Best Things to Do in Poland

Poland is perhaps best known for its ancient towns, full of history and incredible Medieval architecture. But once in the country, you’ll find that Poland is largely rural, with an abundance of national parks, preservation areas, mountains and forests. In fact, Poland is home to 22 national parks!

Tours of Poland will take you to historical sites such as Auschwitz, Old Town Warsaw, and the Medieval Town of Toruń. Some will also take you to the Tatra Mountains, where you can see the breathtaking views of its peaks, or include hiking through national parks.

1. Wieliczka Salt Mine

Wieliczka Salt Mine is located in southern Poland, in the metropolitan area of Krakow. Inside the mine is a chapel and a reception area where private events and weddings are often held. The mine is several hundred feet underground and features an underground lake. On a tour, visitors take an elevator to see the underground corridors, chapel, statues, and lake.

During the Renaissance period, this mine was one of the largest business ventures in Europe. During the middle ages, salt was seen as one of the most important staples in the food and preservation industry, leading to the advancement of salt mining and additional excavation.

Once the salt production ended, the focus turned to preserving the mine. The miners slowly transformed the mine from an eerie cave into a magnificent location, attracting over 1 million visitors every year.

Wieliczka is currently listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is also said to treat numerous types of respiratory illnesses, delivers many health benefits, and guests can now stay at a special health resort there for a full spa experience.

2. Warsaw’s Old Town

Recognized as another UNESCO world heritage site, Warsaw's Old Town is the oldest part of Poland's capital. The city has played a major role in Poland’s culture and history since its creation in the 13th century and continues to do so today.

The heart of Warsaw’s Old Town is the Old Town Marketplace. Filled with cobblestone alleys, restaurants, cafes, and shops, it’s a great place to walk around and truly experience local life. Surrounding Old Town Marketplace is tons of Medieval architecture, like the city walls, St. John’s Cathedral, and the Warsaw Barbican.

Top things to do in Warsaw’s Old Town include visiting the Historical Museum of Warsaw or the Adam Mickiewicz Museum of Literature (Mickiewicz was Poland’s greatest writer and poet) and a tour of the Royal Castle, which was the royal residence through the 16th to 18th centuries. At the end of the day, you’ll want to dine at ‘U Fukiera’ for an upscale Polish meal.

3. Main Market Square

The Main Market Square is a 13th-century plaza and one of the largest medieval squares in Europe. It is surrounded by traditional Flemish houses and is home to some of Poland's most significant historical buildings. Here in the center of Old Town of Krakow, you can visit restaurants, cafés and magnificent buildings that are hundreds of years old within the beautiful market.

Traders from across the world head to the center of the marketplace, known as the cloth, with their goods. You can browse an array of stalls with Polish items and artwork. Underneath the ground below the market are large basement cellars, many of which have been transformed into pubs and restaurants, as well as a theatre, and a small archaeological museum.

There are many public events and festivals that visitors can attend at the market. The Krakow szopka Festival is a Christmas tradition displaying the nativity scene. The Lajkonik Festival, which features a bearded man, dressed as a mongol riding a wooden horse. Juwenalia Student Festival, a celebration of university students that takes place before May exams. The Gala Concert of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, and the largest New Year's Eve celebration in Poland all take place in Main Market Square.

4. Wawel Castle

Wawel is the Polish version of Buckingham Palace. It is a symbol of hope, national pride, self-rule, and fierce patriotism. Now an art museum, much of Poland's treasures are contained within these walls. Visitors can see Italian Renaissance paintings, prints, sculptures, ceramics, textiles, and armor. 

Located in Krakow, Wawel Castle was the first UNESCO World Heritage site in the world. The castle was built in the 14th century and was built as a residency for King Casimir III the Great. The castle architecture represents the styles from Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods.

Travelers and Poles alike wander the museum to experience the five separate sections:  State Rooms, Crown Treasury & Armoury, Royal Private Apartments, Lost Wawel and the Exhibition of Oriental Art.

5. Bialowieza Forest

Here in Poland is where you can find Europe's last remaining primeval forest. Hundreds of species of birds, insects, trees, as well as European bison have come to call this forest home. For its age, diversity, and size it has been recognised by UNESCO to be a world heritage site and people from all over the world come here to view it.

There are many towns and villages around the forest one can visit or lodge at. Białowieża Village is most central and offers various amenities, including restaurants, bike rental, National Park headquarters, and a museum.

6. Auschwitz-Birkenau

Visiting the largest nazi concentration and extermination camp may sound extremely distressing, but one can visit and pay respect to the fallen, learn of the atrocities, and become aware and educated of the past history so that it may never happen again.

Be prepared to witness the bleak dormitories, bare corridors, gloomy parade grounds, and double lines of razor wire poles as far as the eye can see. You can choose to do a group visit, visit independently and join a guided tour at the museum, or visit solo for free without a guide.

7. Kasprowy Wierch Cable Car

Experience the spectacular chance to have one foot in Poland and the other in Slovakia with a cable-car trip from Kuźnice to the Mt Kasprowy Wierch summit. The cable car ride is about 15 minutes and it is a fun and bewildering attraction with a stunning view at the top.

Once exiting your modernised cable car you may decide to hike the summit or choose to participate in some skiing. Weather permitting, you should hike to the meteorological observatory, which is the highest situated building in Poland.

On your way back down, you can descend to the Cicha Valley Pass and view the breathtaking High Tatras over the Slovakian side of the mountain. Complete your trip with a terrace meal at one of the restaurants overlooking the peaks of the High Tatras.

8. Wawel Cathedral

The cathedral is Poland’s most important sanctuary. It was once the coronation site of Polish monarchs, but today the cathedrals Eighteen chapels are adorned with art treasures. It is also the burial ground of Polish royalty, Poland's greatest national heroes, poets, saints and Krakow bishops.

The permanent exhibitions are: The Royal Private Apartments where royalty once resided, Crown Treasury and Armory, Oriental Art, The Lost Wawel, and The Dragons Den.

Walking into the entrance you will see pillars with both a 15th-century sarcophagus of King Vladislav II Jagiello (1386–1434) made of red Hungarian marble as well as a Gothic sarcophagus tomb of King Vladislav III Warnenczyk (1434–1444) whose body wasn't recovered on the battlefield at Varna.

9. Dunajec River

The Dunajec River runs through gorgeous limestone mountains in Northeastern Slovakia and Southern Poland, producing some of the most incredible rock formations. It has claimed its spot on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.

Visitors can go on a 3 hour wooden raft trip to see some truly unforgettable scenic landscapes. These raft trips have been organized since the early 19th century and are one of the best known attractions in the Pieniny Mountains.

This river passes through the National Park of Pieniny which is home to many rare species of plants, gorgeous butterflies, otters, and lynx. If visiting the park, it is recommended to climb the tallest Pieniny mountain top to witness a stunning view of the Dunajec River below.

10. Slowinski National Park

Slowinski National Park has been included by UNESCO in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. The park is located along the Baltic coast, and the park’s area originally consisted of a Baltic Sea bay. Over time, the sea’s activity created sand dunes which separated the bay from the Baltic Sea.

These sand dunes are Europe's largest moving sand dunes. They resemble a sandy desert and move up to 10 metres each year. Inside the park there are also peat bogs, swamps, and a long beach coastline.

Forests in the park are mostly pine trees, which cover 80% of the wooded area. Hundreds of bird species make their home in Slowinski National Park, as well as deer, wild pigs, and hares.

Visitors have access to 87 miles of hiking trails that pass by lakes, observation towers, and seating areas. There are also many hotels and camping sites for visitors to spend the night in the beautiful park.