Top 10 Best Cities To Visit In Poland In 2022 (With Photos)
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Loading... - Dylan Scott
- 11 Jul 2022
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Below are towns and attractions for every taste. For those seeking a lively nightlife, or looking for a calm spot in the mountains and some skiing slopes. The only thing that is common between all the 10 below is one thing: They are worth every single cent you spend in Poland.
Friendly reminder: If you are traveling in Poland and need a place to stay close to the airport, Nearby Airport Hostel is the best (and most economical) option for you.
1 – The best place in Poland to learn snowboarding and skiing: Bukowina Tatrzanska
This small city (or rather village) in the region of Podhale is overshadowed by its more famous neighbor Zakopane. Unfairly, I would say. To make justice to them, they come first in this list of the 10 best cities to visit in Poland in 2022.
There are many reasons why travel is good for you, and practicing sports is one of them.
Bukowina is just at the side of what is probably the ski center with the best cost-benefit ratio in Poland (Bialka Tatrzanska). The price I paid there for a day pass + equipment rental (around 130zl) was much less than the pass alone in other ski stations in Europe or Chile.
But this is not the only thing that makes Bukowina special. One amazing advantage are the good accommodation options (like Orla Village, where I stayed a couple of times), with unimaginably low prices and friendly hosts. Paying near 120 zlotys for a night in the place mentioned before, I stayed in a very comfortable and clean room. Across it was one of my favorite restaurants in the whole region: Karcma “U Wróbla”. In this inexpensive restaurant, besides discovering a fantastic regional plate called Placki po zbójnicku, you will be served by waitresses in regional clothes. Lovely.
2 – The town with the most beautiful castle: Malbork
With only 38 thousand inhabitants, Malbork could just be another small city on the way to the Polish coastline and to Gdansk. However, on the east bank of the river Nogat and within walking distance from the city center, is a monumental medieval construction.
In fact, this is the largest brick castle on the planet: the Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork, also known as Marienburg Castle.
When I visited it, we arrived around 10:30 in the morning and left after 16:00 without seeing all its public areas (and with my feet begging for a rest, since its stone paths can be demanding after some time). If you have the chance and is interested in medieval history, you should try to spare two days to visit everything it offers. Some parts of it were restored after the destruction of World War II (what is common in Poland). In my view, the most impressive building of the complex is The Blessed Virgin Mary Church and its magnificent acoustic. If you are as lucky as me, you can even witness choir chants there.
3 – The city with the best nightlife: Warsaw
This is an obvious choice. Warsaw is not only the largest city in Poland but also the place with the largest airport, the biggest demand for entertainment, and the highest per capita wealth. All those factors together make the city a stage of year-round concerts, festivals, and exhibitions. While the pandemic caused a break in its rich schedule, in the last years the city witnessed heavyweights like Rolling Stones, Iron Maiden, and Ed Sheeran. This last one gathered more than 100 thousand people at the national stadium.
The central area of Warsaw is dotted with pubs, clubs, and lounges for all tastes. From inexpensive Pijalnia Wódki i Piwo to the fancy rooftop bars, you will find something suiting your preferences and your pocket.
If you don’t want to miss your flight the next day, the best way is to stay in a Hostel near the Chopin International Airport. The Nearby Airport Hostel is a suggestion offering free airport transfer.
4 – The best cuisine (especially for cheese-lovers): Zakopane
We already mentioned Zakopane before, but here I will not write about skiing opportunities (especially because it is not the best city for that, honestly speaking), but about all the rest the city offers.
Affordable handcrafted garments made of sheep wool, sheepskin leather, and (at the risk of sounding repetitive), probably the best sheep cheese someone could taste in this part of Europe.
It is like a Dom Perignón of the cheeses. Between April and October, regional farmers, mastering an art of cheesemaking passed across generations, use the milk of their grass-fed sheep to prepare the exquisite Oscypek.
There are numerous ways and versions to serve it. All that I tasted were simply great. However personally I favor it grilled, hot and with cranberry sauce.
Oscypek is not the only thing making Zakopane and Podhale (region where the city is located) cuisine the best in the country. There are plenty of other specialties for you to try in the regional restaurants (or Karcma). Read More…
