Gdańsk
Part of the National Maritime Museum, the oh-so conspicuous Gdańsk Crane soars above the busy waterfront. Built in the mid-15th century as part of the…
Must-see attractions in Poland
Gdańsk
The first surprise as you approach the cathedral is the facade, a striking composition of two slim octagonal Gothic towers with a central baroque portion…
Gdańsk & Pomerania
Based in a former Benedictine convent and several granaries at the southern end of the old quarter, the Regional Museum is worth an hour or two's perusal…
Carpathian Mountains
This modern structure on the main promenade looks more like a retro-futuristic airport terminal than a spa colonnade. But behind the plate-glass and…
Warsaw
Warsaw's most prestigious cemetery covers 43 hectares and contains the graves of well over a million souls. Illustrious Poles from all walks of life are…
Małopolska
About 500m southwest of the Old Town is the Rotunda – a ring-shaped fort 54m in diameter surrounding a circular yard. The rotunda was built in the 1820s…
The Great Masurian Lakes
The shallow 700-hectare Lake Łuknajno, 4km east of Mikołajki, shelters Europe’s largest surviving community of wild swans (Cygnus olor) and is home to…
Gdańsk & Pomerania
Originally founded in 1084 near Grenoble (France), the Carthusian order was known for its austere monastic rules – its monks passing their days in the…
Gdańsk
Erected by the Dominican order on its arrival from Kraków in 1227, this is one of Gdańsk’s oldest places of Christian worship and it feels that way inside…
Warsaw
During WWII the prison that once stood here was used by the Gestapo – that's the time period that the displays in this grimly fascinating museum focus on…
Wielkopolska
Great balls of fire! Just 10km north of the centre of Poznań is the Morasko Meteorite Reserve, one of just two registered meteorite impact sites in Europe…
Open-Air Museum of the Kielce Village
Małopolska
This 80-hectare open-air museum of traditional architecture is located in the village of Tokarnia, about 20km from Kielce. It’s a pleasant half-day outing…
Małopolska
A plaque signed by former president Lech Wałęsa identifies the site of a post-WWII pogrom on 4 July 1946 committed by Poles against Jews who had survived…
Gdańsk & Pomerania
Golub’s square-set castle overlooks the town from a hill, the prominent structure consisting of a massive Gothic brick base topped with a slightly more…
Warmia & Masuria
A well-rubbed bronze of Copernicus welcomes you to Olsztyn's massive red-brick 14th-century castle, the most important historic building in town. And it's…
Warsaw
The stunning copper-clad building that houses the university library was awarded top prize by the Association of Polish Architects in 2000. The main…
Gdańsk & Pomerania
The epicentre of Chełmno’s chessboard of streets is the Rynek, in the middle of which stands the compact Renaissance Town Hall, built around 1570 on the…
Gdańsk
The largest monument of the Old Town is St Catherine’s Church, Gdańsk's oldest, which was begun in the 1220s. It was the parish church for the entire town…
Wielkopolska
This 17th-century wooden structure is an unusual mix of architectural styles: Gothic, baroque, neoclassical and more modern additions. When the church was…
Kraków
If you’ve had enough of high art and baroque furnishings, complete your Wawel trip with a visit to the cheesy Dragon’s Den, former home of the legendary…
Poznań
This museum in Poznań's town hall displays an interesting exhibition on the city's history in splendid interiors. The richly ornamented Renaissance Hall…
Warsaw
A pleasant spot to hang out is this charming wooded enclave in the heart of Warsaw. The colony of some 20-odd Finnish wooden cottages have been here since…
Łódź
Housed in the palatial home of 'Cotton King' Karol Scheibler, this attraction is actually two museums in one. The basement and 1st floor are devoted to…
Warmia & Masuria
The Museum of Warmia and Masuria’s main annexe is housed in the former Gazeta Olsztyńska newspaper building. The Polish paper was famed for its outspoken…
Gdańsk & Pomerania
This large museum isn’t as dull as you might expect and is well worth a look if you’ve time on your hands. The displays cover the history of weaponry…
Małopolska
The city’s star attraction is an array of chalk passages hewn by hand 12m below ground. The chalk mine began in medieval times. By the 16th century, the…
Poznań
This museum, 100km from Poznań in the town of Wolsztyn, exhibits steam locomotives within a working depot and roundhouse. It can be easily reached daily…
Carpathian Mountains
This fortress was built as the Polish counterpart to the Hungarian stronghold opposite at Niedzica – the customs frontier ran through the area…
Carpathian Mountains
The Church of the Poor Clares was where Stary Sącz was born. Commenced in Gothic style in 1285 and completed in 1332, it later gained opulent baroque…
Gdańsk
Built in 1612, the Golden Gate was designed by Abraham van den Block, son of the man behind the decoration of the Upland Gate. It's a sort of triumphal…
Mazovia & Podlasie
The main collection is in the 16th-century Benedictine abbey building that links the two castle towers. Exhibits include a large collection of manuscripts…
Poznań
This large park is laid out on what was once a massive Prussian fortress. The fortress was involved in one major battle, when the Germans defended…
Warsaw
Marking the start of the Royal Way, this is arguably Warsaw's most ornate church. It escaped major damage during WWII, which explains why it sports an…
Warsaw
One of Warsaw's most pleasant residential areas, Żoliborz derives its name from joli bord, French for 'beautiful embankment'. During Russian Imperial rule…
Franciscan Church of the Holy Cross
Carpathian Mountains
Southeast of the Rynek is this large Franciscan church, which grew from an early 15th century kernel (today the presbytery and sacristy) and is filled…
Warmia & Masuria
Open year-round, this skansen (open-air ethnographic museum) on the northeastern outskirts of Olsztynek features about 70 examples of regional timber…
Zawodzie Archaeological Reserve
Wielkopolska
Located upon the site of a 10,000-year-old village, this reserve includes full-sized facsimiles of timber structures of the era, along with authentic…
Carpathian Mountains
Tarnów's arresting Gothic city hall, which draws all eyes in the Rynek, dates in its earliest parts to the 15th century. Given a later Renaissance…
Warsaw
This elegant structure, completed in 1788, once sheltered exotic trees in winter. It now houses a gallery featuring an impressive selection of sculpture…
Małopolska
Two of the row of iconic and colourful Armenian houses on the northeast side of the Rynek shelter the Zamość museum, with intriguing displays such as a…
