A Beginner’s Guide to Poland

Key Takeaways

• Poland offers a wide range of cultural, historical, and outdoor experiences, from vibrant cities to coastal towns and national parks.
• Major cities such as Warsaw, Kraków, Gdańsk, and Wrocław provide distinct perspectives on Poland’s architecture, history, and arts.
• Travelers planning a trip to Poland may benefit from reviewing travel protection options that can help support unexpected medical needs, trip disruptions, or emergency assistance while abroad.

A lot of American travelers to Europe work their way rightward across the continent over time. They start in Spain or Ireland or the U.K., try France, then Germany, then Italy,  Hungary or the Czech Republic and then stop when the alphabet starts growing things or the letter “Z” shows up too often.

That’s a shame, because it means many travelers miss out on Poland – a fascinating country with incredible architecture, food, art, and history.

If you’re from the Midwest you may feel you have a pretty good handle on Polish culture, especially the kielbasa, pierogi, paczki, and the polka. But that’s just the start.

Poland is a hotbed of classical music, boasting composers like Chopin and pianists like Paderewski and Artur Rubinstein. Its art history, with an emphasis on modern art, is rich if not well-known in the U.S.

Here’s how to go about it if you do.

Warsaw

Start in Warsaw. It’s one of the most popular Polish cities and it’s centrally located, so you can do day trips using Warsaw as your base camp.

Warsaw follows the script of most great European cities: a historically significant and architecturally rich Old Town, big cathedrals, cobblestone streets, art museums, trolleys, the works.

Warsaw was heavily bombed in WWII and then occupied by the Russians, so there’s a fair amount of cinderblock gunslit architecture, but the Old Town has been rebuilt and the city is hopping, with a new modern-art museum to keep company with the Soviet-era Palace of Culture and Science.

You can think of Warsaw as a less-publicized Berlin, because Berlin’s M.O. of setting the uber-modern and avant-garde cheek-by-jowl with the ancient and historical is also Warsaw’s defining characteristics.

If you visit Warsaw, set aside time for the Royal Castle, the market square and St. John’s Cathedral but also allow time to wander the city’s more modern neighborhoods. The combination’s the thing.

Other Cities

Other cities worth a visit are:

• Kraków: Home to Poland’s old capital and related buildings, including the Wawel Cathedral and Wawel Royal Castle, St. Mary's Basilica, Saints Peter and Paul Church, Europe’s largest medieval market square (Rynek Główny), and Jagiellonian University, one of the world’s oldest universities.
• Gdańsk: The center of the Solidarity uprising that led to the fall of Poland’s Soviet-era government, Gdansk is lively, but more industrial than touristy – and it’s the gateway to many Baltic Sea resorts.
• Łódź: One of Poland’s artistic centers, Łódź boasts a striking Art Nouveau downtown, many revitalized industrial spaces and the country’s film school.
• Wrocław: A university town with more than 130,000 students, Wrocław is also renowned for its UNESCO World Heritage auditorium (Centennial Hall), many historic buildings and ample green spaces.

Also Read: All About Travel Protection for Poland

Activities

The cities are cool and explorable, but there’s a lot more to Poland than the cities. The country has a long stretch of Baltic Sea coast, and while the Baltic is no one’s idea of a placid, aquamarine body, the coast has a surprising number of beaches and resort towns like Jarosławiec, Rowy and Ustka.

Trains run from Warsaw and Prague to Gdynia and Sopot, with summer trains to Hel and Ustka. Overnight trains also run from Kraków to Gdynia.

In addition, the country is quite drivable, and rental cars are plentiful.

What else is there to see in the country?

• The concentration camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka, Bełżec , and Sobibór.
• The Vistula River, bordered by many bike trails, making a bike trip from Kraków to Warsaw not only doable but recommended.
• The Wieliczka Salt Mine, which sounds skippable – “What did you do in Poland? Oh, we visited a salt mine” – but is vast and fascinating and cool in more ways than one.
• Bieszczady National Park, home to bears, bison (!) and wolves, with many hiking trails for exploring.

Poland is smart and sophisticated, with plenty of room to roam and explore. If you’re a European traveler looking for a destination that blends culture, history, and natural beauty, it might be just your ticket. If you do decide to make Poland your vacation destination, remember to help protect those costs with travel protection plus assistance services from Generali Global Assistance.

We have plans that are designed to fit most trips. And getting covered is a breeze. It starts with a free quote here.

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