Since the late 20th century, after the break-up of the Eastern Bloc, Poland has been one of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations. It’s no surprise either. The country isn’t only naturally beautiful, it’s also steeped in the modern-day history of the continent, going back many centuries. As a result, it boasts an enviable array of tourist attractions and important historical landmarks, which are top of the list of the best places to visit in Poland.
Best places to visit in Poland: Top 10
Holidays in Poland offer something for everyone, even during its chilly winter. Depending on what time of the year you arrive, you can experience two completely different facets of the country. This makes it a great place to visit year-round, especially given that it’s a short, affordable flight from the UK. Read on to discover some of the most rewarding Poland holiday destinations.
To help you plan your sightseeing itinerary in more detail, you can also read our Poland travel guide.
1. Warsaw
The capital of Poland is one of Europe’s most historic cities and the centre of Polish art. After its virtual destruction during WWII, the city quickly rebuilt its historic centre, using the original planning papers. You can still see authentic Renaissance and Baroque period houses that have been perfectly recreated.
Treasured art museums
The famous art museums in Warsaw were also given a new lease on life. Today you can see the largest painting collection in Poland at the National Museum. Here you can see many works with historical connections. There’s a selection of paintings that were stolen and then reclaimed from Adolf Hitler, for instance.
Quirky museums to visit
You’ll find some quaintly fascinating niche museums in Warsaw too. It has the only Museum of Posters in the world and a Museum of Caricature. Or visit the more modern Neon Museum. There’s also a moving and inspirational museum that covers the gallant Warsaw Uprising of 1944.
Inspiring architecture
Visit the 18th-century Lazienki Palace, not least for its splendid formal gardens and more than 75 hectares of urban forest. The palace complex houses an outdoor theatre, a planetarium and historical pavilions. Krakowskie Przedmiescie is the main architectural street in Warsaw. Here you can see the more traditional Polish architecture, including genuine old homes.
Royal splendour and celebrating science
Two other Warsaw attractions also deserve mentioning. One, the lavish Presidential Palace, is a sight to behold, dating back to 1643. The other is the Polish Academy of Sciences. This has produced some of Poland’s more eminent scientists, as well as many international experts.
2. Krakow
Krakow is another hugely significant historic Polish city and one of the oldest in the country. It offers a pretty diverse set of tourist landmarks. It’s also particularly known for its many parks and woodlands. From here, you can also reach some of Poland’s most important historical sites, including one of history’s most notorious.
Go hiking in urban nature
Krakow is one of the best places in Poland to go for urban outdoor activities in a variety of natural settings. The city has about 40 urban parks, some modern, some dating back a century or more. Planty Park, established in the 19th century, creates a ring of green around the central area of the city, covering some 21 hectares. It’s a great place for solitary or family walks.
There’s also Lasek Wolski Forest, not far from the city centre. It has dozens of biking and hiking trails and offers another excellent way to escape into nature without leaving Krakow itself. It’s all free, to boot. Take a picnic hamper with you.
The royal jewels and classical tapestries
There are almost 30 museums spread across Krakow, so you can spend a good few days visiting them all. The National Art Collection at Wawel Castle is one of the most impressive. It houses the Polish royal jewels and a huge collection of Flemish tapestries. You can also view period furniture and 15th-century weapons and armour.
Road trips outside Krakow
There are two very notable road trips you can take from Krakow. The first is to visit the oldest salt mine in the world, which is still functioning. The other is to pay your respects at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp complex. It will give you a stronger resolve to work for good in the world.
3. Wroclaw
This is one of the more fascinating cities to put on your list of where to go in Poland. It has a unique mixed culture compared to other Polish cities, thanks to having belonged variously to Germany, Prussia and the Kingdom of Bohemia through the centuries.
A millennium of museums
You can learn about its colourful modern history at the Lubomirski Museum, which covers events beginning in 1945 and continuing into the Iron Curtain years. For the city’s more ancient history, visit the Wroclaw City Museum, with its artefacts that go back over a thousand years. Perhaps the most intriguing is the Pan Tadeusz Museum. This contains multimedia exhibitions of Polish customs.
Open-bus tours and gnome hunting
When the city is nice and warm in summer, it’s a great idea to take an open-top bus tour. These will take you through all of the city’s most historic districts, like the area around the 13th-century Main Market Square. Or explore the city more playfully by searching for the bronze figurines of Wroclaw’s famous gnomes (there are more than 350). They’re hidden everywhere among the city’s everyday features.
We’ve also created a dedicated Wroclaw travel guide, so you can read more extensively about what to see and do there.
4. Tatra Mountains
We leave the cities for a moment to explore arguably the most celebrated natural feature in Poland, the Tatra Mountains. It’s part of a national park and the range creates a natural border between Poland and Slovakia.
Hiking trails through immersive scenery
The Tatra Mountains and Tatra National Park offer over 270 km (roughly 170 miles) of hiking trails. As you hike, you’ll pass many enticing streams, waterfalls and mountain lakes, where you can rest or take a refreshing swim in summer. Morskie Oko is the largest lake here. It’s about a 2-hour hike through the forest from the trail starting point.
Majestic Mount Rysy
Mount Rysy, the tallest mountain peak in Poland, is also to be found in the Tatra Mountain range. It’s gauged to be about 2,500 metres tall (over 8,200 feet). You won’t need a guide to climb it, as the trail gradient is relatively mild. Just make sure you have a good pair of hiking boots to maintain a good grip underfoot.
The Jaskinia Wielka Sniezna limestone caves
The Tatra Mountain range is also known for its vast labyrinth of limestone caves, which purportedly contains over 600 caves. Jaskinia Wielka Sniezna is the deepest and longest of these cave systems. It’s about 825 metres (2,700 feet) deep and has a staggering length of roughly 23 km (14 miles).
5. Bialowieza Forest Reserve
What makes Bialowieza Forest Reserve special is that it’s the largest remaining primaeval forest in Europe, and as such is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The forest covers over 1,400 square km (540 square miles) on the Polish-Belarus border.
Ornithology among herds of indigenous European bison
Bialowieza Forest Reserve is also special for being the home of large original European species of animals, like bison. It’s a haven for bird watchers too, and you can take tours guided by local ornithologists. Inside the forest, you’ll find the open-air Museum of Wooden Architecture, showcasing all kinds of traditional Polish wooden structures.
6. Gdansk
If you’re wondering where to visit in Poland for the country’s most beautiful city, Gdansk is a top contender. It had the good fortune to remain virtually untouched by WWII, so most of this 17th-century Polish city is excellently preserved.
Poland’s ancient seaport
Gdansk’s prime location in a bay on the Baltic Sea made it Poland’s main seaport over the centuries. This part of the city has been painstakingly preserved, so you can walk through it and see some of its most ancient structures; the Prison Tower and the City Gates are two of these. You’ll also be able to stroll along avenues lined with original merchant houses.
WWII museum and record-holding church
In Gdansk, you’ll find a very comprehensive Museum of the Second World War, with unusual exhibits like a German DKW motorbike and a Polish Sherman tank. There are many other authentic photos and genuine artefacts. You can also pay a visit to St. Mary’s Church, which is the largest all-brick church in the world. The Gdansk Nowy Port Lighthouse is another noteworthy tourist attraction in the city.
While that only scratches the surface of the wonderful Polish city, you can find out more by reading our Gdansk travel guide.
7. Torun
Torun makes it onto the list of the best places to visit in Poland due to its remarkable age and its connection with one of history’s most important scientific figures. It’s also the home of gingerbread in Poland.
The birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus
Few would dispute the immense contribution that Copernicus made to our understanding of our solar system. You’ll find the house where he was born in Torun. It’s now a museum showcasing the life and work of this illustrious astronomer. It’s an absorbing trip into the very origins of astronomy.
Step back into mediaeval times
Torun was founded around the 8th century, which easily makes it one of the most ancient cities in Poland. It’s well worth getting a sense of this history by visiting the Central Marketplace district and the Old Quarter, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here you’ll find original 16th-century buildings with wooden beams and many Gothic houses too. The square also remained intact during WWII, leaving its original structures as they always were.
Bake some classic Polish gingerbread
Poland has its own unique version of gingerbread that you must taste. To find out more about it and do some sampling, visit the Muzeum Piernika. This is a museum that’s entirely dedicated to the art and history of Polish gingerbread. You can even try your hand at baking some yourself and see how you stack up against the lifelong local experts.
8. Bieszczady Mountains
This is a very long Polish mountain range that stretches all the way to Slovakia and Ukraine. It has a unique ecosystem only found in this Carpathia region: the mountains are covered by a type of meadow that only occurs here, known as polonyna.
The ideal Polish destination for hiking
The highest points of the Bieszczady Mountains are lofty, but their slopes and valleys offer easy hiking for all ages. You can easily hike to the top of the tallest peak in the range, Polonyna Wetlinska. It’s roughly 2,255 metres high (about 7,400 feet) in height, and getting up there is a gentle climb along the most popular meadow trail. This will only take you about 2 hours.
A protected biosphere
Because of its unique ecosystem, a large part of the Bieszczady Mountains belongs to the UNESCO East Carpathian Biosphere Reserve. This is where wolves, bison and brown bears roam freely in their untouched natural habitat. It also has a huge indigenous beech forest. Visiting the mountains is a good way to get in touch with the wilder natural side of Poland.
9. The Isle of Usedom
This is a picturesque island in the Baltic Sea that’s jointly owned by Poland and Germany. It’s known as the “sun island”, as it receives so many hours of sunlight during the year. This makes it a sought-after tourist destination in northern Poland.
Beaches, resorts and summer sports
The Isle of Usedom is a summer playground for local Poles, Germans and other European visitors alike. Far less well known than most other European resort areas, like those in the south of France or on the Aegean, it’s a real hidden gem. Its soft white beaches and relatively warm water attract many thousands of tourists each year. The region is also a centre for water sports and other aquatic activities.
Gardens and local landmarks
You’ll also find a wonderful private botanical garden on the Isle of Usedom. There are many other landscaped gardens on the island too, and remember to visit some of the many small nature reserves and lakes. These can be found spread out across the entire island.
The remains of the Karnin Lift railway bridge provide a tourist attraction for those who are that way inclined. It’s on the German side of the island. The bridge has now become a historic symbol of engineering in Germany. You can also visit the old Dannenfeldt Mausoleum.
10. Bialystok
Bialystok is a Polish city to visit if you’re into architecture. It has hundreds of historical buildings, some of them elaborately ornate.
Branicki Palace and Kosciuszko Market Square
Branicki Palace is arguably the most eminent piece of architecture in Bialystok. It’s a huge country estate, originally built by a businessman who fancied becoming the king of Poland. Kosciuszko Market Square offers a delightful experience sitting in a cosy coffee shop in the midst of ornate period townhouses. You can also visit the smaller Hasbach Palace.
Explore more with KAYAK
Once you’ve visited Poland, you can start planning your next holiday with KAYAK. We can guide you to the best places to visit in Switzerland, for instance. Or travel closer to home and explore the best places to visit in Ireland. For a Mediterranean island holiday, read about the best places to visit in Crete. If you want a more exotic holiday, check out the best places to visit in Japan.
