The Complete Travel Guide To Poland

Travel Guide To Poland

The Complete Travel Guide To Poland

Table of Contents

Travel Guide To Poland

It is my belief that Poland is one of the most underrated countries in Europe. It has breathtaking mountains, fascinating world history, charming old town squares, fantastic nightlife and did I mention pierogi? Not to mention, way less tourists than other European destinations.

If you follow me on Instagram, you might remember I spent two months living Kraków during the winter only to fly back and visit again in the spring. I am thrilled I got to see Poland both when it was snowy and once again when it was warm and the flowers were beginning to bloom.

When To Visit Poland

Poland is stunning to visit any time of the year. However the best time to visit is probably spring (March-May) and fall (September-November) because summers are hot and winters are cold.

That being said, if you plan to ski or do any winter sports, you may love being in Poland in the winter. We did snowmobiling and sleigh rides in Zakopane and it was an incredibly memorable winter trip! And the Christmas decorations in the Kraków town square are simply dazzling.

*Walking along the Vistula river in Krakow during mid-January*

And if you’re there in the summer, not to worry! Polish people LOVE ice cream. You can cool off on almost every street corner with a cone.

Polish Currency

The złoty is the official currency of Poland and is abbreviated PLN.

At the time of writing this blog post, $1 USD is 3.67 PLN.

I’m from the United States so traveling in Poland is very affordable compared to back home. And it’s much cheaper than other European countries like Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, France etc.

As with most of Europe, credit cards are widely accepted in Poland.

Pro tip: To keep things simple while you’re traveling, you can always just ask Siri “how many USD dollars is XXX zloty” and she’ll be able to tell you! This makes things super simple when you’re shopping and trying to remember exact prices.

If you don’t have cellular data, you can download the XE Currency app and you’ll be able to check rates and conversions offline. I find this helpful so you can keep track of your budget. It’s easy to not understand how much you’re spending when it’s in a foreign currency.

*The złoty is the official currency of Poland*,

Polish Langue

The official language of Poland is Polish.

As with any country you visit, I think it’s nice to learn how to say a few phrases, even if it’s just “hello”, “please” and “thank you!”

Polish pronunciation doesn’t come easy to native English speakers. But if you want to learn some basic phrases, try learning from any number of Youtube videos.

You can also download the Google translator app and download Polish offline. That way you can use the app to scan menus or signs etc. and your phone will instantly translate them even if you don’t have Wifi or service!

Since we lived in Poland for two months, we often had mix ups at the grocery store since we didn’t read Polish. I once bought coffee creamer thinking it was milk. The Google Translate app quickly became our best friend.

Getting Around Poland

If you plan to use public transit, download the Jakdojade app. It’s popular among locals in all the big cities. Uber is affordable and accessible in cities as well.

Between cities, you can take the railway. Trains have Wi-fi, dining cars and can be easily booked online here.

The train ride between Kraków and Warsaw is about 2 hours and makes travel between the two cities very seamless.

Polish Foods To Try

I love Polish food! In particular Oscypek (a polish smoked cheese), Zapiekanka (huge open faced sandwiches) and pierogi.

Oscypek: Tradition Smoked Polish Cheese

What looks like bread is actually intricately designed smoked cheese.

Oscypek is made of salted sheep milk exclusively in the Tatra Mountain region of Poland. This delicious (and beautiful!) cheese is made by experts known as bacas. Often paired with cranberry sauce, Osypek can be served hot off the grill or purchased and taken home to heat up later. It’s also excellent cold!

The cheese is dense and “squeaks” with every bite!

You can frequently buy a small serving for the equivalence of $1- so cheap! You can find this fancy cheese all over Poland.

Zapiekanka in Kraków’s Jewish Quarter

All of the street food in Krakow’s Jewish quarter, Kazimierz, is fantastic. Incredibly cheap, massive portions and full of flavor- there is a lot of great dishes to try! But you cannot go to Kraków without trying Zapiekanka.

Zapiekanka is a huge open faced sandwich made of half of a baguette topped with all sorts of sauces and toppings!

Typically with mushroom and cheese, the massive Zapiekanka is served hot and only costs around 9-12ztl. That’s only $2 or $3. I recommend adding jalapenos, salami, fried onions and lots of delicious sauces.

Pierogi

These tasty little dumplings are a Polish staple. Wrapped in dough, the insides are filled with a savory or sweet filling.

The savory ones typically include a combination of mashed potatoes, onions, cheese, meat or other possibly some other ingredients depending on the cook’s preferences.

Sweet pierogi usually include a fruit filling like cherry, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, apple or plum.

You’ll be able to find pierogi shops all over Poland!

Kraków

Prepare to fall in love with historic Kraków. It’s the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland and frequently cited as one of Europe’s most beautiful cities.

Here’s the top spots to visit in Kraków!

Rynek Główny – The Old Town Square

Rynek Główny, the 13th century square at the city’s heart should be your first stop when you arrive.

Not only is it one of the prettiest city centers in all of Europe but it is the largest.

And it was one of the very first UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world. It was once an important destination for trade. Today the main square is filled with cafes, walking tours, vendors, pigeons, horse carriages and many Polish shops/vendors.

*A dozen horse carriages line up in Rynek Główny*

St. Mary’s Basilica

St. Mary’s in the beautiful basilica located right in Kraków’s main square. And it is as stunning inside as it is on the outside. You can visit and tour the basilica for a small fee during the following hours.

Monday-Saturday
11.30 a.m. – 6.00 p.m.

Sunday
After the conclusion of Sunday Masses — from around 2.00 p.m. until 6.00 p.m.

Tickets:

Regular / PLN 10 ($2.74 USD)
Seniors 65+ / PLN 8
Students, children / PLN 5

The Wawel Royal Castle

The Wawel Royal Castle is a castle residency located in central Kraków and was another one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites worldwide.

If you join a free walking tour around historic Kraków, you will get more information about the castle, the famous fire breathing dragon statue onsite and the grounds.

It’s one of the most spectacular view points in Kraków!

Kraków Nightlife

Krakow is home to some legendary nightlife and easily ranks as one of Europe’s best party cities.

It’s a popular destination for bachelor and bachelorette parties.(They are known as stag and hen parties in Europe!)

If you’re looking to experience the Kraków nightlife, I highly recommend you join a pub crawl, it’s a great way to meet other travelers and if you go with Krawl Through Kraków it includes a “power hour” of free drinks. They meet nightly in the Kraków town square at 9pm.

Favorite Night Clubs in Kraków:

Prozak
B4
Four Music Club
Bodega
Coco
Afterbeng
Szpitlana

Read: 10 REASONS TO WORK AS A PUB CRAWL GUIDE WITH KRAWL THROUGH KRAKOW

Vodka Tours

And if you plan to take part in the nightlife scene, don’t miss out on a vodka tour. The bars along the tour are small, intimate and unique.

I don’t think I would have come across these places in old town if it hadn’t been for our great guide on the tour!

Read: NIGHTLIFE IN KRAKOW, POLAND

Wieliczka Salt Mine

Located just 20 minutes outside of Kraków, the beautiful Wieliczka Salt Mine can be toured. This historic site was excavated from the 13th century. It remains one of the world’s oldest operating salt mines and produced table salt continuously until 2007.

This underground labyrinth is truly extensive. While it may feel like you see a large portion of the salt mines on your tour, only 2% of the mine is open for tourism.

Book tickets here for this impressive, underground world of salt mines.

Tour the Jewish Quarter: Kazimierz

With history dating back to the fourteenth century, Kazimierz is an important cultural hub of Poland.

Sadly, it is most famous for the Nazi raids during World War II when the inhabitants of Kazimierz were forced into Podgórze, a crowded ghetto just across the river. Approximately 64,000 Jews lived in Kraków before the war. Most of them were later killed in liquidation of the ghetto or death camps. Only 10% survived, a mere 3,000-4,000 Jews. And most who survived never returned to Poland.

Despite all this, the small Jewish population has managed to revive their culture again in the city.

I highly recommend joining one of the free walking tours of the Jewish quarter. The tour is very powerful and helps explains each of the very powerful tributes to the lives lost in the Holocaust.

Even though the tours are free, be prepared to tip your guide!

Key Sights to Visit:

The Old Synagogue
Jewish Galicia Museum
Museum of Municipal Engineering
Ghetto Heroes Square
Dine at the Mleczarnia – Beera Meiselesa for stunning, historic decor in the cafe

For the best street food in Kazimierz head to Okrąglak – Plac Nowy 4B.

Schindler’s Factory

If you haven’t already seen the movie, I suggest watching the Steven Spielberg classic Schindler’s List which tells the true story of Oskar Schindler who saved 1,200 Jews from Holocaust concentration camps.

The actual factory is still located in Kraków today and you can visit it. This article provides all the information you need to plan your visit.

Winter season (November – March)
Monday: 10am – 2pm
Tuesday – Sunday: 10am – 6pm

Summer season (April – October)
Monday: 10am – 4pm
every first Monday of the month: open to 2pm
Tuesday – Sunday: 9am – 8pm

Zakrzowek: Kraków’s Hidden Lake

The hidden lake in Kraków is actually a huge body of water in an old quarry.

It’s a great place to enjoy nature, back a picnic and if it’s warm enough, go for a swim! The views of the quarry cliffs over the crystal blue waters are stunning.

I’ve read online it costs a 5 ZL to enter but when we went in winter, no one was charging admission.

Address: ul. Twardowskiego, Krakow 30-373 Poland

Where to Eat in Kraków

Here are a few of my favorite restaraunts:

24 Hour Pierogi ( Przypiecek 24h): Delicious and inexpensive pierogi at any time of day or night!
Restauracje Babci Maliny: For great traditional Polish cuisine and atmosphere
Mr. Candy & The Pizza Boys: For crazy, outrageous sugar foods like candy pancakes and cocktails
Krowarzywa: For amazing vegan food right in downtown

Read: 7 MUST HAVE FOOD EXPERIENCES IN KRAKOW, POLAND

Getting Around Kraków

Uber and taxis are readily available in Kraków but so is public transportation!

This article will help you navigate public transit in Kraków.

Warsaw

Beautiful, historic Warsaw is the capital of Poland and the largest city!

Within Warsaw, I always felt a strong duality. One part of Warsaw is historic, heartbreaking and has a long history of destruction. The newer parts of Warsaw are hip, modern and unique.

*Soaking in the views from St. Anne’s Church Observation Deck*

Old Town

Warsaw’s historic Old Town was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sadly, 85 percent of it was reduced to rubble during the Second World War when Hitler ordered the entire city to be razed to the ground.

The destruction not only claimed the lives hundreds of thousands of Polish civilians but also the vast majority of museums, art galleries, theaters, castles, palaces, churches, parks, and historical buildings. Warsaw’s cultural heritage was deliberately destroyed, dismantled and reduced to ash.

Following the war, the city was rebuilt according to pre-war plans and historical documents.

Chopin

The infamous Fryderyk Chopin was a Polish-born pianist and composer of genius ability who spent his childhood and early years in Warsaw. Despite only performing 30 shows in his whole career, Chopin was held in worldwide renown and considered the leading musician of his era.

There is a wildly popular museum in Warsaw dedicated to his life, legacy and music.

I also highly recommend seeing some of his music played live while in Warsaw! You can get affordably priced tickets here.

Warsaw Rising Museum

Warsaw is home to a number of powerful, educational museums but make sure to include the Warsaw Rising Museum on your itinerary.

The museum is dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 which was the single largest military effort taken by any European resistance movement during the Second World War. The Uprising was fought for a grueling 63 days with nearly no outside assistance.

It is estimated that 16,000 members of the Polish resistance were killed while 150,000 to 200,000 Polish civilians died in mass executions during WWII.

The museum gives haunting but informative insight to this dark period of history.

Neon Museum

Warsaw has a variety of quirky attractions as well. We visited the Neon Museum which is dedicated to the documentation and the preservation of Cold War era neon signs.

It’s a quick, fun visit and a cool place to photograph.

The Warsaw Zoo

If you haven’t already, I suggest reading or watching The Zoo Keeper’s Wife before your trip to Warsaw.

It tells the incredible but true story of how Jan and Antonina Żabiński rescued hundreds of Polish Jews from the Nazis by hiding them in the Warsaw zoo.

The zoo is still open to this very day. You can read more about it or plan your visit here.

We visited the zoo during the winter months and saw almost no other guests. During the summer, it is reportedly much busier.

While the zoo itself was slightly underwhelming in the winter months, you may be interested in seeing the actual site where Jan and Antonina bravely defied the Nazis and successfully saved 300 Jewish people.

Download the free Warsaw Tour smartphone apps

Warsaw has a variety of free apps that can provide you with guided tours of the city.

WarsawTour

The Warsaw Tourist Office app will guide you to the most interesting attractions of the capital. All objects are filtered by themes (e.g. Chopin’s Warsaw, Warsaw by night) and marked on the interactive map. The app also works offline.

Download on the Google Play
Download on the App Store

Chopin in Warsaw

Follow Fryderyk Chopin’s footsteps with this Warsaw Tourist Office city guide app. Learn about places associated with the composer and see what they looked like in his time. The app also features an audio-guide, an events calendar and a playlist of Chopin’s compositions.

Download on the Google Play
Download on the App Store

Warszawa, Warsze

Discover the history of Jewish Warsaw with a new mobile guide published by the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. Choose a walk and listen to stories from the past.

Download on the Google Play

Zakopane

Poland’s beautiful mountain town is located at the southern border in Tatra Mountains and is considered the “winter capital of Poland.”

Here you can ski, snowmobile, snow tube or engage in any sort of winter activity!

Tatra Mountains

It’s a popular tourist hub but the mountain views do not disappoint.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can book mountaineering tours to experience the mountains up close! You can also book guided hikes if you want to make the most of your time.

Winter Sports

Although slightly touristy at times, Zakopane is a fun place to engage in all things winter related!

While we were there, we went on a sunet snowmobile ride. It was a fun, short easy ride. And compared to the USA, the snowmobiles were really inexpensive to rent.

We didn’t choose to do any skiing but many people do!

You can take a gondola ride to the top of the mountain overlooking Zakopane for a small fee. When you’re at the top, you’ll be able to find a variety of shops and activities as well.

Downtown is full of great restaurants, shops and some cheesy tourist attractions.

*Enjoying a Polish craft beer in Zakopane*

Affordable accommodation on Airbnb

We rented at a charming Airbnb tucked in the mountains. Just look at the great prices on properties like this in Zakopane. Many are under $30 a night!

*Our Airbnb in Zakopane was very inexpensive and still came with mountain views!*

Book a Kulig (Polish horse drawn sleigh ride)

A kulig is a winter tradition in Zakopane. These sleigh rides are enormously popular and date back to when Polish Nobles used to organize sleigh ride parties that went from one manor house to another with hearty meals followed by dancing.

We booked a tour from a vendor on the street and were unsure what to expect since we knew nothing about it. But we had a fantastic time!

Our sleigh was full with Polish guests who knew to pack a bottle of vodka to share! (Apparently this is a common tradition?) On our tour, alcohol was welcomed, even encouraged! Although we didn’t speak the same language, our fellow riders were passing the bottle of Polish vodka around to everyone so by the time we arrived at our destination for dinner, our group was well on their way to having a good time! Dinner was included in our sleigh ride.

As we feasted on Polish food, a live band played traditional music. Everyone was dancing, cheering and enjoying more Polish vodka to keep warm! It was an incredible evening in the mountains.

I’m not sure if all kulig tours are this raucous but we had such a fun time singing and dancing with our newly made friends!

Bordering Slovakia

Zakopane falls right on the border of Slovakia. We had planned to take the bus into the neighboring country to have breakfast. When the bus never came, we actually walked from Zakopane across the border into Slovakia!

We casually wandered around a small town but if you are visiting Zakopane for a few days, you may want to pay a visit to Slovakia since it’s so close!

Auschwitz

Auschwitz was the largest of the German Nazi concentration camps. Over 1.1 million men, women and children lost their lives within the walls.

Admission to the grounds of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial is free of charge but entry cards should be reserved on visit.auschwitz.org. When visiting, it’s incredibly important to act and dress respectfully. Before you go, please read “the rules for visiting“.

How To Get There

Getting to Auschwitz from Kraków is an easy 1.5-hour journey by car or bus.

Head over to the MDA Station (which is situated in Bosacka street and just behind the Main Railway Station of Kraków) then purchase a bus ticket to Auschwitz/Oswiecim.

Guided Tour or Solo?

We traveled to Auschwitz independently on the bus and explored on our own. However, many people choose to book a round-trip guided tour from Kraków which takes about 6 hours total.

Most people spend around 3 hours inside Auschwitz.

We enjoyed being able to go at our own pace but I do think we would have gotten more out of the experience to visit with a local guide.

TourRadar has a number of affordable tours around Poland that include Auschwitz. You can also book a multitude of day trips online or within the Kraków city center.

Gdańsk

Gdańsk is a stunning city on the Baltic coast of northern Poland.

Be sure to visit Długi Targ, it’s the main thoroughfare through the city! And for the best views of Gdańsk, climb the Main Town Hall tower and the St. Mary’s Church bell tower!

For more on Gdańsk, check out this great blog post.