Cześć! Welcome to Poland, our beautiful and diverse home country. Poland is not the first destination that comes to mind when planning a trip to Europe, but it definitely should be quite high! Whether you’re into exploring charming old towns, hiking in the mountains, relaxing on the sandy beach, learning about history, or tasting local food, Poland is an underrated gem that will leave you with unforgettable memories. In this post, we’ll show you why Poland is worth visiting and deserves a spot on your travel bucket list.
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Why is Poland worth visiting?
Rich History & Heritage
Poland has an interesting yet tragic history marked by countless battles for existence and independence. Years of partitions, disappearance from the maps, devastating World War II events, communism, Soviet control… Despite all the challenges, Poland has risen from the ashes like a phoenix and emerged as a strong nation, preserving its culture and heritage, making it an interesting country worth visiting.
Nowadays, Poland is home to 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including sites like Krakow’s and Warsaw’s Old Towns, Malbork Castle, Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp, Wieliczka Salt Mine, Centennial Hall in Wrocław, Medieval Town of Toruń, or Białowieża Forest. Here you’ll find the whole list of UNESCO Sites in Poland.
It’s undeniable that the past comes alive in Poland’s landmarks at every step. Here you’ll walk through centuries of history, and explore castles, cathedrals, and charming old towns (usually reconstructed). Poland is a must-visit destination for you if you’re a history lover.
Interesting Museums
Poland also has fantastic museums that showcase its rich history, art, and culture. They all tell fascinating stories of the past or present, sometimes sobering, sometimes joyful.
Some of the most popular ones include the Warsaw Uprising Museum, POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Museum of Communism, Amber Museum, National Museum (you’ll find its branches in Warsaw, Kraków, Poznań, Wrocław, and Gdańsk), Copernicus Science Centre, Rogalove Museum and, Torun Living Museum of Gingerbread.
Impressive Architecture
Poland’s cities boast a mix of architectural styles – from Gothic and Baroque to modern and industrial. Just look at the colorful market squares in Wroclaw or Poznan, a unique blend of historic landmarks and skyscrapers in Warsaw, industrial sites in Łódź, medieval streets of Torun, impressive Malbork Castle or futuristic Spodek in Katowice. Such diversity! Without a doubt, Poland is an architectural paradise!
Natural Beauty
Another reason why Poland is worth visiting is its stunning natural beauty and diversity. We’ve got a sea, mountains, and thousands of lakes… And a lot of fields, forests, and National Parks.
From the mighty Tatra Mountains and serene waters of the Masurian Lake District to the scenic Baltic Sea coastline and one of Europe’s largest primeval forests – Białowieża Forest.No matter if you want to go hiking, sailing, kayaking, wildlife spotting, or simply relaxing among peaceful landscapes – Poland has something for every nature enthusiast.
Amazing Food Scene
Poland is an amazing destination for food lovers. There, you’ll find a mix of hearty local, traditional food, and international flavors. Vegetarians and vegans will also be in heaven as the choice of plant-based options is spectacular and includes creative takes on traditional dishes.
Traditional Polish dishes include pierogi, bigos (hunter’s stew), barszcz (beetroot soup), żurek (sour rye soup), placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes), and gołąbki (cabbage rolls).
Street food lovers have to try zapiekanka (baguette-style pizza) and obwarzanek (crunchy pretzel rings). While in Zakopane be sure to try oscypek (smoked cheese) and gingerbread in Toruń. Do you have a sweet tooth? Don’t miss pączki (donuts), cheesecake, and apple pie.
Is the Polish food scene our favorite reason to visit Poland? We won’t deny it! Hope you’ll love it too!
Off-the-Beaten-Path Destinations
Beyond all the most popular hotspots, in Poland, you’ll find many hidden gems too (at least to foreign visitors). So if you’re up for going beyond the typical tourist trail, you should take a look at places like painted village of Zalipie, Kazimierz Dolny, Lublin, Książ Castle, Bieszczady Mountains, Moszna Castle, Błędów Desert, Słowiński National Park with moving sand dunes, Łódź, Katowice, Fort Srebrna Góra, or Czocha Castle.
Note. For most of these spots (maybe besides the cities), it would be best for you to rent a car to get there. You can easily rent the best one for your needs through the Rental Cars website.
Easy To Travel Around
Poland is quite easy to travel around by public transport, especially between major cities. The network of trains and buses is well developed and very affordable (although not always reliable and punctual). To search for train connections and to buy online tickets visit rozklad-pkp.pl or portalpasazera.pl. For long-distance bus connections, it’s best to visit FlixBus.
In cities, you also won’t have any problems moving around by buses, trams, or even the metro (depending on the city). There are also taxis, and often bikes or electric scooters available to rent. To quickly find connections you might need just use jakdojade.pl website or app – it works in all big cities!
Not Too Crowded (yet)
Poland is slowly becoming a popular tourist destination but, at least for now, it still isn’t as crowded as other hotspots in Spain, France, or Italy. The largest concentration of foreign tourists can be found in big cities like Krakow, Gdansk, or Warsaw, but we’re seeing that Wrocław and Poznan also start to shine.
Our advice for you is to try to plan your visit during the shoulder season months – in May, June, and September. In some years October is nice too, but it’s a lottery. The weather should be great, prices lower, and cities less crowded. During July and August, places like the Baltic Sea coast or Zakopane will be full of Polish holidaymakers. Winter is a bad choice thanks to awful air quality, short days, and lack of sun.
Affordable Destination
Many foreign visitors say that Poland is one of Europe’s most affordable travel destinations. From our experience, we can say that indeed it’s a bit cheaper compared to other Western EU countries like Spain, Portugal, Germany, or France, but the difference isn’t that big anymore. But if you want to save a buck or two, Poland will for sure help you with that!
Explore local attractions
English is widely spoken
You’ll be easily able to communicate in English in Poland, especially in the big touristy cities and with the younger generations. The truth is that since the late 80s English has been taught in schools, most times as a primary foreign language, so after years of learning, we’re well prepared (or at least many of us are).
PS. We know Polish is hard but be sure to learn even a few basic Polish phrases, like “dzień dobry” (good morning), “cześć” (hi / bye), “dziękuję” (thank you), “przepraszam” (I’m sorry, excuse me) or “do widzenia” (Goodbye). It will help break the ice and make interactions nicer.
It’s safe
Poland is generally a safe country to visit, ranking high on global safety indexes. Crime rates are low, public transport is safe, pickpocketing can happen in touristy areas but isn’t a major issue, and locals are rather friendly. Just keep in mind standard safety precautions, and you should be all right!
What can we say as locals? We’ve never experienced or witnessed any theft attempt, we also feel safe in public transport. For us, walking after dark isn’t the most pleasant experience as it’s a time when many drunk, homeless, nagging, and possibly aggressive people like to walk along the streets.
Winter Christmas Markets
Finally, something for fans of Christmas magic. Apparently, Poland has some of the best Christmas markets in Europe! We can often see those mentioned in various bucket lists. Especially ones in Gdansk, Krakow, and Wroclaw. Festive lights, hearty dishes, mulled wine, sweets, gifts, enchanting Christmas villages, carousels… All of that will welcome you there. Oh, and of course there are a lot of crowds – if you want to avoid them visit during the week, not weekends.
So is Poland worth visiting? – Summing up
Absolutely! It’s an underrated destination that will capture your heart and will make you want to come back for more (hopefully!).
Poland is a country that truly has it all – a captivating blend of rich history, diverse cities, historic charm, modernity, impressive architecture, natural beauty, and tasty food…
We hope that this post was helpful, and now you’re one step closer to start planning your trip to Poland!
Psss. Do you need help in planning? Be sure to check out all our posts from Poland, including our ready-to-go 10-day Poland itinerary! Also, to be well prepared read this post with all the things you need to know before travelling to Poland.
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