11 Best Cities to Visit in Poland (Ranked From My Travels)

I’ll cut right to the chase: which are the best cities to visit in Poland and what’s a boring tourist trap? If I’ve put it on the list you can be confident it’s worth your time. 

You’ll see Krakow and Warsaw at the very very top. Thats’s because....well they’re the best. Yes, there’s a lot of tourists. But yes, they’re still absolutely worth seeing. And I’ll tell you exactly why based on my authentic experience.OK, so some of the best cities to visit in Poland are ones you’ve already heard of. But others are probably off your radar. I'm here to put them there. Let’s get into it!

Read more from my Poland travel blog.

 

At a glance: my list of the best cities to visit in Poland

1. Krakow—It’s #1 because it’s the prettiest. Am I ranking based on looks? Maybe. Am I shallow? Also maybe.
2. Warsaw—Museum heaven. Great for nerds like me.
3. Gdansk—Nowhere else can you go amber hunting at the beach and then pop over to the site that saw World War II’s first battle.  
4. Wroclaw—Three words: dwarf scavenger hunt.
5. Torun— If Copernicus had a baby with the gingerbread man.
6. Lublin— Culture, concentration camps, and more culture.
7. Gdynia—  Boats, boats, boats, boats, and boats. Did I mention boats?
8. Kazimierz Dolny— Epic castle ruins = great photo ops.
9. Zakopane—Poland’s “winter capital.” Go for the hikes. Ignore the touristy crap. 
10. Sopot— Somehow Poland has a coastal spa city.
11. Poznan— Poland’s birthplace plus funky goats.

Pro tip: Getting around Poland is easiest if you rent a car. Trains and buses work, but DiscoverCars is my go-to when I don’t have my own car with me. 

 

 

Map: the best cities in Poland to visit based on my experience

May this map of all the best cities in Poland guide you well. Rent a car to make exploring Poland easy

 

1. Krakow: Poland’s hottest destination

Krakow definitely deserves a place in my list of the best cities in Poland
 

Why I think it’s one of Poland’s best cities:  It’s the best city to visit in Poland because it’s just so damn pretty. If this was a dating app I’d give Krakow a super like for that kickass architecture. 

But Krakow kind of has an unfair advantage in the looks department since it wasn’t destroyed in World War II. Hard to compete with that. Sorry not sorry, almost every other Polish city. 

Ok, enough about looks, it’s not the only thing that matters. When it comes to things to do, I literally never get bored when I visit. This is coming from a guy who’s spent like 2 weeks there overall. You know I like to budget my time—never spend more than you need in a place. Well Krakow is an exception to the rule.

Quick tips for visiting Krakow

• Must-see: The Wieliczka Salt Mine. It’s one of the earliest UNESCO World Heritage sites and in my opinion one of the best things to do in Poland.  Come on, there’s an entire chapel made out of salt.
   
• Avoid: Forgetting to buy tickets in advance for the biggest museums. If you want to see the Wieliczka Salt Mine, Auschwitz, or the Oskar Schinder museum, you absolutely have to get them weeks ahead of time. I learned that the hard way.
   
• Crowds: Krakow gets millions of tourists every year since it's the most popular city to visit in Poland. So some experiences, like mine in Auschwitz, may be dampened by crowdedness. 
  ​
• Time needed:  I’d say 2 to 4 days is a minimum. It’s enough to see all the biggest spots but gives you breathing room to do some exploring on your own. Or if you’re crazy like me, hell, spend 2 weeks. 
   
• My hotel tip: Marriott Hotel

 

 

2. Warsaw: Poland’s can’t-be-missed capital 

Warsaw has it all—museums, castles, even polar bears
 

Why I think it’s one of Poland’s best cities: As a self proclaimed museum nerd, I had a blast in Warsaw. Literally two of the best museums I’ve ever visited in my life are here. Two. One is rare, two is near impossible. That alone makes this one of the best cities to visit in Poland.

I’m talking about the POLIN museum and Warsaw Uprising Museum. These aren’t generic, read-boring-crap-from-a-sign places. These are places where you go INTO the history. Did I mention I’m also a history nerd? If you also consider yourself one—yeah, Warsaw is the place to go.

And the culture is everywhere. So much artsy stuff goes on around here like popup art galleries, theater, piano concerts...What more can you expect, this is Frederic Chopin’s city. 

Quick tips for visiting Warsaw

• Must-see: the Old Town (Stare Miasto). Okay, the architecture is not original but it’s still a UNESCO World Heritage site. There’s those bright tenement houses and cobblestone streets that give it the old-fashioned charm I was hoping for. 
   
• Avoid: Not planning in advance. There’s no true “city center” here—just ask any local—so all the sights are spread across the city. I had to plan wisely to make sure Isaw everything within  my limited time.Crowds: The crowds flock to the museums so keep that in mind before you visit. I recommend going in the morning. Early bird gets the worm and all that.
   
• Time needed: Like Krakow, 2 to 4 days is fine. I spent 4 days here but could easily see myself doing it in 2 days without a problem.

 

 

 

3. Gdansk: The world's amber capital along the Motlawa River

It is absolutely impossible not to fall in love with Gdansk
 

Why I think it’s one of Poland’s best cities: Like Warsaw, Gdansk is the site of some incredibly important events in Polish history (like, ehem, the site of the first battle of World War II in Westerplatte which I nearly made the mistake of missing entirely). .

Besides World War II history, there’s plenty more to see like the Amber Museum and Dlugi Targ (Long Market) in Old Town, home of...gates that are named the wrong colors. There’s the brown Green Gate and white Golden Gate. Kind of weird but whatever, it's pretty funny. 

If you really want to experience Gdansk like a local, go beachcombing for amber at the many little beaches you’ll stumble upon. My March trip meant it was a bit breezy for that, but it’s something I want to try out in the future. 

Quick tips for visiting Gdansk

• Must-see: The photo ops. Gdansk is right along both the Baltic Sea coast and the Motlawa River, so there are so many waterside views .Avoid: the Solidarity Center. It’s one of Gdansk’s most important museums and the thing I was most looking forward to during my trip. Aaaaaand....it was a ginormous disappointment. 
   
• Crowds: Gdansk is a tourist magnet. Expect to squeeze past people especially at the museums.  But this just comes with the territory—the best cities to visit in Poland often have lots of people.
   
• Time needed: One day in Gdansk, combined with one day in Gdynia and a stop in Sopot, is the best way to explore Poland's coast. That’s what I did and I highly recommend it.
   
• My hotel tip: Hilton Gdansk

 

4. Wroclaw: The city of...dwarves?

Wroclaw could be a fun easter egg hunt—only with dwarves
 

Why I think it’s one of Poland’s best cities:  Wroclaw is nicknamed the “Venice of Poland” because of how many bridges and canals there are. I wouldn’t take that literally—don’t expect gondoliers—but the number of bridges is hard to beat since there’s over 130.  

 Wroclaw is also one of the best cities to visit in Poland because it’s the city of dwarves. For real. There’s these odd little dwarf statues everywhere like all over the sidewalks and buildings. I got a little thrill whenever I spotted one at random.

What the heck is up with that? Well they’re part of the city’s history. The first one, which you can still go visit (Papa Dwarf), was put up as a peaceful anti-communist protest in the ‘80s. And it kind of just snowballed from there. Now there’s over 600 . I wouldn’t call the city addicted but maybe I should. 

Quick tips for visiting Wroclaw

• Must-see: Dwarf scavenger hunting. I recommend buying the dwarf map, which is sold at any tourism center in the main square. That way you won’t miss any. Most of them are pretty small and in hidden nooks or odd locations. Hell there's even one on a lamppost.
   
• Avoid: Overpriced tourist trap restaurants in the Market Square.  They charge way too much for subpar food. Go for authentic Polish cuisine outside the center. That's where the good stuff is.
   
• Crowds: Wroclaw gets pretty crowded, especially in the warmer months when everyone’s out by the water. That’s the minus side of a walkable city: I’m one of many walking around. 
   
• Time needed: I spent a weekend there and honestly didn’t feel like it was enough. There were some interesting things I wanted to see but ran out of time, like the Hydropolis and Racławice Panorama. So I’d say spend at least 3 days.

 

5. Torun: Poland’s hipster gingerbread city

Multitasking at its finest—the Gingerbread capital could easily be the set of a gothic novel

Why I think it’s one of Poland’s best cities:I always enjoy going places that are the #1 in the world for something. Even if that something is kind of random, like amber in Gdansk. For Torun it’s gingerbread. Really, the whole city smells like cinnamon. It’s a huge point of pride for them and a major part of their history.

And much so that there are not one but two gingerbread museums here. (I only went to one. Why bother seeing two museums about the same thing? I wonder if they have some sort of rivalry. A bake-off, if you will. Okay, I’ll stop with the dad jokes.) 

It’s also one of best cities to visit in Poland if you like astronomy because it’s where Copernicus was born. Yeah, the guy who was like, “Hey, maybe the Earth isn’t the center of the universe.” But Copernicus is kind of the center of Torun, maybe second only to gingerbread. His birthplace museum is here but that’s nothing compared to the giant, imposing statue of him in the city center. That thing gave me the creeps. Eugh.

Quick tips for visiting Torun

• Must-see: You guessed it: the gingerbread. Particularly at the Copernicus factory. Some locals pointed us to it when we asked them where to get the best slice, and they were right. I don’t even like gingerbread that much and I still enjoyed mine. 
   
• Avoid: the Invisible House across the street from the Gingerbread Museum. There’s nothing wrong with it—it's a museum that simulates what it feels like to be blind—but you can find this exact place in other cities too. So there’s nothing unique about it when it comes to Torun.
   
• Crowds: Compared with the heavy hitters like Krakow and Gdansk, the crowds weren’t that bad. Still, some places are more crowded than others, like St. Johns’ Cathedral and the Town Hall.
   
• Time needed: You need at least one full day in Torun. There’s even enough to do if you want to spend an entire weekend. Any more than that is overkill.

 

 

6. Lublin: A cultural haven

I think the sign says it all
 

Why I think it’s one of Poland’s best cities: I honestly think this is one of Central Europe’s most beautiful cities. The Renaissance architecture in the Old Town is the real-deal, untouched by World War II. And sights like Lublin Castle and the Holy Trinity Chapel blew me away.

Lublin is also one of the best cities to visit in Poland for having the most well preserved concentration camp. Majdanek was an even more impactful experience for me than Auschwitz because the crowds there kind of ruined it. So I’d recommend a visit to Majdanek over Auschwitz any day. 

There’s also a lot of Jewish culture in Lublin because of the large Jewish population that used to live here. I’m not Jewish but I still thought Lublin’s Jewish heritagesights were really interesting.

Quick tips for visiting Lublin

• Must-see: The Majdanek Concentration Camp is the one thing in Lublin I’d say you absolutely need to do. It’s dark. It’s heartbreaking. And it’s a must-see—there’s nowhere else like it. Go here and you never have to visit a concentration camp again.
   
• Avoid: Madjanek if you don’t have the stomach. But Jan, didn’t you just say you have to visit? Well, I don’t want to hear anyone complain “Jan, you told me to go to this concentration camp and it was the most horrific place I’ve ever been and I was miserable for the rest of the day!” Well consider yourself warned. I’ve covered my bases now.
   
• Crowds: Lublin was surprisingly crowded when I visited, even during the off-season when I visited in March.  So don’t go here thinking you’ll avoid other tourists, you'll be disappointed.
   
• Time needed: One day is enough for Lublin itself. I decided to stay for 3 to explore  Kazimierz Dolny and Krzystopor Castle nearby. But for just Lublin  one day is fine.
   
• My hotel tip: Avatary Miasta

 

7. Gdynia: a ship lover’s dream city

I “ship” Gdynia and me (I’m sorry, I know I said I’d stop with the dad jokes)
 

Why I think it’s one of Poland’s best cities: This is one of the best cities to visit in Poland if you love ships. Everywhere I stepped there was another ginormous one to see. This includes right on the famous wharf and also in exhibitions like Pomeranian Quay and the Museum of Naval Forces.

Gdynia has one of Poland’s biggest seaports so the culture is all about being out on the water. Unique for Poland. 

This is a city best experienced outdoors which I really enjoyed. I don’t get enough fresh air sitting in my office so it was nice to spend so much time outside.

Quick tips for visiting Gdynia

• Must-see: Cypel Rewski, a stunning peninsula that goes deep into the Baltic Sea. I spent a half hour walking across the whole thing.
   
• Avoid: taking out your camera too often. Honestly, Gdynia isn’t that pretty in comparison to Gdansk.
   
• Crowds: Compared with Gdansk the crowds are not that bad. However, I went right at the tail end of winter so everyone was at the beach. Everyone. 
   
• Time needed: Like I said for Gdansk, one day in each city makes the most sense. But if you’re going to spend 3 days, I’d budget 1 of them for Gdynia and the other 2 for Gdansk. 

 

8. Kazimierz Dolny: Poland’s hidden medieval market square

Kazimierz Dolny, another strong contender for a historical movie set
 

Why I think it’s one of Poland’s best cities: Not to brag but I’ve traveled to lots of medieval places like royal castles, armories, palaces, etc. So I can tell you firsthand that Kazimierz Dolny ranks in the elite category

The whole place made me feel like I was walking around Winterfell. Game of Thrones anyone? That’s the kind of vibe, with the huge castle ruins and 17th-century market square.

It’s also really easy to get to Kazimierz Dolny from some of the other best cities to visit in Poland, like Lublin or Krakow, so you don’t have to go out of your way too much.  I’m always driving, be it my own car like in Poland, or renting using DiscoverCars everywhere else.

Quick tips for visiting Kazimierz Dolny

• Must-see: the Three Crosses viewpoint. From here, I could see pretty much everything.  It was one of the best views I’ve seen in the entire country.
   
• Avoid: the inside of the Kazimierz Dolny Castle ruins. The outside is another must-see, but there’s not much to see inside it.
   
• Crowds: Predictably, the market square is the most crowded area here. But it wasn’t that bad. The viewpoints were not too packed, so I was able to take lots of good pictures.
   
• Time needed: A day trip is enough. You don’t need to spend the night. I left Lublin early in the morning and returned in the evening.

 

9. Zakopane: among the best cities to visit in Poland for views

The nature around the town is breathtaking
 

Why I think it’s one of Poland’s best cities: I was drawn to Zakopane because it’s right at the foot of the Tatra Mountains.  I’ve seen Slovakia many times so I wanted to see Poland’s too. Spoiler: they did not disappoint. 

I found it interesting how different the architecture here was compared to the Slovak side. In Slovakia, it’s much simpler, but Zakopane has large wooden houses with carvings on the walls. This gave it quite the cozy alpine feel and strongly reminded me of Austria. 

Yep, there are beaches in the north and mountains in the south.  The best cities to visit in Poland are really diverse.

Quick tips for visiting Zakopane

• Must-see: the hikes. I hiked Rysy during my first visit to Zakopane and then around the Morskie Oko lake during my second. I wouldn’t miss either. 
   
• Avoid: the cable cars. Lines can be super long, and tickets for short rides are relatively expensive.
   
• Crowds: I can tell you right off the bat that at Krupowski Street, the heart of the touristy area, peak season is packed. And I mean packed. Like ‘I can’t eat at a well-rated restaurant without waiting forever’ packed.
   
• Time needed: One day is enough to hit all the highlights. If you’re planning some bigger hikes, I’d budget 2 to 3 days.

 

10. Sopot: Poland’s pint-sized spa city

Sopot was actually a very pleasant surprise
 

Why I think it’s one of Poland’s best cities: Sopot feels unlike any other Polish city I’ve visited. It’s one of the best cities to visit in Poland, just because of that. I mean, I don’t think ‘spa’ when I think of Poland—but here’s Sopot, Poland’s own mini beachside spa city. 

As much as I love history, it was nice to get a break from the heavy World War II museums and stroll by the water. There are also lots of luxury spas here if you want to take your relaxation to the next level. 

And it’s pleasantly small. I chose to drive (as usual), but you don’t need a car or even public transit to get around. Your own two feet will get you everywhere just fine.

Quick tips for visiting Sopot

• Must-see: The wharf. At 511.5 meters, this is Europe’s longest wooden pier. 
   
• Avoid: Going there when it’s too cold to enjoy the summery vibes. I visited in March, but I feel like I would’ve had a fuller experience if the weather were warmer.
   
• Crowds: Intense. Packed. Even during the off-season on a Friday afternoon, all the beaches were totally full. 
   
• Time needed: Half a day is plenty for Sopot since it’s so small. It’s a relaxing break in a long day of travel if you plop it into a Gdansk and Gdynia itinerary like I did.

 

11. Poznan: The city of...goats?

I love goats as much as the next guy, but there’s so much more to the city
 

Why I think it’s one of Poland’s best cities: I loved Poznan because it’s one of Poland’s oldest and most historic cities. It’s right between Berlin and Warsaw, so naturally it was an important trade and political center.

But what took me by surprise is that it’s symbolized by, of all animals, goats. There’s a local legend from the Middle Ages all about it, when the Renaissance town hall clock was first installed in the 16^th century. Apparently, two goats escaped the kitchen and got into a catfight (goatfight?) on top of the clock. The city’s leaders found this so hilarious that they added mechanical goats into the clock. Oh, Poland, you’re such a weird country. 

It’s also worth seeing Cathedral Island, which is the oldest part of Poznan and considered Poland’s birthplace. I found it much less hectic than the Old Town, yet more historic. Which was pretty awesome. 

Quick tips for visiting Poznan

• Must-see: the Town Hall at 12:00 pm, when the two goats emerge from the clock tower, butt heads 12 times to mark the hour, and then disappear back into the building. It’s so quick you might miss it if you blink. 
   
• Avoid: the streets outside the historic area. Once you leave the charming Old Town, you’ll be surrounded by commercialism: modern shops, restaurant chains...ugh. So not for me. 
   
• Crowds: Poznan is known for being one of the best cities to visit in Poland so it’s not exactly a hidden gem. In fact, it’s the 5th largest city in Poland. So expect there to be crowds, especially in the Old Town.
   
• Time needed: A half day is enough for the Old Town. If you want to add Cathedral Island (and you should), you’ll need a full day.

Proof that there really is more to the city than goats—It’s actually is really cute

 

Final thoughts: What are the best cities to visit in Poland?

Visiting all these cities will make your Poland trip exquisite
 

If I had to estimate how much time I’ve spent in Poland over my many years of travel, I’d guess it's over two months. So, I think I know what I’m talking about when it comes to the best cities to visit in Poland.

And ultimately, it’s hard to find a city that isn’t worth visiting in Poland.  I mean, what a quirky country Poland is. Where else can you find an amber city, a gingerbread city, a dwarf city, and a goat city in one beautiful country? Not to mention both beaches and mountains? 

I’m going to visit Poland again, it’s inevitable. And when I do, I’m sure I’ll find yet another city worth visiting. For now—you can’t go wrong with any of these 11.

 

Best cities to visit in Poland with kids

Kids will have a great time hunting for dwarves in Wroclaw, exploring the Open Air Museum in Lublin, or checking out the Copernicus Science Center and POLIN Museum in Warsaw.

POLIN was a very entertaining stop in Warsaw

 

Most beautiful towns in Poland

Some of the most beautiful towns in Poland include Malbork with its incredible castle; Sandomierz which has been nicknamed ‘little Rome’; and Chelmno in northern Poland, which is home to lots of stunning Gothic churches and intact medieval architecture.

 

Best cities to visit in Poland in winter

Zakopane takes the cake when it comes to Poland's best winter destination. You'll get cozy alpine vibes, tall mountains for skiing, and plenty of ski resorts to choose from.

 

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