Attractions
Attractions in Poland
The sights worth building a day around.
Poland's attractions run from the medieval market squares of Krakow and Wroclaw to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, the memorial at Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Teutonic castle at Malbork. Each page below covers what the place is, how long to spend and how to get there, grouped by city.
All Attractions in Poland
Sopot
Church of the Redeemer
A Lutheran church near Sopot's pier, built between 1913 and 1919, that now serves as the cathedral of the Pomeranian-Greater Poland Diocese of the Evangelical Augsburg Church.
Toruń
Museum of Toruń Gingerbread
A museum in Toruń's Old Town set inside the former Weese factory, home to the largest gingerbread collection in Europe and Central Europe's biggest set of historic wooden baking moulds.
Warsaw
St. John's Archcathedral
St. John's Archcathedral is Warsaw's oldest church, a Masovian Gothic cathedral in the Old Town where Poland's 1791 constitution was sworn and Masovian dukes were crowned and buried.
Wrocław
St. Elizabeth's Church (Garrison Church)
A Gothic red-brick church at the northwest corner of Wrocław's Market Square, with a tower of about 91.5 metres and a viewing gallery reached by climbing over 300 steps.
Zakopane
Chochołowskie Termy (Chochołów Thermal Baths)
Chochołowskie Termy is Poland's largest thermal pool complex, sitting about a 20-minute drive from Zakopane in the village of Chochołów. Around 50 pools and barrels of warm geothermal mineral water make it a year-round favourite with families and skiers.
Zamość
Zamość Fortress
Zamość Fortress is one of Poland's best-preserved star fortresses, with restored bastions and curtain walls that now form a walking route around the historic centre.
Białowieża
Royal Oaks Trail (Szlak Dębów Królewskich)
A short boardwalk loop in the Stara Białowieża tract that winds past monumental oaks, each named after a Polish king or Lithuanian duke who once hunted in the forest.
Częstochowa
Church of St. Barbara and St. Andrew
A Pauline monastery church in Częstochowa built over the spring where, by tradition, the miraculous icon of Our Lady was cleansed in 1430. It is a common second stop for pilgrims visiting nearby Jasna Góra.
Gdańsk
Long Street and the Royal Route (ulica Długa)
Długa (Long Street) is the main pedestrian street of Gdańsk's Main Town and the western stretch of the historic Royal Route, lined with tall reconstructed burgher houses and the city's landmark buildings.
Katowice
Market Square (Rynek w Katowicach)
Katowice's central square, rebuilt in a modern form between 2015 and 2016, is the main pedestrian gathering point downtown, combining three linked public spaces with greenery, fountains and open room to sit.
Kazimierz Dolny
Reformed Franciscan Church and Monastery
A Baroque church and working Franciscan monastery set on a hill above Kazimierz Dolny, reached by a terraced path with a wide view over the town and the Vistula valley.
Kraków
St. Florian's Gate (Brama Floriańska)
St. Florian's Gate is the last standing city gate of medieval Kraków and the northern start of the Royal Route. This Gothic gate-tower dates to 1307 and leads onto Florianska Street toward the Main Square.
Poland fits a lot into one country: medieval market squares, a salt mine carved into underground chapels, the memorial at Auschwitz-Birkenau, mountain trails and a long Baltic coast. Seventeen places hold UNESCO World Heritage status, and most of the headline attractions cluster around the cities you are likely to base yourself in, so a first trip rarely means long transfers.
Where the big attractions are
Krakow has the densest cluster: the Main Market Square, laid out in 1257 and among the largest medieval squares in Europe, the underground Wieliczka Salt Mine, and the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial within a day trip. Warsaw rebuilt its Old Town from wartime rubble, Gdansk lines the Motlawa with tall merchant houses, and Wroclaw and Torun keep intact Gothic centres. The mountains around Zakopane and the lakes of Masuria add the outdoor side.
How to choose
Group attractions by the city you are staying in rather than chasing them across the map. Krakow, Warsaw and Gdansk each reward two or three days and put more sights within an easy day trip. For the classic sights that define the country, see the best viewpoints and our city guides.
Before you go
The busiest sites use timed entry, so book Wieliczka and the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial ahead, especially in summer. Many state museums have one free day a week. Tickets are good value by European standards; our note on costs in Poland has the typical prices.
Attractions by city
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