20 Photos That Will Make You Want to Visit Poland

Visited: August 2019

Is Poland on your list of places to visit? Nice! Great choice. What’s that? You have no desire to visit Poland? Hmm…. Let me know if you feel the same way once you get to the bottom of this post.

But seriously—we loved Poland! You could spend a fun weekend or an entire month traveling here, and it offers something for every type of traveler. We’ll definitely be sharing more travel guides and tips for Poland, but for now, enjoy these photos of this beautiful country:

Gdańsk

We visited seven cities in Poland, and this was our favorite! It’s also the most photogenic, so we’ll start with photos from Gdańsk, located in northern Poland near the Baltic Sea.

Colorful Long Market street in Gdansk, Poland — “Long Market” is bright and colorful even in the rain.

Beautiful colorful buildings in Gdansk, Poland — Beautiful buildings along Long Market.

Former armoury building in Gdansk, Poland — Its former armoury is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful buildings in Gdansk.

Town Hall clock tower in Gdansk, Poland — More scenes from Long Market, including Town Hall (left).

Riverfront at night, Gdansk, Poland — Walking along the riverfront at night.

Sopot

Looking for a beach vacation in Poland? Sopot has what you need! This town is located a mere train stop from Gdańsk (three stops from the main station) and features a long, sandy beach.

Wrocław

Wrocław (pronounced vrotz-wahf) is a beautiful city in the Lower Silesia region of Poland. It was named a European Capital of Culture in 2016. We wavered between visiting this city or Poznań, and we ultimately decided on Wrocław because we heard it offered more. We met a couple from Poznań while in Lithuania, and they said Poznań is basically a smaller version of Wrocław, so I’m happy with our decision! If you have more time, visit both.

Colorful buildings in Wroclaw, Poland — Candy-colored buildings in Wrocław.

"Votes for women" suffragist dwarf in Wroclaw, Poland — One fun thing to do is Wrocław is dwarf-spotting! There are more than 400 unique dwarf statues scattered around the city.

Czekoladomania chocolate cafe in Wroclaw — Delicious chocolate products at Czekoladomania cafe in Wrocław.

Architecture of Wroclaw, Poland — The main square in Wrocław was the largest medieval square until Krakow built theirs.

Kraków

The largest city in Poland (and former capital–apparently Kraków and Warsaw still hate it each other; it was funny to hear our guides tell jokes at the expense of the other city), Kraków boasts the largest medieval market square in Europe and a vibrant Jewish Quarter.

Street scene in Krakow, Poland — Kraków has plenty of beautiful side streets and churches.

Jagiellonian University Museum tour in Krakow, Poland — This gorgeous room can be visited on a tour of the Jagiellonian University Museum.

Sunny reading room at Massolit Books in Krakow, Poland — Sunny reading room at Massolit Books in Kraków. (The café is also delicious.)

Rynek Glowny at night, Krakow, Poland — Rynek Główny (the main square of Kraków) at night.

Warsaw

The current capital of Poland, Warsaw’s Old Town was almost completely destroyed during World War II, so it has a neat (albeit sad) rebuilding history. I also didn’t realize how many famous people hailed from Warsaw, including Marie (Skłodowska) Curie and Frédéric Chopin.

Pretty townhome buildings in Warsaw, Poland — I couldn’t get enough of these tall, beautiful buildings in Poland. Can’t you tell?

Malbork

Malbork Castle, or the Castle of the Teutonic Order, is the largest brick castle in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is only about 30 minutes from Gdańsk on the train and makes a great half-day trip.

Beautiful ceiling and art at Malbork Castle, Poland — Restored art and beautiful ceilings inside the castle.

Zakopane

Full disclosure: THE PHOTO BELOW IS NOT ACTUALLY FROM POLAND. Zakopane, Poland, is a popular spot to visit in the High Tatras, a mountain range along the Poland/Slovakia border. We had already stayed on the Slovakian side of the mountains (in Zdiar, less than 40 kilometers from Zakopane), so we didn’t visit Zakopane. BUT, here’s a taste of the natural beauty in Poland if you want to get out of the cities.

Hiking in Tatra National Park, Zdiar, Slovakia — Tatra National Park hiking view from Zdiar, Slovakia (NOT Poland)

So, what do you think? Would you visit Poland? What would be your first stop?

Featured photo: Long Market, Gdańsk, Poland