The legendary Cracow has been the capital and royal residence of Poland for many centuries and has attracted numerous scholars and artists from all over the world. We owe many priceless art treasures to their talent and fantasy. Cracow’s architecture and works of art reflect the most important directions and style periods of European culture. Accordingly, Cracow has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list thank to its countless monuments and its historic legacy. Cracow, however, is also a vivid city with many cafes, pubs, beer gardens and clubs. Here you will never get bored. 

Cracow is still considered to be Poland’s intellectual and cultural capital and belongs to the most beautiful cities in Europe. It is also the third biggest city in Poland with a population of over 750.000. In 2000, Cracow was awarded "European City of Culture", which drew a considerable amount of international attention to it and underlined its position as a cultural centre. World famous artists, such as the film director Andrzej Wajda and the composer Krzysztof Penderecki have chosen Cracow as their favourite place to live in.

Time in Cracow passes at its own pace and every moment you spend here will be a moment of history. The Renaissance Royal Castle on the Wawel Hill, the gothic St. Mary´s Church, the Cloth Hall with historic merchant stalls, the district Kazimierz - once an independent Jewish city - or the socrealist district Nowa Huta - they all make Cracow a magical place.

 There are several other places worth seeing in the direct neighbourhood of Cracow. The most important ones are Wieliczka and Oswiecim.

In Wieliczka you will find an old salt mine that has been operating since prehistoric times. It is an unbelievable fairyland all made of salt, created over  centuries. In this "Salt Atlantis" you can admire bizarr pits and caves, artificial lakes and chapels as well as statues and other sculptures. The pits are no less than 350 km long and connect more than 2000 underground chambers. The salt mine, which incidentally is still in use, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. Moreover, in the mine you can visit an underground restaurant and a chapel, where concerts take place. Apart from that there is, 211 meters below ground level, a spa for patients with asthma and bronchi problems.

Oświęcim (population: 40.000) is a memorial site dedicated to remind of the Nazis' atrocities and the second world war. Concentration Camps Auschwitz and Birkenau were created here during World War II by the German Nazis. It is estimated that about two million people lost their lives here until January 1945: mostly Jews, but also Gipsy, homosexuals, political captives and prisoners of war. Large parts of the camps have been preserved and nowadays form part of the museum which has also been been elected UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can find old barracks here in which the prisoners were kept, torture and execution devices, captives belongings and railways which lead directly to the camp. 

 

15 km away from Cracow lies the Ojców National Park. The geological basis of the park consists of limestone from the Jurrasic period. Due to its partial dissolution a unique karst landscape has been created, with numerous canyon-like ravines of up to 120 meters depth, bizzar rocks and some 400 caves. The park is a habitat for extremely rare plant and animal species that enjoy perfect conditions in the park thanks to its unique microclimate. Another attraction is the castle "Pieskowa Skala".

 

Wrocław belongs to the oldest and most beautiful cities in Poland. Its history reaches back as far as 1000 years. The city is deemed "Poland’s Venice" for a reason: it is placed uniquely at the foot of the Sudety Mountains on 12 islands on the Odra River, divided by numerous canals and river arms, connected by 112 bridges. At the same time, it is one of Poland’s most dynamic cities and it is proverbially flourishing at the moment. The old is carefully preserved, the new is fancifully formed.

The old and modern architecture is surrounded by gorgeous parks. Szczytnicki Park, which is placed right in the centre, was established in the 18th century and can still enchant its visitors with its more than 370 species of trees and bushes as well as a japanese garden. The botanic garden and the famous Zoo with more than 650 animal species are also excellent places for a walk.

 

The capital of Poland is located right in the centre of Europe, where the roads from the West and East cross. The influences of the West and the East permeate each other here. Warsaw with its population of more than 1.7 million (Warsaw metropolis: 3 million) is also the biggest city in Poland.

                                                        

Warsaw fascinates throught its contrasts. Here tradition is confronted with modern day. 80% of the city was destroyed during World War II but the old town houses and pompous palaces were rebuilt true to the original. Therefore, the Old Town was named one of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Royal Castle also charms with its old glory. As an old legend says, Warsaw is ultimately indistructable. Since the fall of socialism, Warsaw enjoys a downright boom. Skyscrapers and shopping centres made of glas and steel ascend everywhere. Once a dull and sleepy city, Warsaw has transformed into a colourful, dynamic and thrilling metropolis. It is becoming more and more popular thanks to its extensive shopping possibilities, exciting nightlife and manifold cultural events.

World history has been written in the 1000-year old town of Gdańsk. The shots at the Westerplatte marked the begin of World War II. The establishment of Solidarnosc initiated the fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe. 90% of the town was destroyed by the end of the second world war. 

Not far away from Gdańsk you can visit the old city of Malbork - the former residence of the Teutonic Order. The Gothic castle in Malbork, among the most striking in the world, is the biggest brick building in Europe. The whole complex, stretching across an area of some 20 hectare, is surrounded by gigantic walls and moats. It was formed as the result of the relocation of the Order’s residence from the distant Venice to the East Prussia. The museum castle has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of its highlights is the unique amber collection.

 

The about 500 kilometres of the polish Baltic Sea coast are full of fine-grained sand beaches, extensive dunes and exciting cliffs. In addition, you can visit one of the numerous spas with long-lasting tradition here. They offer everything you may possibly need for your rest: charming cafes, stylish restaurants with polish and international cuisine and naturally countless pastime and sports facilities. The resorts are busy in the summer months, but many of them have plenty to offer for everyone during the rest of the year as well.

The northeast  of Poland is the green lung of Europe. This sparsly populated region is characterised by vast forests and thousands of lakes. In Europe, only Finland has more lakes than Poland. Masuria is the place where sailors meet both in sommer and in winter - the extremely cold winters make Masuria a sought-after place for iceboating. The western part, especially the area of the so-called Big Masuria Lakes, is one of Poland’s most popular tourist destinations. You have perfect conditions for swimming and sailing virtually everywhere. On the other hand, the eastern part, with the Biebrza Marshes and the primeval forest of Bialowieza, atrracts mainly individualists and nature lovers. In addition, Warmia offers many old castles, palaces and sacred buildings. However it is also, which most people don’t know, a very interesting region as far as architecture and culture are concerned.  

            

Białowieża National Park is the last primeval forest in Europe and for this reason has been named one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. It is a pearl among Europe’s forests. The National Park was established in 1921 and is thus the oldest in Poland. King Jagiello used to go hunting here already back in 1409. Also in the following centuries the sovereigns treasured this forest for its hunting possibilities and always made sure it stayed untouched.

 
The forest extends to the border of Belarus over an area of 1250 qm. Nature here has been left alone. More than 5000 different plant and 15.000 animal species are found here. The oldest trees are 500 years old. The biggest inhabitants of the forest are wisents (European bisons). Some 250 still live here in the wild. There is also a newly opened museum, as well as numerous old sacral buildings, notably old orthodox churches, that make the region even more interesting.

Thank to the natural genetic base, which is available here, the Białowieża National Park will in future give the possibility to restore the damaged European nature. The primeval forest deserves its world heritage title just as much as the monuments of ancient Greece or Rome.

The park extends over an area of 60.000 hectares (biggest in Poland) and lies some 200 km northeast from Warsaw. It constitutes the biggest and most valuable marshlands in Europe. The Biebrza River has been left untouched at a total lenght of 135 km. During the spring-time floods, vast areas of land are regularly under water. More than 270 different bird species have their habitats and hotbeds in the reserve around the river. Especially in the spring, Biebrza region is visited by ornithologists from all over the world. However, also tourist have plenty possibilities: 480 km of wandering routes, 400 km biking routes and a 135 kilometers of canoeing routes on the Biebrza River can be found here.

                                                                        

The Tatra mountains are the world’s smallest high mountains. It is also the mountain chain with the highest hill in Poland - Rysy. In Tatra you can find marvellous paths leading you to the mountain peaks, exciting hills to climb, clear mountain lakes and gorgeous waterfalls. There are 225 km of well-marked wandering routes. The best known one is the route from Zakopane to the famous lake "Morskie Oko" ("Eye of the Sea"). For those who like to have it more comfortable, there is the possibility to take a horse carriage (in winter a horse sledge). Mountain-bikers also have plenty to discover - there are numerous paths prepared especially for them. Tatra is, apart from that, an excellent place to practice paragliding.

                                         

Tatra is a popular tourist destination in winter, too. Zakopane (population: 30.000) ist the most important centre of winter sports in Poland. Many top events have taken place here, e.g. world cups in ski-jumping, biathlon and slalom. You can find ski slopes of all degrees of difficulty - from flat and easy ones for beginners to steep and difficult ones for professionals. The slopes are equiped with lifts, snow cannons and partly night lighting.

 

 

The Beskids (Beskidy) are part of the Carpathian Mountains with numerous hills over 1000m high. Many resorts, sport centres and wooden churches are located here. The Sadecki Beskid in particular is an important winter sports region.

The eastern parts of Beskids are called Bieszczady. It is a paradise for lovers of direct contact with nature. This region belongs to the most sparsly populated in Poland. In the quietness of this desolate place, one can admire the breath-taking landscapes and old wooden sacred buildings. The region is also perfectly suitable for biking. Moreover, in some places (e.g. Polana or Muczne) you can go horse riding on the local breed of horses called hucul ponies.

                                                                

The Sudets (Sudety) in the southern Part of the Lower Silesia are an attractive region for everyone looking for a rest and the physically active. The 350 km long Main Sudets Route leads through the most important hills of the region. This mountain range is also known for its numerous caves. The Sudets are also becoming a good alternative for the Alps in regard to winter sports.