However, such a trip looks completely different than a regular weekend in Poland. Sometimes the family home is in one town, but the cemeteries you need to visit are already in several others. Add to that the airport, shopping, meetings with loved ones and the need to return in time for your flight. With a stay lasting only two or three days, good organization becomes really important.
All Saints' Day is not a regular weekend
On November 1st, we celebrate All Saints' Day in Poland. It's a statutory day off work and one of those moments in the year when particularly many people visit cemeteries. For people living in Poland, many things are obvious – we know that areas around cemeteries will be crowded, traffic jams may appear, traffic organization changes and parking problems may occur.
However, if you live abroad on a daily basis and return to Poland only a few times a year, it's worth preparing for it in advance. Especially when you only have a few days available and want to visit more than one place.
Imagine you live in London, Manchester, Berlin, Dortmund or Cologne. For several months you haven't been in Poland. You buy a ticket, pack a few things and fly. You land in Krakow or Katowice. Someone from your family can pick you up, but this isn't always possible. And then the actual part of the trip begins – you need to get to your hometown, visit the cemetery, meet with loved ones, sometimes travel to another town, and then return to the airport.
And that's exactly when a car can simply make life easier.
Airplane and car – a combination that makes sense
If you have a car in Poland, the matter is simple. The problem appears when you live abroad on a daily basis and don't want to spend over a dozen hours commuting to and from Poland. With a three or four day stay, it may turn out that flying is much more convenient, and you can pick up a car right there.
You reach Poland by plane. You reach your destination by car.
If you land in Silesia, car rental in Katowice Pyrzowice can be a convenient solution, especially if after landing you don't go to downtown Katowice, but further – to your hometown or another city in the region. It's similar in Małopolska. If you land in Balice, car rental in Krakow at Balice airport allows you to move on immediately, without organizing a pickup from family or looking for a connection to the next city.
It's not even about having a car for your entire stay. It's about being able to simply get in and drive when you need it.
Your own car from Germany or a rental car on site?
That's a natural question, especially if you live in Germany. If you live near the border, traveling in your own car can make a lot of sense. You have your own car, you know it and you don't need to arrange anything on site. However, if you live further away, the situation looks different.
There's a long route to travel both ways. After reaching Poland, you may already be tired, and you still have several days of intense traveling between family, cemeteries and other towns. With a short stay, it's worth calculating not only the cost of fuel, but also time and energy.
Sometimes a few hours of flying and a car picked up after landing simply means more time spent with loved ones. Instead of starting your visit to Poland with a long car journey, you can land, pick up a car and
One cemetery? Or maybe three?
This is where a car becomes really useful. Parents live in one town, grandparents in another, and the grave of someone from the other side of the family is somewhere else. Everything seems close until you need to visit these places in one weekend.
A car lets you plan your own route. You can go to one town in the morning, then visit another cemetery, return to family, and head towards the airport the next day. You don't have to check every connection or ask someone for a ride.
Of course, a car won't always be the best solution. If you fly into Krakow, live downtown and have one cemetery to visit, public transportation might be simpler. However, if during a few days you want to visit several towns, a car gives you something very valuable – flexibility.
The biggest problem? Not distance, but time
During All Saints' Day, 30 kilometers on a map can mean a completely different journey than usual. Near cemeteries, there are more cars, temporary traffic organization changes may apply, some streets may be closed, and finding a parking space may take more time.
That's why during this period, it's not worth planning tight travel schedules. If you need to be at the airport at 3:00 PM, don't assume that leaving your hometown at 12:30 PM will definitely be enough. Give yourself some buffer – for traffic jams, parking, walking to the cemetery and unforeseen situations.
It's also worth checking in advance how traffic is organized in the place you plan to visit. In larger cities on November 1st, some streets may be closed to cars, additional parking lots appear, and some places are primarily intended for public transportation. Sometimes the best solution is to leave your car a bit further and walk the last stretch. It's better to walk an extra few hundred meters than to waste half an hour looking for a spot right at the entrance.
How might such a trip look?
Let's say you live in the United Kingdom and fly to Katowice on Thursday evening. You pick up a car and drive to your hometown. Friday is quieter – you meet with family, do shopping, prepare for the next day.
On Saturday you visit cemeteries. One, then another. Along the way a family meal and meeting with loved ones. On Sunday comes time to return. Instead of asking someone for a ride to the airport, you simply get in the car and hit the road.
It's a simple example, but it shows well why a car might be needed during such a trip. It's not an attraction or a travel goal. It's a tool that allows you to organize a few important days more efficiently.
And if you're coming from Germany?
In the case of Germany, much depends on where you live. For a person from a border region, traveling in your own car can be the most natural solution. However, if you live further away, it's worth considering whether a multi-hour car journey both ways makes sense for a stay lasting only a few days.
Sometimes it's better to dedicate that time to family. Fly to Poland, pick up a car on site and return it before heading back a few days later. This is especially convenient if you don't need a car in Poland daily, but only for specific trips.
Do you need a car for your entire stay?
Not necessarily. This is important because not every All Saints' Day trip requires renting a car from airport to airport. If you spend most of your time in one city, a car may be unnecessary. However, if you plan several trips, visits to different towns and a return to the airport, the situation looks different.
Then a car can save you primarily time.
That's why it's worth starting with a travel plan, and only then deciding which means of transportation will be best.
How to prepare for your trip?
Before your flight, it's worth spending a few minutes on preparation. Check the route from the airport to your hometown, write down the addresses of cemeteries you want to visit, check parking options and see if the city has any traffic organization changes.
If you're renting a car, it's good to make a reservation in advance, especially if you care about a specific pickup and return time. It's also worth giving yourself not only time for the actual journey, but also for things that can't be planned. For a conversation with family that stretches an hour longer. For coffee with someone you haven't seen in a long time. For lunch that was supposed to take half an hour but ends up taking two.
Because that's exactly why you're going back.
This time it's not just about the trip
The beginning of November is a completely different kind of trip for many people. It's not about seeing as many places as possible, visiting all attractions or driving as many kilometers as you can. It's primarily about people and places that matter to us.
For some it will be a family home in Silesia. For others a small town in Podkarpacie, Mazovia or Pomerania. For still others several cemeteries scattered throughout the region. If you live abroad, such a return can be one of the few opportunities in a year to really be close to these places.
That's why it's worth planning logistics well so you don't spend more time on it than necessary later. Airplane. Car. Family home. Cemetery. Meeting with loved ones. A few days. A few hundred kilometers. Many important meetings. It's good if the journey itself is simply easy.