“Come for the history and see the future”. That could easily be a slogan for Polish tourism. Visitors are drawn to the country mainly by its medieval cities and sombre sites relating to its 20th-century history. Once they arrive in Poland’s main metropolises, however, they’re likely to be struck by modern glass tower blocks, cutting-edge fashion, and a vibrant food scene that is one of the most dynamic in Europe.
Wherever you look in Poland, it’s hard to escape the evidence that the country has been indelibly shaped by its geographic location. The grand cities such as Warsaw, Krakow and Wroclaw - one of this year’s European Capitals of Culture - owe their magnificent architecture to their position at the centre of Europe’s great trading routes. However, this has also brought untold destruction and suffering from the adjacent powerful nations.
While Poland’s history is a magnet to visitors, the country is far from short of natural attractions. The pristine wetlands of the Masurian Lake District are becoming easier to access this summer, thanks to the launch of new flights. The Tatra mountains offer great winter skiing and plenty of summer hiking trails and the Baltic Sea coast, for many years offering old-fashioned health tourism to a mainly domestic market, has steadily developed into an alternative spa destination for discerning foreign visitors.
The mention of Polish cuisine may not stir the taste buds in quite the same way as the French or Italian equivalents, but there’s a lot more to the food here than simple permutations of pork, cabbage and potato. Senses restaurant is a new addition to the Warsaw food scene, and already is the city’s second recipient of a Michelin star. Not only that, but a night market has recently sprung up just behind the main station, offering a wide variety of fresh dishes, with Asian street food dominating the menu.
Despite this appeal, much of Poland remains relatively quiet, even in the peak summer months; all the better for those who do make the trip.
Warsaw
Poland’s capital is a thoroughly modern city with several world-class, contemporary museums. At the Warsaw Rising Museum, you can learn about the heroism and betrayal which led to its becoming the most destroyed city on the planet, or go back through hundreds of years at the excellent Museum of the History of Polish Jews, a thorough exploration of the city’s rich Jewish heritage.
Image Credit: JOSE GARCIA
Warsaw’s restored Old Town is a Unesco-listed heritage site, alive with street musicians, cafés and tourist crowds, at its most atmospheric after dark. Last year the city’s second Metro line opened, connecting to neighbourhoods on the east side of the Vistula river, such as Praga, a previously rough area that's being regenerated, with disused factories and warehouses being turned into galleries, bars and cafés. The Soho Factory exemplifies this transition; a collection of old industrial spaces, it’s now home to galleries, restaurants and shops.
Krakow
Image Credit: Jorge Láscar
Krakow is Poland’s cultural jewel. Its buildings, if not its people, were spared the worst of the Second World War’s horrors. Its medieval Old Town remains firmly intact. Visitors congregate around the magnificent Stary Rynek (Old Market Square), where every hour you can hear the haunting interrupted bugle call sounded from the tower of St Mary’s Basilica.
Explore Wawel Castle, the former seat of Polish royalty, and take a stroll to Kazimierz, the shabby, slowly gentrifying quarter that was once the city’s beating heart of Jewish life.
Wartime history is best explored at the modern museum at Oskar Schindler’s former enamel works, and it’s a short trip from Krakow to the grim Auschwitz-Birkenau, where visitors can learn about the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps.
Mountain adventures
Image Credit: Adam Baker
The Tatra Mountains divide Poland and Slovakia and offer spectacular alpine landscapes. As winter changes into summer, the town of Zakopane changes too, from full-on ski resort to a popular base for hiking. Although the walk up to the Morskie Oko beauty spot (8km each way) is usually busy, you can easily lose the crowds by taking the path around the emerald-green glacial lake.
If you want a bit more space to yourself, head to the mountainous Bieszczady National Park in the south east of Poland. Here you’ll find isolated trails along dramatic ridges, abandoned villages, and dense forests which are home to a rich variety of wildlife, including black bears and lynx.
Coastal pleasures
Image Credit: Maya-Anaïs Yataghène
Summer on Poland’s Baltic coast has always been a busy affair with domestic holidaymakers, and in recent years international visitor numbers have been increasing. Gdansk is the largest city and was the birthplace of the Solidarity movement, which helped bring about the end of communist rule - learn all about it at the European Solidarity Centre. The history of Gdansk is inextricably linked with trade; around 90 per cent of the world’s amber is harvested from the nearby Baltic shore, and the resulting wealth is evident in the many grand buildings of the Old Town. The nearby coastal cities of Sopot and Gdynia are laid-back spa destinations.
Lake land
Known as “The Land of a Thousand Lakes”, the Masurian Lake District is a low-lying region that’s popular with watersports enthusiasts, whether you prefer sailing or wakesurfing, and also offers easy walking and cycling trails. The resort towns of Gizycko and Mikolajki are waterfront hubs of outdoor gear shops and cafes, where the evenings are mainly taken up with al fresco lakeside dining and toasting the sunsets over the water.
So far this picturesque region has remained off the international tourist trail, but with regular flights starting to Olsztyn-Mazury from Luton this summer and Stansted in winter, things are likely to change.
Getting there
Airlines serving Poland include LOT, British Airways, Wizz Air, Ryanair and easyJet.
Title Image Credit: Radek Kołakowski (Image Cropped)