Make the most of your trip to WSAVA/FECAVA

Take your time to explore Warsaw but don’t just stick to the capital.

Explore what’s around and get to know Poland. Below you’ll learn interesting facts about Poland, find more tips for your journey and a few more sights to add to your travel itinerary.

Warsaw Travel Tips

• The Warsaw Pass offers 1, 2 or 3-day packages that include a bus tour and entrance into most big sights
• Warsaw is a Catholic city and visitors should always dress respectfully
• The usual tip in Warsaw’s restaurants is 10%
• There are two metro lines in Warsaw and the stops between Ursynów and Bielany are of most use to tourists
• Try some traditional Polish food like “bigos” or “pierogi”
• Souvenirs, glassware, hand-painted eggs and amber jewelry are at reasonable prices – the choice is yours!
• If you would like to do some shopping, Nowy Świat is a popular shopping and party spot

Fun Facts About Poland

• Poland’s constitution dated from 1791 is the 2^nd valid legal document of its kind in the world
• The oldest evidence of cheese production is from the Warsaw region, dating back 7500 – 8000 years ago.
• 18 Nobel Prizes, including 4 Peace Prizes and 5 in Literature, were awarded to Poles
• The famous music composer Frederic Chopin and the physicist Marie Curie are Polish
• Polish dumplings are called “pierogi” and are the most recognized Polish food worldwide
• The first non-Italian Pope in more than 400 years was Polish. John Paul II was Pope for 25 years between 1978 – 2005
• Poland has more than 500 years of strong traditions in the production of vodka
• Warsaw is the only city in the EU with a nature reserve in the center of the city

Feel Poland’s Green Spirit

Białowieża National Park protects the Białowieża Forest – the best-preserved natural forest at the European Lowland Area. It is one of the last and largest remaining parts of the immense primeval forest that once stretched across the European Plain.

The symbol of the Białowieża Forest is the European bison. The species was almost extinct, and a process of reinstatement started within the Park. At present, the Białowieża Forest comprises the largest free-living population of European bison in the world of approximately 500 specimens.
Białowieża National Park is the only Polish natural property designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.

The Słowiński National Park is a park situated in Pomorskie Voivodeship. It has the largest stretch of moving sand dunes in Europe. Their highest peak is over 40 meters above sea level. Over 260 different bird species inhabit the park.

The entire park has been included by UNESCO in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves and is listed among the areas protected under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance.

A Taste of Poland

When in Poland, you just can’t miss trying some of the local specialties. Here are a few suggestions of traditional delicacies you should try:

Dumplings with meat, cabbage, mushrooms, fruits, potatoes, cheese or anything else – no matter what the filling is, you should simply add it to your menu list.

The most popular Polish soup usually made with beetroot though there are different variations and is usually served with croquettes.

It is made from fermented rye flour with sausage, potatoes, egg, and other spices and is usually served in a bowl made of bread.

Get Around

KRAKOW

Krakow is Poland’s second biggest city and former capital of the country. This fairy tale-like city will charm you with its cobbled streets, horse carriages, beautiful squares and churches.

What to See in Krakow?

This is the largest medieval market square in Europe and the main trade center in the country. Today it is filled with outdoor cafes, tourists, vendors, horse carriages and home to a crazy number of pigeons.

Here you will find the most elaborate Gothic altarpieces in Europe and an impressive blue ceiling. A photo will cost a few more zloty but it’s totally worth it. An incredible view of the city is visible from the top of the tower, for which you will only have to climb 239 steps!

There are several museums within the Wawel Castle. These include the State Rooms, the Crown Treasury and Armory, the Royal Apartments, Sandomierska Tower and more. The Wawel Cathedral will offer you the opportunity to visit the Pope John Paul II Museum, small chapels, the crypt, and the Sigismund Bell Tower.

What to Do in Krakow?

The Pinball Museum is a great place to have some fun. It has a large collection of old and new pinball machines and you can play all day long.

You can’t go to Poland and miss to taste the local pride – the traditional Polish vodka. At many places it is infused with flavors like cranberry, vanilla, pear, and even horseradish, so choose what palates fits you best.

Visit the Aviation Museum, located only 20 minutes away from the old town. If you want to see the largest exposition of MIG fighter jets or have aeroplane interests, this is your place.

WROCLAW

What to See in Wroclaw?

The Market Square and Cathedral Island, Plac Slony with its amazing flower market, St. Elizabeth’s Church and Stare Jatki – the best-preserved street with buildings from the 1600s and 1700s are your first stop.

The main building of the university is also a museum. One of the must-sees is the extravagantly decorated Baroque hall; Aula Leopoldina, with has a ceiling fresco, gilded stucco, sculpted cherubs and portraits of the university’s founding fathers.

Frederick the Great chose this Baroque palace as his residence after Prussia took over Silesia in the 1740s. By visiting it today, you can get familiar with the complicated 1000-year history of the city, view a wealth of artefacts and admire the exquisite palace’s interiors.

What to Do in Wroclaw?

The park has a unique Japanese garden and is a genuine masterpiece of Japanese landscape architecture. Don’t miss the chance to dive into nature at this picturesque place.

At Kolejkowo you can observe the largest Polish model railway with 850 hand-painted figures of people and animals, 224 landmarks from around Wrocław and Lower Silesia and 188 cars on the roads beside the tracks. A real joy for kids and parents as well.

The Wroclaw Zoo is the largest one in the country. The Afrikarium aquarium complex is a great attraction – it is the habitat of crocodiles, rays, brown sharks and hippos. The Madagascar Pavilion also deserves your attention with the island’s native flora and with several species of lemurs hiding among the branches.

GDANSK

What to See in Gdansk?

Its tower will provide you with the best view over Gdansk – the entire stretch of the Dlugi Targ street, the Motlawa River and on a clear day even the Baltic Sea.

Take a walk along the river bank on a sunny day and go down Dlugie Pobrzeze, where you’ll find a variety of shops and restaurants to enjoy.

Known as the “cool” street of Gdansk, you will find some of the best cafes and wine bars here. Its symbol is the gargoyle heads, called “pukers”, which spray out water during rainstorms.

What to Do in Gdansk?

Dumplings, pierogi, borsch, gourmet or even a good Lithuanian restaurant in Poland. Gdansk has it all. A few famous restaurants are Pierogarnia Mandu Centrum, Goldwasser Restaurant, Prologue Restaurant, and Familia Bistro.

Tri-City is an abbreviation which refers to the three cities of Gdansk, Sopot, and Gdynia, which line the Baltic Coast. If you want to check out the beach, Sopot is the best resort for that purpose with nice beach strips.

Then you will be more than curious to learn all about amber. Gdansk has an Amber Museum and you will be surprised to know that its biggest source is in the surrounding area and it’s obtained from the resin coniferous forests that flourish in the region.

LODZ

What to See in Lodz?

It is a mall and leisure complex that has transformed former textile factories in a variety of shops, cafes and restaurants. What makes it special is the epic industrial brick architecture, built by the entrepreneur Izrael Poznański in the 1870s.

It holds the largest collection of world art from the 20^th and 21^st century in Poland. It includes art from different streams like cubism, purism, constructivism, and neoplasticism.

It’s a 5 km long street which makes it one of the longest commercial streets in the world. Besides the regular shops and cafes, the street goes through two squares, houses the Lodz’s Museum of the Textile Industry ad the statues of Julian Tuwin, a poet, and Arthur Rubenstein, a classical pianist.

What to Do in Lodz?

Then the Film Museum is the place for you! Lodz was popular in the past for its cinematic industry. Here you can explore the history of the Polish cinema and have a look at props, film posters, and archaic camera equipment.

The garden is open for visitors during the warm months of April to October and has an amazing variety of 3500 plants. It has different specimens typical for Europe as well as some coming from the Far East, the Mediterranean, and Japan.

You will be amazed how much street are there is in Lodz – to the extent you might think you are in the streets of Berlin or Kiev instead. You will find the work of international artists like ROA, Etam Crew, Morik and many more in the streets of Lodz.