The Crooked Forest of Gryfino
Nowe CzarnowoA grove of about four hundred pines with trunks bent like hooks at the base, all in the same direction: nobody knows for sure why.
Read the story →- Travel
- Poland
Poland, region by region, beyond Kraków and Warsaw.
Cities rebuilt from the rubble, the red-brick castles of the Teutonic Knights, two thousand lakes in Masuria, shifting dunes on the Baltic, the last primeval forest in Europe and the wooden churches of the Carpathians.
Each guide combines the unmissable sights with little-known places and their stories, ready-made itineraries and advice that doesn't go out of date. Pick a region on the map or in the list.
The regions
- West PomeraniaSzczecin on the Oder, with the castle of the Dukes of Pomerania and its Parisian-style star-shaped avenues, the white beaches of…15 places · 3 hidden gems · 3 itineraries →
- PomeraniaThe Gdańsk of merchants' houses and of the shipyards where Solidarity was born, the largest brick castle in the world at Malbork, the…24 places · 5 hidden gems · 4 itineraries →
- Warmia-MasuriaMore than two thousand lakes linked by canals, forests, rivers to paddle down and red-brick castles of the Teutonic Knights and the bishops…20 places · 5 hidden gems · 4 itineraries →
- PodlaskieThe Białowieża Forest, the last primeval lowland forest in Europe and home of the bison, the Biebrza marshes with elk and thousands of…15 places · 4 hidden gems · 4 itineraries →
- LubuszZielona Góra, the city of Polish wine with its grape-harvest festival and bronze Bacchus figurines, Muskau Park on the Neisse, half Polish…11 places · 2 hidden gems · 3 itineraries →
- Greater PolandPoznań, where goats butt heads on the town hall every day at noon, Gniezno Cathedral where the first kings were crowned, the island where…16 places · 4 hidden gems · 4 itineraries →
- Kuyavia-PomeraniaToruń, the Gothic brick town where Copernicus was born and gingerbread has been baked for seven hundred years, Bydgoszcz with its granaries…12 places · 3 hidden gems · 3 itineraries →
- MasoviaWarsaw's Old Town rebuilt from the rubble using Canaletto's paintings, the palaces of the kings, museums telling the story of the Uprising…21 places · 4 hidden gems · 4 itineraries →
- Lower SilesiaWrocław with its market square, its bridges and Centennial Hall, Książ Castle, the wooden churches built in a year, the Giant Mountains and…28 places · 5 hidden gems · 5 itineraries →
- Łódź ProvinceŁódź, the Polish Manchester, with 19th-century textile mills turned into museums, shopping centres and lofts, the four-kilometre…14 places · 2 hidden gems · 3 itineraries →
- Opole ProvinceOpole with its colourful houses on the Oder, known as the Venice of Silesia, Moszna Castle with its ninety-nine towers, Nysa, the Rome of…13 places · 3 hidden gems · 3 itineraries →
- ŚwiętokrzyskiePoland's oldest mountains, with the Holy Cross Monastery near Łysica and the legends of the witches of Bald Mountain, Sandomierz with its…16 places · 3 hidden gems · 3 itineraries →
- Lublin ProvinceLublin with its old town on the hill and a castle chapel frescoed by Ruthenian painters, Zamość, the ideal Renaissance town designed by an…16 places · 4 hidden gems · 4 itineraries →
- SilesiaCoal-mining Silesia turned into a land of museums and concert halls, the UNESCO-listed silver mines, the shrine of the Black Madonna of…17 places · 5 hidden gems · 3 itineraries →
- Lesser PolandThe royal Kraków of Wawel and the Jewish quarter of Kazimierz, salt mines dug in the Middle Ages, Auschwitz, the Tatra mountains and the…33 places · 8 hidden gems · 6 itineraries →
- SubcarpathiaThe Bieszczady, Poland's wildest mountains, with high pastures and bears, Łańcut Castle and its carriages, Krasiczyn and its towers, the…18 places · 4 hidden gems · 3 itineraries →
Explore by theme
Beyond the regional guides
- Search near youHiking and water sports26 trails with GPX and 16 spots, starting from a town or from where you are.
- World HeritageThe 17 UNESCO sitesAll on the map, with the year of inscription and the places in the guides where you'll find them.
- CalendarTraditional festivals69 processions, re-enactments and fairs, month by month.
- Food and drinkWhat to eat, region by regionLocal dishes, PDO and PGI products and wines from the European register.
- ToolMy tripSave places, trails and spots, split them into days and see them on the map.
- No signalOffline guidesSave pages, trails and GPX files on your phone for when there's no connection.
Food and drink
What to eat, region by region
For each region, the dishes to look for on menus and all the PDO and PGI products and wines registered in the European Union.
- West Pomerania1 PDOs and PGIs · 0 wines
- Pomerania2 PDOs and PGIs · 0 wines
- Podlaskie2 PDOs and PGIs · 0 wines
- Lubusz1 PDOs and PGIs · 0 wines
- Greater Poland5 PDOs and PGIs · 0 wines
- Kuyavia-Pomerania3 PDOs and PGIs · 0 wines
- Masovia3 PDOs and PGIs · 0 wines
- Lower Silesia1 PDOs and PGIs · 0 wines
- Opole Province2 PDOs and PGIs · 0 wines
- Świętokrzyskie3 PDOs and PGIs · 0 wines
- Lublin Province3 PDOs and PGIs · 0 wines
- Silesia7 PDOs and PGIs · 0 wines
- Lesser Poland14 PDOs and PGIs · 0 wines
- Subcarpathia4 PDOs and PGIs · 0 wines
One hidden gem per region
Where nobody goes (but should)
Gdynia
GdyniaA port city that grew in a few years from a fishing village, with one of the most consistent modernist centres in Europe.
Read the story →Wojnowo
WojnowoA wooden village on the shores of a lake where Old Believers, Russian Orthodox who fled persecution, still live, with their monastery and their church without bells.
Read the story →Kruszyniany and the Tatars
KruszynianyA green wooden mosque in a country village, built by the Muslim Tatars who have lived here for more than three hundred years.
Read the story →The Muskau Arch
ŁęknicaPonds of every colour, from green to red to turquoise, in old lignite mines on a horseshoe-shaped moraine.
Read the story →Ostrów Lednicki
LednogóraAn island in Lake Lednica with the ruins of a 10th-century palace and chapel, where Poland's first ruler may have been baptised.
Read the story →Radzyń Chełmiński Castle
Radzyń ChełmińskiThe ruins of one of the finest Teutonic castles, with corner towers and decorated brick walls, in a country village.
Read the story →Praga, the right-bank district
WarsawThe working-class district on the right bank of the Vistula, with pre-war tenements, courtyards with small shrines and factories turned into museums and bars.
Read the story →The dwarfs of Wrocław
WrocławHundreds of small bronze dwarfs scattered around the city, on pavements, windowsills and in front of shops: hunting for them is a game for young and old.
Read the story →Księży Młyn
ŁódźA 19th-century workers' district of brick houses, with the great spinning mill and the owner's palace, still almost as it was.
Read the story →Kamień Śląski
Kamień ŚląskiA Baroque castle in the village where St Hyacinth was born, the Dominican who brought the order to Poland; today it is a retreat centre and spa.
Read the story →The stone fields of the Holy Cross Mountains
Nowa SłupiaGreat treeless slopes of frost-shattered quartzite in the middle of the fir forest: they look like rivers of stone.
Read the story →Kozłówka Palace
KozłówkaA Baroque palace of the Zamoyski counts with intact interiors, and next to it the largest collection of socialist realist art in Poland.
Read the story →Nikiszowiec
KatowiceA red-brick miners' estate, with blocks closed around courtyards, red-framed windows and a large church, still almost as it was a hundred years ago.
Read the story →Nowa Huta
KrakówA district of avenues, arcades and monumental buildings designed as the ideal socialist city, with an ark-shaped church built by the workers.
Read the story →Przemyśl Fortress
PrzemyślA ring of forts in the woods around the town, scene of the longest siege of the First World War.
Read the story →FAQ
About the guides
- What are the regions of Poland?
- Poland is divided into 16 administrative regions, the voivodeships (województwa in Polish): West Pomerania, Pomerania, Warmia-Masuria, Podlaskie, Lubusz, Greater Poland, Kuyavia-Pomerania, Masovia, Lower Silesia, Łódź, Opole, Świętokrzyskie, Lublin, Silesia, Lesser Poland, Subcarpathia. They have existed since 1999 and largely follow the country's historical regions.
- How are the places in these guides chosen?
- Each guide mixes the unmissable sights with lesser-known places that have a precise, verifiable story, told in a few lines. Every place comes with coordinates, its position on the map and the places nearby.
- Are the guides free?
- Yes: they are free, with no ads and no sign-up. Opening hours, prices and bookings change often, so always check them on the official websites before you go.
- Are the guides available in Italian too?
- Yes. The guides were written in Italian and every page has an Italian version: use the IT button at the top of the page.
- Do I need a passport to visit Poland?
- Poland is in the European Union and the Schengen area: EU citizens only need a valid identity card, while visitors from the UK, the US, Canada and Australia need a passport but no visa for stays of up to 90 days. The currency is the złoty (PLN), not the euro; cards are accepted almost everywhere.
- When is the best time to visit Poland?
- May to September for cities, lakes, the sea and the mountains; December for the Christmas markets in Kraków, Wrocław and Gdańsk; January to March for skiing in the Tatras. Winters are cold, often below freezing.