See answers to frequently asked questions. Did not find the answer to your question? Contact us!
It is easy. If you take more rooms of the same kind (e.g.: 2 triples) you search for triples and when reserving it, you select 2 as the number of rooms. If the rooms are of different types (e.g. 1 single and 1 double), you will select in the search box “more rooms” as the types and thus the results section will show you all available room types in the hotel. When you click on “book” button, you will get to a page where you will be able to request as many rooms as you need from any room type at the same time.
STAYPOLAND reservation system strives to be universal – we give our guests a choice. Do you prefer to pay directly in the hotel or do you wish to pay instantly with your credit card when making the booking? – Both options are possible on STAYPOLAND. On the hotel search results page in the INFO column we indicate what payment type is allowed in each hotel by symbols “H” and “P”
Detailed payment info:
The hotel rates always include accommodation and value-added tax. Unless stated otherwise, they also include breakfasts. In cases of some hotels or serviced apartments, breakfasts are not provided. The information on boarding type is clearly given if you click the proper INFO symbol next to the price.
In Krakow, Zakopane, Gdansk and some other holiday resorts, there is a tiny, but obligatory city tax which must be paid by all tourists at the hotel reception. It is usually 0.3 Euro/ person/day – it can only be paid extra at the hotel reception.
The price is confirmed in the hotel’s price list currency – it is either Polish zlotys (PLN) or Euros (EUR). Prices in all other currencies are presented only for your convenience. If your bank account is in a different currency than PLN the amount deducted by your bank will depend on your bank conversion rates.
VAT invoices can be issued in Polish zlotys (PLN) basing on the current Polish National Bank exchange rates. Bills and receipt can be also made in EUR.
All rates are per room per night.
Our prices are the same and often lower than the prices offered directly.
We make many reservations at some hotels and as such we have a strong “buying power”. If we can guarantee to hotels that we will make a specific number of reservations, then the price for you as an individual customer can be close to the hotel group rates or corporate rates.
Some hotels will have two or more rates for the same room. The cheaper rate will have stricter cancellation policy.
Our reservation service is free of charge. You pay neither for reservations nor for reservation changes. We are paid by hotels – they use STAYPOLAND as a convenient sales and marketing tool.
We do require small fees for extra services: (e.g. train tickets purchase, special travel itineraries etc.).
All our reservations include VAT (value-added tax). The prices showed on STAYPOLAND are final prices.
The exception is a tiny city tax which is charged in some holiday resort areas (Krakow, Zakopane, Gdansk) – the tax is only about 1.40 PLN (0.3 EUR)/person/day and should be paid separately at the reception – the money is collected by the local authorities. If you travel on business, you have the right to refuse to pay, as this ecological tax is meant to be levied on tourists only.
Yes, your credit card information is very important for making a reservation in Polish hotels and necessary for receiving special rates. Polish hotels require either a pre-payment or credit card guarantee and acceptance of their individual cancellation policies.
If you did not have to guarantee your reservation, the hotel would risk turning away next customers and in result being left with an empty room and no payment. Credit card guarantee is a standard procedure in the majority of countries in the world.
Generally you cannot, the exceptions are pre-payment. Some hotels will hold non-guaranteed reservations until 18:00, but solely on standard rates, and usually only during the low season. If you do not have a credit card, please contact us by e-mail.
If you pre-pay, neither STAYPOLAND nor the hotel has any access to your credit card details. The full amount is charged in advance and the only thing we are able to do is to refund you money in the case you have to cancel your reservation.
If you want to pay at the hotel, you must guarantee the reservation with your credit card. Credit card information is supplied to us via our 100% encrypted online form or alternatively by fax or phone. Our system passes it securely onto the hotel’s reservation department.
If you want to pay with your credit card, the hotel will not charge it before your arrival. The hotel can pre-authorise the credit card to ensure that the credit card is valid and that sufficient funds are available to cover the cost of the first-night cancellation fee. This is a standard procedure in almost every country in the world.
For additional safety we do not store your credit card details. Every time you make a booking, you thus supply guarantee anew. The credit card details are not visible to our staff.
For online pre-payments we welcome Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club and JCB.
If you want to guarantee the hotel and pay directly at its reception, you can use practically all major credit cards – consult the list of credit cards each hotel accepts on its detailed hotel pages on www.staypoland.com.
Please supply your name and surname, card type, card number, expiry date (not later than the month in which you check-out from the hotel).
In case you make an online prepayment or you guarantee your reservation with AMEX card, you will be expected also to enter the billing address (your address you gave for your account) and CVV/CVC details/side number.
Generally it is possible, but only if you pay well in advance: 3 weeks – international transfers, 1 week – payments to Polish banks and it depends on the particular hotel if we can agree to it. Please contact us for confirmation if this is possible for your particular reservation and then fill in the bank payment form – click here. The condition is that the customers pays all the bank transfer costs.
By debit card or in cash you can pay only if you walk into our office. If you make online payments, you must use a credit card.
If you pay at the hotel, you can pay also in cash or with debit card, but firstly you have to make a reservation and for making a reservation you will need a credit card.
Please consult the hotel policy towards children. If your child does not need a separate bed and breakfast, they can usually stay for free. If they are younger than 15 years, please put this into comments. In some hotels we can negotiate a discount for them.
If you are traveling as a family of four and more it is advisable to select an apartment, because you will pay for apartment, not for people. There are good options especially in Warsaw and Krakow.
If you select a prepayment, you can receive an invoice from STAYPOLAND Ltd.. When will you be making the booking, you only must tick the field “invoice” and submit your company data. According to the Polish law we prepare the invoice within 7 days’ after the money is received by STAYPOLAND. On our invoice will be stated “travel service” and the dates of your stay. STAYPOLAND does not make invoices for extra services you order or purchase in the hotel directly (minibar, pay-tv, dinners etc.)
If you select payment at the hotel reception, you will receive the invoice from the hotel.
According to Polish tax law, you cannot deduct VAT for accommodation services irregardless from the invoice type.
There are two cases possible:
The reservation process has been produced to be easy and instinctive. Firstly you have to use the hotel search box and find the accommodation you like. Your reservation can be made in three easy steps only: you simply select which rooms you wish to book, number of rooms, enter your dates and guarantee the reservation.
Usually a higher number of rooms are available on request than online. In case of an on-request reservation, you do not have to guarantee your reservation immediately, just send us your order, specify in what time and how would you like us to respond.
SEARCHING
REQUESTING/RESERVING
CONFIRMING YOUR REQUEST
You have as much time as you need while choosing the right hotel. Compare prices and services available in the hotels, view pictures and the hotel location on our special city plans. Check also the INFO column for each rate we offer on the search results page.
If you have any special requirement, please mention it in your request (some hotel amenities may not be present in all hotel rooms).
You supply all your data via our 100% secure certified SSL page. The coded protocol guarantees security of your personal data: they are transmitted in an encrypted form, protected by our effective firewall and shared only with the hotel of your choice. The secure pages’ identity is insured to 10,000 USD.
Your credit card (CC) information can alternatively be faxed or simply phoned to us. For an increased security, we do not store your CC information – it has to be supplied anew, every time you make a new booking with our system.
If you choose to pre-pay instantly online, your CC details will be processed immediately by eCard (Polish credit card authorisation centre for VISA, EC/MC, DINERS, JCB – www.ecard.pl) and in this case the credit card data visible neither to the hotel not to our company. This option brings you more security than purchases in a traditional shop.
Yes. When you will be making your request or a reservation our system will ask you about your preferences as to: the floor you prefer, the view from the window, location of rooms (if you book more rooms) and the preference between bathtub or shower. You can also specify whether you are a smoker or non-smoker. All these details will be forwarded automatically to your hotel reception and hotel will try to fulfill your wishes. Additional options and requests cannot be guaranteed, because they depend on availability that may change. Additional options and requests constitute NO subject of any claims from the part of customer.
Select your hotel and the preferred room type(s). If the rooms are offered online (green circle icon next to the price), you will be able to book them within 2-5 minutes and receive an automatic confirmation.
If you prefer to book rooms which are on-request (blue icon in the INFO column), fill our request form and choose contact option “urgent – 20 minutes”. You will receive a prompt response (during the working hours of our reservation centre) by e-mail, phone or fax.
To make a super fast reservation on-request, you may send your credit card details immediately after filling in the request form and wait shortly for the confirmation letter. If your hotel is unavailable you receive confirmation for the most similar hotel which is available.
Last but not least, consider using your customer profile regularly. Once you make a request or booking you get a customer password. You simply log-in (on) the website every time you want to make a booking. Log-in access is in the top right corner of the website. Once you log in, you do not have to fill personal forms, you simply choose a hotel and book (request).
You must receive by e-mail from us either HOTEL VOUCHER (confirming that you have prepaid the stay) or a CONFIRMATION LETTER (confirming that the hotel expects you on the given dates and that they accept payment at the reception).
You always receive the confirmation documents by e-mail (in .pdf or as a printable picture) and these documents can be printed also from your computer screen – the document will show on your screen when you complete an online booking or you can alternatively print out it any time from your customer profile. If you happen to have troubles with the internet, we can fax it to your fax number (on request).
You should have your confirmation document with you when checking in your hotel.
Please note that if you only send a request for some hotel and dates without any guarantee, it does not mean you have a booking automatically, you must receive the formal document from our office.
Even despite our best efforts to ensure uninterrupted operation of our system, temporary problems may occur. We cannot be held accountable for them. Please contact us directly via phone, fax or e-mail.
At present, the vast majority of countries in Europe, North America and the Pacific have visa-free travel to Poland. Among countries whose citizens still need a visa are: South Africa, Russia, Turkey and China, but it is not too difficult in these cases to arrange a visa. Other customers only need to check the expiration date of their passports: they should be valid at least 6 months and beyond from the arrival date in Poland.
We keep our prices low, because all our costs are in zloty. Polish zloty exchange rates can be unpredictable, and we are unable to bear losses bigger than 8% – in such case our prices may rise slightly. All prices on our website are up-to-date and we never ask for a larger payment than what you see on the website. However, we consider it fair to decrease our prices if the rate becomes more favourable for us.
Transport to/from Poland; airport transfers; travel insurance; visa costs; tips (subject to your discretion); items of personal nature such as telephone calls, laundry, mini-bar, room service etc. All dinners exclude beverages (only water is included).
Your local currency. We list our prices in Polish zloty, US dollars, Euros, British pounds and Australian dollars. If none of these currencies fits you, the basic currency is Polish zloty. Bank transfers can be made to our PLN, USD or EUR accounts. All credit card payments are materialized in Polish zloty. Your local price is simply converted according to the current Polish National Bank average-rate. You will see the payment in your local currency.
No, we do not have any handling/service fees and all taxes are included. If you use a bank transfer, you are subject to bank costs/fees.
Let us know as soon as possible. If there is enough time, we can promptly create a stand-by list for a tour on different dates. We are very flexible and if there is a probability that a group with a satisfactory number of participants arises, we do our best to organize it. Alternatively, you can select a different tour held on your desired dates or employ a private option with higher costs.
GUARANTEED DEPARTURES: 1) accommodation in a single or double (twin) rooms in ****/***** hotels; 2) English-speaking escort guide for the entire duration of the trip; 3) coach transportation 4) experienced driver; 5) local specialised guides in all visited cities and attractions as listed for each tour; 6) entrance tickets for cultural events, historical buildings and natural reserves as listed; 7) hotel porterage; 8) information leaflet (printed details about each trip for your reference) and maps; 9) value-added tax included;
There are no limitations but there may be a maximum number of participants and spaces in hotels. Our tours may become filled quickly, so we recommend signing up early.
The rates published on our website are not negotiable. We publish seasonal discounts available for everybody, usually first and last minute discounts. If your party has more than 4 people, please ask about special discount.
Yes, payment is possible by international bank transfer and as a credit card as well. We accept VISA, MASTERCARD, EUROCARD, DINERS and AMERICAN EXPRESS.
No, we do not add any additional credit card fee. We can only bill the exact price in Polish zloty (PLN). However, some banks add the extra fees to the final quote.
Based on our past experience, 95% of our tours are actualised. If not, we inform our customers with proper notice. For detailed information, please see the terms and conditions section here.
Yes, they are. In case that you have to cancel, but you find a person as a replacement, the reservation is transferable with no additional cost. Generally, we try to be lenient and if we find a replacement for you, we may significantly reduce the cancellation fee.
Send us the order form by website. To reserve a space on the tour, we require a deposit of 20% minimum of the full amount. We consider your reservation completed after we receive the full amount (by credit card or bank transfer) approximately 30 days prior to the first scheduled day of the selected tour. If you reserve less than 30 days prior to the first day of the selected tour, you must pay the full amount.
The package tours on our website do not have a minimum, however to keep our tours on a personable and on an environmentally friendly level, we do not accept more than 25 participants. If there are more people interested, we try to offer new dates. Upon request, we can prepare tailor-made private tours or self-guided trips for 1 to 200 people.
Absolutely no problem.
Check the tours conditions page. Full refund will be made (minus 50 EUR service fee) if written cancellation notice is received 45 days before departure. If you cancel 44-30 days prior to the start date of the tour, the cancellation fee is 30% (active tours 50%). If you cancel 29-15 days prior to the first day of the tour, the cancellation fee is 50% percent (active tours 60%). If you cancel 14-10 days prior to the start date of the tour, the cancellation fee is always 70%. There is no refund for cancellations made less than 10 days before the commencement of the tour. If, for any reason, StayPoland cancels the tour, all payments will be fully refunded.
Our tours are designed for individual travellers or very small groups who meet at the same time in Poland and travel together with our escort guide and driver. As a local tour, we publish guaranteed tour dates and market them in various countries.
We do not cater exclusively for any age group. People usually travel without children – if you do travel with children, we only recommend that they be at least 12 years old to appreciate the small group trips. Notwithstanding the participants’ age, our experience is that all our customers are very nice people from various backgrounds. Comfort tours: As the name suggests, the tours are comfortable and easy to take. We spend as little time as possible on the bus, but have it at our disposal as it allows us to comfortably see as much as possible given the time we have. We have entertained guests from age 10-90 years old. The majority of our guests are 40-70.
It is a practical requirement – we will see one another only after your arrival: it is good that both parties formally confirm their identity. It is recommended by the official regulations and most travel agencies stick to it. In addition, we are also able to verify the passport expiration dates. This ensures safety and easy travel for all.
We have in Terms & Conditions 8 years as the requested minimum age, but it is not a strict limit. Parents know their children best and if you feel that they will enjoy the programme and company of many people, then we are all for it. However, please be considerate of the others tour guests. Exceptions – difficulties: the Auschwitz Museum: Let parents decide, sometimes it is advisable to close/cover their eyes as some sights are horrid. The museum recommends the age to be over 12, but it depends on the person. It is necessary to be able to understand and respect the message of the attraction. Tychy Brewery: There are existent laws in Poland and thus only people over age 18 years old are officially allowed inside the brewery. The visit in the brewery is pleasant and may involve drinking a test pint of beer. Nobody is forced to drink beer inside. It is disputable whether the law is effective.
All escorted tours are given in English. Escort guides and local guides are fluent in English. The drivers will have some knowledge of English as well. Our tours are not solely targeted to people fluent only in English. We respect mixed groups that create an interesting multicultural atmosphere. We are able to organise private tours in Polish, German, French, Spanish or Italian.
In the past three seasons, we have had many satisfied customers. Please consider reading authentic references in our testimonials section. We prefer not to pass our customers’ personal and contact details on to other people. In the near future, we plan to set up a group on Facebook where everybody can easily share their opinion on itineraries and tourist services in Poland.
We have organised several private tours for disabled guests and they appreciated private tours at a slower pace than our regular group tour programmes. This all depends on the possibilities of the customer.
A tour shorter of 2 days is generally allowed, but should be confirmed in advance with our tours department. Make the tour shorter, does not affect the price.
Absolutely yes, they are convenient for everybody. More challenging items of comfort tours:
a/ Wieliczka Salt Mines: We walk downstairs (7 minutes). Then 2-hours’ of slow sightseeing and some portion contain stairs. During the tour, you can sit on the banks. In the tours end we return in an elevator. The tour is not too difficult, but you should avoid it if you have bad joints or suffer from claustrophobia. (You will enjoy Krakow more)
b/ Kalwaria Zebrzydowska: It is a pilgrimage site and there are about 50 stairs. If you have serious problems with knees, joints it is possible to wait for the others sitting comfortably below the church.
c/ Return journey Zakopane – Warsaw: It takes 7 hours, but we make stops. It is possible to travel only to Krakow (2.5 hours), stay there one – two more nights and then continue to Warsaw by train (2.5 hours).
d/ Return journey Wroclaw – Warsaw: It takes 6 hours. Unfortunately, there is no well-designed way to avoid it. If you have more time, you can travel to Prague or visit Poznan (2 hours by train), stay overnight and then continue by another train to Warsaw (4 hours).
If you have 7 or more people travelling in one group, we recommend to consider ordering an exclusively private tour with our agency. The price will be similar to the published group prices. Details on request.
Yes, of course, every private on-request tour can be extended according to your preferences – we just need to know about it in advance. Extensions are made at a small additional fee. What to do? In Warsaw, we can extend the tours to include, for example, the interiors of the Palace on the Water, the Royal Castle, Fotoplastykon or the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising. In Krakow, you can visit the Czartoryski Museum, Tyniec Abbey, Wawel or the Lagiewniki Shrine.
In all of the major Polish cities, we offer our own private tours and excursions – they are organized upon request. What’s more, in the main tourist centres of Krakow, Warsaw and Zakopane, we also act as an agent selling scheduled-departure tours, which start at fixed hours.
We accept three types of payment:
Tour cancellation conditions are not dependent on the weather. If weather conditions prevent the tour from being operated, we will propose an equivalent service (e.g. If there is no snow, you’ll have a carriage ride instead of a sleigh ride. If it rains and you booked a city walk, we’ll propose a limousine upgrade).
In cases of payment by credit card, we will usually charge it between 5-7 working days before the tour. If you book a package tour with us, we’ll bill your credit card a minimum of 15 days before the tour.
All regular and private tours run on Sundays at no extra cost. On national holidays: May 3, November 11 – private tours available, but regular scheduled-departure city tours are not operated. January 1, May 1, August 15, November 1, December 24, 25, 26, 31 – no scheduled-departure tours are operated, but we can attempt to arrange private tours, though their prices will probably be higher.
Please be informed that most of the museums in Poland are closed on Mondays.
There is no deadline. Everything depends on the dates and tour type. If need be, we are able to organise a guide or a simple tour on the following working day, but we urge you to notify us in advance. The more complex excursions (e.g. Poland in One Day or The Best of Poland in Two Days) demand more attention from our tour consultants, and they should be booked earlier. We reserve the right to decline your request if we don’t have any available guides or drivers.
It depends on the type of tour. In case of Tour Type A, cancellations are free of charge if you inform us a minimum of 5 working days before the tour. In case of Tour Type B, a minimum of 15 days before the tour is required.
Yes, feel free to request the programme you’re interested in; we welcome all non-standard requests. Mention what you would like to visit, and our tour consultants will come up with a quote for you.
It is necessary to guarantee the reservation with a credit card or pre-pay, especially if this is your first reservation with StayPoland.
Yes, it is. A visit to the former Auschwitz II – Birkenau extermination camp takes about 20-30 minutes. If you book your own private tour, you can decide how much time you’ll spend in each place, and can also take a drive up to Auschwitz III – Monowitz, the premises of the former IG Farben factory.
The coach stops in front of some of the hotels located in the centre of Krakow. If the bus does not stop in front of your hotel, we will send you information about where you should board it and how to get there.
A guided city walk of Warsaw or Krakow lasts an average of 3 hours.
All of our tours and excursions can be performed in English and Polish. Other languages are possible, but we need to be informed ahead of time. English-language guided tours to Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Wieliczka Salt Mine are organised all year round. In the high season, guided tours in other foreign languages (German, French, Italian, Russian and Spanish) are also available.
City walks and private limousine excursions are organised upon request, thus they can start at practically any time. In Warsaw and Krakow, there are also regular scheduled-departure coach tours, some of which are available twice per day during the high season – in the morning and in the afternoon. Check each tour for details.
A tailor-made programme is an itinerary created just for you, in which we include everything you wish to see and do during your trip. The programme can be as long or as short as you wish. A tailor-made programme can include accommodation, meals, guide service in a given city and even excursions outside of cities. The standard of accommodation and length of the tours are up to you.
When we send you our first proposal, you’re free to add or remove anything you wish in order to make it suit your individual requirements.
Our customised itineraries can include professional guide service, comfortable transportation (city tours, airport transfers, transfers from city to city, etc.), accommodation (luxury as well as economy) and meals in carefully selected restaurants, as well as train tickets for quick travel between cities and full travel support throughout the trip.
Upon request, we also offer travel insurance.
A tailor-made tour can be arranged for 1 person, as well as for a large group.
We handle ground arrangements in most Central and Eastern European countries, including the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia and Germany.
We can arrange guide service in most languages, with the most popular being English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.
Airfare is not included. Travel insurance is optional, and can be provided upon request.
The most popular itineraries are 7 – 12 days long, and include Warsaw, Krakow, Auschwitz, Zakopane, Czestochowa, Wieliczka, Gdansk, Wroclaw and Poznan.
Changes can be made until 30 days before the tour. After that date, we may require an additional fee in the case of very special requests and a high frequency of changes. However, we do our best not to take any additional fees after the tour has been booked.
Yes, we do. Usually, we offer genealogical research as part of a longer tour of Poland. Genealogical research is composed of two parts: 1) preliminary research before your arrival, based upon the information and documents you provide us with, and 2) a trip to the places that are connected with your family heritage. For the latter, you’ll be accompanied by a genealogist.
However, if you’re only interested in genealogical research, please contact us. We’ll be glad to arrange it as a separate service for you.
The main advantage of a customised tour is that its itinerary is flexible and modifiable. What’s more, a private customised tour is based only on your plans and ideas. Not only does it make your trip a unique experience, it also means that the cost of the tour can be adjusted to fit your budget.
All services, pick-up times, contact numbers for guides and drivers, and addresses are included in the TOUR VOUCHER that we send after the tour has been booked, so that your trip flows smoothly and you know exactly what your tour plan is on each day. You‘ll always be able to contact our office, as well as the person directly responsible for your travel arrangements.
We do our best to reply as soon as possible. We guarantee a reply within 48 hours.
Usually, a customised itinerary will not include a tour leader, if it’s a tour for a party of less than 10 people. However, upon request we can provide you with a professional tour leader, even for only 2 or 3 people travelling together.
Anytime throughout the year.
No, we do not require a deposit for a customised tour.