Trip Report: Poland – Country #43

Trip Report: Poland

Visited in October 2016

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Poland is one of the largest countries in Europe, both in terms of population and area. However, the country is not really one of the tourist magnets on the continent. At least not when compared to heavyweights like Italy or France. Poland seems to be a classic “under the radar” destination in Europe.

I visited this country twice so far. My first trip happened in the middle of October 2016. Together with my friend Nadia, I spent a weekend in Kraków, Poland’s second largest city. Seven years later, I returned to the country with Kati to visit Warsaw, the capital city.

In this article I briefly describe my two trips to Poland and draw a conclusion about this destination at the end.

Hungover in Kraków

Kraków is a city that got a lot of hype at the time when I went. And it probably still does today. Various friends of mine already visited the city before I went and raved about the fabulous nightlife. At least back then, it was also the only Polish city where I could fly directly to from my homwtown Basel. Therefore, it was a no-brainer that Kraków will become the first place I visit in my 43rd country.

This is what I wrote about the city after my visit:

Krakow is an inexpensive student city in Poland, which is attractive on the one hand for culturally interested travelers and on the other hand for party-crazy bachelors. The city is manageable in size, has some nice sights and is also quite cheap. Krakow is well worth a (long) weekend, but the city is lagging behind other Central and Eastern European cities.

Krakow definitely has charm. The old town has a beautiful, colorful and also a bit melancholic architecture. This old town is the showpiece of the city and certainly one of the more beautiful in Europe. Above all there is the Marian Basilica, probably the most important landmark of the city. An (exhausting) ascent to the tower is worthwhile and a must if you are in Krakow.

Those interested in culture can visit the Jewish quarter or the Schindler factory, or take a day trip to Auschwitz. Furthermore, there are a few sights worth seeing.

Besides the sights Krakow scores with cheap prices. The hotel prices are in the lower European midfield and also food and drinks are very cheap. Transport (taxi and bus) is also affordable.

The city is also a popular for stag parties and you will likely see hordes of drunk Brits even in the afternoon. As Krakow is a student city, nightlife around main square is a bit cheap (= headache booze).

And although Krakow has a lot to offer, the city can’t quite keep up with other cities nearby (Prague or Vienna, for example). These cities have the advantage that they are a bit bigger and offer more for the tourists. Nevertheless, Krakow is worthwhile, and the city is definitely better than Bratislava, Sofia or Bucharest.

written in 2017

The truth is that I found Kralów a bit overrated. I thought the city was okay, but nothing more. The so-hyped nightlife was no better than in most European cities with more than 200,000 inhabitants. To be fair, I have to admit that I saw far less of the city than I intended to. Since our hangover was too big on both Saturday and Sunday, neither the trip to Auschwitz nor the visit to the salt mine happened, which is – in hindsight – a shame.

Don’t get me wrong, Kraków was not bad. But it was not a city that I said afterwards I would have to visit a second time.

It took me a while until I revisited Poland. In fact, I was just too busy visiting new countries so that Poland has not been my highest priority anymore.

Warsaw – my second-last European capital

However, in 2020 I booked flights to Warsaw because I really wanted to spend a second weekend in Poland. Unfortunately, I did my booking early in the year and when COVID-19 came, the airline canceled the trip. The next attempt followed in 2023 and this time, the trip finally happened. It was August and I was going to spend Friday evening until Sunday afternoon in Poland’s capital city.

Funnily enough, I found that Warsaw, unlike Kraków, doesn’t get too much hype. While everyone raves about Poland’s second largest city, the capital seems to get only a shrug of the shoulders at best. At worst, the people turn up their nose. That’s how it was with people I know who had already been to Warsaw. “Rather not worth it” was often the feedback I heard.

I still had a great desire to visit Warsaw, for several reasons. First, because there are a lot of things to do in Warsaw that I find interesting. And second, because Warsaw is one of the cities with the most skyscrapers in Europe – and I love skyscrapers. Third, and this is probably only important for a statistics freak like me, Warsaw should be my 46th out of 47 capitals in Europe. Reasons enough to go to Warsaw, I think.

Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t let the negative feedback get to me, because I absolutely loved Warsaw. Incredibly exciting city, if you ask me. Apart from the Old Town, maybe not the most beautiful, I have to admit, however World War II wasn’t exactly kind to Warsaw either. 90% of the city was destroyed after the war, so they even considered rebuilding the city at all and making Lodz the new capital of Poland instead.

However, in the end the decision was made to rebuild Warsaw. And so the old town is also completely reconstructed, but I guess no one would notice that. The old town looks like a fairly typical European old town, that is, a market square, churches nearby (of course with a bell tower that you can climb), plus a lot of old, colorful houses. Nevertheless, I would say that Warsaw’s old town stands out and belongs to the most beautiful in Europe.

What really excited me about Warsaw was the uniqueness of the city. On one side the typical European old town, on the other side the modern part of the city with 12 skyscrapers. Compared to Hong Kong, that may be a joke, but by European standards, that’s a considerable number and among the top 10 on the continent.

Probably the most striking skyscraper is also the most controversial. The Palace of Culture and Science was a gift from Stalin to the Polish People’s Republic. As it reminds of the dark times of Poland, this building is not very popular among many Poles. Besides, tastes differ quite a bit when it comes to this building. Some find the palace beautiful, others – myself included – an ugly communist building.

However, the tower offers a cool 360° view over Warsaw. It’s worth buying the ticket in advance online, so you don’t have to stand in line for so long. Moreover, it is better if you come in the morning, because the sun sets on the most beautiful side. Thus, you have a better view of this side in the morning or at noon.

The Palace of Culture and Science, by the way, is not the only attraction that reminds of communist Poland. Poland, known as the Polish People’s Republic from 1952 to 1989, was part of the Eastern Bloc, a coalition of communist countries led by the Soviet Union, after World War II. About 15 minutes south of the Palace of Culture and Science is a museum dedicated to life under communism.

The museum’s name is “Museum of Life in the Polish People’s Republic” (or Muzeum Zycia w PRL) and shows how typical apartments looked like in that time (spoiler: they were tiny). The museum also displays various products from that time and describes what importance things like sports, travel, culture and so on had in that period. Small museum, but definitely worth a visit.

In general, Warsaw has an incredible abundance of museums. Some have to do with the Second World War, others are dedicated to other topics. Frédéric Chopin, probably the most famous Polish composer (the capital’s airport is named after him), has his own museum. There are also curious museums, such as the world’s narrowest house, for which you can arrange a tour.

If the museums are not enough and you want to get a closer look at Europe’s darkest times, you have the option of visiting the Treblinka concentration camp, which is just over an hour from Warsaw. Theoretically, you could also make a day trip to Auschwitz, which is about three and a half hours away.

Even in Warsaw, you are occasionally reminded of these times. For example, when you go to the Jewish quarter. In the 1940s, it was the Warsaw Ghetto, where nearly 500,000 Jews had to live under inhumane conditions. Before the Second World War, Warsaw had the largest Jewish community in the world after New York. Today, there is even a museum dedicated to the history of the Polish Jews (the POLIN Museums).

Yes, Poland is certainly a country that has had a troubled century. First victim of the Nazis, then under Russian dictatorship for several decades. In Warsaw, you can learn about the sad times of this country. However, it now sounds as if Warsaw is an incredibly depressive city. It is not. If you don’t specifically look for these dark topics, you’ll find Warsaw to be a typically Central European (large) city.

Anyway, looking back, I will remember Warsaw as a pretty cool city. I can honestly understand when people say that the city didn’t live up to their expectations. After all, except for the Old Town, Warsaw is not a beautiful city. But the Polish capital has suffered the same fate as Berlin. A once beautiful city became a ruin during the Second World War, from which an industrial style city emerged.

I would and will definitely go back to Warsaw again. In retrospect, I thought it was almost a shame that I only had two days, which was too little time for all the activities I would have actually liked to do. All in all, however, I would rank Warsaw in comparison to other European capitals in the upper third. And I find Warsaw better than Kraków in any case.

Poland – top or flop?

After two trips I can only say good things about Poland. Beautiful cities, interesting history, cool things to do and much more. I think most international tourists visit Poland because of its cities. With Warsaw, Kraków, Gdańsk and Wrocław, Poland has a lot of cities that are worth visiting, and in the meantime I can’t wait to see the last two.

Admittedly, apart from the cities, I didn’t know what else you can do in Poland until five seconds ago. But be honest, if you’re not Polish yourself, you’ll probably feel the same way. However, a quick internet search shows that the country’s nature has a lot to offer. In Poland you can find mountains, forests, lakes, rivers and of course beaches. And when I look at the pictures, I have to say that this nature does not have to hide from the nature of other European countries.

But there is even more. How about Polish food, for example? Admittedly, Polish cuisine is not very well known in the world, but most people have probably heard of pierogi. These dumplings are most likely the most famous Polish dish. During my two visits to Poland, I learned that the quality of pierogi can vary massively. But if you catch a dish of the better quality, it is simply delicious.

At the end of the day, Polish cuisine, just like the others from Central Europe, is a matter of taste. For some it will be too hearty, for me it is just right. Funnily enough, I even found certain similarities to Belarusian cuisine, having been in the neighboring country to the east three weeks earlier.

What also speaks for Poland are the low prices. The stay at the Sofitel cost me about €110 per night. In many cities, you easily pay double for it. In other respects, I found neither Warsaw nor Krakow particularly expensive. At least, cheaper than Western Europe!

Just as I would rank Warsaw in the top third compared to other European capitals, I would rank Poland in the same way compared to other European countries. It is in any case an underrated country, which I will definitely visit again. I’m already looking forward to my third visit.

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