła Podstawowa nr. 1 is 101 years old (it was created in 1918). Rynek is just very old, but ALLWAYS remember. Pay respect to Polish heroes, and never say that last Polish king was good. I hope you will visit beatifull city of Inowrocław.
If you are flying into Krakow and staying in the city centre, a taxi is a fixed price of 90 Zlotti's (€22 / £18) direct to your hotel or place of choice in the city centre. I recommend this over a coach transfer or bus, as the taxi will give you information as you drive, and you can see the beautiful countryside. Just get the taxi from the taxi rank, if someone comes up to you asking if you want a taxi, just say "no thanks" and go to the official taxi rank and get in one yourself. Particularly in Warsaw, it's not dangerous but they will charge you 3 times as much.
Also, if you are thinking of going to Auschwitz, don't buy one of those guided bus tours, just go to the bus station and buy a ticket, it is about one fifth of the price.
Or you can take the train for 9zł. (10% of the taxi price mentioned above).
it is my dream to visit because its my bio grandfathers parents homeland, he still speaks the language. and i was adopted by a polish mom and im trying to get back to my polish roots.
« hit the beach in the north. Than go ski in the south ». 😂
I love the way American people say "pierogi".
me too, but i can't stand if they say "pierogies"
Beautiful country poland too
literally thought he kept saying Missourian lakes. LOL its Mazury
I'm Polish and Live in Gdansk. If u need something you can hit me up
I'm really hoping to go to Poland this year. Never been out of my country before. Out of all the European countries, Poland is the one i want to go to. Seems like such a nice place with nice people. Any polish folks want to give me some advice/tips of your country? Hope to visit this year! 😊
Did you go see the trumpet at St Mary's Basilica in the old town square?
Im going to Kraków this summer so this video helped a lot!
You should visit Poland now. It's very sunny and Hot
Hey mark, I was wondering how long you normally stay somewhere. 1-2-3 weeks or so? Any advice would be nice. Tan k you
I been in that exact place he is in the video
This guy gives good info, without the egocentric (look at me) waffle you find so much of on RUclips.
I very like your videos about Poland but I have one issue.. In every video when you speak about Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps you don't say it was a GERMAN concentration camps. Don't be afraid of say that, the same as German nazists.. somebody who don't know history very well would think that nazists was a Polish faction and that is not true. Maybe it's small detail but for me and another people who are intrested history in more advanced way it's very important detail.
Sorry for my English, I'm Polish guy
Greetings for you
Wroclaw is beautiful as well.Better than Krakow and about the same as Gdansk.However, there is plenty of beautiful cities to visit.
Best places to exchnge your money in Warsaw are typically in the big malls. Safe and offer you the best rates.
By the way, you can always ask if they´re able to offer a better exchange rate as well. It´s always few Zloty more that you will receive ;)
I'm very grateful for the video. I even teared up a bit.
I just wanted to see how you recommend people and im polish so just wanted to know what
Castles aren't that random - it comes from our history, and changing borders, especially in XIV century :)
I need to get to Poland!!!
Watch the video. In the bottom right corner, you have the name of the place.
ruclips.net/video/ekz6i58kVpI/видео.html
My surroundings look like this:
ruclips.net/video/hz5wf_9k78g/видео.html
If you have questions, I will answer.
Główny is not a station stacja is station główny is main
My sister was learning polish as a kid because my stepmother was from Krakow. We were at the zoo and she said mom that's a Foka, " seal". Let's just say the people around us didn't hear seal.
@nater 1
That's funny!! As a kid, my Polish grandma would NEVER curse in English, BUT she didn't Have ANY problem dropping gówno whenever necessary. I Can't count the number of times I heard, "Oh, Charlie, tell me the truth, DON'T give me that Bull 🐂gówno!!" 😀
Nater 1 It would be worse if she had said in plural - foki :)
Another great video! Thanks Mark!
Thank you
Its not true.....Especially nowadays alot of people in Poland speak english.
Zako-pain haha
Great video, what about working or universities in Poland? who likely is it for Americans/Canadians to find work or study there??))
You must have permission from the embassy to stay temporarily. The studies are free provided they are in a full-time mode. Unemployment in Poland is below 6 %. It depends what you are looking for and what you can do.
There are a lot of places willing to hire English speaking foreigners. When it comes to studying here. We do have a lot of good schools that offer all the classes in English but they might be hard to get into. You should try Erasmus its a student exchange program. When it comes to visas. It's not really hard Poland is relatively open. If you are from the US or Canada there should not be any major problems. And a fun fact The Kraków university is one of the oldest in the world 13th I believe it was established in 1364.
Really good video. I highly recommended you a visit Poznań - fisrts capital, all Great Poland (lots of lakes, georgeus forest castles and palaces , Toruń- place of birth Copernicus (call small Kraków), the bigest undegrand in the world in Międzyrzecz ( west Poland) :)
Poznań never was a capital
Over 3000 years polish history
Na zdrowie! (Cheers) but it means for your health
Is there Uber in Poland ?
Yes there is. As well as Lyft and Bolt.
Going to Krakow end of June/ beginning of July for 4 days. dont drink but do plan on eating out 2/3 of those nights. it’ll be me and one more person. how much of US dollars should we convert to cash for that amount of time? should we use all cash or use card as well?
I know this is late but maybe posterity will use this. In Poland you can use almost all ATM to withdraw directly from a foreign account, just make sure your bank offers a fair rate. And recently there was a nationwide event promoting the use of card payment, now nearly every shop and street stall offers card payment. You can pay directly using your currency again just make sure you get fair rates from your bank. The seller directly receives polish money so don't worry.
Don't drink and drive! NEVER
Just got here!
Cool have fun
It used to be cheap. The prices have caught up with them.
It is more than it used to be. That is true
Do you know any guide in Poland?
How to say Krakow Crack-U-V
Hi I'm Polish
Thank you for showing all the delicious Polish food.
Greetings from Poland! :)
Hi!
The word that starts with the letter K does that happen to be the word Krakow LOL
Greetings from Bielsko-Biała
Is this the same vid you posted some years ago? Views haunting?
*_Krakow is pronounced krakawf_*
ay I've been watching a few of these videos and been enjoying them, but I got a question. Traveling is expensive and you seem to do a lot of it, where do you work or get money to travel to all these amazing places.
Se mira amazing.. gorgeous.. salt mine city?!!
Does somebody wanna teach me the word that starts with a "k"? 😅
please pronounce Krakow properly. please please.
From an English bloke living and loving a Polish lass. Nice vids though,
I love Poland so much.
L
ike please
Hello Sir anything more coming up on Denmark i like that place pretty much i did watch all your earlier stuff on Denmark & that was brilliant :)
Sadly no new denmark stuff coming right now :(
@@woltersworld Alright no worries Thanks for the reply Sir but you keep doing this stuff you are brilliant in that it help foreigners like us 😀
It seems Wrocław is an unpronuncable name for many foreigners.
For English speakers: Vrotswav
@@Pining_for_the_fjords It's pronounced just like it's spelled. ;) Actually it doesn't take much to learn Polish pronunciation, and at least it's consistent.
@@Pining_for_the_fjords English peopel pronounced it Wrołklaw or Wrołklow
Breslau sounds much better anyway!
@@scotchgod8478 you kidding? no way. There is no Breslau anymore like most German think it;s Vrotswav.
8:20 they always stop for me