Poland travel guide

Auschwitz concentration camps consisted of three main camps, where two are kept as museums today. A grim memorial of the horrendous crimes against humanity committed by the Nazis. We will not get into the sickening details here, but rather point out some (maybe surprising) observations: Auschwitz I, the first concentration camp and what became the base, was set up in some already existing military barracks in the town of Oświęcim. The camp lied, and still lies, within the town with residential and industrial areas bordering the barb-wired camps. Later, the second camp, Auschwitz II-Birkenau, was added on the other side of the railway as an extermination camp. It was here where the gassing took place. The sheer size of Birkenau is hard to grasp. When standing in front at the infamous railway gate, the camp just extends for hundreds of metres, but what you actually see is just a fraction of the whole complex as it extends into the woods at the back, where the gas chambers were located. The third camp, Auschwitz III-Monowitz, was a labour camp with factories several kilometres away from Auschwitz I and II. There is no museum at Monowitz, though some of the factory buildings and walls still stand today.

Most tourists visit the bigger salt mine at Wieliczka, but the salt mine at Bochnia is actually older and less Disneyfied. Bochnia Salt Mine has continuously been open since 1248 and was in operation until 1990. Though Bochnia is less touristic than Wieliczka, it has a fair share of clever made multimedia effects, a fun underground train ride and a mine elevator to take you the 212 meters underground - and back up. On the tour you're of course offered to lick the walls to make sure that they are made of salt. There are about 3 km of mine tunnels in total, but tourists can only visit about 1 km (but they're extending). The two mines, Bochnia and Wieliczka, are enlisted as one UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A progressive city with a pretty Old Town. There are plenty of cool spots on the banks of Brda river, which snakes through the city. Mill Island (Wyspa Młyńska) in the middle of the river, is particularly charming with footbridges, old mills and museums. Locals like also to emphasize Bydgoszcz’s vibrant music scene.

A traditional town with grand churches and a fine Town Hall. It's a quiet place with old folks and dilapidated houses, which are probably more charming to look at than to live in. The town has its fair share of old red-brick buildings, which could be Poland’s trademark.

Crooked Forest (Krzywy Las) is a grove of twisted pine trees. The plantation was planted around 1930, when its location was still within Germany. Today the grove lies within Poland, close to the German border, behind a nondescript apartment building in the outskirts of the town Gryfino. Nobody knows why a group of the trees simultaneously have made a twist at the ground - or whether it was man-made. To add to the mystery, there is another similar forest along the Baltic coast in Kaliningrad (Russian exclave), which is called Dancing Forest.

A wicked, but admirable, contribution to Sopot's collection of kitsch tourist sights. The wobbly looking building is part of a shopping center, where the front is an ordinary coffee shop.

Wagrowiec Bifurcation is a wicked sight, which isn't particularly mind blowing when looking at it, but the facts are. Two rivers, Welna and Niebla, are intersecting each other, but only 15 percent of the water are mixed in the process. Researchers once coloured the water of the rivers in different colors and the colours didn't mix. This natural phenomena is apparently only observed at one other place on the planet (though we don't where that is).

The Fort Sarbinowo is a wonderful forgotten and mystical ruin in the forest. It was one of four forts built at the end of the 19 century to protect the city Kostrzyn, but it lost its strategic position not long after. However, in 1945 there was some heavy fighting here, when the Nazis lost Kostrzyn to the Russians. Today the fort complex has been taken over by the forest (and some graffiti and trash). Walls are crumpled and trees grow in the courtyards, but you can explore the lost ruin freely. There are no signs at the main road, just a dirt road leading into the woods, where you can park the car. Best to bring a flashlight.

In terms of authenticity and prettiness, the Old Town of Gdansk is in the absolute top of Poland's "Stare Miasto". The cobbled streets are lined with embellished, slender houses, which all seem well preserved. And though the photogenic historical part is popular with tourists, it never feels invaded. The drinking scene is particularly authentic with many characterful bars. But Gdansk isn't just a one trick horse. The "modern" part has several quirky sights, like the longest residential block (860 m) and Zaspa, a neighbourhood filled with murals. There are also great day trips from Gdansk. Sopot and Torpedownia to the north, and Malbork Castle (a UNESCO site) to the south are the obvious ones.

Charming Krakow is not just Poland's second largest city, but also its biggest tourist magnet. The main market square (Rynek Główny), that makes up the heart of the Old Town (a UNESCO site), is the biggest medieval town square in Europe and one the most impressive you will ever see (the town wasn't destroyed during WWII). The square is flanked by historical townhouses while the many halls, towers, and ancient churches catch your attention. Add to that a pretty riverside castle and a bohemian Jewish quarter with bars at every corner, and you will quickly understand why Krakow is considered to be the new Prague. If that shouldn't be enough reason to put Krakow high on your to-do-list, there is also a handful of major sights just a daytrip away (Auschwitz, salt mines, to name a few). Oh, did we mention the nightlife is pumping?