Explore the Best of Poland

When people think about their holiday destinations usually their minds are occupied by southern areas of Europe whilst winter is dominated by the neighbors of Alps, mainly because of the mainstream they got into and already made patterns which are fairly easy to follow. While not being necessarily a bad thing, such approach might affect one’s judgment, raising the risk of unwittingly omitting less obvious places to visit, which have tons of incredible perks to offer.

Poland is a wonderful country in terms of the variety of landscapes it offers to its visitors and might be like jump with a parachute to tourists who have already felt a little weariness due to the repetitive nature of traditional touristic destinations. In this article we will walk you through the aforementioned variety, hopefully interesting you with what The Heart of Europe hides within its borders.

Polish coastline might not belong to the group of the longest in Europe, nevertheless it has many incredibly interesting points along! This west-northern piece of polish lands is rich in diversity of places to see, ranging from stunning cliffs to long, wide sandy beaches which are gladly attended by sun seekers. The coast offers two of twenty-three polish national parks: Slowinski National Park founded to protect unique moving dunes which evokes a feeling being on a desert and Wolinski National Park preserving some of the most spectacular cliffs in Poland. There are also many spots for camping and surfing lovers, which Hel Peninsula is famous for! Besides, the historical parts are also worth mentioning, starting with Gdansk’s old fortifications and bunkers originating from World War II, finishing with one of the most magnificent examples of medieval castle architecture in the whole world – Malbork. It is also worth mentioning that the Pomeranian voivodeship shares a big part of EuroVelo bike trail, making it marvelous destination for active holidays!

Poland is also known for the number of lakes it nests, especially in the northern parts of the country. One of the most famous areas of this type is called Mazury. This region is basically entirely covered with lakes, including those which are the most recognizable either for their size; Sniardwy or depth; Hancza. The district is perfectly suitable for vacations oriented around camping, kayaking, swimming or riding a bike. Recently, it has also been popular for the availability of numerous glampings, which grew in popularity and are truly distinctive experiences! Already mentioned Pomeranian and West Pomeranian voivodeships located to the west of Mazury are also full of lakes and rivers worth exploring. On top of that, Pomerania is also famous for its region Kaszuby, which is home to one of the most interesting minorities in Poland; Kaszubians, who are very open to newcomers, happily sharing their history and culture to anyone who comes upon! These districts are perfect for those who plan active holidays, due to many bike trails, well developed water infrastructure and places such as Tarzania near Szczecin.

Poland’s south is rich in eye-pinning pieces of lands and has huge number of fascinating sites to see, tours to be done and peeks to be conquered! During the winter Zakopane becomes one of the most attended places in Poland for a good reason! It’s a magical place with outstanding mountains towering above the horizon encouraging to hike using well-prepared trails or ski down many available slopes, many of which are also operating after sunset! Tatra mountains hide many pearls beneath their shell! Kasprowy Wierch presents many ski resorts and trails to be hiked upon as well as ski lifts, Morskie Oko makes huge impression being located on the height of almost 1400 meters providing unforgettable pictures and for more advanced hikers the highest peak of Polish Tatras; Rysy offers a fair challenge! But Poland isn’t just about one mountain range! Bieszczady is considered to be one of the most majestic and calming destinations to go to throughout the entire year while Sudety attracts many tourists with extraordinary rock formations or big amounts of caves and deserted mines that would be used by the Third Reich during the World War II.

Poland is all about history! The country is literally filled with centuries old buildings, fortifications, castles, old mines, bunkers and alike which present huge chunks of historical facts, anecdotes and intriguing events! Thanks to very rich and dynamic history, Poland’s legacy is to be seen in every corner of its land. Beautiful, colorful old buildings are to be admired at old towns of many major Polish cities such as Wroclaw, Krakow, Rzeszow or Gdansk but also the smaller ones, Tarnow being the greatest example. Leftovers of many medieval fortifications can be spotted in various regions of the country, but the best maintained ones, such as Wawel or Malbork, are considered as one of the most impressive examples of such architecture in Europe. Out of order mines like Salt mine Krakow or caves with forgotten destiny can be explored bearing incredible, mysterious atmosphere. What’s more, Poland is also very well known for its dark tourism due to many abandoned concentration camps that used to operate under the German occupants during the World War II. Now the most recognizable ones, such as Auschwitz, Majdanek or Sabibor gather millions of tourists every single year, helping them understanding what happened during those darkest days of world’s modern history, offering tours in many languages so that everyone has access to this difficult knowledge provided.

Last but not least, polish cities! They definitely stand out in comparison with other European agglomerations, especially to their unique old towns, which are mainly recognizable for their colorful tenement houses! Even though they’re all quite similar, they do deserve separate attention and visit since, as the popular saying goes, the devil is in the details! Each main city’s square has something unrepeated. Krakow distincts itself thanks to the famous Sukiennice or St. Mary’s Trumpet Call, Poznan proudly presents its clock goats and Wroclaw hides little statues of unique dwarfs in many corners... Such list could go on like that forever! Besides its architectural advantages, polish cities are also very well located to its local attractions which are always a must see! Olsztyn lies in the vicinity of Mazury Lake District, Szczecin, Gdansk or Sopot are close to the pearls of Baltic coastline, Wroclaw has great commute to Sudety Krakow to Tatras and on top of that, offers tours to nearby located Auschwitz or Energylandia, which is the biggest amusement park in Poland. Every city or town has something to impress us with, so make sure to stop by during your travel!