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Visit Poland

We do not aim to provide a comprehensive guide about Poland, with dates, statistics, and encyclopaedic information.

Instead we are giving you a totally subjective, definitely biased introduction and an invitation to Poland, from us, the Polish people who live in London, but keep close ties with Poland, and go back regularly when the speed of life here proves too much and we want to relax in a beautiful scenery, among laid back friendly people to enjoy stodgy Polish food and a strong drink.If you are already thinking of going to Poland but are not quite sure where exactly you would like to go, please start by browsing through Recommended Tourist Sites section.
Ania’s Poland can organise a trip for you to any of these places.

Here we give you details of a few places in Poland definitely worth visiting. We can organise your trip to all these sights.

Zakopane and the Tatras

Our favourite place in Poland by far. The Tatras lie on Polish-Slovak border and cover 795 km2 of which only a small part belongs to Poland. The Tatras are divided into three parts: The Bielskie Tatras situated entirely in Slovakia; The High Tatras and The Western Tatras. Main towns in the Tatras are Zakopane in Poland and Tatranska Lomnica on the Slovak side.

The place you will arrive at to start your Tatras adventure is Zakopane, 2 hours coach journey from Krakow. The thing to do in the Tatras is hiking, staying in simple hostels high up in the mountains, making simple meals with your own food supplies in communal canteens carved in wood, and enjoying everything around you. Polish people are very proud of their mountains, and they have good reason to be. They are beautiful and awe inspiring. They will get you exhausted, but they will reward you with the best views, friendly fellow hikers, and moments of total peace and quiet. The Tatras have long been viewed among Poles, as the ideal place for spiritual retreat, where you can be alone with your thoughts, where life is as simple as it gets, where you can catch up with yourself, listen to the silence around you and distance yourself from your worldly anxieties. All this while getting plenty of good exercise. I challenge anybody not to fall for the charm and the beauty of the scenery, the soothing effect these vast open spaces invoke, muddy paths, cold wind, flocks of sheep, the trembling of the knees on the way down, evening meals on wooden benches outside. Sooner or later you begin to feel you never ever want to get down.

To get the most out of the Tatras you absolutely must get out of Zakopane and arrange to stay in one of the seven huts in the mountains. Please contact us for advice on booking accommodation there.

We could carry on talking about the mountains till the hills grow old, but I think it is time you saw for yourself.

Have a look at the Tatras Photo Gallery

Kraków

I recommend you learn some historical facts about Kraków from a proper guidebook before you go, because history hits you there at every street corner and without priming you will miss the significance of what you are seeing. Kraków used to be the Polish capital until the end of 16th century, when it was moved to Warsaw.

It is one of our oldest cities, and, what the Poles regard as nothing short of a miracle, it has survived to the present day almost untouched by wars.

Auschwitz

I can say with confidence this place is more gruesome than anything you have seen before. The most infamous place in Poland, about 40 kilometres from Kraków. The concentration camp is now a museum, open daily free of charge. Allow about 3 hours for visiting. Please note it closes at dusk, as a large part of the museum is open air.

Warsaw

Warsaw is quickly becoming a yet another European city, Polish business centre, with sky-scrapers galore, fast pace of life, expensive shopping centres, and businessmen rushing around everywhere. The Old Town with its pretty Square remains the most picturesque and peaceful part of the city and it is a must to see.

Lódz

Lódz is an industrial and university city, often compared to Manchester. Second biggest in Poland, right in the centre of the map. Its best feature is the recently restored main street Ulica (Street) Piotrkowska with its impressive houses from the beginning of the 20th century, with lavish ornamental facades. There is an unbelievable number of beer gardens and pubs along Piotrkowska Street, as Lódz prides itself on having the largest number of pubs in Poland.

Bialowieza

Bialowieza National Park is in the north east of Poland. Its nature reserve is a treat for rare species spotters, with European bison reigning there.

Bieszczady

A mountain range in the most remote south eastern tip of Poland, on the border with Ukraine. Endless fields and hills, remains of pre war villages. Definitely back to basics and back to nature. Many Polish people cannot imagine a summer without at least a few days there.

Mazury

Mazury is the place you go to for a spot of canoeing, sailing, fishing or cycling through remote villages, rye fields and thick forests. The best place to stay, where you will feel straight away a part of the Polish sailing community is Mikolajki situated on the largest Polish lake Sniardwy. Please contact us for more details about suggested itineraries in the region.

I think it is only fair to warn you about the annual country music festival in Mragowo. The event takes place at the beginning of August, takes a few days, and if you are anywhere within 30 kilometres from the place you will know about it, because the jolly (drunk) festival goers will be heard everywhere till early hours in the morning.

One place of historical interest, which you might like to include in your itinerary if you are in the area, is Gierloz, known as the “Wolf’s Lair”, where the ruins of Hitler wartime government’s headquarters bunkers are. Their location was one of the most closely guarded secret of WWII. Hitler lived and worked here from 1941 until 1944.

The most rewarding way of getting to the Wolf’s Lair or Wolfsschanze as it was called in German is by cycling from Wilkasy near Gizycko, where you can hire mountain bikes for a day.
Do not attempt this cycle on a wet day however, as the (well sign-posted) route is mainly dirt track across the fields and through several villages, the distance is about 35 kilometres. For the less fit of you there is always a local bus service and car hire.

Malbork

The biggest medieval castle in Europe. Originally built in the 13th century by the Teutonic Knights, it served as their main fortress.

Malbork is one of several medieval castles in the area, the others are to be found at Bytow, Sztum, Kwidzyn, Nidzica, Ostroda, Lidzbark Warminski,Ketrzyn and Ryn.

Gdansk

Gdansk shot to international fame in 1980 as the birthplace of Solidarity trade union movement which contributed greatly to bringing down the communist regime in Poland. But Gdansk is a picturesque medieval city, which has much more to offer for tourists than the ‘Solidarity’ shipyard.

Ania’s Poland Standard Tours

Gdansk Weekend – 3 days

Day 1(Friday): Arrival, hotel transfer, walk in the Old Town
Day 2 (Saturday): Malbork, Frombork, or Stutthof
Day 3 (Sunday): Sopot, Oliwa, Kaszuby, return flight

There are three excellent golf courses near Gdansk, so a game of golf is an alternative to sightseeing.

This holiday, as with al the other standard tours, includes flight, accommodation, airport transfer, tour guide and minibus/van transport (2-8 people) throughout the holiday.

Pomerania and Mazury – 5 days

Day 1: Arrival in Gdansk, walk in the Old Town
Day 2: Sopot, Oliva (organ music concert), Kaszuby (amber jewellery workshop)
Day 3: Malbork, Swieta Lipka church, Mragowo
Day 4: Wolf’s Lair near Ketrzyn (Hitler’s headquarters), Mikolajki (boat trip on lake Sniardwy)
Day 5: Olsztyn, Elblag Canal, Gdansk

Warsaw – Mazury – Gdansk – Torun – 7 days

Day 1: Arrival in Warsaw, walk in the Old Town
Day 2: Morning: Warsaw sightseeing, Afternoon: travel to Mragowo
Day 3: Wolf’s Lair near Ketrzyn (Hitler’s headquarters), Mikolajki (boat trip on lake Sniardwy)
Day 4: Frombork, Gdansk
Day 5: Three Cities (Gdansk, Gdynia, Sopot)
Day 6: Malbork and Stutthof, or Elblag Canal
Day 7: Torun, travel back to Warsaw

Silesia and Krakow – 8 days

Day 1: Arrival in Wroclaw, hotel transfer
Day 2: Wroclaw city tour
Day 3: Swidnica, Karkonosze National Park, Karpacz
Day 4: Bledne Skaly nature reserve, Kudowa Zdrój, Bears Cave in Kletno
Day 5: Wroclaw – Auschwitz – Kraków
Day 6: Kraków city tour
Day 7: Dunajec river rafting, Wieliczka salt mine museum
Day 8: Return flight from Kraków

Poland Classic – 10 days

Day 1: Arrival in Gdansk, organ music concert
Day 2: Gdansk city tour
Day 3: Gdansk – Torun – Warsaw
Day 4: Warsaw city tour
Day 5: Warsaw – Kraków
Day 6: Kraków city tour
Day 7: Dunajec river rafting, Wieliczka salt mine museum
Day 8: Kraków – Auschwitz – Wroclaw
Day 9: Wroclaw and Swidnica
Day 10: Flight back

Please contact us for prices and details about any of these tours or to discuss your specific holiday requirements.

Hunting and Fishing Trips

Hunting

What we offer:
1. Professionally prepared hunt – driven or individual.
2. Best possible areas and accommodation.
3. Big game: wild boar, red deer, roe deer, fallow deer.
4. Small game: pheasants, ducks, geese, partridges, hare.
5. Interpreter for every group.

Fishing

What we offer:
1. 2 private lakes with good pike and carp population
2. Unique trout, grayling and huchen (taimen) fishing in a beautiful, well stocked with fish, river. 3. Professional fishing guides (on request)
4. Interpreters
5. Fishing tackle
6. Fly fishing courses

Getting There

British Airways, LOT Polish Airlines, Ryanair, Easyjet and Wizzair offer daily flights to most major and some quite small Polish cities and towns from all London airports, and most other UK airports.

Please note that flights to Poland offered by so-called cheap airlines can be more expensive than those offered by LOT or BA especially in peak holiday season such as Christmas and July-August.

Direct flights from the UK take just over 2 hours to most Polish towns.

An alternative option, is to travel by coach from Victoria Coach Station or Victoria Green Line Station in London. The coach journey takes about 24 hours to arrive in central Poland. National Express coach coaches operate several routes between England and Poland, and they stop at most major Polish towns.

 

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