Wrocław (PL) - Oostende (BE)

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS EURO DRIVING FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
21

doty2009:
As for the snow chains, will i really need them? I’ve never had to use chains before and i don’t my boss is aware of this need for the chains.

You don’t have to have them with you, but on certains road you can’t drive without them on the snow. These roads are marked with this sign:

As I said you have motorway all the way to WrocÅ‚aw, and WrocÅ‚aw itself is very flat city with virtually no hills, and it’s the least snowy area of Poland, so I would no bother with that.

As for stickys:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=579 Snow Chains
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=22117 General sticky for Europe (with links to Polish webpages)
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=29308 my thread about Poland

If you need anything more, just ask.

22

ok thanks i will look at the stickys shortly.
I have the address

DHL WROCLAW,
PROLOGIS PARK WROCLAW 111, UL.
GRANICZNA 8D,
BUDYNEK 4
WROCLAW 54-610
POLAND

I think the road name is Graniczna is that right? also i put the address in my satnav and it comes up somewhere near the airport, does that sound right
or have got it all wrong. The satnav also said about unpaved roads, what does that mean?

If i do get stopped by the police/customs what are the fines like? i have been driving 12yrs in europe and so far i have not had one fine in any country,
i know this will not last forever.

Do i need to get any tax like a vignette and what about tolls?

Sorry to keep asking so many questions, just want to know as much as i can before i go.

Thanks for all your help

23

doty2009:
DHL WROCLAW,
PROLOGIS PARK WROCLAW 111, UL.
GRANICZNA 8D,
BUDYNEK 4
WROCLAW 54-610
POLAND

My advice is:

Leave A4 motorway a bit before Wrocław Junction - look for a sign for Pietrzykowice, Małuszów, Biskupice Podgórne, Smolec, Krzeptów, i am not sure what it will be signposted for, but I think it will be Pietrzykowice. This is first junction after Kąty Wrocławskie I think. In Pietrzykowice is huge Scania service, it might be signposted for that. Turn left as you are leaving motorway.

Then in Pietrzykowice take the 347 road towards Mokronos and Wrocław. Just after entering Wrocław, turn left into Ibn Sinny Avicenny road, than Stanisławowska, Mińska and Graniczna.

From Ibn Sinny Avicenny you should have it signposted for airport (Port Lotniczy or Lotnisko in Polish).

DO NOT go to the Wrocław Junction, especially arround Christmas period - there is a couple of huge shopping centres arround the main Wrocław junctions and to get to Graniczna you will have to pass another one. I would not be suprised if it will took you 2 hours longer that way in heavy traffic.

As far as I know there should be no weight limits or height restrictions on that route, there will be one level crossing and couple of really tight rounadbouts on Stanisławowska, but you should get throught without any problems, bendy buses are going that way. The 347 is a bit narrow road, in one place there are trees very close to it - watch out. Just at the Wrocław city limits there is old level crossing, no longer in use, very bumpy, dead slow there unless you want to loose the wheel there or something :wink:

This is the route I would recommend.

maps.google.pl/maps?f=d&source=s … 8&t=h&z=13

As for the roads itself: there are some long time going huge canalisation works in some areas, so you might expect some roadworks, that’s maybe why they put the warning about unpaved roads - the roadworks in Poland might be a little cultural shock for you, as we don’t have this amount of traffic cones Poland in all Poland that you are using for one grass-cuting on the motorway here in UK and they no bother with temporary road sufraces :slight_smile:

As for the vignettes, you need one AFAIK. You should be able to do Wrocław and back to german border in one day. Remember to refuel just before leaving Poland - usually is much cheaper than in Germany.

Yes, Graniczna is a street name (The border street, as it’s at the edge of the town).

The ITD (the Polish Vosa) is tight, so better have your driving times sorted.

24

try this Poland Snow chains to be carried and used where
required

for Germany you need to be equipped for winter weather and that means
WINTER TYRES WITH THE SNOW FLAKE SYMBOL; and to carry snow chains
for use as and when required(it is cheaper to have your own on hand then to
get stopped fined and then have to buy them at exorbitant prices)
If you are involved in a incident due to summer tyres the Germans will
fine you, make you get winter tyres and if required snow chains
and that is part of the German system ,

25

brit pete:
try this Poland Snow chains to be carried and used where
required

sticky on snowchains:
Poland

  1. No, however there use is compulsory on roads where signs indicate and only on snow covered roads.

Off course this discussion is pointless, as if he has to have them in Germany, he won’t dump them into the Odra river when crossing the border :wink:

But idea is: if you approach the road signposted as with mandatory snow chain use, either you have to use them, if you have them, or take alternative road, if you don’t.

26

Just like to say a big thankyou for the help you have given me over the last few days.
Especially the map and directions. Im leaving in the morning so when i get back i will let you know how it went.
Once again thankyou very much i really do appreciate it

27

No problem, always ready to help :slight_smile:

Make some nice pictures for me, as I wasn’t ther for years :wink:

28

Dont forget your fire ext, and dont forget your lights during the daytime,they love them 2 :slight_smile:
Geoff

29

gbtransp:
Dont forget your fire ext, and dont forget your lights during the daytime,they love them 2 :slight_smile:
Geoff

By law, you don’t have to be equipped with Fire Extinguisher if your car is not registered in Poland (but I covered that subject already in the other thread).

And yes, I forgot about lights, sorry :frowning:

30

By law, you don’t have to be equipped with Fire Extinguisher if your car is not registered in Poland (but I covered that subject already in the other thread).

Orys,Could you pickup and deliver to Germany on the way back the 300Zlotys my mate paid about 6 weeks ago for not having one? :slight_smile:

Geoff

31

He paid 300 zÅ‚ in Germany? I thought that they have Euro there…

As for Poland, I can’t really help him. He should refuse to agree for a ticket at the spot… But off course not many foreigners knows the law, and, as I said in the other thread, if you want to have peace of mind, is better to carry it, than to argue with some morons in uniforms. But BY LAW you don’t have to, and they were wrong by charging him for that, unless he should have it anyway (for example he was carrying people for hire or reward or he was carrying ADR materials).

32

Hey everyone i’m back from wroclaw. And i just want to say a big thankyou to everyone who gave me advice The map its self was spot on and in fact we have another driver who has gone today (you may know him as senior member coffeeholic) who i have told to take the same map.

The roads are different are’nt they? That first hour over the border, how rough was that! once you get on the A4 it’s a very good road. The road from the A4 upto the depot was a bit bouncy and narrow and not helped by the snow as i could not see the edge of the road properly.

Didn’t see any signs for snowchains on these roads and i don’t think we will be going to any other areas of Poland, so maybe we won’t need them■■?
Please advise.

So i had a good trip apart from taking 3 days to get back because of the snow in Germany and the problems in Calais.

So once again thanks for all the advice and help given, i really can’t thankyou all enough.

Merry christmas and a happy new year

33

just to cheer you up if the weather turns to bad snow weather
then the road to Berlin from Dortmund (A2);;is bad and can end up
with traffic being trapped on the motorway, as for snow chains
if you feel that the are not worth carrying /using THAT is your
right, just bear in mind you have to be prepared for the winter
weather and if not , and you get stopped and told chains needed
they will not let you move off with out them, and then it becomes
expensive,

34

brit pete:
just to cheer you up if the weather turns to bad snow weather
then the road to Berlin from Dortmund (A2);;is bad and can end up
with traffic being trapped on the motorway, as for snow chains
if you feel that the are not worth carrying /using THAT is your
right, just bear in mind you have to be prepared for the winter
weather and if not , and you get stopped and told chains needed
they will not let you move off with out them, and then it becomes
expensive,

I drove yesterday - Oostende - Antwerp - Eindhoven - Venlo - Hannover - Magdeburg - Berlin - Świecko - Poznań - Konin and now I am close to Łask.

The ferry was late 2 hours due to fog, but after that the drive was really great.

Luckily, most of the german motorways were black, sometimes there was some snowmud, but nothing serious. Now I am enjoying driving snowy local roads, but main roads in central Poland seems to be kept dry and black.

As for doty and coffeholic - as I told you, the Wroclaw area is completely flat I do not know any rpoads there where the showchains are needed. So as for Poland, you don’t need them. But for Germany - listen to Brit Pete.

What I have to say - there is one negative cultural shock when entering Poland ( I wasn’t here over 18 months) - condition of roads and crazy drivers. But what’s the positive cultural shock - it’s truckstops.

Just after German border in Swiecko on that stretch of A class road (national 2) between Germany and motorway A2, they are in every single village, and they are brilliant. I stopped in Mostki in place called Las Vegas. Huge choice of food, and I we both enjoyed really good dinner for less than four quids. It was about 4am and restaurant was fairly busy… There is a supermarket, when you can buy everything, but they hadn’t any motoring stuff, so when I asked for screenwash, I was sent to the other edge of lorry park to a “wee shop”. Wee shop is a huge hangar, when I think two artics would be able to make circles at the same time. They have bloody everything there - parts to every lorry, CB, all trucking stuff, DVDs, TVs, kitchen, they fix curtains, they do electrics, they do everything and if you lost your GB, French or even Kazakhstan Badge, you can buy it there.

I was really impressed, as I really never used truckstops when I was driving a small van back this years in Poland.

Then I entered motorway, and you have this stupid MSA, bloody expensive shop at the garage and half empty restaurant with five meals to choose at British prices…

Poland needs motorways, but why they can’t keep all this good truckstops there?

35

I went a similar route to you Orys, and totaly agree with your comment about “crazy driver’s” when we go onto road 20 in poland, the road was covered in ice and snow, there was no street ligting and i was even getting overtaken on blind bends! absolute nutters mate! it seems like they are always in a rush to get somewhere (or they think they are racing drivers) :laughing: Being in a right hand drive motor i had no choice but to sit behind some of the slow moving cars and lorries driving on this road as i couldnt see past them to see what was coming. We left Crystal Palace (south london) at 7:00pm on 21st Dec and arrived at Folkestone (Eurotunnel) at 11:45pm (taken us over 3 hours to get to the motorway 11 miles away!), and drove onto the train at 12:55pm. Not bad considering the Eurotunnel services had “apparently” been temporarily suspended! We arrived at Drawsko pomorskie (just passed szczecin, zachodniopomorskie) at 7:15pm last night !! :laughing: Long time in the car mate! But its nice to be back here again :smiley: :smiley:

36

Cheers for the directions Orys, I used them this week and they were spot on. There is a 12t weight limit sign when you take the left turn off the 347 signposted for the airport but as other trucks were ignoring it I did as well. :stuck_out_tongue: :wink: It had something written below the sign so I just assumed it was Polish for Except for Access. :stuck_out_tongue: :wink:

37

I am staying 500m from that place at the moment, tomorow I will go and check that for you, as I guess you are going to visit that place more often :wink:

EDITED: Just took a small walk to burn some of the calories from the food I stuffed myself today… I burned quite a lot, as I was approached by the gang of Polish neds and I had to run quite fast for some time… Lucky me they were so drunk, that they were not able to chase me…

Anyway: the sign says “except for acess to premises on Avicenny street” so you can’t really go that way. And it’s definitely a new one, sorry, I wasn’t there for over 18 months, so that’s why I wasn’t able to tell you about it.

I made an amendment to that part of the route for you:
maps.google.pl/maps?f=d&source=s … =UTF8&z=13

Expect a queues near that big junction of 347 and 5/94 and other delays on Nowy Dwór district (Strzegomska Street)…

So if you want to be legal, go that way. If you want to be quick… :wink:

And at this very moment, I am vaving to you from Karmelkowa street, just off the road 347 :wink:

38

orys:
And at this very moment, I am vaving to you from Karmelkowa street, just off the road 347 :wink:

If you are still there on Tuesday you could wave as I go past! I will see how time is going as to whether I want to be quick or legal. :wink: :stuck_out_tongue: There is no 12t weight limit sign when you come back the other way so I guess it’s OK that direction.

39

Hi Orys
Don’t know if you’ve seen THIS THREAD yet but this route could be worth a try on your way back.
If you do use this route, it would be interesting to hear the journey time in comparison to the route you took on the outward journey.

40

Coffeholic: I have 2 bad news for you.

  1. I am in Krakow in Tuesday
  2. The amended route has 12t limit as well, I will try to find you another one, if that fails, you have to go to main Wroclaw junction in Bielany Wroclawskie and enjoy the traffic…