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
State Art Gallery (PGS)
The State Art Gallery (Państwowa Galeria Sztuki, or PGS) is one of Poland's leading contemporary art institutions, set at Plac Zdrojowy in central Sopot with changing exhibitions across three floors.
Toruń
Church of St. James
The Gothic parish church of Toruń's New Town, begun in 1309 and the only true basilica among the city's medieval churches, known for its glazed brick decoration, flying buttresses and 14th-century wall paintings.
Warsaw
Warsaw Mermaid Statue (Pomnik Syrenki)
The bronze mermaid at the centre of Warsaw's Old Town Market Square is the city's emblem and legendary guardian, shown raising a sword and shield.
Wrocław
Sky Tower
Sky Tower is Wrocław's tallest building, rising about 212 metres, with an observation deck that opens up panoramic views across the city, the Oder River and the plains beyond.
Zakopane
Tatra Museum (Main Building), Zakopane
The Tatra Museum on Krupówki Street is the oldest and largest museum in the Podhale region, with permanent displays on the history, ethnography and natural history of the Tatras. Its purpose-built home is a listed example of the Zakopane Style.
Zamość
Zamoyski Academy
The Zamoyski Academy was Poland's first private university, founded in 1594 by Crown Chancellor Jan Zamoyski. Its restored late-Baroque building stands in Zamość Old Town and now houses a high school.
Białowieża
Open-Air Museum (Skansen) in Białowieża
An open-air folk-architecture museum in Białowieża village that gathers traditional wooden rural buildings of the region, including dwellings, a barn, two windmills and an octagonal chapel.
Częstochowa
Staszic Park
Staszic Park is the oldest public park in Częstochowa, laid out in 1826 on the eastern approach to Jasna Góra. It links the Avenue of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the monastery hill and draws pilgrims and residents heading up to the sanctuary.
Gdańsk
Artus Court (Dwor Artusa)
A grand merchants' meeting hall on Gdansk's Long Market, now a branch of the Museum of Gdansk, home to one of Europe's tallest tiled stoves.
Katowice
Mariacka Street (ulica Mariacka)
Mariacka Street is Katowice's pedestrian nightlife strip in the city centre, lined with bars, restaurants and cafes and shaded by cherry trees that flower in spring.
Kazimierz Dolny
Jewish Cemetery and Wailing Wall Memorial
A memorial wall in Kazimierz Dolny built from around 600 surviving Jewish tombstones, split by a vertical crack that stands for the fate of Poland's Jews.
Kraków
Church of Saints Peter and Paul
Kraków's first fully Baroque church, on Grodzka Street, known for its apostle statues, a national crypt and the longest Foucault pendulum in Poland.
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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