Find places in Poland

Must-Haves

• 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.

Off the Beaten Path

• Rynek Underground (Old Town)
  A high tech museum in the excavated medieval layers beneath the Main Square.

Must-Haves

• 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.

Fun for Everyone

• Wieliczka Salt Mine (Wieliczka)
  Underground chapels, lakes and statues carved entirely from salt.

Off the Beaten Path

• Nowa Huta (Nowa Huta)
  A planned socialist realist district with grand boulevards and a surprising story.

Low Cost and Authentic

• 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.

Great for Date Night

• Pod Nosem (Wawel)
  Refined Polish cooking in an intimate room right below the castle.

Must-Haves

• Starka (Kazimierz)
  Hearty Polish dishes and house flavoured vodkas in a cosy Kazimierz dining room.

Must-Haves

• Massolit Books and Café (Old Town)
  A rambling English language bookshop with a café and towering shelves.

Great for Date Night

• Café Camelot (Old Town)
  A candlelit café of folk art and old furniture on a quiet lane.

Must-Haves

• Alchemia (Kazimierz)
  A dim, candlelit bar that sums up Kazimierz nightlife.

Off the Beaten Path

• Forum Przestrzenie (Ludwinów)
  A former socialist hotel turned riverside bar and deck chair hangout.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Stary Kleparz Market (Kleparz)
  A centuries old market for fruit, cheese, flowers and pickles.

Must-Haves

• Cloth Hall Market (Old Town)
  Amber, wooden toys and folk crafts under Renaissance arches.

Fun for Everyone

• Kościuszko Mound (Zwierzyniec)
  An earth mound with panoramic views over the city.

Off the Beaten Path

• Ojców National Park (Ojców)
  Limestone valleys, caves and a castle ruin on a crag north of the city.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Planty Park (Old Town)
  A green ring around the old town, perfect for a slow walk.

Must-Haves

• Kraków Christmas Market (Old Town)
  Wooden stalls, mulled wine and the famous szopki nativity scenes on the Main Square.

Off the Beaten Path

• Jewish Culture Festival (Kazimierz)
  A summer festival of concerts, talks and food celebrating Jewish culture.

Must-Haves

• Hotel Stary (Old Town)
  A historic town house hotel with a rooftop and a vaulted spa.

Great for Date Night

• Hotel Copernicus (Old Town)
  An elegant hotel on the Royal Road with a rooftop view of Wawel.

Must-Haves

• 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.
• Wilanów Palace (Wilanów)
  The baroque summer palace of King Jan III Sobieski with formal gardens.

Fun for Everyone

• Fryderyk Chopin Museum (Śródmieście)
  A playful, interactive museum of the composer's life and music.

Must-Haves

• Old Town Market Square (Old Town)
  The painstakingly rebuilt heart of the city, with the Mermaid statue at its centre.
• Palace of Culture and Science viewing terrace (Śródmieście)
  Views over the whole city from the thirtieth floor of Stalin's gift.

Fun for Everyone

• Copernicus Science Centre (Powiśle)
  A hands on science museum by the river loved by children and adults.

Off the Beaten Path

• Praga Koneser Centre (Praga)
  A former vodka factory with the Polish Vodka Museum, restaurants and courtyards.

Must-Haves

• Łazienki Park (Ujazdów)
  Palaces on the water, peacocks and free Chopin concerts on summer Sundays.

Fun for Everyone

• Vistula river beaches (Praga)
  Sandy beaches on the wild east bank, facing the city skyline.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Bar Prasowy (Śródmieście)
  A revived milk bar serving cheap, cheerful Polish classics.

Must-Haves

• Hala Koszyki (Śródmieście)
  A restored market hall full of food stalls and bars.

Great for Date Night

• Stary Dom (Mokotów)
  A classic Polish restaurant for roasts, soups and old school service.

Fun for Everyone

• Elektrownia Powiśle food hall (Powiśle)
  A food hall in a former power station near the river.

Must-Haves

• Blikle (Nowy Świat)
  A historic patisserie famous for its pączki doughnuts.

Must-Haves

• Plac Zbawiciela bars (Śródmieście)
  A round square of cafés and bars that buzzes on summer nights.

Off the Beaten Path

• Pawilony Nowy Świat (Śródmieście)
  A maze of tiny bars in old pavilions hidden behind Nowy Świat.

Fun for Everyone

• Vistula riverside boulevards (Powiśle)
  Beach bars and riverside terraces packed with locals on warm evenings.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Hala Mirowska (Mirów)
  A historic market hall with produce stalls around it.

Must-Haves

• Chopin concerts in Łazienki Park (Ujazdów)
  Free open air piano recitals at the Chopin Monument on summer Sundays.

Fun for Everyone

• Royal Route Christmas Illuminations (Krakowskie Przedmieście)
  Festive lights along the Royal Route through the winter season.

Must-Haves

• Hotel Bristol (Krakowskie Przedmieście)
  A grand historic hotel beside the Presidential Palace.

Great for Date Night

• H15 Boutique Hotel (Śródmieście)
  A boutique hotel in a historic building near Plac Trzech Krzyży.

Must-Haves

• Long Market and Neptune's Fountain (Main Town)
  The grand heart of Gdańsk, lined with merchants' houses.

Great for Date Night

• Mariacka Street (Main Town)
  A lane of stone terraces, gargoyles and amber workshops.

Off the Beaten Path

• 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.

Must-Haves

• 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.

Fun for Everyone

• The Crane (Motława riverside)
  A medieval port crane that is a symbol of the city.

Off the Beaten Path

• Amber Museum (Main Town)
  Amber's story told in a former prison and torture tower.

Fun for Everyone

• Sopot Pier and beach (Sopot)
  A long wooden pier stretching into the Baltic beside wide sands.

Off the Beaten Path

• 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.

Must-Haves

• Pierogarnia Mandu (Main Town)
  A popular spot for many kinds of handmade pierogi.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Bar Mleczny Neptun (Main Town)
  A long running milk bar on Long Street for honest Polish food.

Must-Haves

• Drukarnia Café (Mariacka Street)
  Excellent coffee and cakes on the prettiest street in town.

Off the Beaten Path

• 100cznia (Shipyard)
  A shipping container village of bars and food stalls on old shipyard land.

Fun for Everyone

• Monte Cassino Street (Sopot)
  Sopot's lively promenade of bars and terraces.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Hala Targowa (Main Town)
  An old market hall for local produce, smoked fish and snacks.

Must-Haves

• St Dominic's Fair (Main Town)
  A centuries old summer fair that fills the streets with stalls in late July and August.

Must-Haves

• Hotel Gdańsk (Motława riverside)
  A riverside hotel in a converted granary.

Great for Date Night

• Sofitel Grand Sopot (Sopot)
  A grand seafront hotel beside the pier.

Must-Haves

• Market Square and Old Town Hall (Old Town)
  A huge, colourful square around a Gothic town hall.

Fun for Everyone

• 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.

Must-Haves

• 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.

Off the Beaten Path

• 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.

Great for Date Night

• Japanese Garden (Szczytniki Park)
  A peaceful garden of ponds, bridges and maples.

Must-Haves

• Piwnica Świdnicka (Old Town)
  One of Europe's oldest restaurants, in the town hall cellar.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Bar Mleczny Miś (Old Town)
  A no frills milk bar loved by students.

Off the Beaten Path

• Nadodrze cafés (Nadodrze)
  Small cafés and studios in a creative, street art filled neighbourhood.

Must-Haves

• Ruska Street bars (Old Town)
  A strip of bars and clubs near the square.

Great for Date Night

• Słodowa Island (River Oder)
  A riverside island where locals picnic and drink on summer evenings.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Hala Targowa Wrocław (Old Town)
  A concrete arched market hall for produce and snacks.

Must-Haves

• Wrocław Christmas Market (Old Town)
  One of the best Christmas markets in Poland.

Must-Haves

• Hotel Monopol (Old Town)
  A historic hotel beside the opera house.

Must-Haves

• 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.

Fun for Everyone

• Gubałówka funicular (Zakopane)
  A funicular up a gentle hill with views of the Tatras.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Kościeliska Valley (Tatra National Park)
  An easy valley walk with caves and streams.

Off the Beaten Path

• Chochołowska Valley (Tatra National Park)
  A long, gentle valley famous for spring crocuses.

Must-Haves

• Krupówki Street (Zakopane)
  The busy main street of shops, inns and stalls.

Fun for Everyone

• 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.

Must-Haves

• Tatra Museum (Zakopane)
  The history and folk life of the highlanders.

Off the Beaten Path

• 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.

Must-Haves

• Karczma Zapiecek (Krupówki)
  Highlander food and live music in a timber inn.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Oscypek stalls (Krupówki)
  Grilled smoked sheep's cheese with cranberry.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Gubałówka market (Gubałówka)
  Stalls of wool, leather, cheese and souvenirs.

Must-Haves

• Hotel Belvedere (Zakopane)
  A large resort hotel with a spa near the forest.

Off the Beaten Path

• International Festival of Mountain Folklore (Zakopane)
  A late summer festival of mountain music and dance from many countries.

Fun for Everyone

• Poznań goats at the Town Hall (Old Market Square)
  Two mechanical goats butt heads every day at noon.

Off the Beaten Path

• Stary Browar (Centre)
  A former brewery turned shopping and art centre.

Must-Haves

• Croissant Museum (Old Town)
  A fun show on the St Martin's croissant tradition.

Off the Beaten Path

• Porta Posnania (Ostrów Tumski)
  An interactive heritage centre on the origins of Poland.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Rogal Świętomarciński bakeries (Old Town)
  The famous poppy seed croissant of Poznań.

Fun for Everyone

• Malta Lake (Malta)
  A lake with walking trails and a summer toboggan run.