Destination Fly4free: Poland

Stunning sandy coast, mountains and lakes, 15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, charming villages and castles – often overlooked as a travel destination, Poland has it all! Be surprised and amazed by how beautiful this country is!

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Castles

If you love castles, you must definitely put Poland on your bucket list. This country boasts with hundreds of fortified structures. Malbork is a must-stop city for history enthusiasts The 13th-century Teutonic Castle is a classic example of a medieval fortress. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is actually the largest castle in the world measured by land area and the largest brick building in Europe. Książ, Krzyżtopór, Moszna, Krasiczyn, Kórnik, Niedzica, Gołuchów, Będzin and Bolków are some of the most beautiful castles in Poland.

Explore the Castles of the Eagles' Nests in the south of the country. This is a marked trail along a chain of 25 medieval castles between Częstochowa and Kraków. Most of the castles are located on large, tall rocks of the Polish Jura Chain featuring many limestone cliffs and valleys. One of the most interesting is the Ogrodzieniec Castle, situated on the 515.5-metre-high Castle Mountain.

Photo: Stefan Dinse, Shutterstock

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How to get there:
Take a look at the flight deals to Poland:

• HOT! Cheap non-stop flights from Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam to Warsaw, Poland for only €116 / $135 one way! >>
• Cheap summer flights from Vilnius to Gdansk or Warsaw and vice versa for only €19.98! >>
• EasyJet to resume flights from London Luton to Krakow, Poland! Tickets from just £13 one way! >>
• SUMMER: Cheap Wizz Air flights to Poland with 20% discount! >>
• Crazy cheap Ibis Budget Hotels rooms in Poland for only €9/ $10! >>

Where to stay:
In Warsaw you can stay at 3* Ibis Budget Warszawa Centrum with very good reviews. Located just one kilometer from Warsaw Central Train Station, Ibis Warszawa Centrum hotel features air-conditioned, quiet rooms with satellite TV and free internet access. It also offers a varied breakfast buffet. This Ibis hotel is just a 5 minute walk from the Warsaw Uprising Museum. Guests can also easily reach the Old Town, about 2.4 km away. The L’Estaminet bistro at Ibis Warszawa Centrum serves French, Polish and Italian dishes. For an evening cocktail, guests can head to the Le Comptoir bar. The hotel provides guests with an underground parking garage and 24/7 front desk service.

In Gdansk we recommend you to book 3* Gryf Hotel with good reviews. Located just 200 m from Gdańsk Shipyard Museum, This 3-star hotel offers spacious rooms with satellite TV and a private bathroom. Hotel Gryf is situated 15-minute walk from the Main Railway Station and 20-minute walk from the Old Town. Excellent bus and tram connections allow for easy access to all parts of Gdańsk. The rooms at Hotel Gryf feature a table with armchairs and a work desk. The bathroom comes with a bath with a shower, an electric towel drier and a hairdryer. Ironing facilities are available at the front desk. There is a computer with free internet access in the reception area. Internet hotspot is available in the entire hotel. The front desk staff is available 24 hours a day.

What to do:
Admire the breathtaking architecture of the Polish cities – the Old City of Zamość and the Medieval Town of Toruń with Nicolaus Copernicus House and Gingerbread Museum.

If you are interested in learning about World War II, there are many interesting sights in Poland such as Warsaw Uprising Museum, Wolf’s Lair (Wilczy Szaniec) or Auschwitz Birkenau – the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp.

Taste delicious Polish cuisine. Pierogi is a must-try food. If you go to the Tatra Mountains, you should definitely buy some traditional smoked cheese, oscypek. If you want to save some money, try eating at Milk Bar.

Poland is an ideal destination for outdoors enthusiasts. If you love swimming, hiking or skiing, you can do everything here! The country’s thousands of pristine lakes and the long sandy coastline offer perfect conditions for water sports. Orłowo in Gdynia is a hotspot for paragliders. The forests and mountains are good for biking, trekking and bird watching.

In the North you can explore the sand dunes of Słowiński National Park, situated on the Baltic coast. It’s the largest stretch of moving sand dunes in Europe. Some dunes are quite high – up to 30 metres.

Check out The Crooked Forest (Krzywy Las) with its oddly-shaped pine trees located outside Nowe Czarnowo, West Pomerania.

Go to Biskupin archaeological museum, a life-size model of an Iron Age fortified settlement.

In the East you should visit Białowieża Forest – one of the last and largest remaining parts of the immense primeval forest that once stretched across the European Plain. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to the largest population of the European bison, Europe’s heaviest land animal. Take the Żebra Żubra (“the bison ribs”) nature trail through the forest. Part of the 3,5 km track is on a raised boardwalk. The trail leads across wooden footbridges through the wet forest. At the end of the track you will reach the Bison Show Reserve.

In the West you can attend The Festival of Wine in Zielona Góra. The fest starts in the first or second week of September and lasts for nine days.

In the South you should Discover Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines that have been mined since the 13th century and are the oldest of its type in Europe. Both mines have hundreds of kilometres of galleries with works of art, underground chapels and statues sculpted in the salt.

Take part in Zakopane Festival of Highland Folklore, which is held every year in August or Kraków Nativity Scene Contest Exhibition in December.

See the wooden churches of Southern Małopolska and The Painted Village of Zalipie.

Admire the characteristic rock formations of the Ojców National Park in the Polish Jurassic Highland.

Explore Tarnowskie Góry Lead-Silver-Zinc Mine and its underground water management system.

Visit Bear’s Cave in the Sudety Mountains or Paradise Cave in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains (Holy Cross Mountains). In Kościeliska Valley in the Tatra Mountains you’ll find Mylna or Mroźna Caves.

Those in search of thrills should check out The Skull Chapel (Kaplica Czaszek) in Kudowa-Zdrój.

You can relax in one of many spas, health clinics and sanatoriums offering superior medical and wellness treatments. Polish health resorts have rich resources of mineral waters with medicinal properties.

Go to Błędów Desert – Central Europe’s largest accumulation of loose sand in an area away from any sea, deposited thousands of years ago by a melting glacier.

If you love partying, you cannot miss Poland! There are plenty of bars and free-entrance clubs to go and drinks are affordable.

Visit Lodz, once famous for its textile industry, now well-known for its film school and Manufaktura shopping and leisure complex. Enjoy the city’s bustling nightlife with an excellent selection of pubs, bars, nightclubs and outdoor beer gardens.

Culture lovers can enjoy Poland’s music scene that ranges from jazz and medieval to opera music. Outdoor concerts take place in parks and squares during summer, while the church concerts and operas highlight the winter season.

Take a train to the countryside and observe the idyllic landscapes on your way. Admire the picturesque old wooden architecture in the rural areas and try some ecological, organic, homemade food in the farmland.

If you’re looking for unique souvenirs you can go shopping in one of various shops and malls or search for handicraft in the Christmas and Easter markets.

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