All The Dos & Don’ts Of Travelling In Poland

Travelling in Poland offers a unique blend of rich history, vibrant culture, and modern amenities. Whether you’re exploring bustling cities like Warsaw and Kraków or the serene countryside, understanding local customs and practical tips can enhance your experience.

With cheerful people, vibrant market squares, efficient local transport, and fairly cheap prices for Western Europe & Nordic countries standards, Poland is rapidly becoming a favourite of global tourist. And this blog is important because it provides essential dos and don’ts to help you navigate Poland confidently and respectfully.​

Things to keep in mind while travelling in Poland

Generic Poland travel tips

1. Learn basic Polish words/phrases – it is considered a good gesture when visiting new people at the supermarket, restaurants, a cafe, or a ticket counter. Dzień Dobry, Do widzenia, Dobry Wieczor, Miłego dnia, Dobranoc, Prosze, Przepraszam, and Dziękuję are some of the most important Polish words I highly recommend learning before your trip to Poland. Polish people are warm and welcoming, and appreciate such warm gestures.

2. Reach out to youngsters compared to older people when asking for help or information. Compared to old folks, most youngsters in Poland speak English and are easy to communicate with.

3. Check for free wifi in public places, restaurants, cafes, or libraries. Want to buy a local SIM card? Try super-cheap internet and national/international calling offers from Lycamobile. Go with your passport to the nearest Zabka store.

4. Don’t get loud after 10 pm. Residential areas in the city are mostly quiet, and your neighbours might call the police on you.

5. When travelling to Poland in winter, try starting the day excursions as early as possible. The sunset time in winter is around 4:00 pm. Make the best of daylight while it lasts! On the contrary, summer in Poland is the opposite, when you can take advantage of the excellent weather and prolonged day hours. Summer nights are the best.

6. Polish winters are harsh and require thorough preparation. City temperatures sometimes drop below -16 degrees Celsius, and the mountains are even more brutal. Come well-equipped with the right clothes to stand the Polish winter.

7. For groceries, Biedronka, Lidl, Auchan, Dino, and Carrefour are the biggest chains of supermarkets in Poland. Zabka, literally on every street corner in popular Polish cities, is your last-minute option. Remember, it is pricier than supermarkets, but comes to the rescue on Sundays when all the major shops and supermarkets are closed.

Public transport and discount tickets

1. Make good use of the public transport, especially in major cities in Poland.

2. Follow the traffic lights carefully while crossing the streets. Even on the busiest city roads, people drive quite fast. Wait for your light to go green. Moreover, on a bad day, you can get a ticket for jumping the pedestrian red signal.

3. Make the most of Next Bikes (city bikes) during autumn and summer in Poland. Nextbikes are free for the first 20 minutes, and then they charge you 2 pln for the next 40 minutes. Bicycle tracks across major cities in Poland are properly marked.

4. Make the best of the 24 or 48-hour public transport ticket. Regional trains and intercity trains also offer long-term or seasonal tickets. Check at the ticket counter or on their website

5. Trains in Poland are a super-efficient, clean, and affordable means of transport for everyone. Regional trains like Koleje Dolnośląskie in Lower Silesia bring exciting ticket offers for solo travellers as well as those travelling in a group. 

If you are a Polish university student under 26, you are eligible for a 51% discount on train tickets. Moreover, weekend tickets come in handy if you have extensive travelling to do, including multiple transfers in different IC trains.

Optionally, group discounts apply to people travelling in Poland with family or friends. I highly recommend checking available offers at the ticket counter. The railway ticket counters are among those places where your Polish knowledge will be tested.

6. There are places/cities where you can buy tickets for trams/trains. For example, you can buy paper tickets for public transport in Wroclaw, but some cities in Poland (like Gdansk) don’t offer that option. It’s best to buy via the app.

7. Jakdojade is a unified app for public transport in Poland. The app helps you locate buses/trams and navigate to stations across all the major Polish cities. It is recommended to install the app while on your trip to Poland.

8. Don’t fall for the taxis hovering around the train station or airports. They are crazy expensive compared to taxi apps like Uber or Bolt. Every tourist destination in Poland offers great public transport connectivity from the airport to the city centre, so make use of it. At some airports, there are options to share a van or make use of an airport shuttle. It’s your cheapest alternative!

9. BlaBlaCar is another cheap option to travel in Poland, hassle-free. It comes as a saviour when you have to travel during odd hours when buses/trains aren’t available or are way too expensive.

ii) Money matters!

1. Be careful about the places where you can pay in cash and where you can pay by card. Carry sufficient cash while travelling, but always try paying by card first. Paying by card always saves the money you can lose at the Exchange Kantor. Also, it keeps you safe from collecting annoying coins.

2. Avoid currency exchange counters at the airport. Try carrying some Euros/Zloty from your home country and look for options with a good Kantor exchange rate. The shops labelled as Kantor Cent are reputed for the best money conversion rate, always look for this shop in the major cities in Poland. If you already live as an expat in Poland, the ING bank app gives you a good exchange rate. 

3. Compare the price online before exchanging to find out which Kantor offers the best money exchange rate in Poland. Also, check different sources to know the best available rate. Moreover, you can also use your debit card, which is mostly international. While withdrawing money at the ATM, they display the additional charges to pay. In some cases, this charge is nominal, and you won’t lose much money.

Food, water, and alcohol

1. Tap water is mostly drinkable across Poland. While buying a water bottle from a store, check if it’s labelled ‘Niegazowana’, which means ‘No Gas’. If you like sparkling water, it is marked ‘Gazowana‘

2. Try the morning coffee with one of the many sweetbreads at Piekarnia. They come with different fillings like chocolate, peach, berry, apple, and cheese, and taste divine, especially when fresh out of the oven in the morning.

3. Pierogi, Bigos, żurek, and Oscypek are traditional Polish foods worth a try on your trip to Poland.

4. Zapiekanka is the Polish answer to Italian pizza. It is a baguette cut in half, topped with mushrooms/salami, cheese and much more, with a variety of sauces and other toppings to choose from.

5. Alcohol in Poland is cheap! Sometimes you can find a can of beer for 2 pln or 45 cents. Don’t come back without trying Zubrowka & Soplica.

6. Drinking alcohol in public places is prohibited and can get you a ticket.

Events, gigs, and live shows

1. Watch out for live gigs at bars and restaurants in the city centre region of popular tourist cities in Poland like Warsaw, Krakow, Zakopane, Wroclaw, and Gdansk

2. Try walking around the Old Towns and City Centres, and you might stumble upon a few amazing performances from the local artists.

3. You can find plenty of local Polish things like chocolates, cheese, a scarf from the mountains, magnets, and Polish vodka that you can gift to someone or treasure for a long time.

4. Travelling to the Polish Mountains in winter? Don’t forget to layer yourself well. Carry a hiking pole and an extra pair of shoes with spikes. It snows abundantly in the Polish mountains, and the right gear is essential to walk comfortably.

There are no freebies; don’t get scammed

1. Don’t trust people giving you something for free; you can get conned by people you don’t know.

2. Look beyond the city centre region to find cheap stay options. Always look for recommended hostels, homestays, and apartments with great reviews. They charge you less than customary hotels in the central region.

Poland is a country that warmly welcomes travellers who show respect and curiosity. By following these dos and don’ts, you’ll not only have a smoother journey but also connect more deeply with the local culture.

Ready to embark on your Polish adventure? Explore my curated tours and travel resources to plan your unforgettable trip.​

Further read: Ultimate Poland Guide: For A Satisfying Trip To The Best Of Unexplored Eastern Europe