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
Łódź
Museum of Cinematography (Scheibler Palace)
Poland's only museum devoted to film history, set inside the opulent Karl Scheibler Palace in Łódź, the city nicknamed the Polish Hollywood.
Lublin
Centre for the Meeting of Cultures
A large modern cultural complex on Theatre Square in Lublin, home to the Musical Theatre, the Lublin Philharmonic and the Hans Christian Andersen Theatre, with a free terraced rooftop garden open to the public.
Olsztyn
Railway Viaducts over the Łyna
A pair of monumental red-brick railway viaducts crossing the Łyna river valley in Olsztyn, the older dating from 1871-1872. Their tall arched spans and industrial architecture make them one of the valley's most photographed landmarks.
Poznań
Royal Castle and Museum of Applied Arts
A reconstructed royal castle on Przemysł Hill above Poznań's Old Market Square, now home to the Museum of Applied Arts and a 43-metre view tower.
Sopot
Sierakowski Manor
A late-18th-century manor on ulica Czyzewskiego, now a free cultural centre known for changing art exhibitions and its Thursday chamber-music concerts.
Toruń
Raftsman Fountain (Flisak Monument)
A small 1914 fountain on Toruń's Old Town Market Square showing a raftsman playing a violin among bronze frogs, tied to a local legend about a plague of frogs.
Warsaw
Multimedia Fountain Park
Multimedia Fountain Park sits just north of Warsaw's Old Town near the Vistula, where free summer evening shows combine water, light, laser and music.
Wrocław
Salt Square (Plac Solny)
Salt Square is a medieval market square beside Wrocław's Market Square, known today for flower stalls that trade around the clock.
Zakopane
National Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima at Krzeptowki
A Zakopane church built in thanksgiving for Pope John Paul II surviving the 1981 assassination attempt, and one of Poland's leading Fatima sanctuaries.
Zamość
Salt Market (Rynek Solny)
Rynek Solny is one of Zamość's two smaller market squares, named for the salt trade that once passed through it and marked today by a large ship's anchor.
Białowieża
Białowieża Handcars (Draisines)
Hand-powered railway trolleys that visitors pedal along a disused line running towards Białowieża, passing through forest and meadow. Groups power the cars themselves, making it a hands-on activity for families.
Częstochowa
Częstochowa Planetarium
A university-run planetarium in Częstochowa where a domed spherical cinema projects simulated night skies and astronomical phenomena for public audiences.
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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