Republic of Poland is a country located in Central Europe. Poland’s capital and largest metropolis is Warsaw, its historical Old Town (*Stare Miasto) were entirely reconstructed after wartime destruction.
The most visited city is Kraków, which was the former capital of Poland and serves as a relic of the Polish Golden Age and the Renaissance. Wrocław, one of the oldest cities in Poland, famous for its *dwarfs.
The culture of Poland is closely connected with its intricate 1,000-year history and forms an important constituent in western civilization. There are over 100 castles in the country (*List of castles in Poland), many in the *Lower Silesian Voivodeship (map) and along the popular *Trail of the Eagles’ Nests. The largest castle in the world by land area is situated in Malbork (map).
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Poland is generally a safe country. In fact, you are much less likely to experience crime in places like Warsaw or Kraków than in Paris or Rome. Overall, just use common sense and be aware of what you’re doing.
The most popular cities are Kraków, Warsaw, Wrocław, Gdańsk, Poznań, Szczecin, Lublin, Toruń, Zakopane, the Salt Mine in Wieliczka.
History has not been kind to Poland’s architectural monuments. Nonetheless, a number of ancient structures have survived: castles, churches, and stately homes, often unique in the regional or European context.
Some of them have been painstakingly restored, like Wawel Castle, or completely reconstructed, including the Old Town and Royal Castle of Warsaw and the Old Town of Gdańsk. Over 100 of the country’s most significant tangible wonders were enlisted onto the *Historic Monuments Register.
The best recreational destinations include Poland’s *Masurian Lake District, Baltic Sea coast, *Tatra Mountains (the highest mountain range of Carpathians), *Sudetes and *Białowieża Forest.
Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society is a Polish non-governmental tourist organization with 312 branches across the country. Its activities include designing and marking tourist trails as well as cycling, horse and river trails throughout Poland.
TRANSPORT
In Poland, the national railway carriers are PKP Intercity. Polrail Service offers a guide to rail travel in Poland and on-line purchase of tickets and rail passes for Polish and international trains. PolishTrains allows to search, book and buy train tickets to numerous polish and European destinations.
Poland has a very well developed network of private charter bus companies, which tend to be cheaper, faster, and more comfortable than travel by rail. For trips under 100 km, charter buses are far more popular than trains. >> e-podroznik.pl. Online timetables are useful for planning, however, there are multiple carriers at each bus station and departure times for major cities and popular destinations.