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Poland
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|language = Polish
|capital = [[Warsaw]]
|map = <map lat='52' lng='19' zoom='5' view='0' country='Poland' />|pop = 38,518135,241876|currency = Złoty (PLN)|hitch = {{good}}<rating country='pl' />|BW = PL
}}
'''Poland''' is a member state of the [[European Union]] as well as the [[Schengen Agreement]]. It is sometimes being regarded as a bad an awesome country for hitchhikingand even one of the most hitchhiker friendly countries in whole Europe. The avarage time of waiting vary from 15 min to 1 hour (rarely 2 hours - if so, but it can also be you have probably a great pleasure to hitchhike therebad spot) depending on your spot. Most Many drivers generally believe that others do not stop and that hitchhiking days are over in '''Poland''', which however does not prevent hundreds of them from stopping. A positive factor Since 1958 till the beginning of 90's hitchhiking in '''Poland''' is that some 20 to 40 years ago it was the most common an official way of travel for the majority traveling organized by National Tourist Board, when hitchhikers had their ID with [[insurance]] included and drivers could win prizes every year. Thousands of young people were hitchhiking through all these years – and most of them have cars today, so very often do they repay the debt.__NOTOC__
== Cities =General Hitchhiking Info =<map lat='52.09300763963822' lng='19.09423828125' zoom='5' view='0' float='right' country='Poland' />* Quite common way to [[Andrychów]]* [[Białystokhitchhiking|hitchhike]]in Poland is to stand on the side of the road with your hand extended and/or thumb pointing upwards. Some hikers also wave their hands up and down, which is widely understood as ''"I only need a short ride"''. This way of hitchhiking is popular between villagers and high school students who look for a lift for a short distance. They very rarely write their destination on a [[Bielsko-Biała]], [[Bydgoszczsigns|sheet of paper]]or piece of cardboard. Waving is enough to make a driver stop. * [[Częstochowa]] * [[Gdańsk]], [[Gliwice]], [[Gorzów Wielkopolski]]* [[Katowice]], [[Kielce]], [[Klodzko]], [[Kolobrzeg]], [[Koszalin]], [[Kraków]]* [[Łódź]], [[Lublin]]* [[Olsztyn]], [[Opole]]* [[Płock]], [[Poznań]]* [[Radom]], [[Rzeszów]]* [[Świebodzin]], [[Swiecko]], [[Szczecin]]* [[Toruń]]* [[Warszawa]], [[Wrocław]]* [[Zielona Góra]]Travellers looking for a longer ride usually make a sign with the name of a city they're going to or through. Some drivers prefer to take travellers than tourists. Because of this it's a good idea to place your backpack in front of you and make a sign which makes you look like a ''professional hitchhiker''.
=== Tips ===
=== Roads ===
Even though the Polish road network has improved gigantically enormously over the last two decades, by Western European standards, '''Poland''' has still quite a poorly developed road infrastructure . The road network consists of roads motorways (''drogaautostrada'') i.e. A2, plural expressways (''drogidroga ekspresowa'') and expressways with lower speed limits than motorways i.e. S6, national roads (''autostradadroga krajowa''), which are mostly single lane i.e. 92 and other regional roads. At the moment there is a lot of investment in the road network, plural ''autostrady''especially since Poland hosted the European Football Championship final tournament in 2012.[[File:Autostop.JPG|260px|thumb|right|Restaurant on a Polish service station (A4) :-)]]Except for the motorways and expressways, it is generally acceptable to hitchhike on the side of the road in almost any suitable place. The vast majority Unlike many European states, the police are generally friendly towards hitchhikers as long as they behave properly. Some of the newly-refurbished national roads have "no pedestrians" signs near major towns, but it's still uncommon. This means that form an extensive net covering all if you plan to go through any major town in your journey, it is usually better to exit the car before arriving in the city - otherwise, you might have to walk till the end of the country are single laneno-pedestrians area. There are very few main On motorways and expresswaysthe best place to hitchhike is either a sliproad or, preferably, and some express roads with lower speed limits than motorways but with many one of their featuresthe petrol stations or toll booths.
=== Language ===
[[File:Guaka-hitching-in-poland-2008.jpg|thumb|right|220px|[[User:Guaka|guaka]] hitching in Poland]]According to a 2001 2009 survey by CBOS [http://www.cbos.pl/SPISKOM.POL/2006/K_177_06.PDF] (Polish survey office), roughly 4246% of Poles speak declare they can communicate in at least one foreign language fluently. Generally, 2324% of Poles speak English, 20% speak Russian, 1612% speak English and a similar percentage speaks [[Germany|German]]. Other languages often spoken are [[France|French]](2%), [[Czech Republic|Czech]], [[Slovakia|Slovak]] and other Slavic languages. According to the same similar surveyin 2006 [http://www.cbos.pl/SPISKOM.POL/2009/K_111_09.PDF], among the youngsters (students and pupils) the percentage to speak at least one foreign language fluently reached 6677, as compared to 5059% of those under 35 and 40% of those between 35 and 54 years of age [http://jezyki.nauka.pl/index.php/id=index/dept=38/cath=59/news=134/view=1]. According to a similar another survey prepared in late 2005 by TNS Opinion & Social for the European Commission, the percentage of people who speak one foreign language decently is 57%. At the same time roughly 32% are bi-lingual and 4% tri-lingual [http://www.egospodarka.pl/13770,Znajomosc-jezykow-obcych-w-Europie,1,39,1.html]. Except for younger people, foreign languages (mostly [[England|English]]) are commonly spoken by businessmen and educated people (87%), urban populations (50%) and small business (48%). However, it is hard to predict the knowledge of languages of a driver by his car as educated people in '''Poland''' are generally poorly-paid.
Apart from the people who speak foreign languages, a vast majority of Poles do understand some basic constructions of other Slavic languages and of English. Due to World War II history and the number of war films created afterwards, also some basic words of the German language are commonly known.
=== Communication & Dictionary ===
The Polish language is generally hard to learn for most native English speakers. Even the most basic constructions you might need while on the road require the usage of quite complicated grammar and the use of grammatical gender, proper declension and a number of other categories non-existent in modern English. However, contrary to French or German people, Poles are generally friendly towards foreigners who try to speak their language. Because of that do not be afraid to commit mistakes. They might at times sound funny, but most Polish people would be astonished by the fact that you tried. That said some Polish drivers may find local hitchhikers suspicious as they are scared of crime. Foreign hitchhikers are excluded from this fear because nobody might expect a foreigner to have nothing better to do than pretending to be a hitchhiker and steal from their drivers. So when your Polish skills are good enough that people will not recognize you as a foreigner, mention it as well.
Apart from the basic set of words and constructions found in every guidebook, there are some words hitchhikers might find particularly useful. Check also the Wikipedia articles on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_language Polish language] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_phonology Polish phonology] for more info on proper pronunciation. You can buy a decent guidebook or dictionary in any major town in '''Poland'''.
* road shoulder – pobocze (“poh-boh-cheh“)
* lane – pas (“pass“)
* Good morning - Dzien dobry ("dzhehn dobri")
* Good bye - Do widzenia ("do veedzehnah")
* See you later - Do zobaczenia ("do zobahchehnah")
* It's nice to meet you - Milo mi ("meewo mee")
* Excuse me - Przepraszam ("pshehprahshahm")
* Yes - Tak ("tahk")
* No - Nie ("neh")
* Please - Prosze ("prosheh")
* Thank you - Dziekuje ("dzhehnkooyeh")
* Hello - Dzien dobry ("dzhehn dobri")
* I'm sick - Jestem chory ("yehstehm hori")
See also the Polish dictionary in Hitchwiki's [[Eastern Europe phrasebook]].
== Border crossings ==
=== [[Belarus]] ===
The most exhausting border crossing with long waiting queues. Be sure to arrive with a visa if you need one. The police have the reputation of being quite rude, but this is not the case every time.
Border crossings from south to north:
* [http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=13433892993726185330,51.771666,23.569832%3B8225709824099370420,51.760479,23.611216&saddr=63+%4051.771666,+23.569832&daddr=Unknown+road+%4051.760479,+23.611216&sll=51.766075,23.590525&sspn=0.017263,0.04549&ie=UTF8&ll=52.722986,25.378418&spn=4.325896,11.645508&z=7 Damačava (BLR) / Sławatycze (PL)] (bel. Дамачава, rus. Домачево) – vehicular crossing located 120 km to the north-east from [[Lublin|Lublin]], 70 km to the east from [[Radzyn Podlaski|Radzyn Podlaski]] on the way to [[Brest (Belarus)|Brest]].
* [http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=13034915224636727578,52.069786,23.642091&saddr=2%2FE30+%4052.069786,+23.642091&daddr=52.073732,23.673027&mra=mi&mrsp=1,0&sz=16&sll=52.074073,23.666546&sspn=0.008573,0.022745&ie=UTF8&ll=52.070116,23.646183&spn=0.068588,0.181961&z=13 Brest (Varšaŭski most (Warsaw Bridge)) (BLR) / Terespol (PL)] (bel. Брэст (Варшаўскі мост), rus. Брест (Варшавский мост)) – the biggest crossing point located on [[E30]] near [[Brest (Belarus)|Brest]]. Crossing is possible only in a vehicle. Be prepared for a long waiting time. If there is a lot of traffic, even very long waiting time. Even when there are just two or three cars in front of you, you can find yourself waiting for several hours.
* [http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=18391996812509845743,52.106891,23.558036%3B5287091177967822326,52.110654,23.561225&saddr=68+%4052.106891,+23.558036&daddr=52.116665,23.564816&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=16&sll=52.114886,23.566296&sspn=0.008565,0.022745&ie=UTF8&ll=52.516221,24.483032&spn=2.172906,5.822754&z=8 Kazlovičy (BLR) / Kukuryki (PL)] (bel. Казловічы, rus. Козловичи) – for trucks only. Located at the north-western edge of Brest.
*[https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/52%C2%B028'11.0%22N+23%C2%B021'30.1%22E/@52.4697112,23.3561643,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d52.4697082!4d23.3583531?hl=en Piasčatka (BLR) / Połowce (PL)] (bel. Пясчатка, rus. Песчатка) – located 40 km to the south-east from [[Bielsk Podlaski|Bielsk Podlaski]] on the way to [[Brest (Belarus)|Brest]].
* [https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Przejście+graniczne+Białowieża+-+Piererow/@52.6693897,23.8421252,13.25z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x47205d08a089cf39:0x7d8b7f4d91f4e07!8m2!3d52.6686046!4d23.8582331?hl=en Pieraroŭ (BLR) / Białowieża (PL)] (bel. Перароў, rus. Переров) – small, pedestrian-only crossing in the middle of the beautiful Bialowieza Forest. EU citizens can visit (for 72 hours) the Belorussian part of the forest, as well as the village of Kamianiuki '''without a visa''' (check [http://www.belarus.by/en/travel/belarus-life/belovezhskaya-pushcha requirements for visa-free entrance]). Since the crossing is for pedestrians/cyclists only, you are likely to be the only person there. There aren't many parked cars, but just enough to get you picked up to the nearest village on the Polish side (it's not very far, so you can walk, as well). On the Belarusian side, you can either try hitch-hiking towards the nearest village of Biely Liasok (bel. Белы Лясок) (there'll be plenty of tourists and only a single road for cars) or you can walk through the forest to Kamianiuki (about 16 km, it's the official "entry" village to the forest on the Belarusian side). From Kamianiuki, you can either hitch-hike, or if you don't have time, take maršrutka (mini-bus) to the bus terminal in Brest. If you're lucky, you can also hitch a ride with one of the park's employees.
*[https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/53%C2%B007'22.0%22N+23%C2%B053'54.6%22E/@53.1227709,23.8964963,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d53.1227684!4d23.8985041?hl=en Bierastavica (BLR) / Bobrowniki (PL)] (bel. Бераставіца, rus. Берестовица) – located 50 km to the east from [[Białystok|Białystok]] on the way to [[Vaŭkavysk|Vaŭkavysk]], [[Hrodna|Hrodna]].
*[https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/53%C2%B031'29.9%22N+23%C2%B040'06.3%22E/@53.5249652,23.6662313,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m15!1m8!3m7!1s0x0:0x0!2zNTPCsDA3JzIyLjAiTiAyM8KwNTMnNTQuNiJF!3b1!7e2!8m2!3d53.1227684!4d23.8985041!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d53.5249617!4d23.66842?hl=en Bruzhi (BLR) / Kuźnica (PL)] (bel. Брузгі, rus. Брузги) – 60 km to the north-east from [[Białystok|Białystok]] on the way to [[Hrodna|Hrodna]].
If you want to avoid long waiting times at the Brest (Varšaŭski most (Warsaw Bridge)) / Terespol border crossing you can take a train from Terespol to Brest. It goes 3 times a day and costs 17 złoty. You can pay in złotys only but there is an exchange office at the [https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/3456263616 train station]. (August 2018)
=== Number plates [[Czech Republic]] === * [[Chotěbuz-Cieszyn-Boguszowice border crossing]] === [[Germany]] === * [[Jędrzychowice border crossing]] * [[Świecko border crossing]] ===[[Lithuania]] === Here you find a * [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Plcarplates379v06.png#file mapBudzisko-Kalvarija border crossing]] === [[Russia]] === * [[Bagrationovsk-Bezledy border crossing]] with the car registration plate codes of Russia'''Poland'''.s [[Kaliningrad Oblast]] === [[Slovakia]] === * [[Zwardoń border crossing]]* [[Barwinek-Vyšný Komárnik border crossing]] === [[Ukraine]] === * [[Dorohusk-Jahodin border crossing]]*[[Dołhobyczów-Uhryniv border crossing]]* [[Hrebenne-Rava Ruska border crossing]]* [[Shegyni-Medyka border crossing]]It facilitates hitching at spots where you can see a car registration plate (gas stations, borders, traffic lights)and choose the proper one. In short, the plates consist of two or three letters and four digits. The first letter denotes the voivodeship (region) and is followed by one or two letters denoting a major town. Usually voivodeship capitals and major towns have two letters, while smaller towns have three. For instance cars from Warsaw could have plates ranging from WA XXXX to WZ XXXX, while all cars from * [[Nowy Dwór MazowieckiKorczowa-Krakovets border crossing]] have WND XXXX plates.
== Links ==
* [[Overview https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UKkPAv5GuGIQlrA-bHGxq6r4kh7Co1y5mnBx5y9Kt0o/edit List of good hitchhiking spots from former website Digimer AutostopFB groups for different cities in Poland]* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/autostopowicze/ Polish hitchhikers on FB]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roads_and_expressways_in_Poland Roads and expressways in Poland]
* [http://jakdojade.pl/ Public transport of many Polish cities]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/nonstop.wdrodze Polish people offering free rides across the country and Europe]
== Personal Experiences ==
''Summer 2018 & 2022: It's good hitchhiking experience but sometimes you need to wait a bit (15min to 90min). In 2018 hitchhiking was not hard as it still in 2022. Polish style of driving is somewhere near "respectable citizen" and "crazy driver". So, basically they don't brake the law (stop in the forbidden area) but they can do it if needed. The only problem are autobahns which are not "hitchhiker friendly", it's hard to get there and hard to find a car stopping there. In the autobahn (on the good spot) I was waiting nearly 2h and no one stoped due to a too big traffic. They have good gas stations, where you can almost take an "small improvised shower". Two times I was picked up by one driver who called his friend to get me further, so the "local radio" is working well.'' --[[User:HHer-Vert|HHer-Vert]]
== Nomadwiki & Trashwiki ==
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{{hitchbase_country|155}}
{{IsIn|Eastern Europe}}
{{Cities Poland}}
{{Voivodeships Poland}}
{{Template:Europe/countries}}
__NOTOC__
[[Category:Poland|*]]{{IsIn|Eastern Europe}}
[[de:Polen]]
[[es:Polonia]]
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[[ru:Польша]]
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