Frustrating the tourist. This as of 21/12/2007 is now historical information
Crossing the Polish border at Zgorzelec is a really annoying experience; we have found queues of between 30 minutes to one hour but have heard that the delay can be much worse.
It's aggravated by the fact that you can cross from France to Belgium, then to Germany without a single manned border crossing. You're hardly aware that you have passed from one country to another, which is wonderful when you're travelling long distances.
The whole exercise seems to be pointless and simply frustrates and annoys tourists. A delay of 1 hour in a 12 hour drive can be severely aggravating.
Insult is added to injury when you discover at the border itself one man glancing at travel documents and 5 others standing around doing nothing much. It wouldn't be so bad if documents were electronically scanned to monitor activities but a glance is totally pointless.
One our last occasion there was only one lane open when they appeared to have plenty of staff to open another.
Poland is part of the EU
European citizens have freedom of movement in the EU. Poland for some reason still behaves as though it is still a communist country and not a full EU member.
The border post is manned by both German and Polish guards. Germans checking entry into Germany, Poles checking entry into Poland. If someone knows why this procedure is still followed, do please let me know. |
Approaching the border guards at Zgorzelec on the Polish side
It's even more annoying when in your frustration you do eventually cross the border only to be fined by the police for supposedly speeding. Perhaps there are speed signs, we will check next time, but there is nothing of the courtesy that one finds in other European countries.
On arrival in Dover, there is a sign informing visitors of British speed limits on roads.
Polish Tourist office please take note and do something about this if you want to attract tourists to Poland.
Speed limits in Poland
| In towns & built-up areas: |
37 mph |
60 kph |
| Residential areas |
12 mph |
20 kph |
| Motorways |
68 mph |
110 kph |
| Other roads |
56 mph |
90 kph |
Please note that speed limits are generally lower than in the UK. They can also drop to very low at pedestrian crossings. These can be dimly lit at times, so do be careful.
Other differences in driving between the UK and Poland is the use of horns is forbidden in built-up areas.
Recommended petrol and food stop
Good place to stop for petrol and food just into Poland: There is a Shell and BP petrol station together on your left, a couple of miles over the border into Poland.
If you want to have the use of free toilets and a really good value meal, drive behind the BP station, past the lorries to the truckers restaurant. Portions are fit to feed a trucker and freshly cooked on the spot. Half a roast chicken, potatoes and veg costs around £3. There is also parking exclusively for cars to the right of this restaurant, plus a garden seating area with tables with umbrellas. |
