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When thinking about summer holidays, many people think of beaches, hammocks, palm trees and piña colada. But there are many travelers who prefer to visit the capitals of northern Europe in the warmer months. It is a good opportunity to see these cities with more life than ever. Both tourists and locals go out to the street to enjoy the terraces and parks making the experience totally different to what they would find traveling during other months.

Today we propose a 7-day tour through three of the main Polish cities with advice on what to see and what to do in Poland in summer. If your trip lasts less days, you can easily adapt it and choose the options that you prefer.

The cities that we propose to visit are Wroclaw, Krakow and Warsaw. The distances between them are similar (3-3: 30h) which makes them perfect to visit in the order you want. In addition, you can organize the trip to make the transfers by train or car and you can choose the arrival and departure airports that best suit you since the three cities have good connections with the main Spanish airports.

Day 1 Warsaw

The first thing that draws attention when arriving in Warsaw is the contrast between the modern office buildings, the Soviet buildings and the old town. But the old Town with cobbled streets is not such. After the World War II more than 85% of the buildings in Warsaw were destroyed, forming a mass of rubble. After the war, began the reconstruction of almost everything you will see during your visit and today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

If you want to know more about the subject, you can visit the Warsaw Museum in the Market Square, in the old town. Nearby you will also find the Miniatures Park where some of the most interesting buildings that were destroyed or severely modified throughout the history of the city are reproduced.

You can also take the first day to visit the old town, or Stare Miasto, where you will also find the Royal Castle, the Column of Sigismund III and the Mermaid Fountain. And in the immediate vicinity you can visit the Marie Curie Museum or get closer to watching the multimedia fountain show (at dusk or at night it is best to see the lights and the effects of the fountain while you take an ice cream).

Day 2 Warsaw

Once you've seen the old town, it's time to take the Royal Route as if you were one of the ancient kings of Poland. The Royal Route begins at Royal Castle (at Stare Miasto) and exits southwards through Krakowskie Przedmieście, continues through Nowy Świat, Aleje Ujazdowskie, Belwederska, Sobieskiego and ends at Aleja Wilanowska. This route of more than 11 kilometers is what the kings did to move from their usual residence in the old case to their palaces outside the center: the Ujazdów Palace, the Palace on the Island in the Łazienki Park and the Wilanów Palace.

Although there are regular buses that will take you to the main tourist attractions of the route, we recommend you to do the first section that goes from the old town to Aleje Jerozolimskie on foot (or by bike). In this area, a large part of the city's gastronomic, shopping and nightlife offer is concentrated. You can also get closer by taking a walk to the Frédéric Chopin Museum.

Day 3 Warsaw

For the last day in the Polish capital, we recommend you to get away from the center to discover other charms of the city. It may be a good time for you to look for a "milk bar" or Bar Mleczny where you will regress in the early twentieth century eating traditional food, without artifices and at a cheap price.

One of the historical facts for which Warsaw has been known throughout the world is the Warsaw Uprising against the Nazi invasion. In the Museum of the Uprising you can learn everything that happened before, during and after the rebellion. If your visit coincides with August 1, the anniversary of the start of the uprising is celebrated in the city. On the street you will see men and women dressed in typical clothing from the 40s, there are concerts and many activities to remember this day.

For the last day's sunset, reserve a moment to climb the PKIN viewpoint or Pałac Kultury i Nauki w Warszawie. It is a palace that Stalin once "gave" to the Poles. Nowadays it houses offices, exhibition halls and movie and theater halls. From the viewpoint you have the best views of the city.

Day 4 Warsaw – Krakow

On the fourth day of travel, we change city to go from Warsaw to Krakow, about 300 kilometers to the south. You can do this journey by train or car rental. Both options are fast and not very expensive.

The first thing to visit in Krakow is its old town. The Stare Miasto in Krakow is surrounded by a green belt that is where the city wall once stood. It has a horseshoe shape. In the south is the Wawel Hill, with its Castle and its Cathedral. To the north is the Barbican, one of the doors that gave access to the city through its wall. In the center is the Market Square, the largest medieval square in Europe, with the Cloth Hall in the center and surrounded by several historic buildings such as the St. Mary's Basilica. Near the Market Square you will also find the Jagiellonian University where they studied, among others, Pope John Paul II or Nicolaus Copernicus.

In addition to contemplating the passers-by of the square, you can have a drink or a meal in one of its numerous bars and restaurants or you can also buy souvenirs. But, undoubtedly, the most curious thing you can see (or rather, listen to) in the square is the trumpet call every hour on the hour from one of the towers of the St. Mary's Basilica.

Day 5 Krakow

For the second day in the city of Krakow we propose you to get to know one of the neighborhoods with more atmosphere and more activity of the city, the Jewish district Kasimierz. It is the neighborhood where the Hebrews of the city traditionally settled until the Second World War. Its streets and buildings are very well preserved.

There you will find synagogues, exhibitions, basilicas, museums and countless restaurants and bars that animate its streets and squares. It is a good option to try the specialties of kosher cuisine and traditional Hebrew dishes.

South of the Vistula River you can expand the history of the Jewish population of the city during the Nazi occupation at the Oscar Schindler Museum and the Pharmacie Under The Eagle. Both buildings contain exhibits so visitors can see how they were trying to save the lives of Jewish citizens of the Krakow ghetto.

Day 6 Krakow – Auschwitz – Wroclaw

On the sixth day of travel we leave Krakow to travel to Wroclaw, 270 kilometers away. Again you have the possibility to go by rental car or to make the trip by train. But, as you will see, our recommendation is to take a car (at least from this day) to have more freedom on the move.

About 70 kilometers from Krakow is the Extermination Camp of Auschwitz Birkenau. We leave to your choice if you want to make this type of visits during your holidays or not, since they are not pleasant visits. But it can be a good option to become aware of the magnitude of what happened not only in Poland, but in much of Europe. If you decide to see it, keep in mind that in summer there are usually many people, be patient with the queues.

For the first day or the first afternoon in Wroclaw you have to take a walk through the old town with its Market Square. You can see the St. Mary Magdalene Church or the St. Elizabeth's Church whose bell towers stand out above the buildings of the city. In the center of the square stands the City Hall Building with different architectural styles that reflect the passage of time. In a corner of the Market Square you will see the Hansel and Gretel houses. And you can entertain yourself during the walk by looking for all the figurines of the dwarves of Wroclaw (which are not only in the old town, are spread throughout the city).

The Oder River that crosses the city, passes through the north of the old town, at the foot of the University of Wroclaw. On the river there are several islands with landscaped areas to stroll through and also several churches and historic buildings. And on the other side of the river is the largest concentration of religious buildings in the city with the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, the Church of St. Giles, the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, the Faculty of Theology and the Archbishop's Palace between others.

Day 7 Wroclaw

For the last day in Poland we propose a curious and not at all overcrowded visit, since the vast majority of tourists traveling to Poland are unaware of this place. It is about the underground city of Osowka. The city is located about 80 kilometers southwest of Wroclaw. It is a network of tunnels dug by the Nazis under the mountains of the area. Being a wooded area, they were not easy to detect by enemies. The purpose of this construction was kept secret and nowadays it is not known for what purpose they were created, although it is speculated that it could be a hideout to hide if they lost the war and could survive for a few years until they could leave again or they could be the new secret headquarters of Hitler. The total complex has 7 excavations in different parts of the Owl Mountains, next to the Polish border with the Czech Republic.

The guided tour is in Polish (if you're lucky one of the guides speaks Spanish) but you can take the audio guide in English.

Back to Wroclaw you can make a stop in Ksiaz, to visit its Castle or in Swidnica to visit the Church of Peace.

We hope you find this post helpful to organize your next vacation in Poland. And before your trip, remember to change Euros to Polish Zlotys for the purchases and payments you make during your stay.

Enjoy the trip!

One of the issues that we most doubt when traveling abroad (especially when it comes to a country with a different currency) is how much money we take. And it is not an easy question to answer, but we will try to help you to calculate how many Zlotys to carry for a week in Poland.

Transport

The most convenient option to get around in cities is to buy a transport voucher. These bonds usually take 1, 2 or 3 days and are valid for bus, tram or underground.

Simple tickets usually cost between 3 and 4 zlotys. These tickets allow you to get on any means of transport in 20 minutes from activation. So if you're going to make a quick transfer, they'll serve you. The 1-day passes for zones 1 cost 15 Zlotys and are cheaper if purchased for several days in a row.

If you organize well, you can spend a few days visiting on foot the centers of the cities where most of the tourist attractions are located. The most distant visits can be collected on other days to buy day passes and move by public transport.

To travel between cities the train is a good option. The Intercity PKP Express trains are fast, they take two and a half hours to cover the journey. Tickets from Warsaw to Krakow cost 150 Zlotys being the most expensive. There are also options that take longer and cost half.

And if you prefer to travel by car, the rents of international companies usually have a fairly similar price. Between 150 and 200 Zlotys per day with insurance included. The liter of unleaded petrol 95 goes for about 5.05 – 5.20 zlotys depending on the gas station. In addition there are stretches of highway between some cities.

SUMMARY

• Transportation tickets for 3 nonconsecutive days: 90 Zlotys
• Train tickets for two trips: 300 Zlotys
• Rental car for two days: 300 Zlotys
• Gasoline for a journey of about 500 kilometers: 250 Zlotys

Accommodation

As in any other tourist area, accommodation prices may vary depending on the season. Prices tend to range from 40 Zlotys for a hostel or bed and breakfast, to 200 for an average hotel or 400 for a holiday apartment in the center.

Let's put an average of 200 zlotys per day for two people.

SUMMARY

• Accommodation for 3 nights economic: 600 Zlotys
• Accommodation for 3 nights regular: 150 Zlotys

Sights

In the main cities of Poland there are several guided tours companies with very cheap prices. There are even those who do the tours in exchange for tips, with which we put the price ourselves.

There are also other paid visits to the cities for around 40-50 zlotys or excursions to nearby places of between 100 – 200 zlotys per person (such as visits to Auschwitz, to the salt mines of Wieliczka or to Zakopane from Krakow).

Tickets to museums have quite different prices. If you look at the pages of the museums that you want to visit in advance, you can confirm if the day of your visit is paid or not, since there are days when visits are free. Prices are between 10 and 60 zlotys per person.

SUMMARY

• Two guided tours for two people: 100 Zlotys
• Guided tour of Auschwitz (not including transportation): 100 Zlotys
• Entrances to the Marie Curie Museum Warsaw: 22 Zlotys
• Tickets to the Chopin Museum Warsaw: 44 Zlotys
• Entrances to the viewpoint of the Palace of Culture and Science Warsaw: 40 Zlotys
• Tickets to the Museum of the Schindler Factory Krakow: 64 Zlotys

Food and drink

As far as food and beverages are concerned, prices are usually quite cheap. Although it is like everything else, there are always places in more tourist areas where you can see that prices are higher and others are more distant where it seems you are lying paying so little.

For example, it is possible to pay 4 Euros for a normal draft beer of 30 cl. but the prices are usually between 8 and 16 Zlotys in the most tourist areas.

Especially in summer, the most demanded are ice cream. A normal cone ice cream with a ball costs between 2 and 5 zlotys.

And for lunch or dinner, you have dairies where you can eat for less than 10 zlotys. In restaurants, the prices of dishes are usually between 15 and 20 zlotys. If you decide to go to the supermarket and make the purchase for a picnic, then calculate roughly half the budget.

SUMMARY

• 3 meals in a la carte restaurant: 150 Zlotys
• 4 dinners in a la carte restaurant: 200 Zlotys
• 2 meals and 1 dinner at dairies: 80 Zlotys
• 1 lunch and 1 picnic dinner: 30 Zlotys
• Take something (a few beers or some ice cream several days): 100 Zlotys

Whims and unforeseen

When we talk about budgets to take a trip, we always recommend bringing some money for whims and incidentals. It is true that you can always make your payments by card and in almost any place they accept them, but when returning home it can be a surprise when you check the price or commissions that your bank has charged you.

For example, about 200 or 300 zlotys per person in a good amount to buy some souvenirs and to have some cash in case we want to do some activity that we did not have scheduled.

SUMMARY

• Extra for other expenses: 500 Zlotys

TOTAL BUDGET

• Transportation: 940 Zlotys
• Accommodation: 750 Zlotys
• Food and drink: 560 Zlotys
• Tourist attractions: 370 Zlotys
• Whims and unforeseen expenses: 500 Zlotys

RECOMMENDED TOTAL: 3.100 Zlotys for two people a week. How much is that in Euros? 3.100 Zlotys are about 800 Euros, which would make a total of 400 Euros per person.

Like everything, it always depends on what you are going to do, the cities you are going to visit and the journeys you want to make. But we hope we gave you an approximate orientation to prepare your travel budget.

Last quick and useful trick

Sometimes it is difficult to get used to the idea of ​​the price that is being paid by doing it with a different currency. A quick way to calculate approximately the prices in Euros is to divide the amount in Zlotys by 4.

A Zloty costs us a little more than 25 cents of Euro, so when dividing the amount by 4, we can get an idea of ​​the cost of everything easily.

We hope you enjoy your trip!

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I want to buy Polish Zlotys

Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. If you are going to visit it this summer, we help you to add the essential 5 things to your visit.

The Old Town (Stare Miasto)

The Old Town is the birthplace of the city of Warsaw. It is not the oldest area since it was completely destroyed after World War II and was rebuilt stone by stone to regain its pre-war appearance. It is a World Heritage Site since 1980. A quick search in Google and you can see a lot of pictures of its appearance now and then.

The Old Town is located between the Vistula River and the old wall that runs along Podwale Street. In the center is the Market Square, surrounded by cafes and restaurants. You can walk its streets with shops and restaurants, visit the Cathedral of San Juan or take a walk of Kings by the Royal Palace.

The Royal Route

Speaking of walks of Kings, you can take advantage of the good weather of summer to tour the Royal Route. Whether on foot or with a rental bike, this is a pleasant walk of about 10 kilometers surrounded by buildings, palaces, churches and monuments.

From the 16th century the Polish Kings used this walk to move from their usual residence, the Royal Castle located in the Old Town, to one of their summer residences: the Palace of Ujazdów, the Palace on the Isle or the Palace of Wilanów .

The walk begins at the Royal Palace and runs through Krakowskie Przedmieście, Nowy Świat, Plac Trzech Krzyży, Aleje Ujazdowskie, Ulica Belwederska, Ulica Jana III Sobieskiego, Aleje Wilanowska.

Recent history

Warsaw was one of the hot spots during World War II as it was one of the world's cities with more Jewish population and also by the creation of the largest Jewish ghetto in Europe. As the capital of Poland was a strategic point for the reception of Jews from other parts of Germany or occupied Poland for their subsequent deportation.

If you want to learn about the darkest passage of the recent history of the city and the country, you can visit the Museum of the Uprising or the Museum of History of Warsaw.

Photo from: Artmuseum

The most up-to-date Warsaw

Leaving behind the past of the city, at present it is one of the European capitals where you can enjoy the most contemporary culture.

You can enjoy the Museum of Modern Art with two buildings where creativity reigns: the old one on Panska Street 3 and the modern one opened in the spring of 2017 next to the Vistula. The most modern can not miss the Neon Museum, a space where all kinds of neon signs are rescued and restored by their owners.

And as for nightlife, the city is not far behind. You will find from pubs and bars from normal to clubs where you have to dress well queue to enter. There is also a great offer of places with terrace and outdoor spaces that come in very well on summer evenings. In Warsaw Insider magazine you will find a long list of places to go depending on what you want every day.

Photo from: Neonmuzeum

Museums and more museums

In addition to all that we have told you, in Warsaw you will find a large number of museums for all tastes.

You can review the most important cultural manifestations of the country from the Chopin Museum dedicated to the life and work of the composer, to the Ethnographic Museum, where a review of the history of the country through its inhabitants and their traditions.

If you are interested in science, you can visit the Marie Curie Museum, where you will learn about the life and work of the Polish scientist. It is also advisable to visit the Copernicus Scientific Center where children and adults will enjoy exhibitions and demonstrations.

And for those who love the evolution of technology, Warsaw also offers several options such as the Museum of Technology, the Museum of Military Technology or the Railway Museum where you will see a real review from the first rudimentary devices to the most current technology.

If you already have everything prepared for your trip to Warsaw, do not forget to change your Euros to Polish Zlotys. You can buy them now and pick them up at your nearest pickup office or we can send them straight home.

Enjoy your trip!