Backpacking in Poland
A Budget Travelers' Poland Roundup
With its breathtakingly beautiful cities, and a landscape capped by surging peaks and carpeted in luxuriant forests, Poland is a country of near mythical proportions.
What's more, for the backpacker in Poland, things could hardly be rosier. Although prices have risen slightly in the last couple of years, they're still reassuringly low. What's more, accommodation-wise from Krakow to Karpacz, your average youth hostel in Poland is on the palatial side of excellent.
Wonderful Warsaw
Most travelers setting off on a backpacking trip to Poland find themselves flying into Warsaw's Oklecie Airport. And, while not necessarily quite as beautiful as its delectable cousin, Krakow, Warsaw is, nevertheless, a great way to start a tour of the country.
Its Old Town, the Stare Miasto, still has plenty of fascinating monuments like the Royal Castle, St. John's Cathedral and the impressive Barbican towering above its beautifully restored streets. On the other side of the imposing city walls, the Nowe Miasto, or New Town, stretches away to the north, an attractive 18th and 19th century neighborhood.
But its architecture isn't really what makes the city stand out; rather Warsaw has a vibrant, cosmopolitan feel that is practically unmatched in Central Europe. Its nightlife is excellent, with bars and clubs leaning decidedly towards the avant-garde side of hip.
Wroclaw
Moving on from Warsaw, Wroclaw is idyllic even by the lofty standards of Polish cities. And a vivid testament to its charms can be seen in the growing numbers of backpackers drawn to Wroclaw hostels from the traditional big destinations of Krakow and Warsaw.
Reclining lazily on the banks of the River Odra, the city's Old Town, Ostrow Tumski, is simply stunning. A couple of beautiful and ancient churches - notably the Cathedral of John the Baptist and St. Mary of the Sands - count amongst the city's must-see attractions.
The city spreads out from its central square, the Rynek, an attractive open space surrounded by colorfully fronted houses and cafés. The city also has an excellent market, Hala Targowa, which, quite apart from selling all manner of great produce, is a great way to gain a little more of an insight into the real Poland.
Krakow
And then, of course, there's Krakow, glorious Krakow. The moment travelers set foot out of their Krakow hostels, it's quite clear that they're onto something pretty special. From the top of the spire of the fabulous Wawel Cathedral (and its neighbor, Wawel Castle), to the bottom of the countless twists and turns of its streets, Krakow is uniformly splendid.
Krakow also has a clutch of excellent museums: the History Museum of Krakow is a good place to help make sense of the thousands of years of history that lie strewn across its streets. One wing of the National Museum, meanwhile, mixes military artifacts and art, while another, the Czatoryskich Museum, has a prestigious collection of works.
Away from the city center there's plenty to see, too. The Old Jewish Quarter of Kazimierz is wonderfully atmospheric (particularly after dark, when its many quirky little bars and clubs start to get going).
The Rest of the Country
But Poland by no means begins and ends with a quick charge around its big cities. In many ways, the real attraction of Poland lies in its many quarters that are still (largely) untapped by tourism. Out to the east, Lublin is authenticity personified, while up in the north of the country, Gdansk and Miedzyzdroje are both well worth a visit.
Way down in the south, Zakopane and the Carpathian Mountains are seeing an increasing number of adventure travelers and adrenaline junkies try and pit their nerve and energies against the region's great trekking, climbing, and, in the winter, excellent cheap skiing.
And these are still all fairly major destinations! In between, pretty much wherever you go in this fabulous country - north, south, east or west - there's something else to be explored and some new treasure to uncover.