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| subheaderstyle = background:#A6D4E9300px)Kraków, royal palace at Wawel Castle>Wawel on the Vistula river, UNESCO World Heritage Site300px)Warsaw, Warsaw Old Town>Old Town Market Square, UNESCO World Heritage Site300px)WrocÅ‚aw, WrocÅ‚aw Town Hall>The Old Town Hall in the Market Square300px)GdaÅ„sk, St. Mary’s Church, GdaÅ„sk>St. Mary’s Church300px)| caption5 = Szczecin, Szczecin’s waterfront300px)PoznaÅ„, PoznaÅ„ Old Town>PoznaÅ„ Market Square at night300px)| caption7 = Zakopane, the Winter Capital of Poland, view from Gubałówka in the Tatra Mountains300px)WrocÅ‚aw Zoo attracts 1.8 million visitors annually.HTTPS://WWW.WROCLAW.PL/ZOO-I-AFRYKARIUM-WE-WROCLAWIU-Z-5-MLN-ODWIEDZAJACYCH ACCESS-DATE=2019-02-01, 300px)Bydgoszcz, red-brick Lloyd Palace and marina on the Brda (river)>Brda300px)KoÅ‚obrzeg, KoÅ‚obrzeg Lighthouse>historic lighthouse restored to its former glory}}Poland is a part of the global tourism market with constantly increasing number of visitors. Tourism in Poland contributes to the country’s overall economy. The most popular cities are Kraków, Warsaw, WrocÅ‚aw, GdaÅ„sk, PoznaÅ„, Szczecin, Lublin, ToruÅ„, Zakopane, the Salt Mine in Wieliczka and the historic site of Auschwitz – a German Nazi concentration camp in OÅ›wiÄ™cim. The best recreational destinations include Poland’s Masurian Lake District, Baltic Sea coast, Tatra Mountains (the highest mountain range of Carpathians), Sudetes and BiaÅ‚owieża Forest. Poland’s main tourist offers consist of sightseeing within cities, historical monuments, natural monuments, business trips, agrotourism, bicycle touring, qualified tourism, mountain hiking (trekking) and climbing among others.

Overview

{{multiple image| direction=verticalWORK=TOUROPIA “BEST OF” LISTS YEAR=2013 AUTHOR=THE TOUROPIA TEAM, | header_background=#A6D4E9| width=300| image1=Auschwitz HD 01.PNGAuschwitz concentration camp,HTTP://WWW.TOURISTRACK.COM/10-FAMOUS-TOURIST-ATTRACTIONS-POLAND/ WORK=CENTRAL EUROPE ACCESS-DATE=26 NOVEMBER 2013, Touristrack, UNESCO World Heritage Site| image2=BiaÅ‚owieski Park Narodowy03 23a.jpg| caption2=European bison at BiaÅ‚owieża Forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve| image3=Wieliczka-saltmine-kinga.jpg| caption3=Wieliczka Salt Mine, with 1.2 million visitors annually | image4=Marienburg 2004.jpg| caption4=Medieval Malbork Castle in Malbork, northern Poland| image5=POL Mikolajki 13.jpg| caption5=Masurian Lake District, with more than 2,000 lakes. Pictured: marina in MikoÅ‚ajki resort town}}{{see also|List of World Heritage Sites of Poland|List of Historic Monuments (Poland)}}In the 21st century, Poland is one of the safest countries in Europe,Polska jednym z najbezpieczniejszych krajów w Europie frequently visited by tourists.Poland, especially after joining the European Union in 2004 and acceding to the Schengen Agreement in 2007, became a place frequently visited by tourists. Most tourist attractions in Poland are connected with natural environment, historic sites and cultural events.According to Tourist Institute’s data, Poland was visited by 15.7 million tourists in 2006, and by 15 million tourists in 2007,Information about tourism in Poland (in Polish). {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130416150135www.intur.com.pl/warsztat.htm |date=16 April 2013 }} Source: Instytut Turystyki, 2008. out of the number of arrivals 66.2 million.WEB,www.intur.com.pl/przyjazd.htm, Przyjazdy do Polski (Foreign visits to Poland), Statistics, Instytut Turystyki, 2008, 31 December 2012, GUS, pl, dead,www.intur.com.pl/przyjazd.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20121225182832www.intur.com.pl/przyjazd.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20121225182832www.intur.com.pl/przyjazd.htm, 25 December 2012, dmy-all, In 2012, Poland was visited by 13.5 million foreign tourists (those who came during Euro 2012, but did not stay overnight, were not included in official statistics).WEB,www.newseria.pl/news/pierwsze_efekty_euro_2012,p455486441, Pierwsze efekty Euro 2012. Resort turystyki przewiduje wzrost liczby turystów w 2013 r. nawet o pół miliona, Katarzyna Sobierajska, Ministry of Tourism, Live interview, Agencja Informacyjna Newseria, 2012, 31 December 2012, pl, In 2013, Poland was visited by 15.8 million tourists. In 2016, the number of arrivals to Poland amounted to 80.5 million. 17.5 million of this number are arrivals considered for tourism purposes (with at least one night’s stay). In 2019, Poland was visited by 21.4 million tourists, making it the 18th most visited country in the world.

History

The first Polish tourists were pilgrims traveling to shrines both within Poland and abroad. The development of commercial tourism began in the 19th century. The most popular regions were mountains, especially the Tatra Mountains, explored for example by Tytus Chałubiński. In 1873, the Polish Tatra Society and in 1909 the Polish Sightseeing Society were established to organize and develop tourism. The 19th century was also the time of the rapid appearance of spa resorts, mostly in Sudetes, Beskids and along the Baltic Sea coast, with some of them associated, since 1910, with the Polish Balneology Association. After Poland regained independence in 1918, Polish tourism boomed, and was encouraged by the government. The first professional Polish tour operator, Orbis, was founded in Lwów in 1923, followed in 1937 by Gromada tourist organization and tour operator.After World War II all tourist organizations were nationalized by the new communist government. The Polish Tatra Society and Polish Sightseeing Society were combined into Polish Tourism-Sightseeing Society (PTTK) and most of the tourist infrastructure was handed over to the newly created Workers Vacations Fund (FWP). Tourism was limited to the Comecon countries. This was the era of governmentally-founded tourism, characterised by mass but low-standard tourism. A typical sight was a holiday campground with small bungalows managed by one of the state-owned companies. Holidays for children and teenagers were organized by Juventur.After the fall of communism much of the infrastructure was privatized, although many company-owned resorts were downgraded because of their unprofitability. The early 1990s saw the foundation of many new tour operators. Some of them prevailed and strengthened their position on the market, being able to compete with multinational tour operators.

Natural environment

{{see also|List of national parks of Poland}}Poland has a diversified natural environment, which is relatively unaffected by human development. There are 23 national parks in the country that meet the criteria of the IUCN. Visitors are attracted by mountains, sea-coast with wide sandy beaches, and forests, lakes, rivers. Among the most popular destinations are: Tatra Mountains, in which is the highest peak of Poland (Rysy) and the famous Orla Perć (old trail in the style of via ferrata); Sudetes with Main Sudetes Trail (440 km from Åšwieradów Zdrój to Prudnik), Karkonosze, Table Mountains, Owl Mountains; BiaÅ‚owieża Forest, Lower Silesian Wilderness, Bieszczady, Dunajec River Gorge in Pieniny, Pojezierze Mazurskie and many others.

Popular tourist destinations

• The Royal Road of Kraków
• Tourist attractions in Warsaw
• WrocÅ‚aw Zoo (most frequently visited attraction in PolandZoo WrocÅ‚aw – lepsze od Wawelu i Wieliczki)
• Hunting on the WrocÅ‚aw’s dwarfs
• WrocÅ‚aw Old Town including Ostrów Tumski with WrocÅ‚aw Cathedral; Market Square with WrocÅ‚aw Old City Hall; Centennial Hall, WrocÅ‚aw OperaNarodowy Instytut Dziedzictwa, www.nid.pl/idm,726,wroclaw-zespol-historycznego-centrum.html" title="web.archive.org/web/20120124113344www.nid.pl/idm,726,wroclaw-zespol-historycznego-centrum.html">“WrocÅ‚aw – zespół historycznego centrum.” {{in lang|pl}}
• Old Town in GdaÅ„sk
• Modernist Center of Gdynia
• The Royal-Imperial Route in PoznaÅ„
• Jewish Heritage Trail in Bialystok
• European Route of Brick Gothic
• BiaÅ‚owieża National Park
• Dunajec River Gorge
• Tatra Mountains
• Karkonosze Mountains
• Kraków Old Town
• Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
• KrasiÅ„ski Palace
• 13th century Wieliczka Salt Mine
• Medieval Town of ToruÅ„
• Old City of Zamość
• Wilanów Palace
• Jasna Góra Monastery in CzÄ™stochowa
• Cistercian Lubiąż Abbey
• Cistercian Krzeszów Abbey
• Royal Gniezno Cathedral
• Wooden Churches of Southern Little Poland
• Wooden Churches of Peace in Jawor and Åšwidnica
• Sanctuary in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
• PoznaÅ„ Old Town and its Ostrów Tumski, PoznaÅ„
• Mount Åšlęża in the Sudetes
• KÅ‚odzko Fortress complex
• Pszczyna Palace
• Augustów Canal with sluices
• Benedictine Abbey in Tyniec
• Muskau Park shared with Germany
• Palace on the Isle
• Frombork Cathedral
• ŁaÅ„cut Palace
• Kozłówka Palace
• Historic town of Sandomierz
• Kazimierz Dolny
• National Museum in Warsaw
• Seaside resort of Sopot
• Branicki Palace
• Historic town of KÅ‚odzko
• ElblÄ…g Canal
• Spa town of Kudowa-Zdrój
• Palace of the Kraków Bishops in Kielce
• Historic town of Wadowice
• Czartoryski Museum
• National Museum in WrocÅ‚aw
• National Museum in PoznaÅ„
• ÅšwiÄ™ta Lipka Basilica
• Historical town of PrzemyÅ›l
• Seaside resort of KoÅ‚obrzeg
• Juliusz SÅ‚owacki Theatre
• LÄ…d Abbey
• Historic town of Jelenia Góra
• Zakopane; known as “the winter capital of Poland”
• Spa town of Karpacz
• Royal Baths Park
• Collegiate Church of St. Mary and St. Alexius in Tum
• PÅ‚awniowice Palace
• Project Riese
• Wolf’s Lair

Castles

{{see also|List of castles in Poland|Trail of the Eagles’ Nests}}{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Wawel Royal Castle
• Royal Castle in Warsaw
• Niedzica Castle
• Malbork Castle
• Baranów Sandomierski Castle
• Książ Castle
• Nowy WiÅ›nicz Castle
• Czocha Castle
• Moszna Castle
• Ujazdowski Castle
• Imperial Castle, PoznaÅ„
• Grodziec Castle
• Krasiczyn Castle
• Pieskowa SkaÅ‚a
• Lidzbark WarmiÅ„ski Castle
• Kwidzyn Castle
• GoÅ‚uchów Castle
• Kliczków Castle
• Golub-DobrzyÅ„ Castle
• Krzyżtopór
• Ogrodzieniec Castle
• Rzeszów Castle
• Dunajec river castles
• Chojnik Castle
• Kórnik Castle
• Bobolice Castle
• BÄ™dzin Castle
• Pomeranian Dukes’ Castle, Szczecin
• Bytów Castle
• Tenczyn Castle
• Bolków Castle
• Czersk Castle
• Ciechanów Castle
• Lublin Castle
• Uniejów Castle
• DarÅ‚owo Castle
• Bielsko-BiaÅ‚a Museum and Castle
• Sanok Castle
• Dzików Castle

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Cultural events

{{further|Culture of Poland}}{{col-begin|width=98%}}{{col-break}}

Warsaw

• International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition
• Warsaw Autumn Music Festival
• Warsaw International Film Festival
• Jazz Jamboree
• Orange Warsaw Festival
• Ursynalia – Warsaw Student Festival
• Festival of Jewish Culture in Warsaw
• Warsaw Jewish Film Festival
• Warsaw Comic Con
• Parada RównoÅ›ci

Kraków

• Live Music Festival
• Kraków Film Festival
• Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków
• Conrad Festival
• Floating of the Wreaths (Wianki)
• Kraków Szopka Nativity Crèche Festival
• International Film Festival Etiuda&Anima
• International Festival of Independent Cinema Off Plus Camera
• Kraków Equality March

Wrocław

• Wratislavia Cantans
• New Horizons Film Festival
• Festival of Good Beer
• American Film Festival

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Poznań

• ANIMATOR (festival)
• Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition
• Malta Festival
• PoznaÅ„ International Fair
• Short Waves Festival
• Off Cinema Film Festival
• Ale Kino! International Young Audience Film Festival

Tricity

• St. Dominic’s Fair in GdaÅ„sk
• Sopot International Song Festival
• Open’er Festival in Gdynia
• Gdynia Film Festival
• GdaÅ„sk Shakespeare Festival

Łódź

• Transatlantyk Festival
• International Festival of Comics and Games
• Soundedit Festival
• Łódź Design Festival
• Łódź Biennale

Katowice

• Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors
• Off Festival in Katowice

Other

• Camerimage Film Festival in ToruÅ„
• Pol’and’Rock Festival in Kostrzyn nad OdrÄ…
• National Festival of Polish Song in Opole
• International Cycling Film Festival
• Szczecin Festival of Contemporary PaintingWEB,www.zpap.szczecin.pl/festiwal_polskiego_malarstwa_wspolczesnego/, Festiwal Polskiego Malarstwa Współczesnego, ZPAP Szczecin,
• Two Riversides Film and Art Festival in Kazimierz DolnyNEWS,www.dwabrzegi.pl/en/about-the-festival/, ABOUT THE FESTIVAL, 2019-09-14,

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Tourist resorts

File:WrocLovek (WrocLover) Wroclaw dwarf 01.JPG|thumb|WrocÅ‚aw’s dwarf ]]There are dozens of sea resorts on the coast of Baltic Sea like Wolin Island, located close to the German border and the coast of Pomerania. In southern Poland there are resorts for skiing and hiking in the Karkonosze mountains, which is part of the Sudetes mountain range. Karkonosze includes the tourist centres of Karpacz and Szklarska PorÄ™ba. Other famous resorts for skiing and hiking include in Carpathian Mountains: Zakopane in the Tatra mountains; Szczyrk, Krynica-Zdrój, UstroÅ„, WisÅ‚a in the Beskids or Szczawnica and KroÅ›cienko in Pieniny mountains.In the vicinity of Low Beskids lies a tourist resort that offers a blend of mountainous terrain and an aqueous environment, with Lake Rożnów in the centre.

Christian pilgrimage

It’s estimated that 13% (of the 1.8 million in 2005) of visitors of the Basilica of Our Lady of LicheÅ„ arrive from abroad.WEB,www.przewodnik-katolicki.pl/Archiwum/2006/Przewodnik-Katolicki-39-2006/Diecezja-Wloclawska/E-mail-z-Lichenia-Zagraniczni-pielgrzymi, E-mail z Lichenia: Zagraniczni pielgrzymi, Jasna Góra Monastery was visited by 3.6 million of pilgrims from 78 countries in 2014.WEB,www.jasnagora.com/news.php?ID=9071, Biuro Prasowe Jasnej Góry - Jasnogórskie Sanktuarium w Roku 2014,

Transport in Poland

File:WK15 WrocÅ‚aw Główny (2) Lichen99.jpg|thumb|Pendolino ED250, Wroclaw Main StationWroclaw Main StationTourist infrastructure and facilities are abundant, especially in larger cities and in major tourist resorts. In large Polish cities, urban public transport is very well developed.The biggest cities (Kraków, WrocÅ‚aw, PoznaÅ„, GdaÅ„sk and Szczecin) have international airports with connections with many European cities and with the Frédéric Chopin International Airport in Warsaw, which is the main hub of LOT Polish Airlines.Intercity connections are offered by PKP Intercity, Polregio, Arriva RP, Leo Express, RegioJet, local trains (Koleje DolnoÅ›lÄ…skie, Koleje ÅšlÄ…skie, Koleje MaÅ‚opolskie, Szybka Kolej Miejska, Pomorska Kolej Metropolitalna, Koleje Mazowieckie, Łódzka Kolej Aglomeracyjna, Koleje Wielkopolskie) and PKS’s and many bus companies. There are also coach connections to other countries provided by various companies.Connections by ferry to Sweden and Denmark through the Baltic Sea are for example from GdaÅ„sk, Gdynia and ÅšwinoujÅ›cie (inter alia Polferries).

See also

• Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society ()
• Mountain Volunteer Search and Rescue ()
• Tatra Volunteer Search and Rescue ()
• Crown of Polish Mountains
• List of spa towns in Poland

References

{{Reflist}}{{commons category|Tourism in Poland}}{{Wikivoyage|Poland}}

• Poland national tourism office
• tourisminpoland.com/" title="web.archive.org/web/20090129134951tourisminpoland.com/">Useful information site about Poland
• Poland’s Official Travel Website
• Visiting Poland – All in One Travel Guide

Further reading

• Kaszynski, Tadeusz, Through Europe to Poland by Car, 1st and rev. ed., New York City, 1968

{{Poland topics}}{{Tourism in Europe}}