Poland - tourism

Poland is not the first country that comes to mind when you think of a place to spend your holidays. But Poland has a lot to offer: from rich history and old cities to ancient forests with a multitude of lakes, from ski resorts in the mountains to beaches. On this page, you will find some pointers to help you get started.

Gniezno, is one of the oldest cities in Poland. It has played an important role in the history of Poland, was the first capital of Poland. Have a look at the site www.gniezno.eu for more information.

Poznan is a bigger city. It has a nice city center with terraces. Poznan has a big university and is quite animated in the evening with quite a few late night bars. For more information about Poznan visit http://www.city.poznan.pl/mim/strony/index.html?lang=en .

Worth seeing are towns between Poznan and Gniezno taking you to the places where the Polish state was born – the so-called Piastowski Route: http://www.polska.travel/en-us/theme-tours/the-piastowski-route/

Recommended are:

-          Ostrów Lednicki – The palatial complex, chapel-baptistery, a city church, bridges, and defensive mechanisms date to the 1060's, under the rule of Mieszko I, the first ruler of Poland. The two baptismal fonts discovered there have led historians to speculate that it might have been here that Mieszko I and his entourage received their baptism. The museum is on an island, you will get there on a boat. Museum is closed on Mondays.

-          Biskupin – the most famous archeological place in the Central Europe. The fortified Lusatian Culture settement was built on a two hectare marshy island. Wooden houses are dated back 2700 years ago. More information on: www.biskupin.pl

An English tour guide costs 50 zl, so around 12 euro

Gdansk (Danzig) in the North of Poland (http://www.en.gdansk.gda.pl/) is one of the prettiest cities in Poland.

The area North of Poznan has many forests and lakes, but the real ancient forests can only be found much further to the East, East of Warsaw, so called Mazury.

The capital Warsaw was destroyed many times but the Polish have rebuilt a lot in the old style of the town. It is a busy metropole with a vibrant nightlife.

More to the South, you will find the cities of Wrocław, Czestochowa and Kraków. A large cathedral was built in Czestochowa where the most sacred Polish shrine is to be found: a picture of the Black Madonna.  http://www.jasnagora.pl/

In Wrocław and Kraków (Krakau), you will notice that these were cities part of the Habsburg empire. Especially Krakau is beautiful and has architecture similar to Prague and is worth seeing: http://www.krakow.pl/en/. Here a royal castle was built on the Wawel Hill, becoming the coronation and burial place of kings, as Krakow was the capital of Poland from the 11th - 17th century.

A bit further to the south, there is Zakopane in a mountainous region of Poland. It is a ski resort in winter, and suitable for hiking is summer. Watch the signs “Noclegi” to find a cheap and good place to stay. Have a look at http://www.zakopane.pl