Poland · Local picks
100+ Places to Visit in Poland
These are the places worth your time in Poland, from Kraków's castle and milk bars to Warsaw's museums, Gdańsk's amber lanes, Wrocław's dwarfs and the trails above Zakopane. Classics sit beside quiet corners many travellers miss, so every kind of visitor finds something to love.
Places to Visit in Kraków
Arts and Culture
- Wawel Royal Castle (Wawel Hill)
The royal castle and cathedral where Polish kings were crowned and buried. - St Mary's Basilica (Old Town)
A Gothic church with Veit Stoss's breathtaking carved wooden altarpiece. - Oskar Schindler's Enamel Factory (Podgórze)
A moving museum of Kraków under Nazi occupation in Schindler's former factory. - Galicia Jewish Museum (Kazimierz)
Photographs and stories of Jewish life and loss in southern Poland. - Rynek Underground (Old Town)
A high tech museum in the excavated medieval layers beneath the Main Square. - Czartoryski Museum (Old Town)
Home of Leonardo da Vinci's Lady with an Ermine.
Things to Do
- Main Square and Cloth Hall (Old Town)
One of Europe's largest medieval squares, with the hourly trumpet call from St Mary's tower. - Auschwitz Birkenau Memorial and Museum (Oświęcim)
The former Nazi German camp, an essential and sobering visit best made with a guide. - Wieliczka Salt Mine (Wieliczka)
Underground chapels, lakes and statues carved entirely from salt. - Nowa Huta (Nowa Huta)
A planned socialist realist district with grand boulevards and a surprising story.
Restaurants
- Bar Mleczny Pod Temidą (Old Town)
A classic milk bar serving pierogi and soups the way grandmothers make them. - Zapiekanki at Plac Nowy (Kazimierz)
Round food stalls selling long toasted open sandwiches late into the night. - Pod Nosem (Wawel)
Refined Polish cooking in an intimate room right below the castle. - Starka (Kazimierz)
Hearty Polish dishes and house flavoured vodkas in a cosy Kazimierz dining room.
Cafés
- Massolit Books and Café (Old Town)
A rambling English language bookshop with a café and towering shelves. - Café Camelot (Old Town)
A candlelit café of folk art and old furniture on a quiet lane.
Bars and Nightlife
- Alchemia (Kazimierz)
A dim, candlelit bar that sums up Kazimierz nightlife. - Forum Przestrzenie (Ludwinów)
A former socialist hotel turned riverside bar and deck chair hangout.
Shopping and Markets
- Stary Kleparz Market (Kleparz)
A centuries old market for fruit, cheese, flowers and pickles. - Cloth Hall Market (Old Town)
Amber, wooden toys and folk crafts under Renaissance arches.
Nature and Outdoors
- Kościuszko Mound (Zwierzyniec)
An earth mound with panoramic views over the city. - Ojców National Park (Ojców)
Limestone valleys, caves and a castle ruin on a crag north of the city. - Planty Park (Old Town)
A green ring around the old town, perfect for a slow walk.
Events
- Kraków Christmas Market (Old Town)
Wooden stalls, mulled wine and the famous szopki nativity scenes on the Main Square. - Jewish Culture Festival (Kazimierz)
A summer festival of concerts, talks and food celebrating Jewish culture.
Stays
- Hotel Stary (Old Town)
A historic town house hotel with a rooftop and a vaulted spa. - Hotel Copernicus (Old Town)
An elegant hotel on the Royal Road with a rooftop view of Wawel.
Places to Visit in Warsaw
Arts and Culture
- Warsaw Rising Museum (Wola)
An immersive museum of the 1944 uprising against German occupation. - POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews (Muranów)
A thousand years of Jewish life in Poland in a striking modern building. - Royal Castle (Old Town)
The rebuilt royal residence with grand state rooms and Canaletto's views of the city. - Fryderyk Chopin Museum (Śródmieście)
A playful, interactive museum of the composer's life and music. - Wilanów Palace (Wilanów)
The baroque summer palace of King Jan III Sobieski with formal gardens. - Neon Museum (Praga)
A glowing collection of rescued signs from the communist era.
Things to Do
- Old Town Market Square (Old Town)
The painstakingly rebuilt heart of the city, with the Mermaid statue at its centre. - Copernicus Science Centre (Powiśle)
A hands on science museum by the river loved by children and adults. - Palace of Culture and Science viewing terrace (Śródmieście)
Views over the whole city from the thirtieth floor of Stalin's gift. - Praga Koneser Centre (Praga)
A former vodka factory with the Polish Vodka Museum, restaurants and courtyards.
Nature and Outdoors
- Łazienki Park (Ujazdów)
Palaces on the water, peacocks and free Chopin concerts on summer Sundays. - Vistula river beaches (Praga)
Sandy beaches on the wild east bank, facing the city skyline.
Restaurants
- Bar Prasowy (Śródmieście)
A revived milk bar serving cheap, cheerful Polish classics. - Hala Koszyki (Śródmieście)
A restored market hall full of food stalls and bars. - Stary Dom (Mokotów)
A classic Polish restaurant for roasts, soups and old school service. - Elektrownia Powiśle food hall (Powiśle)
A food hall in a former power station near the river.
Cafés
- Blikle (Nowy Świat)
A historic patisserie famous for its pączki doughnuts.
Bars and Nightlife
- Plac Zbawiciela bars (Śródmieście)
A round square of cafés and bars that buzzes on summer nights. - Pawilony Nowy Świat (Śródmieście)
A maze of tiny bars in old pavilions hidden behind Nowy Świat. - Vistula riverside boulevards (Powiśle)
Beach bars and riverside terraces packed with locals on warm evenings.
Shopping and Markets
- Hala Mirowska (Mirów)
A historic market hall with produce stalls around it.
Events
- Chopin concerts in Łazienki Park (Ujazdów)
Free open air piano recitals at the Chopin Monument on summer Sundays. - Royal Route Christmas Illuminations (Krakowskie Przedmieście)
Festive lights along the Royal Route through the winter season.
Stays
- Hotel Bristol (Krakowskie Przedmieście)
A grand historic hotel beside the Presidential Palace. - H15 Boutique Hotel (Śródmieście)
A boutique hotel in a historic building near Plac Trzech Krzyży.
Places to Visit in Gdańsk
Things to Do
- Long Market and Neptune's Fountain (Main Town)
The grand heart of Gdańsk, lined with merchants' houses. - Mariacka Street (Main Town)
A lane of stone terraces, gargoyles and amber workshops. - Westerplatte (Westerplatte)
The site of the first battle of the Second World War, reachable by boat in summer. - Crooked House (Sopot)
A wavy building that looks like it is melting.
Arts and Culture
- European Solidarity Centre (Shipyard)
The story of the strikes that brought down communism, at the shipyard gates. - Museum of the Second World War (Main Town)
One of the most powerful history museums in Europe. - St Mary's Church (Main Town)
A giant brick church with a tower climb over the rooftops. - The Crane (Motława riverside)
A medieval port crane that is a symbol of the city. - Amber Museum (Main Town)
Amber's story told in a former prison and torture tower. - Malbork Castle (Malbork)
The vast red brick fortress of the Teutonic Knights. - Emigration Museum (Gdynia)
The story of Poles who left by sea, meaningful for diaspora visitors.
Nature and Outdoors
- Sopot Pier and beach (Sopot)
A long wooden pier stretching into the Baltic beside wide sands. - Hel Peninsula (Hel)
Dunes, pine forest and fishing villages on a thin strip of land. - Oliwa Park and Cathedral (Oliwa)
A quiet park and cathedral known for its grand organ.
Restaurants
- Pierogarnia Mandu (Main Town)
A popular spot for many kinds of handmade pierogi. - Bar Mleczny Neptun (Main Town)
A long running milk bar on Long Street for honest Polish food.
Cafés
- Drukarnia Café (Mariacka Street)
Excellent coffee and cakes on the prettiest street in town.
Bars and Nightlife
- 100cznia (Shipyard)
A shipping container village of bars and food stalls on old shipyard land. - Monte Cassino Street (Sopot)
Sopot's lively promenade of bars and terraces.
Shopping and Markets
- Hala Targowa (Main Town)
An old market hall for local produce, smoked fish and snacks.
Events
- St Dominic's Fair (Main Town)
A centuries old summer fair that fills the streets with stalls in late July and August.
Stays
- Hotel Gdańsk (Motława riverside)
A riverside hotel in a converted granary. - Sofitel Grand Sopot (Sopot)
A grand seafront hotel beside the pier.
Places to Visit in Wrocław
Things to Do
- Market Square and Old Town Hall (Old Town)
A huge, colourful square around a Gothic town hall. - Wrocław Dwarf hunt (Old Town)
Hunting for hundreds of tiny bronze dwarfs across the city. - Multimedia Fountain (Szczytniki)
Evening light and music shows over the water in summer. - Hydropolis (Na Grobli)
An interactive museum all about water. - Wrocław Zoo and Afrykarium (Zoo)
A big zoo with an impressive African themed aquarium. - Książ Castle (Wałbrzych)
A huge castle above a forest gorge with wartime tunnels.
Arts and Culture
- Ostrów Tumski (Cathedral Island)
The oldest part of the city, with gas lamps lit by hand at dusk. - Racławice Panorama (Old Town)
A giant circular painting of a 1794 battle. - Centennial Hall (Szczytniki)
A UNESCO listed concrete dome from 1913. - Aula Leopoldina (University of Wrocław)
A baroque assembly hall dripping with gold and frescoes. - Church of Peace in Świdnica (Świdnica)
A vast timber framed church on the UNESCO list.
Nature and Outdoors
- Japanese Garden (Szczytniki Park)
A peaceful garden of ponds, bridges and maples.
Restaurants
- Piwnica Świdnicka (Old Town)
One of Europe's oldest restaurants, in the town hall cellar. - Bar Mleczny Miś (Old Town)
A no frills milk bar loved by students.
Cafés
- Nadodrze cafés (Nadodrze)
Small cafés and studios in a creative, street art filled neighbourhood.
Bars and Nightlife
- Ruska Street bars (Old Town)
A strip of bars and clubs near the square. - Słodowa Island (River Oder)
A riverside island where locals picnic and drink on summer evenings.
Shopping and Markets
- Hala Targowa Wrocław (Old Town)
A concrete arched market hall for produce and snacks.
Events
- Wrocław Christmas Market (Old Town)
One of the best Christmas markets in Poland.
Stays
- Hotel Monopol (Old Town)
A historic hotel beside the opera house.
Places to Visit in Zakopane
Nature and Outdoors
- Morskie Oko (Tatra National Park)
A glacial lake under granite cliffs, the most famous walk in Poland. - Kasprowy Wierch cable car (Kuźnice)
A cable car up to sweeping views along the Polish and Slovak border. - Gubałówka funicular (Zakopane)
A funicular up a gentle hill with views of the Tatras. - Kościeliska Valley (Tatra National Park)
An easy valley walk with caves and streams. - Chochołowska Valley (Tatra National Park)
A long, gentle valley famous for spring crocuses. - Valley of Five Polish Ponds (Tatra National Park)
A high valley of lakes for fit hikers.
Things to Do
- Krupówki Street (Zakopane)
The busy main street of shops, inns and stalls. - Chochołowskie Termy (Witów)
Thermal pools with views of the mountains. - Termy Bania (Białka Tatrzańska)
Thermal pools near the ski slopes. - Dunajec River Rafting (Pieniny)
Wooden rafts poled by highlanders through a gorge.
Arts and Culture
- Tatra Museum (Zakopane)
The history and folk life of the highlanders. - Villa Koliba (Zakopane)
The first house in the Zakopane style, now a museum. - Old Church and Pęksowy Brzyzek Cemetery (Kościeliska Street)
A wooden church and graveyard of artists and mountain guides.
Restaurants
- Karczma Zapiecek (Krupówki)
Highlander food and live music in a timber inn. - Oscypek stalls (Krupówki)
Grilled smoked sheep's cheese with cranberry.
Shopping and Markets
- Gubałówka market (Gubałówka)
Stalls of wool, leather, cheese and souvenirs.
Stays
- Hotel Belvedere (Zakopane)
A large resort hotel with a spa near the forest.
Events
- International Festival of Mountain Folklore (Zakopane)
A late summer festival of mountain music and dance from many countries.
Places to Visit in Poznań
Things to Do
- Poznań goats at the Town Hall (Old Market Square)
Two mechanical goats butt heads every day at noon. - Stary Browar (Centre)
A former brewery turned shopping and art centre.
Arts and Culture
- Croissant Museum (Old Town)
A fun show on the St Martin's croissant tradition. - Porta Posnania (Ostrów Tumski)
An interactive heritage centre on the origins of Poland.
Restaurants
- Rogal Świętomarciński bakeries (Old Town)
The famous poppy seed croissant of Poznań.
Nature and Outdoors
- Malta Lake (Malta)
A lake with walking trails and a summer toboggan run.
More to Explore
We are still checking these with fresh sources, so confirm opening times before you go.
- Przystanek Pierogarnia (Old Town, Kraków)
A tiny counter for freshly made pierogi with every kind of filling. - Mercy Brown (Old Town, Kraków)
A speakeasy cocktail bar hidden behind an unmarked door. - Kraków Pinball Museum (Old Town, Kraków)
Rooms of vintage pinball and arcade machines to play as long as you like. - Elixir by Dom Wódki (Śródmieście, Warsaw)
Modern Polish dishes paired with a huge choice of vodkas. - Pączkarnia Zagoździński (Praga, Warsaw)
A family bakery making doughnuts the old way for generations. - Bazar Olimpia (Wola, Warsaw)
A sprawling weekend flea market for antiques and curiosities. - Museum of Life under Communism (Śródmieście, Warsaw)
A small, playful museum of everyday life in the Polish People's Republic. - Restauracja Gdański Bowke (Motława riverside, Gdańsk)
Pomeranian cooking in a riverside dining room. - Goldwasser (Motława riverside, Gdańsk)
A historic riverside restaurant named after the city's gold flecked liqueur. - Pierogarnia Stary Młyn (Old Town, Wrocław)
A pierogi spot near the square with many fillings. - Bąkowo Zohylina Wyźnio (Zakopane, Zakopane)
A rustic inn for highlander cooking and music.