Posted On: 1 Jan 2018
Category: Poland
The Best Big Cities to Visit in Poland Table of contents
Kraków (pronounced as "crack-off" in Polish, but many English speaks pronounce it as "crack-cow")
Krakow has around 1 million inhabitants, and has one of the nicest main squares in all of Europe. People flock to Kraków and tend to fall in love with the city.
Nearby attractions include the salt mines at Wieliczka (around 15-25 min car journey away from the main square).
There is also the famous Auschwitz concentration camp close by, and lots of tourist companies offer trips there (it is around 1 hour away by car). However of course it is a very sad day!
Zakopane (pronounced "zak-oh-pan-eh")
Around 2 hours south by coach from Kraków is Zakopane. It is a small mountain city, with some fantastic views. It is very popular and its main town has a big high street in the middle. It is perfect to go and explore, and if you wanted to actually climb some mountains then you are surrounded by them!
Warsaw (in Polish: Warszawa, pronounced 'var-szava')
The capital! Warsaw feels very different than any other city in Poland - but of course that is to be expected from a capital city! The city was destroyed in WWII (go to some of the war museums to really see the damage done!) and has been rebuilt over the last 70-80 years.
It is a huge city, with a large mix of foreigners and locals. Lots of new and modern buildings, along with old looking (but reconstructed from photos and paintings) areas in the central parts.
Wrocław ('vro-slav')
Wrocław is quite similar to Kraków. It takes around 3.5 hours from Kraków by coach, but it is worth the visit. The city is famous for all of its dwarfs, which are small (~20cm high) ornaments that can be found all over the city on the pavement/sidewalk. There are over a hundred to find!
There is a nice main square, with lots of tasty restaurants in this area.
Outside of the main square area you can find a collection of small islands (connected by foot bridges) - perfect for summer weather to go and relax on the grass!
Gdanśk / Sopot / Gdynia
These three cities are very close to each other, so if you visit on then you'll end up visiting all three.
They can be found on the north-west edge of Poland, right by the seaside! There are some nice beaches, nice views and they are nice cities to explore!