Travel to Poland

Browse listings of Home Exchange, Vacation Rentals, Homestay, B&B (furnished apartments, villas, cottages, condos, farmhouses and other types of accommodations) of Poland:

Vacation Rentals	Home Exchange	Bed and Breakfast	Homestay
Dolnoslaskie	Dolnoslaskie	Dolnoslaskie	Dolnoslaskie
Kujawsko-Pomorskie	Kujawsko-Pomorskie	Kujawsko-Pomorskie	Kujawsko-Pomorskie
Lodzkie	Lodzkie	Lodzkie	Lodzkie
Lubelskie	Lubelskie	Lubelskie	Lubelskie
Lubuskie	Lubuskie	Lubuskie	Lubuskie
Malopolskie	Malopolskie	Malopolskie	Malopolskie
Mazowieckie	Mazowieckie	Mazowieckie	Mazowieckie
Opolskie	Opolskie	Opolskie	Opolskie
Podkarpackie	Podkarpackie	Podkarpackie	Podkarpackie
Podlaskie	Podlaskie	Podlaskie	Podlaskie
Pomorskie	Pomorskie	Pomorskie	Pomorskie
Slaskie	Slaskie	Slaskie	Slaskie
Swietokrzyskie	Swietokrzyskie	Swietokrzyskie	Swietokrzyskie
Warminsko-Mazurskie	Warminsko-Mazurskie	Warminsko-Mazurskie	Warminsko-Mazurskie
Wielkopolskie	Wielkopolskie	Wielkopolskie	Wielkopolskie
Zachodnio-pomorskie	Zachodnio-pomorskie	Zachodnio-pomorskie	Zachodnio-pomorskie

Last Minute Tips Before you Travel to Poland

• Time Zone: GMT/UTC +1 (Eastern European Time)
• Electricity: 220V, 50 Hz (bring an adapter/transformer for your hair drier, laptop, cellular phone etc.)
• Weights & measures: Metric
• Currency: Polish Złoty

Must See - Properties on UNESCO World Heritage List 

• Poland Cracow's Historic Centre
• Wieliczka Salt Mine
• Auschwitz Concentration Camp
• Bialowieza Forest
• Historic Centre of Warsaw
• Old City of Zamosc
• Medieval Town of Torun
• Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork
• Kalwaria Zebrzydowska: the Mannerist Architectural and Park Landscape Complex and Pilgrimage Park
• Churches of Peace in Jawor and Swidnica
• Wooden Churches of Southern Little Poland
• Park Muzakowski

Poland

Location
Central Europe, east of Germany

Capital
Warsaw

Population
38,415,284 (July 2012 est.)

Polish Regions:
Poland consists of 16 provinces (voivodships) with largest Mazovia where Warsaw, capital of Poland is located.
Dolnoslaskie(Lower Silesia), Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Lodzkie, Lubelskie, Lubuskie, Malopolskie(Little Poland), Mazowieckie(Mazovia), Opolskie, Podkarpackie( Subcarpathia), Podlaskie, Pomorskie(Pomerania), Slaskie(Silesia), Swietokrzyskie, Warminsko-Mazurskie(Warmia & Mazury), Wielkopolskie(Greater Poland), Zachodniopomorskie (Western Pomerania)

Largest cities of Poland
Warsaw, Łódź, Kraków, Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk, Szczecin, Bydgoszcz, Lublin, Katowice

Climate
temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers

Ethnic groups
Polish 96.7%, German 0.4%, Belarusian 0.1%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other and unspecified 2.7% (2002 census)

Religions
Roman Catholic 89.8% [about 75% practicing], Eastern Orthodox 1.3%, Protestant 0.3%, other 0.3%, unspecified 8.3% (2002)

Languages
Polish (official) 97.8%, other and unspecified 2.2% (2002 census)

Government type
Republic

Background
Poland's history as a state begins near the middle of the 10th century. By the mid-16th century, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ruled a vast tract of land in central and eastern Europe. During the 18th century, internal disorders weakened the nation, and in a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland among themselves. Poland regained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite state following the war, but its government was comparatively tolerant and progressive. Labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" that over time became a political force with over ten million members. Free elections in 1989 and 1990 won Solidarity control of the parliament and the presidency, bringing the Communist era to a close. A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. With its transformation to a democratic, market-oriented country largely completed, Poland is an increasingly active member of Euro-Atlantic organizations.

Flag of Poland
Colors derive from the Polish emblem - a white eagle on a red field note: similar to the flags of Indonesia and Monaco which are red (top) and white.

Polish Basic Words

Yes - Tak (tahk)
No - Nie (neh)
Thank you - Dziękuję (dzhehnkooyeh)
Please - Proszę (prosheh)
I'm sorry - Przepraszam (pshehprahshahm)
Excuse me - Przepraszam (pshehprahshahm)
Hi -Cześć (cheshch)
Hello - Dzień dobry (dzhehn dobri)
Goodbye - Do widzenia(do veedzehnah)
Good morning - Dzień dobry (dzhehn dobri)
Good night - Dobranoc (dobrahnots)
How are you? -Jak się, masz? (yahk syeh mash)
Vegetarian - Wegetarianin (vehgehtahryahneen)
Cheers! - Na zdrowie! (nah zdrovyeh)
Coffee - Kawa (kahvah)
Tea - Herbata (hehrbahtah)
Juice - Sok
Water - Woda (vodah)

Some Polish Dishes

In Polish cuisine you will find a lot of sauerkraut, beetroot, cucumbers, sour cream, eggs, mushrooms, dill, sausages and smoked sausages. If you are vegeterian you can find some vegeterian dishes as well.

• Golabki, or cabbage rolls - cabbage rolls stuffed with meat cooked in sauce
• Bigos - Hunter's Stew  - cooked, seasoned sauerkraut "hunter" stew with various kinds of meats and sausages
• Kielbasa - sausage seasoned with special spices (are speciality of Poland)
• Pierogi - dumplings with a wide variety of fillings
• Barszcz czerwony - hot refreshing beetroot soup, sometimes with dumplings
• Żurek - sour rye soup with potato, sausage or an egg, sometimes served in a bread loaf
• Placki kartoflane - potato pancakes
• Makowiec - sweet poppy cake
• Nalesniki - omelets stuffed with meat or jam, fruit, etc. very similar to crepes
• Sernik- delicious cheese cake

Poland Travel and Accommodation – Your Tips for Travelers

If you would like to share your experiences of traveling to  Poland or to any other country, please send us your article and we will gladly post it at this website.

About Poland  by Joe Wiebe
Honeymoon in Poland - Warsaw  by Joe Wiebe
Honeymoon in Poland - Krakow  by Joe Wiebe
Honeymoon in Poland - Gdansk  by Joe Wiebe
Wieliczka Salt Mine in Poland by Donna M. Kocinski
Wieliczka Salt Mine, Part II  by Donna M. Kocinski
Bialowieza Forest; Polish Bison; Bison Grass; Bison Vodka  by  Lorraine Grochowski Kiefer

Source: Central Intelligence Agency.
Disclaimer: Although we have tried to make the information on this website as accurate as possible, some of the facts may not be accurate, or may have recently changed. We do not accept any responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience suffered by anyone resulting from this information. You should verify important information with the relevant authorities before traveling.