Pretty colorful buildings in Gdansk, Poland
Europe Poland Travel Diary

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鈥檚 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. 馃槈

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

Gda艅sk

We visited seven cities in Poland, and this was our favorite! It’s also the most photogenic, so we’ll start with photos from Gda艅sk, 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 Gda艅sk (three stops from the main station) and features a long, sandy beach.

View from the lighthouse in Sopot, Poland
View of town from the lighthouse in Sopot. (The beach is on the other side of the lighthouse.)

Wroc艂aw

Wroc艂aw (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 Pozna艅, and we ultimately decided on Wroc艂aw because we heard it offered more. We met a couple from Pozna艅 while in Lithuania, and they said Pozna艅 is basically a smaller version of Wroc艂aw, so I’m happy with our decision! If you have more time, visit both.

Colorful buildings in Wroclaw, Poland
Candy-colored buildings in Wroc艂aw.
"Votes for women" suffragist dwarf in Wroclaw, Poland
One fun thing to do is Wroc艂aw 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 Wroc艂aw.
Architecture of Wroclaw, Poland
The main square in Wroc艂aw was the largest medieval square until Krakow built theirs.

Krak贸w

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

Street scene in Krakow, Poland
Krak贸w 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 Krak贸w. (The caf茅 is also delicious.)
Rynek Glowny at night, Krakow, Poland
Rynek G艂贸wny (the main square of Krak贸w) 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 (Sk艂odowska) Curie and Fr茅d茅ric Chopin.

Sigismund's Column and Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland
View of Sigismund’s Column (left) and the Royal Palace (right) of Warsaw.
Pretty townhome buildings in Warsaw, Poland
I couldn’t get enough of these tall, beautiful buildings in Poland. Can’t you tell? 馃槈

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 Gda艅sk on the train and makes a great half-day trip.

Large courtyard with ivy in Malbork Castle, Poland
Inside the main courtyard of the Middle Castle.
Beautiful ceiling and art at Malbork Castle, Poland
Restored art and beautiful ceilings inside the castle.
Malbork is huge!

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鈥檚 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, Gda艅sk, Poland

20 Photos that will Make You Want to Visit Poland from TristaoTravels.com
Megan

Megan is a librarian by training, currently on a journey around the world with her husband, Jonathan. She enjoys visiting bookstores, libraries and coffeeshops while traveling.

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