Beyond the headline cities of Warsaw and Kraków, Poland offers abundant and memorable travel experiences.
Into history and culture? This European gem delivers with more castles, churches, palaces and museums than you could imagine. The great outdoors more your bag? Take your pick from Baltic beaches, snowcapped mountains, meandering rivers, thousands of lakes and 23 national parks.
And if you thought that Polish food and drink was all pickles, potatoes and vodka, think again. That culinary trio is the amuse-bouche for a gastronomic buffet ranging from blueberry-filled dumplings to gold-leaf-flaked liquors.
Read on for our selection of the very best experiences in Poland.
1. Get a bird’s eye view of Warsaw
Warsaw is one of Europe’s most dynamic capitals, and its current economic boom is symbolised by the Varso Tower which, at 310m (1017ft), is the EU's tallest skyscraper. The Varso’s 240m-high (787ft) observation deck is slated to open in 2025. In the meantime, enjoy the retro vibes of the observation terrace of the 1955 Palace of Culture & Science; the amazing panorama of Warsaw’s reconstructed Old Town from the bell tower of St Anne's Church; and vistas over the Vistula from the rooftop garden of Warsaw University Library.
Detour: Fabryka Norblina once produced metal goods. It's now the biggest of Warsaw's spate of industrial transformations and includes the city’s biggest food hall and lots of other fun places to eat and drink.
2. Time travel beneath Kraków’s Old Town
Kraków’s atmospheric Old Town is centred on Rynek Główny, Europe’s largest public square, which is dominated by the magnificent Cloth Hall. Go beneath the square to Rynek Underground for a subterranean glimpse into the market of six centuries ago, enhanced by 21st-century audiovisual effects.
Back above ground, on the hour, listen for the hejnał (bugle call) emanating from the taller of the two towers of St Mary’s Basilica on the market square’s west side. Inside, Jan Matejko’s polychromatic murals flank the high altar, Poland’s greatest masterpiece of Gothic art.
Detour: The Wieliczka Salt Mine, one of the world’s oldest salt mines, is around 14km (9 miles) southeast of Kraków. It's a subterranean labyrinth of some 300km (186 miles) of tunnels, lakes and chambers including astonishing chapels with altarpieces, statues, monuments – even chandeliers – all carved out of salt.
3. Tour Malbork Castle, the world’s biggest brick building
This UNESCO-listed complex is Europe’s largest castle. Begun by the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century, Malbork Castle was the order’s headquarters for almost 150 years. Despite sustaining serious damage during WWII, almost the entire complex has been preserved, and the castle today looks much as it did six centuries ago. Highlights include the Grand Masters’ Palace with its splendid interiors such as the Great Refectory (look out for its remarkable palm-vaulted ceiling), and the Amber Museum.
Planning tips: Avoid queues by purchasing tickets online. Pack a picnic as the dining options at the castle are limited.
4. Understand the horrors of war at Gdańsk’s Museum of the Second World War
The first shots of WWII were fired in Gdańsk, so it’s fitting that this historic Baltic Sea port is home to the monumental Museum of the Second World War. Occupying a striking piece of contemporary architecture, the 5000-sq-meter (53,819-sq-ft) museum delivers an emotionally powerful history lesson as it charts the causes, progress and aftermath of the 20th century's biggest conflict – all from a point of view of Poland being a victim.
Planning tips: This is a massive museum that can easily take half a day to see fully. For a break there's a museum cafe and you can also leave and return the same day using the same ticket.
5. Learn about Jewish Poland at POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
Another in Poland’s exceptional collection of museums is POLIN, which charts over 1000 years of Jewish history across the nation’s historic territories. The highlight is a dazzling reconstruction of the painted ceiling and bimah (raised central platform for reading the Torah) of the synagogue that once stood in Gwoździec (now part of Ukraine). The section on the Holocaust (1939–45) is appropriately dark and claustrophobic. The exhibition ends with videos of local Jews talking about the continuing specter of anti-Semitism in Poland.
Detour: Warsaw’s Jewish Historical Institute houses the UNESCO-listed Ringelblum Archive, a precious collection of 6000-plus documents, including diaries, drawings, photographs and posters, that provide first-hand accounts about Nazi Germany’s extermination of Jewish communities in Poland.
6. Track bison in Białowieża National Park
In the northeast of country, adjoining Belarus, the forests of Białowieża were protected for centuries by royal patronage, first as a private hunting ground for the Polish kings and later for Russian tsars. Today it’s Europe’s largest old-growth forest, and home to some 800 bison. There’s a chance of spotting the continent’s largest mammal and Poland’s national symbol in the wild on an early morning walk among the ancient lime, oak and hornbeam trees – it’s a wonderful opportunity to connect with Polish nature.
Detour: Seven bison live at the European Bison Show Reserve, near the national park. View several other species in large pens here too, including elk, wild boar, deer, a wolf and a three-legged lynx (sadly, the wolf bit off the lynx's missing leg!).
7. Encounter Łódź's abundant street art
The city of Łódź, which grew fabulously wealthy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries through manufacturing, has embraced street art unlike anywhere else in Poland. There are well over 200 public works of art to discover as you walk around, including Pasaż Róży by Joanna Rajkowska, a magical courtyard that's completely covered with mirror fragments arranged in swirling rose patterns; and Wiedźmin (Witcher), designed by Jakub Rebelka, which is Poland's tallest piece of street art and covers the 70m-high (230ft) sides of an apartment block.
Detour: Marco Italian Food and Street Art, the cafe at Łódź's Central Museum of Textiles includes a gallery of images from Urban Forms, the foundation that organises the creation of some of the city's most impressive pieces of street art.
8. Succumb to the Renaissance charms of Zamość
The beautifully proportioned “Pearl of the Renaissance,” Zamość offers the real deal: an original late-16th-century Old Town centred on a gorgeous arcaded plaza surrounded by Armenian merchants’ residences. The town, in Poland’s southeast corner, is also ringed with defensive bastions that kept the Swedes at bay in the 17th century when they rampaged with ease through other Polish towns.
Detour: The Old Town of Lublin also survived WWII relatively unscathed. Its evocative swirl of legend-filled cobbled lanes and its main square surrounded by Renaissance and baroque townhouses is the prime visitor draw, along with the city’s vibrant festival scene.
9. Taste gingerbread in Toruń
They’ve been baking and perfecting gingerbread in World Heritage–listed Toruń for centuries. To learn more about this sweet and spicy treat, visit one of town’s two museums devoted to gingerbread. The bigger and better of the two is the Museum of Toruń Gingerbread, housed in the world's oldest gingerbread bakery. Sign up for one of the museum's workshops to learn how to make your own gingerbread.
Detour: Gateway to the Great Masurian Lakes, Olsztyn offers an attractive, spruced-up old town and plenty of new hotels, restaurants and bars. Never overwhelmed with tourists, it’s a refreshing slow down before moving on to the usually busier lakeside towns.
10. Go hiking or skiing in the Tatras
No other area of Poland boasts such a diversity of landscapes as the Tatra Mountains. The most popular area for hiking is the 212-sq-km (82-sq-mile) Tatra National Park, which begins just south of Zakopane, Poland’s most fashionable mountain resort. For a short walk, the densely forested valleys of Dolina Strążyska are lovely. Alternatively strike out for the 1894m (6214ft) summit of Mt Giewont.
When the snow starts to fall, Zakopane’s 50 or so ski lifts and tows crank into action. There’s ski terrain here for everyone, from level cross-country touring to black diamond slopes for hardcore shredders.
Planning tip: Book ahead online for a ticket to visit the Tatra Park Nature Education Centre as numbers are limited to 25 people at a time.
