Traveling to Poland, what you should know about tourism

Personal safety rules while resting in Poland

Poland can be safely divided into three zones: a beach and sea zone located in the north of the country, where the main resorts of the Baltic Sea are located; a health resort and spa zone, a ski zone in the south; and a zone with the maximum concentration of attractions in the center of the country, where Warsaw, ancient Krakow, Teutonic castles, the Masurian Lakes, and many other outstanding historical sites of Poland are located.

Transportation in Poland

Public transportation is well developed in all major cities. Operating hours are from 5:30 am to 11:00 pm. Trams, buses, and trolleybuses also run around the clock on a number of routes.

Taxis

The taxi service functions well. Cars are parked at designated parking areas near hotels, railway stations, and airports. The cost of transportation will be almost the same for all operators. The only thing that needs to be clarified directly with the driver is the price of a trip from one city to another. Average prices for a taxi ride in Poland: boarding will cost from six to eight zlotys, each kilometer costs 1.5 zlotys. On weekends, traveling outside the city will cost one and a half times more than on weekdays.

Bicycle

Those who really feel comfortable in Poland are lovers of two-wheeled transport – bicycles.
Each city, even a small one, has a lot of bicycle paths. Most sidewalks are divided into two zones – pedestrian and bicycle, which is very convenient for those who decide to get acquainted with the attractions of the city they are visiting not on foot, but by bicycle.

Car rental

In Poland, as in any EU country, you can rent a car. To rent a vehicle, you must:
- be over 21 years old;
- leave a deposit in cash or by card in the amount of about four hundred euros;
- have an international driver's license.

Currency exchange operations in Poland

The basic monetary unit of the country is the Polish zloty (PLN). There are one hundred groszy in one zloty. There are about 4.5 zlotys in one euro. Foreign currency exchange is carried out in specialized exchange offices that do not charge a commission for their services. There are enough exchange offices in large cities. You can find them at railway stations, shopping centers, and in the city center. A notable fact – exchange offices are practically never found in banks. Banks operate from nine in the morning until five or six in the evening. "Exchangers" work until eight in the evening.

If we are talking about large cities and tourist centers, then exchange offices there operate even longer – until 9-10 in the evening. Users of credit cards do not have to withdraw cash – cashless payments are accepted in hotels, restaurants, and many stores.

Climate in Poland

The average monthly temperature in the winter months ranges from minus one to minus five degrees Celsius. In mountainous areas, it can reach minus six degrees. The climate itself is moderate, ranging from marine to continental. The center of the country is warmer with less humidity than the north of Poland. In the summer it is not hot, but not cold either. The average monthly summer temperature is nineteen degrees Celsius. However, there are often weeks when the country experiences truly hot weather – the thermometer readings reach plus thirty degrees. In Poland, winter comes late and spring comes very early, which is especially good for tourists who can visit the country at any convenient time and not be afraid of the rainy season like in India or the sweltering heat like in the United Arab Emirates.

Where can a tourist stay for accommodation in Poland

Poland's hotel business is developed at a fairly high level. Guests of the country are offered economy class hotels (1, 2 stars), medium budget (3 stars) and premium class (4, 5 stars). The quality of service and intra-hotel infrastructure fully comply with established European standards. In principle, you can stay overnight or stay in either a regular hotel or in small hotel complexes, mainly managed by relatives and located in cottage-type houses or in old manors.

Hotels in old castles can be found in Poznan, Krakow, Gdansk, Torun and other Polish cities. For vacationers in the south of the country in the ski resorts, hotels from two to four stars with quite good service and infrastructure are offered. There are also many private boarding houses, rental houses and rooms in such places.

Polish cuisine, its features and priorities

Poles scrupulously monitor the quality of prepared dishes and compliance with sanitary and hygienic norms, so you can taste Polish dishes in any establishment you like, regardless of its size and number of seats. Even banal roadside cafes will offer their visitors aromatic dishes prepared according to Polish recipes. Payment is made in national currency – Polish zlotys (PLN), but in most establishments plastic cards and euros are accepted for payment. Tipping is not necessary, but if you really want to thank or show a sign of attention, 10% of the bill amount will be quite enough.

Among the first courses, zurek – a soup prepared with a special sourdough, "flaki" – a puree soup with chicken giblets – are interesting in terms of taste. Lovers of stewed cabbage will enjoy "bigos". On a ski holiday, vacationers will definitely be offered a local national drink – Gzhanets – the most aromatic hot wine with added spices.

Twenty interesting facts about Poland:

A huge number of storks live in Poland – about 23% of their entire world population lives in Polish territory. Storks are a symbol of the country, like bison for Belarus.

A very interesting word in Poland is "spoko", which actually means "Chill out". The word is used in a variety of life situations.

Poles love soups! They cook them for any occasion. Almost all families prepare a thick mushroom soup or beetroot soup with many spices for Christmas. By the way, any holiday in a Polish family will start with soup. This is a kind of tradition, although not everyone prepares the first courses every day. Beetroot soup (or as we used to call this soup borscht) is prepared actually one-component, it is often served in a cup, so do not be surprised if in a restaurant or cafe they bring the ordered borscht in a glass, looking more like mulled wine. For Easter, it is customary to prepare zurek – a soup based on sourdough, sausage and boiled egg.

The most popular fast food option in Poland is not a hot dog or hamburger from McDonald's, but kebab! The composition is similar to shawarma, the only difference is the huge size of the dish, cooked in half a loaf. Kebab is usually eaten with a fork.

The favorite sport is football. The Polish national football team does not play great, and the championships held within the country are very weak, but this does not diminish in any way the Poles' love for football battles. Poles are generally among the most ardent football fans in Europe. And we are talking not only about men, but also about women!

The tallest building in the country is the Palace of Culture and Science (237 meters). It was built after World War II by order of I. Stalin. Poles were offered two options – to build a subway as a gift or the Palace of Culture. Residents chose the second option, which was embodied in the form of a huge high-rise building in the "Stalinist" style with a spire tapering towards the top.

During the period of hostilities from 1939 to 1945, Warsaw was practically razed to the ground. Residents especially felt the impact of fascist force at the end of World War II, when during the retreat the Germans actually destroyed all the buildings in their path. As a result, the city had to be rebuilt from scratch, although proposals to move the capital of Poland to another city were made more than once. However, the authorities decided to try to recreate the original power of Warsaw, which existed in the pre-war period. The construction of the city and its restoration proceeded at an accelerated pace, which was reflected in the uniform residential buildings and gray administrative buildings. Today, most locals do not like the capital precisely because of the preserved objects of socialist realism, calling the city gray, boring, noisy and uninteresting.

Catholicism in Poland is developed to such an extent that the church has the full right officially not only to marry, but also to register marriages between people bypassing the registry offices.

Abortions for women in Poland are prohibited. Therefore, many go on a so-called medical raid to other

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