What's Poland like

Poland is one of the most interesting countries in Europe. On the UNESCO list we have 16 sites, which places us on 8th position in Europe in numbers of valuable monuments. The Old Town in Krakow and the Wieliczka Salt Mine have been on the UNESCO list since the beginning, (1978). It matters, because the first list contained only 12 objects from around the world.

In Poland, you can find many places related to World War II. The invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939 has started the most terrible era in the history of the world, and left many martyrdom sites on our territory - as Auschwitz, Treblinka, Stutthof, Majdanek and others.

The most famous Pole ever was St. John Paul II. He had a great merits not only for the Catholic Church, but also for international politics - his influence caused the end of the Cold War, undoubtedly. He was the first non-Italian pope since the 16th century, and the third longest-serving pope in history (after St. Peter and Pius IX).

Other famous Poles you've heard about are: Robert Lewandowski, Lech Wałęsa, Fryderyk Chopin, Maria Skłodowska-Curie and Max Factor.

Poland is a country that connects Western and Eastern Europe. The borders of Poland have changed many times, so we can find here many influences and objects that remind us of buildings typical of Germany (e.g. in Silesia) or Russia (Nowa Huta in Krakow).

Poland is an important country for pilgrimage tourism: Krakow, Częstochowa, the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Łagiewniki, Wadowice, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska are just a few of the most important places visited by numerous pilgrims from around the world.

Are you still not convinced to come to Poland?

Then see this: "Which?" - the most famous British consumer association, announced in 2019 (for the third year in a row) Krakow as the best city break destination in Europe. Krakow left behind cities such as Seville, Valencia, Berlin, Budapest and Venice.

What attractions does Poland offer?

Poland offers cultural, natural, sport and entertainment attractions.

Cultural tourism focuses mainly on large cities with a rich history, as Krakow, Warsaw, Gdańsk and Wrocław. Every year, people from all over the world come to Chopin concerts, Open'er festival, maltafestival, Off festival, International Wratislavia Cantans Festival, Warsaw Film Festival and others.

Natural attractions are concentrated around three locations: in the south we have a chain of the Carpathians Mountains, with the most beautiful part - the Tatra Mountains (the highest peaks reach a height of 2499 m above sea level), Beskids and Bieszczady - they are perfect for hiking (developed infrastructure). In the north, the Baltic Sea with beautiful, long, sandy beaches. Masuria, known as the "land of a thousand lakes", is a unique region of Poland, which is very popular especially among tourists from Germany.

Poland offers a big variety of sports offer, but the most popular is running. Every year, approximately 2,000 running events are organized, ranging from 1 mile to 233 km (7 Summits Run), with a total participation of about 8 million people. The most famous events are: Marathon Dębno (the oldest in Poland, 1969), Warsaw Marathon, Cracovia Marathon, Gdańsk Marathon, Wings for Life World Run.

The entertainment attractions are located mainly in the centers of big cities - Warsaw, Krakow, Gdańsk, Poznań, Wrocław. Nightlife in Poland is known throughout Europe - the choice of local bars and restaurants is very large, and the prices are very attractive.

The Polish hotel base is very good. Polish tourism law is very restrictive and the categorization is very demanding, so we are sure that the hotel base will meet your expectations.

When to go to Poland?

Tourism functions all year round, and the facilities (with some exceptions) are constantly open. The best weather is definitely between April and October. We recommend July-August as the best time to visit Poland. The weather in September and October is sunny and warm, but the mornings and evenings can already be cool. We also invite you to visit Poland just before Christmas, when Christmas markets are organized in every big city.

What to see in Poland?

Obligatory Krakow, Auschwitz, Gdańsk, Warsaw and Wrocław

For history lovers, we also recommend Malbork, Toruń, Poznań, Sandomierz, Książ Castle in Wałbrzych, and the Kłodzko Fortress.

For architecture lovers, the Giszowiec and Nikiszowiec districts in Katowice, Zamość, Kazimierz Dolny, or the Wooden Architecture Route.

For fans of natural values, we recommend going to Zakopane, Bieszczady, Pieniny (Dunajec River Rafting) and the Great Masurian Lakes.

All pilgrims we invite to Krakow, Częstochowa, Wadowice, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska.

How many days need to see Poland?

8 days is enough time to get to know our country, but if you are going on a city break, it is better to divide Poland in several visits - e.g. Krakow and surroundings, Warsaw and surroundings, Gdańsk and surroundings. Also popular are combined trips to Poland and neighbouring countries like: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania and Germany.

What souvenirs bring from Poland?

1. Amber. Poland is the world's biggest amber exporter. Beautiful jewellery (with a certificate of originality) can be bought in many cities, but Gdańsk definitely is the capital of amber.
2. Polish vodka. Of course, the most popular is Żubrówka - flavoured vodka with a bison grass. Other famous brands include Belvedere, Chopin et al.
3. Polish chocolates. Our country has a long and rich tradition of making chocolate products. Famous brands are Wawel, Krakowski Kredens and Karmello.
4. Polish wine. It becomes more and more popular in the world. Although it is still rare on the European tables, every year it is winning more awards and the consumer's hearts. We have 230 professional vineyards where grown: riesling, chardonnay, gewürztraminer, pinot gris, sylvaner varieties. Enotourism in Poland is growing rapidly.
5. Oscypki. This hard, smoked sheep's milk cheese is more and more known in Europe, although in Poland it is mainly associated with Podhale region.
6. Sausage. Polish cold cuts are unmatched anywhere in the world. You just have to try - we definitely deny the thesis that Polish sausages taste like German or Austrian. And if you decide to take it home with you, ask the store for vacuum packaging.

What are the prices in Poland?

Extremely attractive, especially for tourists from Western Europe. Lunch in a restaurant is around EUR 10, coffee around EUR 2.5, beer around EUR 2.5. Public transport in Poland is also cheap - e.g. a Krakow-Warsaw fast train ticket costs about EUR 45.

What is Poland famous for?

• Poland is famous for its difficult history, for being a zone of friction between the world of Western and Eastern Europe. The location of Poland in the center of Europe, and a large area, made it a witness to practically all the difficult historical events of the old continent of the modern era.
• Poland is famous for the hospitality of its inhabitants and their religiosity.
• Poland is famous for its cuisine that can be exotic for foreigners, such as pickled cucumbers, sauerkraut, tripe, sour rye soup, dumplings and red borscht. You must try them!
• Poland is an important country for the Jewish people, who settled here in the 10th century. At its peak, in 1939, 3.35 million Jews have been living in Poland. Currently, their population is around 20-25 thousands. The places very important for the Jewish nation are: Krakow (Kazimierz), Łódź, Warsaw and places inscribed in the Chassidic Route (heritage of Jewish culture and religion).
• Every football fan knows Robert Lewandowski, who is currently our most important Polish export brand. Perhaps you know other Polish sportsmen we are very proud of, such as Robert Kubica, Adam Małysz, Agnieszka Radwańska, Marcin Gortat or Justyna Kowalczyk.
• Poland is famous (and proud) of Nobel Prize winners. 19 of them were born or lived on Polish territory, which places Poland in 13th place in the world in terms of the number of laureates of this prestigious award.
• Poland is famous for the Polish language, which is one of the most difficult languages in the world. You will have a real linguistic challenge trying to repeat after the people who says: ‘źdźbło’ [ʑʥ̑bwɔ] which means ‘blade’, or ‘pięćdziesięciogroszówka’ [ˌpʲjɛ̇̃ɲʥ̑ɛ̇ˈɕɛ̇̃ɲʨ̑ɔɡrɔˈʃufka], which means ‘fifty pea’.
• During your stay in Poland you must also try Polish beer, which is less known than, for example, German, but equally good, if not better – grade it yourself.
• Poland is a popular destination for Erasmus students. The most important academic center is Krakow, where 200,000 people from all over the world study at 23 universities.

Krakow is a unique place for foreign students and we are convinced that you also know someone who spent their best student years in this city.

Is Poland a safe country?

The Global Peace Index (2020) placed Poland on the 29th place in the world in the security ranking and provided the comment "high level of security". Poland ranks ahead of Italy (31st place), Spain (38th place), Greece (57th place) and France (66th place). Of course, as in every big city, there are pick pocketing accidents, but we personally do not remember that any of our tourists had anything bad to happen.

Poland and COVID

The quality of Polish health care system is comparable to European standards. The number of infections in Poland is small (approx. 14 people per 100k). There is no quarantine or obligation to PCR’s test. The situation is stable. There is an obligation to wear masks in public transport and in closed rooms, but these are the only restrictions that people coming to our country will face.

What is the best way to come to Poland?

Of course, with the best incoming tourism office to Krakow, Poland and Europe: Ernesto Travel DMC. We are professional agency with 15 years of experience and we are going to do our job till the end of the world and one day longer.