Vacation in Poland – 3 best places

If you want to vacation in Poland, you have plenty of places to choose from. Our country offers vast and diverse natural and municipal wonders to spend your free time in. In this article, we will show you 3 places worth considering.

Why vacation in Poland?

Poland is a very cheap country for foreign tourists. It is because of the Polish zloty’s course to other currencies, especially the euro and American dollar. If you saved, let’s say, 2000 euros for your vacation, you’ll have about 8950 Polish zloty. The first sum will allow you to have a casual and modest vacation within the Eurozone or in America.

But the same sum in zloty means wealth! You can have a very luxurious vacation without having to save money for a long time.

Also – Poland is one of the biggest countries in Europe. Therefore, it has a lot of local traditions, dishes and sightsees to enjoy.

Vacation in Poland – Międzyzdroje

Międzyzdroje is a very small city in northern Poland. It is inhabited by just about 5000 people. However – it is one of the most popular resorts over the Baltic’s shore. Why is that? Why do people choose this small city instead of bigger ones like Gdynia or Gdańsk?

Despite its small size, Międzyzdroje has multiple wonders to see. One of them is Stars’ Alley (Polish: Aleja Gwiazd). It is a place where you can see the handprints of many Polish stars, including:

• Janusz Gajos – an actor and a hematologist; known for his roles in the Polish movies “Kler” (The Clergy), “Psy” (The Dogs), “Kamerdyner” (The Butler),
• Bogusław Linda – an actor and a director; renowned for his multiple roles of an alpha male, especially in Polish movies like “Kroll”, “1920. Bitwa Warszawska” (1920. Battle of Warsaw” or “Quo Vadis”,
• Karol Strasburger – an actor and a TV presenter; he is commonly known for being a “Familiada” (Family Olympics) quiz show since 1994.

Also – in Międzyzdroje you can visit a Stars’ Cabinet. It is a wax figures cabinet praised for its exceedingly realistic depictions of people important to both Polish and world history. While being in Międzyzdroje you should also take a walk on the local 395-meter-long pier.

Vacation in Poland – Cracow

Wawel Hill

If you’re a history lover, Cracow is an absolute must for you! From 1320 to 1609 it was the capital of Poland. Also – Wawel Cathedral has been a place of kings’ coronations since 1320 (King Władysław Łokietek) until 1764 (King Stanisław August Poniatowski). Wawel is also a burial place for many Polish monarchs. 

At the Wawel Cathedral, you can see the famous Zygmunt Bell. It is one of the biggest in Poland, second only to the one in the Licheń Cathedral. The bell itself weighs 11 tons, and its heart – another 395 kilograms. It takes a few very strong men to ring it. A superstition has it that touching a bell will make your wish come true.

The bell rings during events important to Poland and Cracow. For example, people of Cracow heard it on:

• 16th October 1978, when John Paul II was elected the first Polish pope,
• 30th April 2004, when Poland was admitted into the EU,
• 10th May 2014, which marked 650th anniversary of Jagiellonian University creation,
• 13th July 2021, which marked 500th anniversary of bell’s installation. It was the only time when the bell rung two times in one day,
• 6th March 2022, as a symbolic gesture of support for invaded Ukraine and refugees.

Cracow Old Town

It is the oldest part of the city. Since Cracow is one of the oldest cities in Poland, this part of it witnessed the entire history of Poland. Therefore, you can see architectural masterpieces from all artistic eras. 

An absolute must is a St. Mary’s Basilica. This Gothic church is located on the Main City Square. Its interior is a true piece of art made of multiple columns, arcades, and embellishments. It also has two towers. The higher one is 82 meters high and is the most popular among tourists. It is because of St. Mary’s Trumpet Call (Polish: Hejnał Mariacki) played by firefighters every hour. According to a Polish legend, it was originally played by a sentry who wanted to warn the city about incoming Mongolian raiders. While playing his melody, he was killed by an archer. This is why the melody stops in the middle.

Cracow’s people speak Lesser Polish dialect. It has some tricky words which are not used outside this region. Even if you’re a native speaker, it may be wise to learn some Lesser Polish vocabulary.

Vacation in Poland – Tatra Mountains

Polish people jokingly argue whether one should vacation in the mountains or at the sea. But jokes aside, the Tatra Mountains are a very good choice if you love mountain walks. You have many mountains to choose from depending on your capabilities and preferences. The highest mountain in Tatras is Gerlach (2655 meters). 

Tatra National Park is especially reputable for Eye of the Sea (Polish: Morskie Oko). It is the biggest Tatra lake, surrounded by breathtaking mountains and forests. 

During a vacation in Poland in the Tatra mountains you may also visit Slovakia. It is because the Polish-Slovak border goes through the mountains. If you take our Polish language course in Wroclaw, you may even be able to communicate with Slovaks! Our languages belong to one family, which makes them mutually intelligible.

Summary

In this article, we gave you a few examples of Polish most known tourist destinations. However, our country is big and diverse. This is why in the near future we will post another recommendation to give you the full Poland experience.

During our Polish language course in Wroclaw, we strive to teach our students about Polish traditions, and culture. Expect to acquire extensive knowledge of those subjects at our school.