Between the fir-clad hills of the Bohemian Massif, the spikey summits of the looming Carpathians, the rolling lowlands and sprawling lakes of verdant, bucolic Masuria, and the Gothic architectural faces that pepper Poland’s ancient towns, it’s easy to see why this country in the heartlands of the Slavic East remains one of Europe’s best-loved destinations.
The cities are awash with heady subterranean beer bars, UNESCO-attested old towns and charming churches—from the iconic Bazylika Mariacka of Krakow in the south, to the red-brick rises of Saint Mary’s in Gdansk on the Baltic. The capital at Warsaw is a buzzing hub of energy that hums with business deals and forward-thinking EU body politic, laden with monuments and museums to the nation’s tumultuous 20th Century past.
Today, skiers flock to Zakopane for the Tatra slopes of the south, hikers wander the primeval forests of Bialowieza, revellers wallow in the heady clubs of Sopot, bohemians loose themselves between the cobbled lanes and quirky cafes of Krakow’s Kazimierz, and sightseers flit between the castle-topped hills and deep-cut salt mines. As any Poland tourist guide will tell you, this really is a land packed with adventure!