THE TOUR

 

 

The locations indicated are not exact, but they are close.  The routing is schematic.  You could probably do all of this in a week to ten days, depending on mode of transportation.

It was our good fortune to have a native railfan guide to drive us around.  But the more likely options are rental car, train, or bus.

  The fastest, and most expensive, option is to rent a car and drive. If you are nervy enough to drive in someone else's country.  I am not!

 You can get to all of these places by train, and PolRail Passes are very reasonable.  But it can take a while.

Busses go everywhere, frequently, inexpensively, and often more directly than trains. That's all I have to say about that.

A SAMPLE  RAIL ITINERARY

DAY 1: arrive warsaw airport; check in to a mid-town hotel;  R&R.

DAY 2: tour Warsaw, Visit PKP Railway Museum.

Day 3: Depart Warsaw 11:22, Arrive Elk 15:39; tour skansen.

Day 4: Ride Narrow Gauge; Depart Elk 13:02,  Arrive Elblag 18:33.

Day 5: Ride Elblag-Ostroda Canal; return by train; walking tour of town; ride/photo narrow gauge trams.

Day 6: Depart Elblag 7:16, Arrive Znin 13:20; Ride Narrow Gauge to Wenecja and/or Biskupin, depending upon your time and interests;  Depart Znin 16:16, Arrive Poznan 19:06 (actually, this is too tight for me)

Day 7: Depart Poznan 8:49, Arrive Sroda 9:17; enjoy the Narrow Gauge Steam; Depart Sroda 16:15, Arrive Poznan 16:46.

Day 8: Depart Poznan on standard gauge steam-powered local to Wolsztyn (check at station for times); enjoy Wolsztyn!

Day ?: Take a train to Warsaw.

Next day: Fly back to reality.

I left out the Skansen at Koscierzyna because it would add a couple of days to the trip, and the Skansen in Warsaw will probably do just as well. (We passed on the Warsaw skansen, will catch it next time.)

NB: This itinerary is intended only as a sample of what can be done.  It was worked out using the European Rail Timetable for October 10, 2000.  You certainly don't want to assume that this could be done in July, 2001.

 

 

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