Going to Poland - will All Saints Day bring the country to a standstill?

bainbridge · 27 Sep 2017 at 19:32

Hi GD

Going to Poland at the end of October to visit Auschwitz and will also go down the salt mines. I was advised to visit Auschwitz in winter by those who have been before, so picked 29/10 - 02/11, not realising that the Polish treat All Saints Day as such a solemn occasion.

Can any Polish people or people with a good knowledge of the country advise what it is likely to be like over there at this time? Am I right in expecting things to be quite lively on Halloween and just All Saints Day itself being a very quiet day? Will things go back to normal on 02/11?

I was intending to go to the prison camps on Monday 30/10 and the salt mines on 31/10, staying in Krakow and then head over to Warsaw on 01/11 for a couple of days. What will travelling be like on this day?

I've looked online and there is some conflicting info (what a surprise). Some sites say nobody really celebrates Halloween and All Saints day is a day where everyone goes home to their families to remember the dead, whereas other sites say the younger people have a big party for Halloween and All Saints Day is just a day off.

Please can I get some clarification?

Thanks

!bluetonic! · 27 Sep 2017 at 20:46

♫ A few questions that you need to know

bobbyspangles · 27 Sep 2017 at 20:56

I wouldn't have thought they were that big over there.

Lopéz · 27 Sep 2017 at 21:10

I'm not sure - I'll be in Warsaw myself that week working, and the 1st is definitely a public holiday so I'd expect lots of places to be closed or have reduced hours.

Barry Smalley · 28 Sep 2017 at 07:10

Travelling is supposed to be a nightmare as It’s the time when they go and visit the dead’s graves to pay their respects. I know a couple of poles ho moan about it every year.
Speak to one on the travel company’s that do those specific trips - that’s what we did and they were excellent.

Grandmaster Fap! · 28 Sep 2017 at 17:44

My missus is Polish and she says expect chaos on the roads and a significant police presence everywhere as the Poles are a bit crazy regards to driving

.Halloween isn't much of a deal there except with some young who like all things 'murica', just make allowances for delays and you should be fine.

PAz · 28 Sep 2017 at 19:01

I doubt you would see any significant impact. You are visiting major cities in Poland.

How do you plan to travel from Krakow to Warsaw?

NoobCannon · 28 Sep 2017 at 19:23

Isnt Poland pretty empty seen as most of them are working in London?

v0n · 28 Sep 2017 at 19:28

No, no, no. It will have significant impact, massively so - 1st and 2nd of November is All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. There is no national holiday in your culture that could possibly prepare you for anything of the scale and significance of those two days. You would have to imagine something like Princess Di funeral, but in every town and city, in every borough. Literally everyone, old and young in Poland will be on the way to cemetery to light up candles and pay their respects and then to visit their families. It's chaos and traffic of epic proportions and everything is closed.

PAz · 28 Sep 2017 at 22:24

It really wont be that bad for a connection like Krakow to Warsaw if you are flying or taking the train (prebooked).

I am there almost every year at this time for family reasons and its never been that impactful unless you are driving, which i doubt the OP is.

texxx74 · 28 Sep 2017 at 22:41

v0n said:
No, no, no. It will have significant impact, massively so - 1st and 2nd of November is All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. There is no national holiday in your culture that could possibly prepare you for anything of the scale and significance of those two days. You would have to imagine something like Princess Di funeral, but in every town and city, in every borough. Literally everyone, old and young in Poland will be on the way to cemetery to light up candles and pay their respects and then to visit their families. It's chaos and traffic of epic proportions and everything is closed.

^ This, well most of it ;-)

Travelling within the cities will be a challenge, timetables are affected, routes changed, some closed. Its doable but slow. I always visited graves before or after those days to avoid traffic nightmare. Imho, quite unfortunate time for a visit.
From wiki:
The first day of November is a holiday in Poland. As many people make journeys to visit the burial places of their relatives, heavy traffic develops and accident statistics peak. Most commercial activity also ceases. Cities set up special bus lines which travel between traffic hubs and cemeteries.

texxx74 · 28 Sep 2017 at 22:51

PAz said:
It really wont be that bad for a connection like Krakow to Warsaw if you are flying or taking the train (prebooked).

True, travelling between cities should be ok, getting to the station/airport will require signifficantly more time though.