From the towering Tatra Mountains to the wild Baltic Sea, Poland is filled with vibrant cities known for their splendid heritage, mouthwatering cuisine and stunning architecture.
THE MAGIC OF ZAKOPANE
Zakopane’s mountainous landscape and unique style of architecture gives it something of a storybook feel. Quaint, ornate wooden buildings, traditional folk motifs with a hint of Art Nouveau about it, there is certainly an air of fantasy about it.
Zakopane is great to visit all year-round and each season offers a different vibe. It is very popular in winter and the big draw at that time of year is the first-class range of active snow sports on offer. Zakopane transforms into a winter wonderland attracting skiers and snowboarders from around Poland and indeed around the world. It’s often referred to as Poland’s ‘winter capital’.
HISTORIC CENTER OF KRAKÓW
This historic city with old walls and numerous museums used to be a royal residence and a center of civilization spreading culture all over Poland. Here is the Wawel – the seat of Polish kings and the place of their coronations; St Mary’s Church with its famous alter by Veit Stoss; the Main Market Square – the largest medieval town square in Europe; Kazimierz – a unique district of Kraków that used to be a separate Jewish town; and the Jagiellonian University – the oldest Poland’s college with its famous Collegium Maius.
WIELICZKA
Have you ever had coffee 125 metres underground? In Poland, not only can you enjoy invigorating coffee drinks so deep down, but also have a delicious lunch or a sumptuous feast. Try the unique dried beef tenderloin, aged underground in the original Wieliczka salt, and the excellent nalewka liqueurs, also prepared deep in the mine: raspberry with a touch of lavender, or based on the suska sechlońska prune. This is all possible in the Wieliczka Salt Mine, which together with the Bochnia Salt Mine, was entered on the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage as the Royal Salt Mines in Wieliczka and Bochnia. The Wieliczka Salt Mine is an impressive underground city with its many chambers (for example, the largest underground church at a depth of 101 meters: Chapel of St. Kinga), but not only. It is guaranteed that you will experience more than expected. You will breathe air free of dirt and allergens and discover the secrets of therapeutic salt properties – the Wieliczka Salt Mine is also a health resort!
