I paid £20 for 200 Superkings at the airport 3 weeks ago. This was Balice airport, and they didn't have much of a selection.

In Poland the current price in Tesco is 9.2 pln for 20(was on 29/5 2009).Exchange rate at moment is 5.01 pln for £1.00,so it's about £18.00 a carton BUT if you buy in Lidl they are 8.80 pln a pack so a small saving of about 80p a carton can be made if you are happy to buy loose packs and not in cartons.Western brands available were only Marlboro Red & Marlboro Light(gold) which I recognised-NO B&H there but at Rzeszow airport duty free B&H were on sale for £20.00 a carton,and you can buy your full ration!! From 31/12/2008 Poland was treated as anywhere else in Europe so the old "only 800 ciggs rule" doesn't apply anymore,however SAVE YOUR RECEIPT!! as at the airport after they have xrayed your case they will call you over to prove that tax has been paid and they have not been smuggled over from nearby Ukraine(where they are £5.50 a carton but limited to only 200) as long as you can show your receipt(paragon) there is no problem with taking them out of Poland.In Hungary they may be a little bit cheaper,I can't tell you for certain.Hope this helps-Happy Shopping! AmbulancemanUK

Ambulanceman, I found your post very helpful as I will shortly be visiting Wroclaw and had planned to visit the Auchan/Leroy Merlin development there.
I have visited Poland once before and found it difficult to find a bureau de change in London offering decent rates on the Zloty. I noticed when I got to Poland that the rates were far better. So this time I plan to change my sterling when I arrive. Do you know whether there is a bureau de change at the Auchan development and whether it is offering competitive rates?
Secondly, you say that Golden Virginia is not available, but do you know whether any other brand of hand rolling tobacco ie drum, or amber leaf is, and if so how much?
Thanks.

You can change your sterling into Zlotty in Auchan-there is a Kantor(money changer) in the main hall where all the little shops are.Rate will be better than at the border but may not be absolute best-not far short though.don't change up here as you get robbed blind unless you buy from polish people who have brought some money back with them-though they probably won't have much.You will have to look for the tobacco yourself as it's all polish brands-buy a few different packs and smoke a little of each to decide which you prefer-then buy the best brand for you to bring back to smoke here.If you are driving and really want a well known western brand I'd head back via Luxembourg as you can get most western brands of tobacco there at the best price or stop off in belgium,where it's a little more expensive, to buy it there if you can't find something you like in poland.In belgium it doesn't matter where you buy the tobacco as it's the same price everywhere,supermarket,garage and shops.Good Luck in your hunt.

Ambulanceman, thanks for your reply.
I am planning to hire a car whilst in Wroclaw and to travel around. I should like to visit the Auchan/Leroy Merlin development and will also visit the Carrefour Hypermarket. How safe is it to leave goods in the car? It occurs to me that if you travel in a campervan this must be an issue which you have faced.
Further, can you recommend any other places to visit in Wroclaw, either for shopping or tourism where it will be easy and (relatively) safe to leave the car? I don't speak Polish so ideally I want to be able to park in car parks which don't charge and are easy to access.
I have a sat nav to guide me.
Thanks.

hi again johnny,
don't worry too much about car security in Poland-it's just another country like here.Use common sense and don't leave anything tempting on display or like here you will get your windows smashed and the item nicked.Generaly the polish people are very pro-brit and will be very happy to help you out.Breaking into my campervan with English number plates,not to mention 45kg of german shepherd inside is not a good idea if you want to remain injury free so I park with confidence everywhere unless I'm going to be taking the dog out with me when I use comon sense and set the alarm/immobiliser after making sure that all windows/doors/vents are secure.If you're hiring a car it will have polish "hire plates"(all poles have a personal registration plate which they take with them from car to car) you should not be targeted for a hit as they are not only hired by tourists.Regarding where to visit in Wroclaw-at this very minute I have 2 polish friends looking over my shoulder as I type who just so happen to live in Wroclaw.Try walking the "old town" and for shopping,looking out for local market stalls or try the "Galleria Dominska" if you fancy a mall type place.Ask locals for "bazzars" and you may find an extra odd day-market that I have not found myself yet.Auchan/Carrefour and it's own mall is good, plus the parking is free in the massive patrolled car park.Park up near one of the entrances for additional security as the patrols pass here more often.Using a Satnav is good but having a different alphabet makes all polish names different to how we would pronounce them in english so it's not a perfect answer to the problem-much better than nothing though!You can always ask people if they speak English to get a little help-target under 30's as they will have possibly learnt in school where the older folks will have learnt either Russian or German.Teenagers often speak reasonable English and their parents are always pleased when a "silly foreigner" needs the help of their son/daughter in the shops.As a final thought-keep your receipt/paragon for any purchases,especially ciggs/tobacco products because you may need to prove at the airport where they are from.Good Luck

Ambulanceman, you are an absolute gem. Thank you very much for your help.

I can't think of anything else to ask at the moment but.................

Ambulanceman, since my last post, I have found some interesting information for my visit which is now imminent.
Gross Rosen was a concentration camp and the site of the camp together with a museum is about 40 - 50 miles from Wroclaw in the village of Rogoznica, so I am planning to visit and have a look. I have always wanted to visit one of these camps, so it should be interesting to see.
I will let you know how it goes.

Hi,
Ambulanceman - great information. I am currently contemplating visiting Krakow and have found your information riviting - I plan to fly out with Ryanair who appear to be the cheapest at present, however could you give me a rough guide on how long (hours) the journey is/was from Poland to your ferry terminal. What I am looking for is the most economical way of getting to Poland for my Baccy...

Regards,
Johnny,