Poland / Rzeczpospolita Polska – Let’s explore here
The South of Poland is full of hills and mountains, which it shares with Slovakia. The Carpathian mountain range, and in particular the Tatra Mountains, between Poland and Slovakia, are both spectacular and beautiful to behold. The highest point is Mount Rysy in the Tatra mountains, at 8,205 ft (2,501m) above sea level. Everywhere else in Poland there are vast plains filled with agricultural land taking up the central and Northern parts towards the Baltic Sea. The long coast to the north is full of sand dunes, spits and lagoons.
It’s a relatively large country, which takes quite some time to travel across and through. The population is quite sizeable too (38 million in 2022), particularly in relation to most of its neighbours – and you can sense the increase in numbers everywhere you go. There are also an enormous amount of churches – many of which appear to be fairly new – almost 90% of the population claims to be Christian.
It has an incredibly rich and varied history that has impacted all of Europe and beyond. It’s been a Kingdom since the middle ages, and along with Lithuania, it was a great power in those times, establishing Europe’s first constitution. The invasion of Poland by the Nazi’s sparked World War II and its Solidarity movement helped reestablish it as a country – separate from the Soviet Union – in 1989.
The people are some of the friendliest in Europe that we met! We love Poland!
Current travels
We’ve created a blog for our visit to Poland. You may find it helpful, and you may pick up some tips, or more likely mistakes not to make that we’ve made 😉
On our current road trip we travelled from Kaunas in Lithuania to the last remaining primal forest in Europe based at Bialowieza. We stopped at Siemiatycze, camped at Krasne and visited the lovely city of Lublin, before moving down to the Tatra Mountains in the South of the country. Lake Morskie Oko was so busy on the day arrived that we stopped over in Małe Ciche in order to get an early start at the mountains and lake and avoid the crowds. We then stayed over in Sułkowice, South of Kraków, so as to visit the city, before moving on to Zamek Książ castle and heading West to the Adršpach rocks in Czechia.
This is a map of the route that we took through Poland
Bialowieza Forest – Siemiatycze – Krasne – Lublin – Poronin – Małe Ciche – Lake Morskie Oko – Sułkowice – Kraków – Kluczbork – Zamek Książ
We have to say that throughout this entire journey we’ve met quite a lot of friendly people, but Poland really does top that list! The people are amazingly friendly and willing to go more that then extra mile for you – just amazing! Plus the country really is full of so many beautiful cities, towns and countryside views – just lovely 🙂
Our best places in Poland
Kraków
Kraków is simply stunning. We visited on a Sunday when parking is free. We stayed over 25 minutes away, and had no trouble at all getting to the centre and finding parking right next to the old town at midday. Although we were only there for half a day, really it’s worth spending a least a couple of days here, as there is just so much to see and do. It really is very beautiful.
Lake Morskie Oko
Lake Morskie Oko sits in the Tatra mountains in the South of Poland. It is one of the most popular attractions in Poland, and is thus literally overwhelmed every day of the week with visitors. When we visited the main car park was half full by 05:30, and by 07:30 cars were being turned away from all of the roads leading to the car park!
The trek itself is fairly shallow incline over many miles, and takes approximately 2 hours to walk up and similarly back down again. If you get there early like we did, you will be greeted by glorious views; later on you will be greeted by glorious crowds! It is however well worth the trip in our view. There’s more in our blog on Poland.
Zamek Książ
Zamek Książ castle sits within a protected landscaped park overlooking a forest filled gorge. South East of Wrocław, it’s fairly near to the Czech border, and thus the landscape around there is no longer flat but more hilly. It’s a beautiful and large castle, and was built in the 13th century.
What’s it like to drive in Poland?
Driving in Poland is a relatively simple affair if you’re used to driving in the UK – it’s very simple and there are very few, if any, surprises. However when we were there, there seemed to be an inordinate amount of roadworks ongoing – in particular in the South, especially the roads from Tatra National Park to Krakow.
The Poles do however allow you to drive on roads that are only partly constructed, which is a bit bizarre, and a bit of a shock when you find yourself driving trough furrows of sand! You can read ore in the blog!
Also, why oh why have they allowed enormous, and I mean massively enormous advertising boards to be erected in the fields all along the motorways – it spoils the views so much. It’s like something dystopia out of end scenes in the film Brazil! … Another must see him by the way, if you’ve not seen it!
Oh and also, there appear to be no motorway service stations at all! Not sure why – there are loads on the local roads and in most towns – just not on motorways! Point to note if you’re travelling long distance in Poland
We’ve also created a dedicated page to driving abroad, which you might find helpful 🙂
What currency do they use in Poland?
In Poland they use the Zloty (pronounced ‘zwoti’). The use of credit / debit cards is now widespread. Traveller’s cheques are accepted. There are lots of ATMs. Euros are also widely accepted, although exchange rates are often poor.
You should make yourself aware of the amount that your bank charges you for using credit and debit cards abroad. Often credit cards are cheaper for purchasing items directly, and for withdrawing cash from ATMs.
What language do they speak in Poland?
They speak Polish in Poland, although in the cities, many also Speak English or German, in particular the younger generations. We found however that it was often difficult to find people who spoke English in the more remote areas, although they did speak German.
What time zone is Poland in?
Remember, when you’re planning your next trip to take a look at what time zone it’s in.
Do I need a visa to visit Poland?
We’ve created a dedicated, more comprehensive page on visas, which you should find helpful. Check it out!
Is wild camping legal in Poland?
No, wild camping is illegal in Poland.
Is it safe to drink water in Poland?
Yes, it is safe to drink tap water in Poland. Bottled water is also readily available across the country.
If you’ve got some awesome pictures, or some useful info that you’d like to share, let us know!
And don’t forget to check out all the other pictures!