Multi Trip - Krakow to Warsaw to Lodz to Ostrava to Oswiecim to to Krakow

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  Ok I have had excellet help in my last trip by you tUt.  The information you gave me to help me get from Bratislava to Vienna and then back to Budapest was so helpful and made my trip so much easier.

  So I am back once again with my next trip this comming May.  I will be flying to Krakow and want to probably get a train to Warsaw for a few days (Leaving on a Friday).  Then probably on the Sunday head to Lodz or straight to Ostrava, Czech (not sure if I will do Lodz or not).  Then from Ostrava to Oswiecim (maybe Tues).  I hear there are frequest trains from Oswiecim to Krakow so that I think I could just get at the train station there.

  So just trying to get an idea as some people were saying Warsaw to Ostrava I might have to connect in Krakow anyways.  Just trying to get an idea of some ideas for trying to see all these places. Thanks...

In the case of this trip your ticket solutions isn't really complicated, so:
1) Krakow-Warsawa: try to avoid expensive EIC (ExpressInterCity) trains, since having similar timing as other options on the route they cost like twice as much (111.5 PLN), while TLK trains cost only 56.6 PLN and InterRegio only 43.5 PLN. EIC usually only 5-15 minutes faster than TLK/IR. If you still intend to use expensive EIC train, then it is better to purchase your ticket in advance online - https://bilet.intercity.pl/irez , if do it some time in advance, then you can get special offer ticket (Super Bilet) - from 59 PLN.
2) Warsawa-Lodz-Polish-Czech border: as far as we understand your stop in Lodz won't be long, thus it makes sense to purchase one through ticket Warsawa-Lodz-Polish-Czech border. Long distance tickets in Poland anyway are valid for 2 days, thus you purchase one ticket and make a stop in Lodz. Since there are two different rail companies in Poland, it is cheaper not to mix trains of different companies. One company runs TLK/EIC/EC/EN trains, other Regio and InterRegio. So according to your preferred timing just choose either to use only R/IR trains or a combination of TLK trains, in either case such through ticket will cost less than 60 PLN
3) Polish-Czech border-Ostrava. Here you have to options:
    a) either to use direct international trains with standard international ticket, return, because you plan to come back to Poland after side trip to Ostrava. For instance easy choice is Katowice-Ostrava-Katowice (16 EUR). This plan is good since you with such international ticket you can board any train and just go. In such case in 2) it will be Warsawa-Lodz-Katowice
    b) cheaper option is to go to Cieczyn instead of Katowice. Cieczyn is an interesting place since the town is located in two countries at the same time (check google maps) - one is in Poland and the other in Czech Republic, thus you can get domestic ticket Warsawa-Lodz-Cieczyn, walk 1.5 km from polish trains station to the Czech side train station and board train to Ostrava (ticket cost 54 CZK). As result you will avoid paying for the more expensive international ticket. Same trick with Cieczyn on your way from Ostrava to Oswiecim. Cieszyn-Oswiecim by train takes from app. 2 hours and 13.6 PLN or one through ticket Cieszyn-Oswiecim-Krakow for 21.7 PLN.

  Ok great thanks.  I have decided that maybe it's easier just to do the following trips then and skip Lodz all together for timing issues and less confusing trips:

  A) Krakow to Warsaw (Thurs)
  B) Warsaw to Cieczyn (Sun)
  C) Cieczyn to Ostrava (Sun or Mon morning) depending on arrival time and when the other train across the border leaves
  D) Ostrava to Cieczyn (Wed) to Oswiecim
  E) Oswiecim to Krakow (Fri)

  Is is better then to just buy these tickets (TLK) at the stations rather then try and get them in advance?  If so what stations would I leave and arrive from in Krakow and Warsaw and Ostrava assuming there are multiple stations as there were in Vienna and Budapest when I was there...

Is is better then to just buy these tickets (TLK) at the stations rather then try and get them in advance?

Tickets for cheap InterRegio and Regio trains you simply can't be purchase online, for TLK train you can (link was given above). But neither of trains require compulsory reservation, so not a chance that whole train will be sold out. Thus we would probably just purchase tickets already on the spot. If to travel in peak time, then it even makes sense to buy optional seat reservation, so you won't need to stand some time in the hall.

If so what stations would I leave and arrive from in Krakow and Warsaw and Ostrava assuming there are multiple stations as there were in Vienna and Budapest when I was there...

In Krakow there are just one main station Krakow Glowny, all the trains to Warsaw stop there, but some transit trains also stop at other stations, like Kraków Płaszów. So depending on your location in Krakow, the best thing is just to check your preferred train on www.rozklad-pkp.pl and then choose, if possible, closest station to board the train. In Warsaw most of the trains in southwest direction stop at all three station Warszawa Wschodnia, Warszawa Centralna and Warszawa Zachodnia, so again you might simply chose most convenient for you. In Ostrava most of the trains from C.Tesin (that is the Czech name for Cieszyn) stop at the main station (Ostrava hl.n.), but some local ones go a bit different route transiting south Ostrava (stations Ostrava-Kunčice, Ostrava-Vítkovice,Ostrava-Svinov). So again depends on your preference - where do you exactly need to get in Ostrava. But since C.Tesin-Ostrava route served like every 30 minutes or even less during the daytime, you can just wait the next train, if you don't need main station or south part of Ostrava.

A) Krakow to Warsaw (Thurs)

Just go to www.rozklad-pkp.pl and check out times when TLK or InterRegio trains leaves, so you can plan which exactly train suits your desired time.

B) Warsaw to Cieczyn (Sun)

If you prefer overnight, then there is a nice option to leave Warsaw on TLK53202 (00:25 from Warsaw Centr. and 00:30 from Warsawa Zah.) till Czechowice Dziedzice (5:49am), the train has sleeping cars (in case you are interested), then Czechowice Dziedzice-Cieszyn (6:20-7:29). Ticket without sleeper reservation 64 PLN. There are also a number of daytime options, so just check the timetable and decide.

C) Cieczyn to Ostrava 

As said above, train C.Tesin-Ostrava leave really often, thus you will hardly for long time there. Ride takes only app 40 minutes.

D) Ostrava to Cieczyn (Wed) to Oswiecim

With Ostrava-C.Tesin/Cieszyn everything seems to be clear, with Cieszyn-Oswiecim also everything easy - many train and bus connections as well. In most cases one change required, but there are direct train as well.

E) Oswiecim to Krakow (Fri)

Trains go every hour or even less during peak time, so no problem at all.

  Ok thanks for the info.  In Ostrava, I really don't know much about the town (just wanted to spend 2 nights in the Czech Republic and thought it would probably be the best place.).  So I will have to check on the town a bit more and then find a hotel etc and from there I can figure out better.

  So basically the only real thing I will have to do is exit the train in Poland at the border then just cross over the border into C.Tesin and walk to that train station and just buy my next ticket to Ostrava then.

  I'm sure that the ticket agents will be less apt to speak in English at all (I found no issues in Vienna or Bratislava last time), but those are more urban stations.

  Maybe there is somewhere else close by in the Czech Republic that is maybe better then just going to Ostrava, I'm not familiar with the area at all so I just picked Ostrava being it's a larger city...

So basically the only real thing I will have to do is exit the train in Poland at the border then just cross over the border into C.Tesin and walk to that train station

Actually you can hardly call it a border, you might not even understand when you cross it, since basically it is one town.

I'm sure that the ticket agents will be less apt to speak in English at all (I found no issues in Vienna or Bratislava last time), but those are more urban stations.

If you worry about language barrier you might simply write down your route and desired type of ticket on a piece of paper (even in Czech with a help of google translator)

Maybe there is somewhere else close by in the Czech Republic that is maybe better then just going to Ostrava, I'm not familiar with the area at all so I just picked Ostrava being it's a larger city...

Actually your choice of Ostrava seems reasonable, since other places are rather small, thus even less tourist oriented (unless you are interested in such). If you get bored with Ostrava you can always make a short side trip to any other destnation in Silesia or even Moravia (Olomouc, Brno etc.)

  Yeah Ostrava seems to be fairly large.  I was thinking of either doing that or taking the train instead to Košice, but 8 hour train ride there with one change of trains didn't quite seem worth it since Košice is about 1/2 the size of Ostrava.

  I think I did write down the times and destinations and information I wanted on my last trip, so I can do this again using both Polish and Czech. 

  Question then, do both countries know each others language at all?  I know I've heard Slovak and Czech have a hard time understanding each other even when they use the same alphabet.  I have a Polish/English Phrase book and was wondering if people in Ostrava might understand Polish.  Or would it be better for me to get a seperate Czech phrase book instead?  I just don't want to try and learn both languages, so want to focus on just one if I can...

do both countries know each others language at all?

In Silesia you probably won't have big problems, since the region borders with Polish Silesia, thus connections, including linguistic, is rather strong still (for instance http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silesian_language)

I know I've heard Slovak and Czech have a hard time understanding each other even when they use the same alphabet.

Imho, this is much more political thing. Actually Czech and Slovak are much closer languages then Czech and Polish for instance.

I have a Polish/English Phrase book and was wondering if people in Ostrava might understand Polish.  Or would it be better for me to get a seperate Czech phrase book instead?  I just don't want to try and learn both languages, so want to focus on just one if I can...

Well, they don't speak Polish in Ostrava, but mostly people there can, at least roughly, understand the context of what you are trying to say if you do it in Polish

  Ok I can pick up a Czech phrase book then.

  Someone had suggested maybe seeing Olomouc as well.  How are the trains from C. Tesin to there?  I know it looks about 1/2 way to Brno, so not sure if there was a direct train or not or how long it might take...

Someone had suggested maybe seeing Olomouc as well.  How are the trains from C. Tesin to there?

Roughly twice as long. Train ride C.Tesin-Olomouc takes app. 2 hours, during the day direct train run every 2 hours (7:03am, 9:03am, 11:03am etc.) and plenty of connections with one or two changes. Ticket fare - 179 CZK (if purchased online) or 184 CZK (if purchased at the station)

  Ok I think I'll just stick to this itenary then.

Krakow to Warsaw (Fri morning)
Warsaw to Cieszyn/Cesky Tesin (via Krakow) to Ostrava (Monday morning)
Ostrava to Oswiecim (via Cesky Tesin/Cieszyn) (Wed morning)
Oswiecim to Krakow (Fri morning)

  If I take the earliest Monday morning train from Warsaw to Cieszyn, I assume I would have to make a change in Krakow and then get another ticket there to Cieszyn?  Or is there a daytime train straight from Warsaw?  Also approx how long would that train from Warsaw to Ciezyn take (since it's only 40 mins from there to Ostrava)?  Just want to make sure I don't spend the entire day on the train and I can get from Warsaw to Ostrava sometime in the afternoon?

If I take the earliest Monday morning train from Warsaw to Cieszyn, I assume I would have to make a change in Krakow and then get another ticket there to Cieszyn?  Or is there a daytime train straight from Warsaw?

Well, cheap trains from Warsawa to Krakow in the morning are TLK13101 (6:11-9:31, 54 PLN), IR 13521 (6:40-10:00, 43.5 PLN) and IR 13121 (7:54-11:00, 43.5 PLN). From Krakow at that hour it is better to use direct bus to Cieszyn instead of trains. It will be faster and more convenient. Buses Krakow-Cieszyn run at 9:45am, 10:20am, 10:40am, 11:40am etc. All of them take 2:50-3:00 hours, cost 18.5 PLN. Krakow bus station is on the same square as main railways station.

Also approx how long would that train from Warsaw to Ciezyn take (since it's only 40 mins from there to Ostrava)?

Lets take the latest option from above: depart from Warsaw at 7:54am, arrive to Krakow at 11:00am, depart on 11:40 bus, arrive to Cieszyn at around 14:30. Trains from Czech station to Ostrava depart 14:43, 15:03, 15:43 etc. So as you can see, if you are lucky you might make it for 14:43 one, if not then 15:03 train almost for sure. As result you can roughly count on 4pm arrival to Ostrava. Earlier departure from Warsaw makes earlier arrival to Ostrava, but with roughly same timing spent on the road.

  Ok, I'll attempt to use the bus then if it's not too confusing to find (you said it's right there near the train).  That would make it easier then instead of having to wait for a much longer period for trains.  Just hope I can navigate the train stations and find where to go.  Your description of the Bratislava station helped me a great deal last time...

I'll attempt to use the bus then if it's not too confusing to find (you said it's right there near the train).

It is really easy to find, but just in case here you can see the map -  http://www.rda.krakow.pl/imagesrc/plan-ok.gif
Bus station is the building next to railway station ("PKP Krakow Glowny") with sign "Regionalny dworzec autobusowy" and red arrow pointing to it. On the same website you can even find the plan of the bus station inside - http://www.rda.krakow.pl/en/index.php?k=1&id=1044

  That site link helps and the station is easy to find.  I was also able to find the bus station in Cieszyn as well so I should be all set now.  Thanks again...