Find a region on the map
Find a region on the map
A few hours away from Austria and not much more from Switzerland lies a country where you don’t have to choose between the sea and the mountains – because there is both here. And much more!
You don’t have to get on a plane to get here. You can come here for a long weekend or spend a carefree holiday surrounded by nature and human hospitality.
Large Polish cities – Kraków, Gdańsk, Wrocław or Warsaw – have been the destination of weekend city breaks for years. But in our opinion, the hidden beauty of this country begins where the houses end.
Must-do in Kraków:
Accommodation in Kraków:
Aparthotel Stare Miasto – Stylish apartments in a renovated 17th century building on a side street in the very center of the city:
Best to visit: May-June, September-October
An idea for a mountain weekend in the spectacular Dunajec River Gorge. The limestone mountains of the Pieniny rise several hundred meters above the valley floor, and the deciduous forests of the area especially in autumn shimmer with millions of colors.
Szczawnica-Zdrój and a hike to Sokolica – an old spa in the Dunajec valley and a starting point for mountain trails. The most beautiful of these leads to the steep peak of Sokolica Mountain with its famous pine tree hanging over the precipice.
Three Crowns – the highest peak in the Pieniny Mountains. It offers a wide panorama of the river valley and the nearby Tatra Mountains – Poland’s only alpine mountain range.
Wooden Church in Dębno – a masterpiece of carpentry art, a 15th century church built in wood without the use of nails
Homole Gorge – an intimate gorge hollowed out in the limestone rocks of the Pieniny Mountains. At the top there is a beautiful, scenic trail towards Palenica Mountain.
Muzyczna Owczarnia (Biała Woda 13) – an iconic music club run in a former sheepfold building in the village of Jaworki. Jaworki is one of the two westernmost villages once inhabited by Lemkos – Greek Catholic Carpathian highlanders, who spoke a language similar to Ukrainian.
Bicycle tours – popular bicycle routes lead along the banks of the Dunajec River. It is worth going from Szczawnica to the village of Červený Kláštor on the Slovak side (about 20 km)
Accommodation in Szczawnica:
Ranczo domek w Górach – A luxurious, secluded wooden cottage for exclusive use in the forest
Best to go: Autumn
A trip to Kraków can be combined with a one-day visit to Ojców, a small town located in the heart of Poland’s smallest national park, in the picturesque Prądnik Valley. Ojców’s landscape is characterized by steep limestone rocks, caves that served as human settlements in prehistoric times, and numerous castles.
Must-do in Ojców:
Best to go: October
An idea for a weekend in the mountainous southern areas of Kraków. Lanckorona – a favorite town of Kraków artists and the baroque Passion Sanctuary in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska.
Lanckorona – a charming village near Kraków with a history dating back to the Middle Ages, a historic market square and streets, picturesquely located under the top of a forest-covered mountain, called the “City of Angels”. Lanckorona’s trademark is its wooden, whitewashed cottages with arcades. A mecca for Kraków artists of various generations. An excellent base for hiking and biking trips.
Kalwaria Zebrzydowska – Bernardine Passion and Marian sanctuary listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The founder of the monastery, taking advantage of the lay of the land and imitating the topography of Jerusalem, designed a 6 km long Passion Road with 42 chapels, recreating the events from the Gospel. The place is especially worth visiting on Easter, when a staged procession passes along the paths – the Passion Play.
Accommodation in Lanckorona:
Willa Tadeusz – An old villa from the 1930s tucked away in the woods on the outskirts of Lanckorona. Run by the third generation of owners, it hosted celebrities of interwar politics and culture. The ornament of the villa is a stone pool from the 1950s
Best to go: April-June, October (the so-called “Golden Polish Autumn”)
A weekend among the fertile fields of the Lubelskie Region located in the eastern part of the country. Monuments of the Renaissance – a golden era in the history of Poland, traces of multiculturalism of the former Republic of Poland, excellent bicycle routes. Lots of relaxation and blissful silence.
Kazimierz Dolny – historic, 16th century town picturesquely located among the hills on the Vistula River. Developed on grain trade, it has preserved the original layout of its streets, churches towering over the houses, Renaissance tenement houses and traces of the once numerous Jewish community. The surrounding area spoils walking enthusiasts.
Lublin – one of the most important cities of the First Polish Republic, a huge state encompassing today’s Poland, Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania. A small, charming old town and a castle with stunning Byzantine-Ruthenian frescoes in the Holy Trinity Chapel.
Zamość – the private 16th-century city of the Grand Chancellor of the Polish Crown Jan Zamoyski, erected in an open field with the help of Italian architects based on Renaissance plans for an ideal city. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Zwierzyniec – a sleepy, quiet town in the heart of the forested Roztocze region. Home to an old brewery, and the site of a popular film festival in August.
Accommodation – Gołębnik
Ecological agritourism farm in an old apple orchard near Kazimierz Dolny. Special attraction of the place is a natural pool with water from the stream. To Kazimierz Dolny – half an hour by bike
Best to go: May – August
Kazimierz Dolny
A weekend in green Podlasie – one of the most valuable natural regions of Europe, and a place where different cultures and religions meet. Animal sightings, mushroom picking, endless bicycle trails and canoeing, original cuisine and local products.
Białowieża Forest – Europe’s original primeval lowland forest, one of the last places on the continent whose ecosystem has remained largely unchanged since prehistoric times. Several hundred years old oak trees, natural swamps and few human settlements. A must-see for morning bison sightings
The town of Supraśl and the Icon Museum – an old Podlasie town located at the foot of an Orthodox monastery. The monastery building houses a museum that collects uncommon examples of Eastern religious art
Canoeing on the Biebrza River – the Biebrza River, forming huge marshes for several hundred kilometers covered by Poland’s largest national park, is a perfect place for a canoe trip
Green Velo – the Podlasie region is crossed over several hundred kilometers by eastern Poland’s bicycle trail, Green Velo. The trail, which is more than 2 thousand kilometers long, runs through the most valuable natural fragments of the region
Accommodation
Podlaskie siedlisko – Exclusive cottages in one of the wildest areas of Podlasie, on the edge of a vast primeval forest, in a part of the region inhabited by the Belarusian community.
Best to go: April – August
The area around the city of Suwałki in the northeastern corner of Poland near the border with Lithuania is one of Poland’s most scenically diverse regions – and an excellent choice for an extended vacation. Glacial lakes and hills and the influence of various cultures create a unique blend. Even in the middle of summer you will not find crowds there.
Wigry National Park – a park protecting a huge glacial lake surrounded by forest. Its symbol is the beaver, whose huge population inhabits the shores of the lake. Worth seeing is the old, abandoned Camaldolese monastery on a peninsula jutting into the lake.
Canoeing down the Czarna Hańcza River – an unforgettable 50 km of river winding between the forests and fields of the Suwałki region. It is best to go canoeing for two days or more, with a tent in the canoe
Old Believers’ villages – long ago the Suwałki region was inhabited by “Polish Amish”, representatives of a radical faction of the Orthodox Church, persecuted in Russia. Today, single villages with crude wooden architecture remain after them
Swiss from Suwałki – many years ago the truest Swiss from Zurich settled on the shores of Poland’s deepest Lake Hańcza. In love with the local nature, they established an experimental farm producing organic cheese
Accommodation
Agritourism Olzoja – Comfortable guest rooms on the edge of the Augustów Primeval Forest, Poland’s largest forest complex. Next to the guesthouse local specialty – ruska banya
Best to go: July – August
An idea for an extended vacation in the kingdom of 2600 lakes – the phenomenal Masuria.
Lake Śniardwy – the largest lake in Poland. A huge post-glacial body of water, which, along with a dozen other lakes in the area, is connected by a network of channels and passages. A popular place for summer sailing outings of Poles.
Piska Primeval Forest – a vast forest complex in the south of Masuria, crisscrossed by numerous bicycle paths. In the middle of the primeval forest the narrow and long Lake Nidzkie is located, which is entirely a silence zone (no engines in boats allowed).
Wolf’s Lair – Adolf Hitler’s secret quarters in the middle of former East Prussia. A vast complex of concrete bunkers, appropriated by nature for 70 years
Accomodation
Mazurus Guest House – beautifully decorated rooms in a small village on Lake Dejguny, run by three friendly sisters. Vegetarian breakfasts included in the price.
Best to go: August-September (it can get crowded during the peak of summer holidays at the largest lakes of Masuria)
An idea for a longer vacation in one of the most beautiful and scenically varied regions of Poland – Pomerania. A combination of relaxation by the lakes, the sea and sightseeing in the Tri-City – an informal coalition of neighboring cities of Gdańsk, Sopot and Gdynia.
Tri-City must – do:
Accommodation in Gdańsk
Arche Dwór Uphagen – Elegant hotel in an old industrial building in a non-touristic part of old Gdańsk. Comfort, proximity to major attractions and excellent cuisine
Swiss blogger Travelita on Kashubia
Best to go: June-September
A city of a hundred bridges, picturesquely located on islands on the Oder River. Nearly a thousand years of history and the phenomenon of total population replacement after 1945. A center of modern art, a green city, full of life, filled with young energy.
Accommodation in Wrocław – Mleczarnia. Comfortable apartment in the historic part of the city, right next to the popular dairy club, adjacent to the former synagogue Pod Białym Bocianem.
The grounds of the Centennial Hall – an innovative arena building that is a pioneering example of the use of reinforced concrete in construction, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Right next door, the Four Dome Pavilion with an outstanding exhibition of Polish contemporary art.
Best to go: all year round! (including winter)
Polish Tourism Organization
Fleschgasse 34/2a
1130 Wien
wien@pot.gov.pl
+43 6767828258
