Itinerary for a Week in Poland
From Warsaw Through Krakow to the Tatra Mountains at Zakopane
Poland has become very tourist-friendly since communism fell in 1989. Travel highlights include Warsaw, beauty and tragedy near Krakow and the mountains at Zakopane.
Poland is a relatively large country for Eastern Europe, and boasts both a coastline onto the Baltic Sea and borders with seven countries. Its central location means it is easy to combine a trip to Poland with other travel wishes, for example, time in the Baltic countries, excursions through other former Soviet republics like Belarus and Ukraine, or trips going through Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
How Long Should You Spend in Poland?
If you want to see anything beyond the capital city, Warsaw, then a week in Poland is a minimum. For travelers hoping to get to know Poland in more depth, or spend time in most key cities and regions, then as much as three to four weeks could pass quite quickly. The itinerary below is based on just having a week to spend, with some suggestions following for how to extend this.
Two Popular Cities: Warsaw and Krakow
As the capital and largest city in Poland, Warsaw is a must-see. Despite being badly damaged during the second world war, it is still a pretty city, with a beautifully reconstructed Old Town. The Warsaw Historical Museum in the Old Town is a particularly good museum and shows, among other things, how Warsaw recovered from the devastation of war. There’s also an intriguing amount of Stalinist-style architecture, including the Palace of Culture and Science which is the tallest building in the country – and quite possibly the ugliest, too! The Jewish Cemetery and other landmarks of Jewish heritage are yet another interesting side to Warsaw. It’s probably necessary to spend three days in Warsaw if you hope to get a taste for it at all.
Poland’s jewel is perhaps the city of Krakow in the south. A well-kept town with an enormous Old Town Square, Krakow is also home to Wawel Hill where the Wawel Castle and Wawel Cathedral are popular attractions. There is also the Wieliczka Salt Mine to visit, which includes a vast underground collection of rooms all carved out of salt (chandeliers included). Finally, an easy day trip can be made from Krakow to the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camp sites which, while far from a fun day out, do make for a very worthwhile experience. As with Warsaw, three days based in Krakow are a minimum time to spend.
The Tatra Mountains and Zakopane
Not much further south from Krakow, but as far south in Poland as you can get, is the small resort town of Zakopane. It’s one of the main bases for hiking or skiing in the Tatra Mountains, on the border with Slovakia, and it’s a nice place to take a break from being in larger cities. You can take a funicular rail up Mt Gubalowka and following various hiking trails, enjoying some fresh air.
Two Weeks to a Month in Poland
If you have more time to experience Poland, there are numerous other places to visit. In the north, the Wolf’s Lair site where Hitler spent much of the war is an interesting day out. Other major towns that are worth a visit include Wroclaw in the south west and Gdansk in the north near the Baltic Sea coast.
