Poland
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From mountain ranges to its ancient cities, train travel offers the possibility to travel the length and breadth of this magnificent country. With your Interrail Pass - explore the charming city of Kraków, energetic Warsaw and the endless stretch of white sand beaches along the Baltic coast, near Gdansk. Definitely, Poland has something spectacular to offer at every turn.
Poland quick facts
Trains in Poland
Read up on Poland’s rail network, different train types and reservation requirements.
More about trains in Poland
Interrail passes for Poland
Pass benefits in Poland
Places to visit
A painful past
Poland’s most important sight and one of the world’s most powerful symbols of inhumanity is the Auschwitz German Nazi concentration camp. Within the walls of Auschwitz-Birkenau around 1.6 million Jews were killed in Adolf Hitler’s attempt of genocide. Join a guided tour around the two camps and see the prison blocks and gas chambers where so many lost their lives. You’ll also see the glass cabinets displaying the findings after liberation: suitcases, shoes, glasses and women’s hair. The tour also includes a visit to the nearby Birkenau camp. It is at this camp you can see the railway line that transported the victims to their death.
Blistering scenery
One of Poland’s most untouched nature spots is Białowieża National Park. It’s the oldest and largest remaining area of original lowland forest in Europe and is home to the European bison – the continent’s heaviest land animal. Take a leisurely stroll around this forested-area or if you’re feeling energetic hire a bike. Laid out along the Baltic coast is Slowiński National Park – home to a nature reserve with stretches of vast sand dunes. Enjoy via one of the walking trails.
Charismatic castles and mysterious mines
A fascinating place to visit is Malbork Castle in the north of Poland. The country has plenty of great fortifications but this one, built by the Teutonic Knights, outshines them all. Plus this UNESCO-listed fortress is Europe’s biggest Gothic example. Just outside Kraków are the famed Wieliczka Salt Mines – a producer of salt since the thirteenth century. Follow a tour around the deep salt chambers and be impressed by the abundace of hand carvings – especially impressive is St Kinga’s Chapel with extravagent salt-carved chandeliers.
Polish powder paradise
Zakopane is Poland’s favourite mountain resort, located in the heart of the Tatras mountains. During snow-season join the Poles for some good-value winter sport action. The mountain ascent is exciting in itself, as the cable car is Europe’s oldest and longest. There are other adrenaline-pumping activities on offer, including snowmobiling and quad biking, plus the aprés-ski is thriving. Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, in Poland’s south has a dramatic rocky landscape of Jurassic limestone cliffs, valleys and equisite rock formations. Go rock climbing, hiking, biking and venture into one of the 200 caves in the area.
Warsaw: A new city
Poland’s capital has seen more than its fair share of suffering and misery, but over the last decades the city has been rebuilt and things are looking up. Gaze across Warsaw’s (Warszawa) vista and be amazed by the abundance of communist-era concrete houses and buildings. In WWII Hitler ordered his army to tear the whole city down. Sadly he succeeded in destroying 85% of Poland’s capital and killing thousands of Poles. Visit the Warsaw Uprising Museum, where you’ll receive a detailed account of the atrocities that unfolded and the eventual door to liberation.
