For our unforgettable adventure to Poland we chartered our own private steam hauled train for three days of excursions during our twelve night holiday.

   Our journey in Poland took us via Gdansk, Sopot, Torun, Lodz and Wroclaw to Bielsko-Biala, with a day excursion to Kracow.

   The group of 45 people mostly from the UK but also from America began their journey from Luton Airport to Gdansk, home to such famous people as Lech Walensa and Daniel Fahrenheit. When the group landed in Gdansk a coach transfered them to the five star Sofitel in the seaside resort of Sopot for three nights. Sopot is a small resort located on the Baltic coast, attracting people from both within Poland and abroad. A visit to Sopot's pier, which is over 500 yards long and ten yards wide making it the longest pier of it's type in Europe, was a must.

   Whilst in the  Gdansk area, famous for it's amber we visited an amber factory and a gallery shop, plus we had a city sightseeing tour and a trip to both the Museum Kashubiah Ethnographic Park and the incredibly impressive Malbork Medieval Castle. This gothic castle is the biggest brick fortress in Poland and is a World heritage Site.

   Leaving Gdansk we travelled to Lodz by coach via Torun, home to Copernicus, to enjoy a planetarium visit. Whilst staying in Lodz we arranged to visit the Coats factory, the museum of textiles and the magnificent 350 year old Radziwill's Palace, surrounded by english gardens.

   We then travelled from Lodz to Wroclaw where we saw exhibits of embroidery and costumes at the museum of ethnography before joining our train,  steam hauled, for our journey to Bielsko- Biala.

   Next day our steam hauled private train took us on a  beautiful scenic ride with the opportunity to see the famous Koniakow lace, locally stitched embroidery, wool spinning and an opportunity to shop for specially made honey vodka.

   Whilst staying in Bielsko Biala a visit to Poland would not be complete without an excursion to Krakow, the royal Capital of Poland for 500 years and home to Pope John Paul II. Here we had a completely free day to explore one of the most architecturally beautiful cities of Central Europe. Sadly, after Kracow we waved goodbye to our special train.


   The next day we were driven by coach for our visit to Katowice, birthplace of John Paul II and a visit to a local ceramic workshop where we each painted china birds to be fired and collected later. Also included whilst in the area was a visit to the museum of weaving technology and weavers houses together with a local textile factory.

   If you have never been to Poland you will find it a surprising country - it has beautiful architecture very similiar to Brugge or Ghent, its countryside is lush and varied and the food is good. The shopping is comparable with other European countries but cheaper. The people are friendly and helpful although little english is spoken. It is a country with many attractions and well worth exploring.