A little more
Poland.
A lot less roaming.

Travelling to Poland: what to know before you go

Poland combines handsome historic cities rebuilt with care after the Second World War, a deep and often painful history, and wide open countryside from the Baltic coast to the Tatra Mountains. It is good value, easy to get around by train and excellent for food. It suits city-breakers, history travellers and walkers alike.

Where to go

• Kraków. Poland's former royal capital has a vast medieval market square, the Cloth Hall and St Mary's Basilica, from whose tower a bugle call sounds every hour.
• Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum. The former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp near Oświęcim, about an hour from Kraków.
• Warsaw. The capital's Old Town was almost completely destroyed in 1944 and rebuilt so faithfully that it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Gdańsk. A Baltic port with tall merchants' houses along the Long Market and the riverside crane, plus the European Solidarity Centre at the shipyard where the Solidarity movement began in 1980.

Best time to visit

May to September is the best time for most visitors, with warm weather, outdoor cafés and long days; July and August are the warmest and busiest, especially on the Baltic coast and in the mountains. Spring and early autumn are quieter, and autumn colour in the forests and Tatras is lovely.

Staying online in Poland

Coverage is good across Poland, with 4G and 5G in cities and most towns and along major roads and rail lines. Signal can weaken in the mountains, deep forests such as Białowieża and some rural areas. Free Wi-Fi is common in hotels, cafés, and on many trains. Poland is in the EU, so EU visitors can usually roam as at home, while visitors from elsewhere may face high charges. Install an eSIM before you fly and switch it on when you land.