For about a hundred years, the "Czech Riviera" was located on the Croatian coast. Year in, year out, most holidaymakers from the landlocked Czech Republic, which has a population of about 11 million, took their vacation in the Croatia, with its stunning Mediterranean coastline and myriad islands. But the tide has well and truly turned: A growing number of Czechs now travel north to Poland's Baltic coast instead. "The climate has changed," explains 50-year-old Ludmilla. "I no longer want to holiday in the heat of Croatia or Greece. I'd like to enjoy my vacation in peace — without tropical temperatures." Direct rail link The Czech Republic's state-owned railway company has reacted to the trend. The direct train link to Split in Croatia, which ran for decades, has been replaced by the Baltic Express, which travels four times a day from the Czech capital, Prague, to Gdynia, Sopot and Gdansk in Poland. It is often completely booked out in the summer season. A blue-and-white train stands in a railway station. The words 'Baltic Express' and (in Czech) 'from the Sea to Czechia' are written on the side of the locomotive. Beside the train on the platform is a sign that reads 'Prague Central Station' in Czech, Prague, Czech Republic, December 15, 2024A blue-and-white train stands in a railway station. The words 'Baltic Express' and (in Czech) 'from the Sea to Czechia' are written on the side of the locomotive. Beside the train on the platform is a sign that reads 'Prague Central Station' in Czech, Prague, Czech Republic, December 15, 2024 The Baltic Express links Prague with Poland's Baltic coastImage: Michal Krumphanzl/CTK Photo/IMAGO Hundreds of thousands of other Czech tourists drive to Swinoujscie, Szczecin and Sopot on the Polish coast, making the most of the brand new, toll-free Polish motorways linking the two countries. And unlike their German neighbors, the Poles don't delay traffic coming from the Czech Republic with checks at the border. Holidays in Poland — a trending topic Poland's media and politicians have been watching this "Czech invasion" closely. Articles about holidays in Poland are among the most widely read on Czech news websites, and all major Czech newspapers and television channels have sent special correspondents to the Baltic coast to report. Social media are full of posts about the Polish Baltic coast, and the pros and cons of holidaying there are debated in numerous online forums. Right across Poland's Baltic coast "The presence of Czech tourists on the Baltic coast has been really noticeable since last year," journalist Jakub Medek of the Polish radio station TOK FM told DW. "I have the feeling that they make up the largest group of foreign tourists this year." Medek says that initially, Czech tourists mostly traveled to destinations on the western part of the Polish coast, but that this has changed since the express train was launched: Now, many Czech tourists travel to Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot in the east. Medek says that this development is "clearly seen as positive" in Poland. 'Massive increase' in Czech tourists This is confirmed by official statistics, too. "Statistics on overnight stays show a massive increase in the number of Czech tourists in Poland," says Pavel Trojan of the Czech branch of the Polish Tourism Association. "They already constitute the fourth largest group of tourists: right after the Germans, the British and the Americans." Poland's Office of Statistics said that 410,000 Czech tourists stayed in hotels in Poland last year. That's in addition to those who opted for private holiday rentals. "When mobility in the border region and day-trippers are taken into account, we are second only to the Germans in terms of the number of tourists visiting Poland," says Trojan. Initial estimates suggest that 2025 will be a record year. According to a report on the Polish website Gazeta.pl, the number of Czechs on the Baltic Coast could hit 800,000 — a figure that puts Croatia, which used to be the darling of Czech tourists, firmly in the shade. Very different from Croatia Nevertheless, a vacation on Poland's Baltic coast, where it can rain in August and the water temperature sometimes fails to get above 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit), can be a disappointment for Czechs — or at least for those who are used to heat, warm sea water and sunbathing when they go on a foreign holiday.