Overview to Poland: Travel Guide and Tourist Information
Even though it’s a relative newcomer on the backpacking circuit, Poland really does have it all. Dream-like castles, stirring landscapes dominated by dense forests, hip cities… all washed down with (practically compulsory) lashings of vodka and some fantastic 'bigos'!
The two big cities of Warsaw and Krakow have distinctly different appeals. Warsaw, whilst by no means unattractive, is the more modern, whilst Krakow is a stunning, chocolate-box town the equal of Vienna, or even Prague.
And if its cities have all the snap and hum of any urban center, the scene in the countryside is rather more sedate and picturesque rural spots abound in the villages of Masuria, Poland’s Lake District.
The country’s wildly rugged landscape is home to a host of areas of outstanding natural beauty, like the Bialowieza National Park. The park covers 100 square kilometers, with 800km of Europe’s largest forested area falling under UNESCO’s protection.
Capping the Carpathian Mountains to the very south of the country are the Tatras which sprawl over into neighboring Slovakia. Not far from Warsaw, Zakopane offers trekking, walking and winter sports.
Up on the Baltic along the Pomeranian Coast, there are a number of excellent beaches. Here, during the summer months, seaside towns like Sopot make a wonderful alternative to the crowded beaches of the Mediterranean.
But, dotted around the country, there are also a number of cities which don’t attract the volume of visitors that they might. The historic cities of Torun, Gdansk, Poznan (in the province of Wielkopolska) and Wroclaw are amongst Poland’s most attractive.
Poland is brimming with idyllic small towns, bustling cities full of historical and cultural attractions and glorious scenery. And it’s this sense of a completeness of package that makes it one of Europe’s most beguiling destinations.