The advantage of such a journey is savings. A trip to Poland on its own car is the pleasure of the extra cheap. Weekly rest, including gasoline (which is more expensive than ours), paid roads in Belarus and Poland, paid parking, hotels, restaurants and entertainment - will cost 50 euros per person per day. And if you still spend the night in camping and eat semi-finished products - you can even put in 25. There is no limit to perfection!

Not to mention full freedom to dispose of time and position in space - also a pleasant condition, and it costs dear.

However, it is pumped into this idea, you must think in advance and prepare. We offer you a win-win action algorithm that should prevail your trip. So that she brought you only pleasant surprises, and did not turn out the continuous "destroying" of various kinds and the degree of seriousness of the problems.

1.Marsruth

First of all - we define the route. Literally - from the threshold and ... where the soul is calling. Decide, consulting with friends and acquaintances, sidewood in the evenings in the network, outer colorful guidebooks and albums ... - Where do you want to visit. This is the first - and most serious - step.

We will tell me that Northern Poland is good for beach holidays - the soft baltic coast with temperate temperatures and cool water, picturesque beaches. These are summer routes running through the ancient coastal cities of Gdansk, Solot, Slupsk, Gdynia.
And in the winter they will enan you, and the most popular of them - Zakopane.

Poland literally breathes a living history, the whole is the embodied chronicle of the centuries - from knightly times to the present day. Very and very diverse and numerous, because what city neither take, it will definitely find a historical monument, and not one. In order to familiarize themselves with the history and culture of Poland, it is necessary to visit Warsaw. Then they are krakow, again, Gdansk, located in the heart of the country, Lodz, the living testimony of the Polish Renaissance Poznan and of course, the ancient capital - a nickene.

To the attention of the most inquisitive and energetic! Do not even try to argue this immense magnificence for one journey. Poland is too large to open it for a week of vacation. Decide that you would like to see first. .

For a full acquaintance with the country is better after all. For a full acquaintance with the country, it is better to buy a sightseeing tour. Then the journey will be built in an optimal way so that in the minimum time you got a maximum of impressions from this trip.

2. Book a hotel

Ideally, you need to book hotels in all cities through which the route is stirred. It is not easy to do, too many factors need to be considered. If you beat this part of the preparation of travel agency - you will win the time and save forces.

In any case, you need to book a hotel in advance, which you will arrive at first, being in Poland. Because the confirmation of the reservation from the hotel will require a visa.

3. Application visa

A visa to Poland to Russians to armerate. To do this, contact the Embassy or Consulate of the Polish Republic. In order not to stand in the queues and do not waste time on weekdays before leaving, book a visa to the tour operator. It is not much more expensive, and if you are traveling with the whole family or a large company, discounts on this service are possible, and for very little money you will win the time and save the forces that will be useful for training and for travel.

The most pleasant thing is that Poland enters the Schengen zone, which means that having received a visa to Poland, you can proceed to any European Country of the Schengen Agreement. Therefore, many experienced autotourists chosen Poland as an ideal start for a big travel in Europe.

4. Followable for travel documents

So, besides a visa, you need:

Green Map and Medical Insurance for the Republic of Belarus (bought on the border of Russia-Belarus). Green Map and Medical Insurance for Poland (bought on the border in Brest).

However, if you follow the Poland transit, the medstrashka is not mandatory. In the absence of medical insurance, entering the territory of Poland it is necessary to have 300 zlotys per person per day (this is about 75 euros).

If you follow a child, and you are not a parent or a second parent with you, then a notarized permission for the removal of a child abroad is necessary.

Driver's license. Not necessarily international. Russian enough.

Powerport Attention! Be sure to be present owner of the car. Even if it is not driving. But the management of power of attorney in the absence of the owner - will not pass.

Machine: no tinting, especially on the front doors. It is forbidden entry on scattered rubber. Do not forget the first-aid kit. And be sure to remove the antiardars and other tricks. Polish road police do not forgive you.

5. What else to take with you?

Important: Restrictions on the import of tobacco products and alcohol. So that there were no problems - it is better not to take cigarettes about the reserve. Gasoline is also only in the gas tank. It is impossible to import some types of food - meat, for example. So baby sandwiches before passing the border.

Money. If there is a medical insurance - 100 zł per day (about 25 euros) - minimum. Take with you for a week 1500 euros - you will probably have enough for a family or a small company.

Maintenance map of Europe will definitely buy in Moscow - it is difficult to find it in Poland.

6. How to go?

It is easier to go from Moscow to M1 to Brest himself. Border transition - Brest Terespol. There are more border guards here, and therefore the queue is moving faster. From Moscow to the border, the path is 11-12 hours. The transition procedure takes from half an hour to four hours - depending on the time of day and day (weekend, holidays, weekdays). It is best to move in 2-3 hours at night - there are almost no people. South Brest is the transition to Domachevo. The queues are less, but there are also few border guards, so it turns out and longer than in the Brest itself.

On the question of the goal of the trip, respond - tourism. Prevent the passport with a visa. As a confirmation from the hotel, show the printout of an email.

And here you are in Poland. Careful on narrow Polish tracks, follow the rules of the road and follow common sense. We hope that these tips will make your journey easier and will allow maximum attention and time to give an active holiday, vivid impressions and wonderful discoveries. Have a good trip!

When we drove in Poland by carIn this amazing and extraordinary country, we managed to see a lot, although it is impossible to see all the sights and plenty of enjoying her atmosphere. Therefore, this article will only have our little experience, which, I hope, will be useful to readers of this resource.

We live on the border with Poland, in Brest, so our interest is very explained to this edge. Especially attractive for all tourists and for us, in particular, are the cities like Warsaw and Krakow - two capitals, but I didn't want to spend our vacation only in the city, so the city of Zakopane with his mountains and lakes were not able to bypass the party . And of course, I wanted to see how ordinary averages of the middle of the city live in this republic. To do this, we chose a town compared to Belarusian Brest and in Square, and by the number of people - the city is Radom, which is a hundred kilometers from Warsaw. Thus, and "born" our route trip in Poland by car, namely: Brest-Warsaw Radom-Krakow-Zakopane. But any journey to the Schengen-zone countries begins with obtaining a visa.

How to get a visa to Poland

Get a tourist visa to Poland is quite simple. The first thing you need to do is to register the date of submission of documents and fill out the visa profile form on the Consulate website. The following step is to collect documents for feeding. Their list does not differ from other participating countries of the Schengen zone: a passport, a completed questionnaire, proof of the availability of funds, medical insurance and documents confirming the purpose of your visit to the country. We had a reservation from Booking.com. We will receive a visa on your hands after 10 business days, i.e., on average, after 14 calendar.

What surprises are waiting for you at the border and after its intersection?

The main surprise in the Belarusian-Polish border is queues and meticulous border guards. Standing at the automotive transition of 8 hours is a very possible prospect, so it is better to capture food with me.

Roads in Poland are good, comply with European standards. Only if they are located outside the city, usually have two stripes, i.e. Only yours and counter. But the convenience of movement does not interfere with: everyone moves with a flow rate, the speed mode is not broken, to overtake, in most cases it makes no sense. Also, the Polish roads in many places are equipped with photographic and vigorously, so I do not advise you to striking in Poland: can hit the wallet a very specific amount. Also note that already at the entrance to Krakow, and more precisely, the kilometers of 100 from it, hilly, and even mountainous, terrain, there are so-called "serpentines". Such a road will be up to the Zakopane itself. The cost of the liter of gasoline in Poland - 5 zł (1.7 dollars).

As for the places where you can stay, Poland is just a paradise roadside service. Therefore, after crossed the border, you can eat, and relax in any motel. The only feature is that if you get here on a festive day, everything will be closed. Such a principle for them: if the holiday, no one works. Therefore, so as not to be in an awkward situation, before the trip, check with the calendar of Poland's public holidays.

What is Warsaw

Warsaw, like almost any metropolitan city, rather arrogant. Especially to Russian-speaking tourists. Maybe, so the capital of Poland did not make a strong impression on me. In my opinion, only two places here are worthy of spending their time on them: the Royal Palace and the National Library.

By the way, all parking in the historic center of the city are paid, and the evacuators work continuously: they left the car in the wrong place - in five minutes there were no longer found it, try to remember it to avoid unpleasant situations. The cost of parking depends on the time you leave the car. On average, in 6 hours of parking, give about 30 zł (10 dollars).

The first place I advise you to visit is the Royal Palace. It is located on one of the two squares of the old city - on the castle. This attraction has a constantly updated official website (http://www.zamek-krolewski.pl), which I would advise you to visit before a trip: here you can find information about the upcoming events. The exposition in the Palace is permanent, of all the halls, more time will pay knightly, marble and throne. Each exhibit has plates with a description in two languages: Polish and English. The entrance is 22 shallows (7 dollars). The day off in the Royal Palace is Monday, on Sunday it works from 11 to 16, on the other days - from 10 to 16.

Coming out of the palace, walk to another area - market. There you will find many catering facilities, many of them are very colorful. In more expensive, try the Tatar - the National Polish dish, which is prepared from raw meat with the addition of mushrooms, oil, onion, pickled cucumber and raw egg. The dish it should be from the freshest meat of high quality. I tried it at the Barbakan restaurant (Barbakan), and I do not regret at all. If you are not ready for such experiments with your stomach, the chefs of the restaurant will offer you other dishes of both Polish and European cuisine. On average, the lunch here will cost 20 dollars. It should be noted that the Poles are prepared very tasty, and they have the same large portions as Bulgarians - Slavic hospitality, apparently.

In minutes 10 walk from the market square is the National Library of Poland. I would advise you to visit for two reasons: the foundation of this library is rich in old books, and search engines in it are among the most effective in the world, so finding some ancient book that you have long dreamed of, quite real here; The second reason is a gorgeous garden, broken on the roof - one of the largest in Europe. From the bridges of the garden offers a wonderful view of the city. In a word, the National Library really amazes.

If you decide to visit other places in the Polish capital, consider the prices of the entrance: Lazenkovsky Palace - 10 zł (3 dollars), 13 zł (4 dollars), the palace wangling - 20 zł (7 dollars).

To stop in any hotel Warsaw I would not advise: very expensive, it is better to swell in the suburbs. We chose the city with Radom for these purposes.

How does Polish depth live

For the night, we settled in the apartment Fantazja, whose double room cost us $ 22. Externally, this place is not impressive, but the rooms are quite cozy, and very satisfying and varied breakfast is included in the price.

In Radom, we decided to go shopping and did not regret it: there is a large shopping center "Solar Gallery" (Galeria S? Oneczna), where you can find stores such brands like Zara, CCC, Newyorker and many others. Prices for brand things are two to three times lower than here. The city has a small park and an old church behind him. These are all the sights of Radom.

In short, the Polish town turned out to be a quiet, clean and cozy place. Here, probably, a good to raise children and live a happy family, leaving the weekend in Warsaw or Krakow, in which we just went.

Krakow - the ancient capital of Poland

When you get to Krakow, you immediately understand which city should be in Poland. He fascinates you, conquers at first glance, and after - does not want to let go.

Main landmark of Krakow - Wawel Castle. Around the perimeter it is surrounded by a high stone wall. Not far from the entrance there is an iron statue of the dragon - the symbol of Krakow, take a picture of it necessarily. For this statue there is a Nora, in which this dragon was sitting on legend. The entrance is paid there, but there is nothing inside, just Nora, so if you pay for a visit to Nouro (it costs about the dollar) - just throw money into the wind. Instead, visit other exposures: Personal and working apartments kings, Treasurer, Chapel (where many Polish kings are buried and the last president of Poland). I also advise you to come here on weekdays, then there are fewer tourists. Prices for the entrance to different departments of the castle are quite high (from 10 to 20 dollars), but it is worth it.

When you are walking around the waw, visit the cloths on the square of the old market, here you can choose a fairly affordable price of jewelery from amber, which is considered to be a symbol of Poland. Nearby, by the way, stands one of the five monuments of Adam Mitzkevich's monument. Walking further along the streets of Krakow you will find many amazing and ancient temples, which, undoubtedly impress you. Therefore, for a visit to Krakow, you need to remove a whole day, and if you like urban culture, then two.

Stay overnight in Krakow, as in Warsaw, very expensive. Choose some kind of motel outside the city.

Zakopane

Zakopane is the city that will meet you welcome. There is everything you need for a good rest: mountains, fresh air, lake, local flavor. By the way, about him. The indigenous people of this area are called mountaineers. Many of them you can see in national clothes in restaurants that perform their ancient songs.

Be sure to take a tour of myself a tour of the mountains on some route, choose the complexity depending on your physical training. However, be sure to visit the valley of five lakes. These are alpine lakes of amazing beauty. There is not far here and a house where you can stay for recreation or to wait for bad weather - the locals call it "Chronic", staying in it for free. Do not go to the mountains, you risk getting lost, besides, bears are found here. The average cost of excursions - 70 zł (22 dollars). Also ride on horseback by padded tracks, on the lift, climb the mountains (it costs 28 zł (9 dollars)), just enjoy nature.

Hotels here are all good, without exception. The average cost of the double room ranges from 70 to 120 dollars.

In short, Poland is a very colorful edge. For 10 days of stay in this republic, we seemed to have visited three different countries, in which for some reason they speak in the same language. And we are sincerely grateful to Poland for it, as well as for the fountain of emotions, experiences and the feelings that she presented to us.

GOLUBIEVSKAYA VICTORIA BELRUS,
Brest, 23 years old

Polish mix: 2-week route from Krakow to Gdansk

Castles, deserts, ports, lighthouses, caves, lakes - this journey to the south and north of Poland turned out to be a bright cocktail from the opposites capable of completely change the impression of this country!

Travels are different, as well as dishes: Some are fresh, others are sharp, third - exotic. The recipe of our unique: a friendly company, on the fly changing plans, the desire of new impressions and, of course, a colorful country.

It all started with the fact that we decided to visit friends, and at the same time and diversify the impressions. Plans were ambitious - to drive along the entire Baltic coast of Poland by car, visiting the tens of lighthouses, sunbathe on the beaches, open new horizons, then see Warsaw and go home rested. But plans have a property to change without the knowledge of their owners. Therefore, on arrival to friends, it was decided not to go north, but to the south - to Krakow. This idea was unanimously approved, and we went to the car by car.

South. Beskids. Krakow

From up to a few hours drive, and here we are in place. The accommodation was rented through Airbnb and, parked the car, went on foot to the old town. The entire historical center around the perimeter is surrounded by a neat park with bicycle paths and places to relax in the shade of trees. We went to the city from the Eanlet Square near the Palace of Arts, and I will safely hit the light performance - many fountains were highlighted and created the atmosphere of the holiday. Having loved by glowing jets, we headed to the heart of the old city - the market square.

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The same city can be absolutely different depending on the time of day. To admire all his beauties in the daytime, we recommend on a cognitive excursion. Krakow met with yellow lights of the lanterns in the twilight, the sounds of the jazz orchestra at the main market, the knock of the hoofs and the creak of carriages. A multiple crowd of tourists slowly moved along the streets, flowing from one brightly lit building to another. We also followed their example and dived into the clouds - the central construction of the square. This historic building was transformed several times and completed with different rulers, but one destination has always had - trade. So now they sell the souvenirs and the goods of national fishery, from leather bags before amber jewelry. A variety is that the head goes around and everyone wants to buy. Going out, immediately before his eyes will appear by the Mariatsky Catholic church with the towers, which at night looks like an old castle. On the square is full of cafes and restaurants, where it is necessary to try Zurek or pies (that is, dumplings and some delicious dessert). That's how we spent the whole evening, walking around the narrow streets of the old city and examining the ancient houses.

On the second day, we went again to the old town, but from the North side, where Barbakan is located, once served as a protective structure. It was connected with the city of Bridge, now there is a branch of the historical museum. We entered the city through the northern gate and headed to the center. In the afternoon, the market square looked completely different: the fair, spreading almost throughout the entire territory, noise, music from all cafes. We hurried to look inside the Maitsky Catholic church: there is a separate entrance for tourists, for parishioners. In the temple is crowded, but not noisy, a lot of air inside - this effect is created by high vaults, a huge central nave is painted as a starry sky - on a dark blue background gold patterns, light pouring through high windows, lighting all the magnificence and puff. If you wait, you can see how the huge altar of the carved tree opens. The church is impressive, but it is necessary to take a look at it and on the other hand.

We climb the steep steps of the city hall, at the same time you can see the exposition of old-fashioned clothes, which is exhibited on one of the floors (the town hall is a branch of the historic Museum of Krakow). As such, there is no such observation deck, just on the top floor windows are open, but the views are still beautiful. All market square and church as a palm, the domes of basil, and at the bottom of the umbrellas cafe and fair tents look like a mosaic. The Wavell Castle is visible, just us there. And you can learn in detail about all exhibitions, the time of work and the addresses of the divisions of the historical Museum of Krakow.

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To the Royal Castle from the Market Square to go about 10-15 minutes on the pedestrian street of Grodsk, but we did not want to hurry, because at every step came across any sights - for example, the Catholic church of Andrei was the First-Called - or just beautiful historic buildings. The castle itself is a whole architectural complex, which includes about two dozen structures, but the main, of course, the Royal Palace and the Cathedral of the Saints Stanislav and Waclav, on the entrance to which huge bones hang, say Mammoth. The entrance to the territory of the castle and to the Cathedral is free, and in the interior, where there are various exhibitions, you need to purchase a ticket. Wovel Castle stands on the title Hill on the shores of Vistula and from there a beautiful view of the modern part of the city and the river. By the way, descending down, you can ride on the cruise ship on the river with a sightseeing excursion, and this will take a look at the city near a different angle.

We did not accidentally be in Krakow and precisely in Wawel, and because this is the first of the 16 castles in the chain of defensive structures. The so-called path of Orlins Nests is a route passing through the Voivodeship of Malopolskoe and Selezia. King Casimir III The Great Hold these locks to protect borders and trade routes. And they received such a bizarre name because of their location on the hills and rocks, as if the eagle's nests. In order not to get off the way and not to miss a single castle, we used the site and examined the first castle, without losing time, went to the next.

You can learn all the secrets and legends of Krakow: why Dragon became a symbol of the city, which is necessary to try from local meal and how the women were punished in the Middle Ages. All answers to questions will learn there!

Castle leatherkene

13 kilometers from Krakow near the little village of leatherkene there is a castle. He was erected in the 14th century, renovated, and today it is used as a place of celebrations. In numerous halls weddings and various events are held. In our arrival, the preparation for the wedding and one of the halls with old tapestries turned into a banquet was actively accounted for.

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Inside in many races, the walls are not plastered, but naked brickwork is left and decorated with animal horns. The place is very colorful, but the castle can be closed during the celebrations. You can take 1-1.15 to the leather lock and it will be enough.

Otitsovsky National Park and Otitsovsky Castle

For the next castle, more precisely, we arrived at its ruins in the afternoon. The car was left in the parking lot, a number of cash registers and an information center, where you will be given a map and the route will be prompted.

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The Ositsovsky Castle itself is on a high rock and most of it is destroyed. To this day, the gates and a couple of towers lived in good condition, the rest is only in the form of foundations and connections, but the view from the cliff offers wonderful emerald hills and valley. The National Park has several routes that differ in durability and complexity. Walking on an asphalt road, you meet the rocks of an amazing form, as if the fins grows out of the Earth, the knife is growing or the knife's edge, who have any associations of these bizarre sculptures of nature. The most famous rock - Bulava Hercules - 25 meter rocks surrounded by forest. Entrance to the path Through the rock canyon - a narrow entrance dropping by the Emerald Valley. Beautiful place to breathe full of breasts with the clean air and go forward.

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There are caves in the park, but we did not go there, the temperature there is not higher than 16 degrees, and after a hot day and an active campaign without warm clothes in them we risked sick. But we went to a high visor area, from where the entire park is visible. At the Oitsov castle and the park it is worth spending 5-6 hours, so as not to rush to walk, and if you descend to the caves, it is better to leave a separate day for him.

Castle Rabashtyn

In the evening we got to the town of Olkush, which is 45 kilometers from Krakow. Nearby was located near the village of Rasstyn with the castle next to our route. We examined the ruins of the castle, which are partially restored.

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The Tower-Gate is in good condition, on information tablets they read that inside there is a small museum and various historical festivals are held. For the night they decided to stop somewhere nearby. It turned out that local residents hand over their housing to tourists at a low price. We settled on the second floor of a private house right under the castle, and the ruins were visible from the courtyard.

I was awakened by mosquitoes, it was annoyed by the buzz over the ear, I could no longer sleep and decided to go walk. Early morning, time before dawn is quiet-quiet, I left the house and went through a distinguished path. The village is in the lowland around the mountain and forest, only a small glade and pasture at the castle. It came to the walls, it can be seen how fog rises from cold grass, as if the ghost, which is afraid of light.

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The long mountains are clearly visible from the hill and the first rays of the sun, first looked, ingratiantly, shine on the castle, on the forest, on the village, to the glade. Then the above and above the orange Disk of the Sun rises above the tops of the trees, everything is brighter, the white walls of the castle as if wake up from sleep, dew glitters in fresh grass, fog rises above the forest, evaporates and mysterious chimka disappears. I never met dawn in the mountains, it was so simple and at the same time fabulously that I did not regret early awakening.

Smolen

In the smile, we came to the dinner and immediately headed for the castle. The whole territory in the greenery and went nice, although the day was hot. More recently, I was in decline quite recently, but now it is restored and you can go along the massive walls of the fortress and look at the surroundings from the height, like other strengthening on the path of Orlyine nests it is on a high hill. On the stone stairs climb the tower, it is likely that it used to be a sentiment. The view from the tower in all directions - the castle dominates the plains and small hills, the fields as patchwork dressed, spread around and only the foothills were visible to the forest.

In the courtyard of the castle there is a deep well, and from the opposite side - dungeons. At one time, Smolen was an impregnable fortification, and now has become an interesting place with rich stories and lush nature. For visits and excursions are enough 2-2.5 hours.

Ogrodzenets

Our last point on the path of Orlins Nörtdzdzenz became the town of Podzamche. We gladly spent half a day in this wonderful place and were satisfied. Moreover, the amusement park is organized next to, where it will not be boring or children or adults. The castle is very beautiful, despite the dilapidated state of its snow-white towers and massive walls create the impression of a fabulous town.

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Now work is underway on its reconstruction. But tourists inside are allowed, the entrance is paid, the price includes a tour of the tower with the exposition of torture guns. The construction is on the hills and, as if grows from the rocks. You can walk for a long time on narrow gloomy corridors with bobbin windows, climbing the gallery, climbing the towers. And here it is worth lingering and admire the scenery. The castle is obscured by a defensive wall, which in one place smoothly flows into the rocks. The whole territory in soft grass, where you can sow and relax after the tour. Footing on the castle and the surrounding area, we headed to the amusement park. And here everyone chooses that the soul is pleased: and the adrenaline park on the trees, and the informative theme park is an entertaining physics, where you can feel the impact of its laws on different shells, the Sandy Route for Bobsley, only not with such steep turns, and Dungeon with ghosts.

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For children there is a park miniature and attractions. Select entertainment and events, see prices. Festivals and knightly tournaments are held in Rodzrenz, so you can plan more and interesting historical leisure leisure. So it will not be boring. We have moved home closer in the evening and only for midnight were in place.

North. Baltika. Gdansk

A couple of days a breather and we are moving north. Here, my soul wanted to turn on the full, and the Curonian braid to visit, and Helskaya, and in general, all the lighthouses along the coast. And not there was something - everything was left four days and had to choose the most interesting and compactly located. The route was as follows: Gdansk-Sopot-Hel-Slavignan National Park.

All highways in excellent condition and free, along the entire path to North are the construction work of new highways. Leaving from the suburbs of Warsaw, we got to the evening. Parked at the historic center, after 6 pm parking is free. Passing, literally one hundred meters, went to the pedestrian street Dluga, on it and a parallel beerry street focused mass of sights, which makes a rich walk. Immediately admires the fantasy, with the facades and the frontones of the houses. The impression is that this gingerbread houses with sugar icing for Christmas lined up in a row in a festive shop window and are waiting for them when they are chosen and put in the basket.

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The magnitude of the architecture is related to the fact that the city was a rich and important seaport and from the mid-14th century, he entered the Hanseatic Union, which unites more than 300 cities of the Baltic. He was inhabited by merchants and merchants who competed in the luxury and beauty of the design of their homes - you will look and do not find two identical. Here and dragons on the roofs, and horses, and the drainage pipes in the form of fish, and the statues like in the museum are decorated with the facade of the house. An excellent view of exactly precipitated streets and the bay opens from the town hall, which is located on Dlug Targe, as well as from the bell tower of the Church of the Virgin Mary. On the same streets you can get through the green gates to the embankment.

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In the evening, the city dresses in bright lights, creating a particularly cozy atmosphere, and all this is reflected in slow wood. All cafes and restaurants are Native to Ploy and try the delicious fish dishes of national cuisine. That evening we just walked and admired the views of the city. For a greater impression, you can climb in the Cabin of the Ferris Wheel, which is on the island of warehouses, near the Maritime Museum. But we are very tired and went to sleep.

The housing was filmed for one night with a parking lot for 100 zł (less than 25 euros) in the new district of Gdansk and remained very satisfied. In the morning we returned to the old town again, but already purposefully went to the embankment. There, the old Jurava, the port crane and part-time city gates, tried the delicious smoked sheep cheese with a cranberry jam. Such a combination gives a very savory taste and want to drain with a dozen of such raws. For completeness, the paintings decided to ride at the Pirate Galeon, which was standing by the pier on the bird to the mouth.

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The cost of the excursion is 40 zlotys per person (less than 10 euros). On board there is a guide, which speaks good in Russian, and inside a cafe. My husband and I wanted to have a snack and we ordered Polish borsch. The fact that it is not Ukrainian borsch, I knew, but such deception did not expect: four dumplings dangled in a burgundy driver - and this is all the dish. Galeon slowly sailed along the docks and port shipyards, the guide along the way told the story of Gdansk. The most beautiful views of the mouth of the sea.

After examining Gdansk from the water, we went to the Royal Olive Park. This is a magnificent Botanical Park with the Abbati Palace and the Olive Cathedral. On a hot day, it was nice to walk in the shade of trees and admire the well-kept flower beds. In the park, several small water bodies connected by a cascade of waterfalls. In the summer, concerts are held - we caught one of these, the orchestra performed the works of Chopin on the open scene. Many cozy and secluded corners of the park are located to rest on the lawn or on a bench. The ducks and swans are swimming in the ponds, shady alley is a walk to stroll and if you have enough time, it is worth spending half a day for sure.

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Gdansk, Sopot and Gdynia - the famous three-grade in the Baltic. And we could not disregard the wonderful snot. It is not so magnificent as Gdansk, but on the contrary, some relaxed, resort, but no less interesting. We had only half a day at him, so I will write that we managed to see on the run. On the main pedestrian street of the heroes Monte Cassino a lot of cafe and bars, but you see the most interesting, passing towards the embankment. There is a curve lodge, incredible, it seems, asking for a merry melody. We look and do not believe that it is possible to build. Walls and angles do not want to obey strict geometry, and jump out of smooth lines, it seems that you are looking at the reflection in the mirror curve. Inside nothing gives it to "cryption", but all lines smooth, something even the architecture of Gaudi is reminded. Closer to the sea stands a lighthouse that adorns the city landscape. It is not acting, but colorful, also due to the fact that it is based on a square form in contrast to ordinary cylindrical.

Evgeny Rod from Minsk, but now he constantly lives in Warsaw. In Minsk, it goes once a month and a half, mostly by car, so the experience of intersection of the boundary has even debugs. How to save time on the border crossing, how to better arrange Tax Free, where to spend the night if necessary - in his story.

Routes

Between Belarus and Poland - five border crossings through which you can drive on a passenger car (sorting from north to south, in accordance with the card):

• "Brugs - Kuznica (forge)",
• "Berestovitsa - Bobrowniki (Bobrovniks)",
• "Sandstone - Poolowce (Polovtsy)",
• "Brest - Terespol (Terespol)",
• "Domachevo - Slawatycze (Slavyche)."

Through each of the listed border crossings I had to ride. Below, I present to your attention a card on which five options for Minsk - Warsaw routes are applied, respectively, through each of the transitions.

As can be seen from the card, the shortest and fast road - through PP "Bobrovniki". The route through "Brugs" is almost the same in time and distance. Next, there is a road through PP "Brest", but the path through small transitions like "Domachevo" and "Sadt" promises to be the longest.

I like to ride through PP "Bobrovniki". The road on the Republic of Belarus after the congress from the M1 highway there is narrow, not particularly loaded. At the same time, it passes around the terrain with a beautiful relief and has a good coating. In Poland, the Bialystok road - Warsaw (190 km) approximately halfway consists of a four-band motorway with a speed limit of 120 km / h. The rest is two-way (90 km / h). But now this road is actively expanding, by the end of 2015, narrow pieces (with a good coating) will remain only about 20-30 km. On the track Terespol - Warsaw (also 190 km) a few years ago, a major overhaul was carried out, so the coverage on this road is excellent. But its main minuses is that it is a narrow (two-band), loaded and passes through a bunch of settlements with a limitation "50". And it is in settlements it is quite often a police with a radar. Therefore, this road is not only slow (faster than three hours I usually fail to pass it), but also the tedious due to the constant overtaking of the truck and monotonous driving at a speed of 80-90 km / h.

Queues on the border: how do they come from

When calculating time on the way for each of Google routes, it does not take into account the time required to cross the border. And this time can be from 30 minutes to several hours, or even more. The most long intersection of the border with which it came across, almost 10 hours. It was like torture, not only for the driver who cannot close the eyes because of the need to constantly approach, but also for passengers, since it is hot, then mosquitoes, then you need to go to the toilet, then you want to eat.

Almost all border crossings are similar, both from the Polish and the Belarusian side. The simplified scheme of the border guard I portrayed in the figure.

From the scheme it can be seen that the queues can accumulate in several places: before entering the territory of the border guard, in the canals ("green" and "red") and in neutral territory.

The neutral territory is the same everywhere - this is the road (either the bridge where the border goes along the river), which has one strip in each direction and, as a rule, a double solid line between the strips. But its length is different on different transitions, respectively, than it is longer, the more cars are placed there, the larriness there may be formed.

Where do the queues on the border come from? There are several reasons here. The most banal is a great simultaneous surveillance of cars. Border crossings have limited bandwidth and sometimes do not cope with stir. This happens, for example, during the Christmas and New Year holidays, the May holidays, etc., when many people go to Europe on vacation. Also in my memory there were several bursts associated with increasing import customs duties on cars. Then there were huge queues for entry into Belarus due to the fact that a lot of people imported and cleared cars.

Another reason for large queues can be a change in the legislation of the Republic of Belarus and / or the Customs Union regarding the duty-free import by individuals of goods for personal use. This is the famous fun of the Belarusian GTC, which cost many people not only time and money, but also a fair amount of nerves. After all, it is no secret that many Belarusians go to Poland for shopping, because there is cheaper. Moreover, it concerns not only clothing and electronics, but practically everything starting from construction and finishing materials and ending with food. There is a list of goods that can be imported into the Republic of Belarus without customs clearance, that is, through the "green" channel. This list is available on the GTK website. But Belarusian legislation in this regard is ambiguous, so different interpretations are widespread. For example, the same product can be classified by different customs workers in different ways. In addition, there are so-called "internal orders" customs, which, naturally, are absent in open access. As a result, if I, for example, bought a coffee table in IKEA, which is not subject to customs declaration in the official classification, and entering the Republic of Belarus through the "green" channel, the customs worker can send me to the "red" channel, explaining that that I need to declare it, even without paying customs duties. It usually refers to the "Internal Order".

Why am I still describing this in this way? The fact is that from the above scheme of Breastherd, it can be seen that the most narrow place is the neutral territory. Since the Belarusian side most of the car sends to the "Red" channel, the design on which occupies much longer than on the "green", then, having taking all the "red" channels by machines, the new batch with neutral territory does not run Belarusians until you free Place in canals. It doesn't matter that cars heading in the "green" channel can be standing on a neutral area, which can be empty at this time. They can not get into it until they appear on the territory of the border guard with a neutral territory in the order of a living queue.

I never got into such a trap. Having traveled to the Polish border at the transition "Brest - Terespol", I was in line with a sump before leaving for a neutral territory, which by that time there were already several dozen, and even hundreds of cars. They accumulated there because the neutral territory was also all busy with machines (see the photo below). And this was caused by the fact that on the Belarusian border, all the "red" channels were busy, new cars launched into the territory as the channels were released.

The queue on the neutral territory of the Brest - Terespol. View back towards Poland

The queue on the neutral territory of the Brest - Terespol. Ahead of the RB

I called it a trap, because in such a situation there is no longer anywhere. Theoretically, being at neutral territory, you can turn around and enter Poland again to go to another border. But, first, on entry to Poland, there may also be a queue, secondly, such maneuvers, as a rule, cause a negative reaction from border guards, which may result in an additional expectation and disassembly.

How not to fall into the trap

How else do you do not get into such a trap and not to spend half a day in it? Here I will give a few tips that I use itself when I go from Warsaw to Minsk and back.

First, on the way to the border you need to collect information about queues. There are several sources of such information:

• . It should be noted that you can not always believe the information on this site. There are several reasons for this. First, the information there is updated infrequently - every few hours for which the situation can change dramatically. Secondly, this information shows the queue (number of cars), which is already on the territory of the border guard, that is, in the canals. She does not take into account those cars that stand in line before entering the territory or at neutral territory. In this case, you can see the image from cameras available on the same site, but the cameras do not remove the neutral territory, but only entry into the territory of the Borderhouse from the RB;

• the site of the Polish border committee. There is indicated the time required to cross the Polish border on "Red" and "green" channels. You can also see images from cameras. In addition, there is an official application for smartphones, which is quite convenient;
• "Informant network." To go abroad by Belarus by car with the Belarusian registration, it is necessary to have a "green card" - the road insurance of civil liability, which is valid in the EU. Belarus has several insurance companies that make such insurance. They have the same prices, their agents are sitting at all refills near the border. There are also a "green card" design items right on the border. All agents are happy to give their phone numbers when they do insurance. Therefore, you can call them and find out if there is a queue on the border. This is the most reliable source of information about queues. But it is possible to use it for obvious reasons only when leaving Belarus.

How do I do: Minsk - Warsaw

When I go from Minsk to Warsaw, then, of course, I use the "network of informants." I gathered phone numbers from insurers on PP "Bobrovniki", "Brest" and "Domachevo", as I use mostly these three transitions. From Minsk to the border, I always leave on the M1 highway in the direction of Brest and, driving Baranavichi, I call on PP "Bobrovniki". If there is no queue, go there. If there is a turn, I go to Brest. After reaching the transition, "Brest - Terespol", I look in place, there is a queue, and I call the "Domachevo" PP to learn the situation there. As a result, I choose either "Brest" or "Domachevo" (the road to Him goes straight from the border guard "Brest - Terespol" along the border). I do it because, if you go to Bobrovniks immediately and it turns out that there is a turn, then there will be a lot of nowhere to go, because the transition closest to Bobrovnikov - "Brugs", and there 70 km and an hour of the way, therefore There is no particular sense in such a crossing. But from Brest to Domachevo - 44 km, and the road is better. In addition, from Brest, you can go to PP "Sandok", which is 55 km. But this option is to the most extreme case, because of the sands in Poland you need to get a long time to the track with small narrow tracks, that in time it makes sense only if the line on the border is 5-6 hours.

How do I do: Warsaw - Minsk

From Warsaw to Minsk lately I go only through Terespol. I donate before the transition "Brest - Terespol", I look, is there a turn there. There is such a nuance: the queues at the entrance to the territory of the border guard and can not be in the channels, but this does not mean that it will quickly go through the border. This is the very trap that I described above. It may be so that the movement is hampered by the Belarusian side, and then you can spend several hours in the neutral territory. Therefore, I clarify the situation at the border guards, and if it turns out that Belarusians slowly allow the cars, then I am going to PP "Domachevo". There are usually no big queues, but, first, the road before the transition, and then from the transition to Brest takes at least an hour, secondly, Polish border guards and customs officers there work noticeably more slowly than on large transitions. The undoubted advantage of this transition is that residents of border areas that make up a large percentage of crossing the border, rarely drive through Domachevo. Most of them live in Brest, they make no sense to make a hook at 90 km.

Through PP "Bobrovniki" from Poland, I have not traveled no longer for a long time, since at a time when I cross the border (and this is usually 21.00-22.00), there are large queues of residents of border cities, for which this transition is the main one. And since the transition is not very large, the channels there are much less than in Brest.

For travelers: Overnight

I described above, as I crossed the border and how guided. Since I move between Warsaw and Minsk without overnight stays, in one sitting, I am important every 10 minutes of time and is very sorry when this time is spent on waiting in the queue.

I understand that, perhaps, my tips are not suitable for everyone. For example, those who are sent to their summer "EuroTrip" is easier and more convenient to come in as follows: to get to Brest in the evening, spend the night there and in the morning it is early to go on the border. As a rule, early in the morning, hours in 6-7, and maybe in 8, there should be no queues. I myself, really, did not do. But on the way from Poland in the RB spent a couple of times in front of the border, so I can recommend a couple of hotels:

Hotel Pod Débami is 5 km from Terespol. Alternatively, it is possible to be on the border in the morning after 10 minutes;
- Hotel Delfina 67 km from Bobrovnikov and 22 km from Belostok. Closer to the border can only be spent the night in the Belostok itself, since it is 45 km away from it to the border, the road goes through the Polish piece of Belovezhskaya Forest, so there are no hotels there.

The last thing I wanted to write is a small lifehak associated with Tax Free. Many tourists returning from Europe are drawing up Tax Free on purchases. To get the return of VAT on Tax Free checks, you need to present them and the buying customs officers themselves on the exit from the EU so that they make marks about the removal of goods. It is done after passing passport control, so extra time is lost. So, the Tax Free design process on the border can be significantly accelerated by making information from the checks to the customs system via the Internet in advance. You can do this on the website of the Polish Border Committee. Then, when applying at the border, the customs officer will not need to make all this information manually, it will only remain it to check and stamps your checks.

I hope that for someone information will be useful. After all, in any case, wherever you go, spend hours in line at the border not the best pastime.