Entry requirements | Organizing your trip | Visiting | Eating | Paying | Speaking |

Entry requirements

Passport and visa service

Consult the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

Diplomatic representations

Consult the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

For more information

Embassy of Poland in Greece
22 Chrysanthemon st
Paleo Psychiko 15452
Phone: 210 6797700
Fax: 210 6797711
info@poland-embassy.gr
http://www.athens.polemb.net/

Organizing your trip

Means of transport recommended in town

Recommendation

Public transport is well developed in Poland. Buses (urban and suburban) operate all over the country. There are trams and night buses in the large urban centers and the Warsaw metro works from 5 am to midnight approximately. A taxi can be a good means of transport for getting around town and you usually order one by telephone from one of the many companies. Find out on the spot the telephone numbers for calling them (displayed on the roof or the side of taxis) and the different fares charged.

Maps of urban networks

Map of Warsaw public transport (in Polish)
Map of the Warsaw metro (in Polish)

Means of transport recommended in the rest of the country

Recommendation

The domestic fleet (LOT) is modern. In winter, provincial airports are often closed because of fog.

Rail companies

Polish Railway Company
Inter-regional transport
Regional transport
Warsaw's suburban trains

Flight from Greece

No aircraft company operates direct flight from Athens to Warsaw. For low cost company, check Norwegian. To find out air connections from Greece to Poland click here

Traveling by yourself

Recommendation

Polish roads are relatively dangerous especially because of the state they are in and general driving conditions (damaged roads, potholes, poor signposting, poor lighting, expressways crossing small towns, pedestrians and horses on the roads). Headlights must be on day and night from 1 October to 1 February.

Road maps

Road map (in Polish)
Map of Poland (in Polish)
Map of Poland (in Polish)

Find an itinerary

Map and itinerary search (in Polish)
Viamichelin

Visiting

Different forms of tourism

Historical

There are many historic monuments to visit: Wilanow Palace, The Castle and Cathedral of Wawel or Malbork Castle.

Cultural

Cinemas, theater, ballet and opera, art galleries and museums in the large towns, such as the Czartoryski Museum in Krakow.

Nature

Poland is known for its many parks and natural reserves.
Kampinos National Park
Bieszczady National Park
Bialowieza National Park
Slowinski National Park
Lazienki Park

Religious

In Poland there are a large number of churches, especially Catholic ones. There are also Orthodox places of worship.
The Jasna Gora Monastery (Czestochowa) is very well known.

Thermal

There are many thermal spas in Poland.

Beach

The northern front of the country is open to the Baltic sea. There are many seaside resorts and sand beaches along the coast. The lakes of Mazuria are also a favorite destination for their beaches and numerous water sports.

Winter sports

Cross country skiing and skating are practised almost all over the country.
Alpine skiing can be practised in some resorts in the south of the country, especially in Zakopane.

Outdoor activities

Fishing, hiking, white water activities and equestrian activities.

Shopping

Glass and enamelware, handwoven rugs, silverware, handmade jewellery with amber and silver, dolls in regional costumes, woodcarvings and clay and metal sculptures.

Tourism organizations

Portal for tourist information in Poland
National tourist office

Eating

Food specialties

The most well known specialties in Poland are the following:
Barszcz : beetroot soup with small ravioli stuffed with mushrooms or meat.
Placki Ziemniaczane : potato fritters
Bigos : cabbage with pieces of meat, prepared over several days.
Szarlotka : apple cake sprinkled with cinnamon.
Makowiec : poppyseed cake

Drinks

Concerning drink and spirits, the Poles are very fond of vodka and beer; Zywiec, Okocim and EB are the most famous in Poland. There is little Polish wine, so it is preferable to buy foreign wines. Tea is an institution and coffee is sometimes drunk Turkish-style.

Dietary restrictions

There are no dietary restrictions in the country.

Paying

Domestic currency

Polish Zloty

ISO Code

PLN

To obtain domestic currency

Possible means of payment

Places where you can pay in foreign currency are rare.
In shops, restaurants, hotels, and cafés payment is made in cash or by credit card.

Exchange rate on

Automatic Teller Machines (ATM)

To find out the locations of ATMs in in Poland, click on the link to your credit card: Visa, Mastercard or American Express

Speaking

Official language

The official language is Polish.

Other languages spoken

Polish belongs to the family of West Slavic languages (with Czech and Slovakian).
The most spoken foreign languages are German and English, but it is useful to know a few words of Polish to travel around the country, especially outside large urban areas.

Business language

According to the type of company you contact, the geographical location and the sector of activity, it may be difficult to find someone who speaks English. Insufficient knowledge of English and German often makes it necessary to bring in an interpreter. However, the younger generations speak English more and more frequently.

Getting some knowledge

Consult the Expat In Poland website.

Free translation tools

Onet Portail de la Conaissance - On-line dictionary (English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Hebrew)
TravLang - On-line dictionary
Leksyka - On-line dictionary (English, German)
Eurovoc Thesaurus - Multilingual thesaurus (21 official European languages)
IATE - Interactive Terminology for Europe

We can translate your foreign-language documents.

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Last updates: February 2012