10 ESSENTIAL PLACES TO SEE IN POLAND

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This list of the best places to see in Poland, will help you prepare a trip to one of the most fashionable and visited countries in Europe, which we are sure, will surprise you and make you fall in love equally.
With a tragic past, marked by World War II and still unknown to many travelers, this country has everything from beautiful medieval towns and cities with historic World Heritage sites to fantastic natural landscapes dotted with numerous lakes, among which you can move between the Main cities using the efficient Polish bus and train or enjoy more freedom by renting a car and making a circular route.
Although any time is good for a trip, the best time to visit Poland It is between May and October, when the temperatures are pleasant and there are more hours of light since the winters are cold and dry with temperatures below 0 degrees.

Based on the experience of our trip to Krakow in 5 days in which we visited some of the wonders of the country and upcoming getaways, we have made this selection of 10 essential places to visit in Poland. We start!

1. Krakow

Krakow, with an old town declared a World Heritage Site, is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and one of the essential places to see in Poland.
The jewel of the city is the Market Square, located in the center of the old town, surrounded by colorful palaces and buildings of medieval origin, in which the Basilica of Santa Maria stands out. In addition to seeing this square from all viewpoints, we recommend walking through the streets Kanonicka and Florianska, see the beautiful historic buildings such as the Collegium Maius, cross the old wall through the Florian Gate and climb the Wawel hill to visit the castle and the Cathedral.
Do not forget to know the black stage of the Nazi occupation of the city, visiting the Jewish Quarter and the Oskar Schindler Factory.
A good option to not miss anything is to follow this list of essential places to visit in Krakow and this one of the best things to do in Krakow.
Another convenient way to tour the city is to follow these personalized guides for days:

You can complete these itineraries around the city by booking one of these guided tours or excursions that will allow you to better know the history of Krakow.

Krakow

2. Warsaw

Warsaw, the largest city and the capital of the country, is another of the best cities to visit in Poland.
After resurfacing from its ashes after being almost completely destroyed during World War II, Warsaw is currently a modern city and with a large agenda of cultural and leisure activities, which we are sure, will hook you from the first moment, especially for its old town or Old Town that was restored so faithfully that it was declared a World Heritage Site in 1980.
Without forgetting its tragic past, visiting the ghetto and the Jewish cemetery, you can tour the city to get to know places like the Royal Castle, the Palace of Culture and Science, the Łazienkiel Palace and Park, the Market Square and the Barbakan, between Many others.
You can combine these routes around the city by booking one of these free tours or guided tours in Spanish.

Warsaw, one of the places to see in Poland

3. Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp

Visiting the Nazi death camp in Auschwitz-Birkenau is one of the things to do in Poland more difficult, although tremendously necessary to become aware of the barbarity that occurred within their barracks.
In this complex of several camps, more than one million innocent people were murdered, the vast majority solely because they were Jews and others for political reasons, race or religion, between May 20, 1940 and January 27, 1945.
In 1979, to remember all the victims and show the truth about what the Nazi regime did, the Auschwitz-Birkenau museum was created in the Auschwitz I and Auschwitz-Birkenau fields.
You can visit Auschwitz from Krakow, located 70 kilometers away, by rental car or taking a bus taking into account that the visit to the field is free before 10am and after 16pm, but between these two hours it is mandatory to visit guided form.
We in this case chose to book this guided tour in Spanish from Krakow and after the experience, we believe it is the best way to learn about the history of the countryside.
For more information you can consult this post on how to go from Krakow to Auschwitz.

Entrance to Auschwitz-Birkenau

4. Wroclaw

Wrocław or Wroclaw in Polish, known as the city of elves or gnomes, is another of the most beautiful places to see in Poland.
This picturesque city known as "Venice of the East"It has 12 islands and 130 bridges that make it ideal for walking and relaxing in its many green spaces. Another of the best things to do in Wroclaw is to find the more than 180 bronze gnome figurines hidden in its vast old town.
You can start a route through the old part of the city in Rynek Square, then go through tourist attractions such as Cathedral Island, Solny Square, Ossolineum Garden or Hala Targowa Market, among others.
To learn more about the history of the city, you can book one of these free tours or guided tours in Spanish.

Wroclaw, one of the cities to visit in Poland

5. Wieliczka Salt Mines, one of the places to see in Poland

The Wieliczka Salt Mines are next to Auschwitz, one of the most tourist places to visit in Poland and one of the best excursions in Krakow.
These Salt Mines, located 10 kilometers from Krakow and World Heritage since 1978, are the oldest and one of the most spectacular mines in Europe.
When going down to more than 300 meters, not suitable for people with claustrophobia, you will find a network of tunnels, lakes and galleries of more than 3 kilometers long through which you can take a guided tour (it is the only way to access ), it is advisable to book several months in advance, especially in high season, due to high demand.
Among its most prominent places is the Chapel of St. Kinga, a large room decorated with sculptures and religious monuments made entirely in salt, which will not leave you indifferent.
If you want to make the journey for free, you can visit the salt mines from Krakow by taking local bus 304 at the Krakowska Gallery stop.
We on this occasion and to secure the place, we chose to book this tour with a guide in Spanish, which includes transportation and the truth is that it was a success.
If you are going to visit Auschwitz in the morning and the Wieliczka Mines in the afternoon, we recommend you to take this offer, with which you will save money and you can also make both visits in one day.

Wieliczka salt mines

6. Poznan

Poznan, located on the banks of the Varta River, is one of the largest and oldest cities to see in Poland, with more than 1000 years of history. This city, like most major cities in the country, marvels at its colorful facades and medieval-style buildings, concentrated in the historic center where you can make a route through the old part of the city starting with the Plaza Mayor or the Market, located in the heart of Poznan and where the impressive city hall stands out.
After spending some time in this beautiful square, you can take a tour through places like the Church of San Estanislao, the Imperial Castle, the Citadel Park and Cathedral Island with fantastic views of the city.
Nor can you leave the city without trying the delicious St. Martin croissant, made with puff pastry and white poppy seeds.
A good option to know the history of the city is to book this free tour of Poznan Free! With guide in Spanish.

Poznan

7. Zakopane

The city Zakopane, located in southern Poland at the foot of the Tatra Mountains and 100 kilometers from Krakow, is another of the essential places to visit in Poland.
This city, considered the winter capital of the country, stands out for its sloping roof wooden houses and churches and for being the place from where hiking trails leave through the Tatra Mountains National Park.
After spending a morning in Zakopane walking along Ulica Krupowki Street, seeing the old cemetery and some churches such as the Sagrada Familia and the Stone Chapel, you can go up by funicular to Mount Gubałówka to have an excellent view of the valley. And if you still have extra time, you can take a walking route through the Tatra Mountains, considered the smallest alpine system in the world, until you reach Lake Morskie Oko, one of the most beautiful in Europe.
You can reach Zakopane by bus from Krakow Central Station in just over two hours or book this comfortable tour with a guide in Spanish.

Tatra Mountains

8. Gdansk

Gdansk, located on the banks of the Baltic and with the largest port in the country, is another of most beautiful cities to see in Poland, which will take you to past times when you walk through its cobbled streets in the historic center and those located on the bank of the Motlawa River
One of the essentials of Gdansk is to complete the long Ulica Długa street, known as Paseo Real, where most of the city's attractions such as the Neptune fountain or the Golden House are located. Other places you can't Losing are the Town Hall, the Basilica of Santa Maria, the Gran Molino, Mariacka Street and a huge medieval wooden crane.

Gdansk

Recommended travel cards
Remember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.

9. Route of the wooden churches

In the Malopolska region, in the south of the country, there are numerous wooden churches resulting from the union of Catholic architecture with the architecture of the Eastern Orthodox Church, with six of these middle-aged churches declared World Heritage Sites and which Today, other places to see in Poland are essential: Debno, Binarowa, Blizne, Haczów, Lipnica Murowana and Sekowa.
As a curiosity and especially detail that you can not miss, is that some of these religious buildings still retain 16th-century wall paintings inside as the All Saints Church in Blizne.
Another of the most important churches to see in Poland is that of the archangel Saint Michael of Dębno, built in the middle of the fifteenth century, and that of the archangel Saint Michael in Binarowa with a representation of the Virgin Mary of 1430.
This route of these churches can be combined with other smaller churches such as Turzańsk, museums and buildings, all built in wood.

Route through the wooden churches

10. Malbork Castle

The medieval castle of Malbork is the largest Gothic fortress in Europe and our latest recommendation from essential places to see in Poland.
This castle, initially built as a military fortress by the Teutonic Order and later as one of the residences of the Kings of Poland, currently looks at its best after a great reconstruction that ended in 2013 to repair the damage caused during World War II.
The visit in its immense interior can be done with the help of an audio guide in Spanish and a map that will be delivered with the entrance.
Visiting hours: from May to September from 9am to 7pm and the rest of the months from 10am to 3pm.