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The Motława river in Gdańsk, the tall gabled merchant houses and the brick Żuraw crane reflected in still water under a blue sky
The Żuraw crane on the Motława, Gdańsk. The waterfront walk runs the length of the old town, best early in the morning.
Country brief · 51.9194°N 19.1451°E · Updated

Poland

Travel the fast rail line through Kraków, Warsaw and Gdańsk, then add the Tatras, the Baltic dunes or the forest at Białowieża, each a few hours off it.

How long
Ten daysKraków, Warsaw and Gdańsk, plus one wild corner
Getting around
The traina car for the Bieszczady and the lakes
When
May to SeptemberDecember for the Christmas markets
Language
PolishEnglish common in the cities
Money
The złotynot the euro; cards taken almost everywhere
Airports
Warsaw and KrakówGdańsk, Katowice and Wrocław for the regions
How long

How many days do you need in Poland?

Ten days covers Kraków, Warsaw and Gdańsk with their day trips. A second week adds one wild corner: the Tatras, the Masurian lakes or the forest at Białowieża. A long weekend suits one city on its own.

Getting around

Do you need a car in Poland?

Not between the cities. Pendolino express trains run Kraków to Warsaw in about two and a half hours and carry on north to Gdańsk, and Wrocław and Poznań are on the main network too. Zakopane is two to two and a half hours from Kraków by direct train, about the same as the bus. A car earns its keep in the Bieszczady, among the Masurian lakes and around Białowieża, where buses are few.

When

When is the best time to visit Poland?

May to September, when the mountain trails are clear of snow and the Baltic is warm enough for the beach in July and August. The cities work all year, and in December the market squares of Kraków, Wrocław and Gdańsk fill with Christmas markets. Winter brings snow to Zakopane and the ski season runs into March; the summer weekends there are the busiest of the year.

Language

Is English widely spoken in Poland?

Polish is the language everywhere. English is routine in hotels, museums and city restaurants, especially among younger staff. It thins out in villages and mountain huts, where a few words of Polish and a translation app help.

Money

What currency does Poland use?

The złoty. Poland is in the European Union but has not adopted the euro and has set no date to do so. Cards and contactless payment are taken almost everywhere, including market stalls and mountain huts in the busier areas; small village shops and some mountain transport still prefer cash.

Airports

Where do you fly into Poland?

Warsaw Chopin is the main hub and handled about 24 million passengers in 2025, with a train to the city centre in about 20 minutes. Kraków handled about 13 million and has its own rail link to the main station, and Gdańsk about 7.4 million. Katowice, Wrocław and Poznań take direct flights from across Europe for the south and west.

Why you should visit

Ninety seconds on the country

You can spend a morning in the Warsaw old town, rebuilt after the war, and the next in Kraków, where the medieval centre came through intact. Gdańsk, on the Baltic, is the third city of the same line.

Plan the hard days with care. Auschwitz-Birkenau takes most of a day from Kraków and entry is by online timed booking only, so reserve before you travel. Wieliczka and the Wawel exhibitions run on timed tickets in summer, so book those too.

Outside the cities the country empties out. The High Tatras rise behind Zakopane, the Dunajec runs through a limestone gorge in the Pieniny, and the Bieszczady in the far south east are open grass ridges with very few villages. On the Baltic, the dunes at Łeba move a few metres every year.

In the east, Białowieża keeps a stretch of lowland forest that has never been cleared, with wild European bison in the forest itself. In the north east, the Masurian lakes are for sailing and kayaking in summer.

Six Ways to Travel It

Start with the best of the country, or pick how you want to travel. The towns, the things to do and the map all change with it.

Wawel Castle and its cathedral towers on the hill above the Vistula in Kraków, reflected in the river at sunset under a cloudy sky
Wawel Hill over the Vistula, Kraków. The royal castle and the cathedral share the hilltop, a short walk south of the Main Square.

Best of Poland

The Best Places to Visit in Poland

Start in Kraków and give it four nights, with Wieliczka and Auschwitz-Birkenau as day trips. Book Auschwitz online before you travel, and take an early slot at Wawel. Then take the train to Warsaw for two nights.

Finish in Gdańsk, with a morning at Malbork Castle and an afternoon on the pier at Sopot. If you have a second week, add the Tatras from Zakopane, the dunes at Łeba or the forest at Białowieża.

Plan the trip

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