Poland
EUROPE · 6 PLACES
Poland runs from Kraków's candlelit cellars to Gdańsk's amber-lit quays and the granite ridges of the Tatras, and still costs less than most of Europe. Come for pierogi, stay for the milk bars.
Kraków
Old Town, Kazimierz, plus the Auschwitz and Wieliczka day trips
Warsaw
The heavy museums, Praga nightlife and a Wilanów afternoon
Gdańsk
Hanseatic Main Town, the shipyard, Sopot beach and Malbork Castle
Wrocław
Islands, dwarfs and the easiest city here to simply wander
Zakopane
Cable car, one big valley walk and a night of highlander music
Poznań
Natural break on the Berlin-Warsaw line; croissants and beer halls
One month here
Old Town, Kazimierz, plus the Auschwitz and Wieliczka day trips
Cable car, one big valley walk and a night of highlander music
Islands, dwarfs and the easiest city here to simply wander
Natural break on the Berlin-Warsaw line; croissants and beer halls
The heavy museums, Praga nightlife and a Wilanów afternoon
Hanseatic Main Town, the shipyard, Sopot beach and Malbork Castle
Three months here
Base for Lesser Poland; memorials, Nowa Huta and the salt mine
Enough time to wait out bad weather and get the ridges clear
Slow city living plus castles and mountains within two hours
Gniezno, Rogalin and Kórnik make easy days out from here
The one city with enough depth to justify three full weeks
Tricity living, Baltic beaches, Hel peninsula and Malbork
Festivals worth flying for
Jewish Culture Festival · Late June to early July
Concerts, walks and workshops across Kazimierz, Kraków; ends in a huge free street concert
Wianki · June, midsummer
Kraków's solstice night: wreaths floated on the Vistula, concerts and fireworks under Wawel
St Dominic's Fair · Late July to mid-August
Three weeks of stalls, amber and street food filling Gdańsk's Main Town; running since 1260
Open'er Festival · Early July
Poland's biggest music festival, at Gdynia-Kosakowo airfield near Gdańsk; next edition 2027
Christmas markets · Late November to December
Kraków, Wrocław and Gdańsk do the best ones: mulled wine, oscypek and gingerbread
In an emergency
Emergency number 112
112 works from any phone, in English. Ambulance 999, police 997, fire 998. EU visitors should carry an EHIC/GHIC card; everyone else needs insurance.
Language
Polish. English is widely spoken by under-40s in cities, less so in villages.
Money
Zloty (PLN), not euro. Cards work almost everywhere; carry small cash for markets and mountain huts.
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