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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
So, what do you think? Would you visit Poland? What would be your first stop?
Featured photo: Long Market, Gda艅sk, Poland