I can say that I travelled to Poland a lot during these past few years. Poland is a very big and gorgeous country in my mind with so many things to explore and discover. No matter how many times you go there, there is always something you haven’t seen or visited. From all these experiences I got while travelling to Poland, I decided to make a short list of things you should know before travelling to this place.
If you are wondering where I went, and what I did in Poland, here’re all the posts I wrote about it:
- A Day in Gdansk, Poland | Exploring Old Town
- Hiking: My Experience in Tatra Mountains, Poland
- What to do and Where to Stay in Warsaw | A Day In Warsaw, Poland
- Krakow: The City That Took My Breath Away!
- A Walk Around The Port Of Gdynia, Poland
Think of this post as an overview of my travels to Poland, as a summary of the things I gathered from all those trips. Here are the tips and facts you need to know if you are planning on travelling to Poland soon!
- The currency is Polish Zloty. It can be quite difficult to reverse yourself as 1PLN=0.23EUR=0.25USD=0.20GBP, meaning the prices look huge but in reality, they are quite cheap.
- Poland is great if you are travelling on a budget. It’s one of the cheapest countries to travel to in Europe. All the prices, transport, accommodation, activities are incredibly cheap compared to other European countries.
- Transport is fast, cheap and simply amazing. You can reach any destination with public transport, trains, buses, SKM, planes, you name it. If you are travelling around one city, get yourself a 24-hours ticket for public transport, you’ll save a lot and you’ll get around the city just well without any problems.
- You need to visit Gdansk, Warsaw, and Krakow. These three cities are simply gorgeous and must-visit spots. Beautiful architecture, lots to see, visit, photograph. Basically, the top 3 best destinations in Poland if you enjoy city life.
- Must visit – the mountains. Yes, Poland has mountains, I noticed that not a lot of people know this fact. There are the High Tatras and the Western Tatras. I recommend booking a trip to Zakopane, a resort town near the mountains if you enjoy outdoor activities and hiking. Don’t forget to visit lakes in the mountains such as Morskie Oko, your eyes will be surprised by all that beauty.
- There are alternative ways of travelling – BlaBlaCar. This is an app, platform where people add their upcoming trips or routes in Poland and offer a spot or few in their car for others to join with a minimal payment. BlaBlaCar basically saved us, long story short, we overslept our flight and there was no other way for us to get back home from Gdansk. All buses were sold out, planes cost more than 300 euros that day and no trains. We were stuck in Gdansk and we needed to get back home until the next day because I had an exam that day. We found a woman who was driving to Suwalki from Gdansk that day, so we contacted her, and she picked us up for 60 Zloty per person. We happily and safely got back home that day with the help of BlaBlaCar. So if you are ever in need of help or are just looking for alternative ways to travel around Poland, try this website.
- Be patient – lots of roadworks. Poland seems to be fixing her roads for ages, there are a lot of roadworks there, especially on the highways. So be patient and prepare yourself.
- Must visit – the seaside. There aren’t many beaches that I know of but there are spectacular seaside towns such as Gdansk, Sopot or Gdynia. The views are beautiful and definitely worth a visit. So add at least one of these cities in your itinerary.
- Learn at least a few main phrases in Polish. One thing that not angers me but annoys in a way is that polish people are very stubborn, not a lot of them speak English, even the young ones! But it’s not the problem, what annoys me the most is that they aren’t even trying to speak it even if it’s very needed. For example, ordering a meal can be quite a problem if the waitress keeps explaining you something in polish and completely ignores the fact that you have no freaking clue what she’s talking about. Not all are like this, but quite a lot, sadly, are. What I suggest you do is try to learn simple phrases like hello, goodbye, excuse me, I don’t understand and etc. They will look at you differently and with a new found respect, trust me.
- Have a beer at a local bar. In polish pubs, beer is often served with raspberry, blackcurrant or ginger syrup and is drunk using a straw. It is one of the most unusual things I have ever heard of and tasted but let me tell you that it tastes amazing! You must try this one if you go for a night out in Poland, even if you aren’t a fan of beer, you’ll most likely enjoy it. My friend hates the taste of beer but she loves this polish style beer. My tip: go for ginger one if you like less sweetness, go for raspberry if you enjoy sweeter tastes.
Are you plan on visiting Poland?
If you already had, what would be your tips?
