Poland travel guide

A dilapidated concrete island of the coast. It was built by Nazi Germany during WWII as a torpedo launch station. After the war the USSR used it to train divers in the navy. Today, it lies abandoned a long swim from Babie Doły beach outside Gdynia. Although you have to pass a military station on the way, the beach is public. The crumbling concrete complex seems unsupervised (if you don't mind a swim), but be aware of its poor state.

Poland has many elegant medieval Old Towns, but some are more magnificent than others. UNESCO-listed Old Town of Toruń is extraordinary rich in historical buildings, since the fine walled city was mostly spared during WWII. Remarkably, it's also spared today from the tourist hordes, since nobody outside Poland seems to know about charming and authentic Toruń. The best way to explore the Old Town is to just wander the cobbled streets and turn back, when you hit the modern part. It will be evident to any visitor to Toruń, that the famous scientist Nicolaus Copernicus was born here.

Warsaw might not impress at first sight. Though the tourist-haunted old town is UNESCO enlisted, most buildings needed to be rebuilt after WWII. Outside the Old Town, Warsaw is an odd mix of imposing 19th centuries mansions, Soviet-era 'masterpieces', tired workers' apartment blocks and sparkling new glass'n'steel business towers. Nowhere is this more evident than around the 'Palace of Culture and Science' which was a hard-to-decline present from the USSR. Its 231 m still make it the tallest building in Poland, but the modern skyscrapers around it are getting higher and higher every year. The amount of black luxury SUVs in the streets indicate that many are surfing the capitalism wave, leaving solidarity to the past. But Warsaw is still raw and full of lovely places with cheap beers, vodka and hearty food served through a hole in the wall.

Several hundred meters below the streets of the town Wieliczka snakes a real wonder of mankind: The Wieliczka Salt Mine, where miners since the 13th century have dug out more than 280 km of tunnels. Today the salt mine is UNESCO enlisted (along with Bochnia Salt Mine) and one of the biggest tourist sights in Poland. The tours will take you down 389 wooden steps (135 m), through damp tunnels all carved out of pure grey rock salt – and yes, you're welcome to check the taste for yourself by licking walls. There are artworks carved out of the rock salt by the miners through time, but the main attraction is the underground cathedral, also carved out of solid salt, with a highly polished salt floor, salt crystal chandeliers and a salt relief of the last supper. If salt is to your liking, you can even get married here.

Wolf's Lair was Hitler's secret military headquarter on the Eastern Front during WWII. It was a heavily fortified concrete bunker located deep in the forest. The security was of the absolute highest level and the location was a well-kept secret. Surprisingly, it was here Hitler was attempted assassinated in July 1944 by a suitcase bomb detonated by a Nazi colonel. Unfortunately, Hitler survived the blast with minor injuries. The complex was never completed as the Soviet Red Army was quickly approaching in late 1944. In early 1945 the complex was blown up by the Nazis, 72 hours before the Red Army arrived. Today the concrete ruins are reclaimed by nature. There are two walking routes of 1.3 km and 1.8 km passing various bunkers in different stages of decay. The entrances to the bunkers are mostly not closed off, but many warning signs state that it's forbidden to enter inside the ruins due to danger of falling bits.

Tiny Living is getting more and more popular, but Polish architect Jakub Szczęsny has taken it to the extreme. In 2012 he designed and constructed a house in the space between two apartment blocks. The house is no wider than 152 cm and stands completely independently without actually touching the neighbouring buildings. Since the house doesn't meet local building codes, the house is classified as an "art installation", but people have been living there anyway. The crampy two floors have impressively a bedroom, a bathroom, a living area, and a kitchen - where refrigerator only holds two beers. The house is named Keret House after the first tenant Etgar Keret, an Israeli writer and filmmaker.

You might wonder how a gem like Wroclaw can go under the radar for so long. Wroclaw is a smaller version of Krakow – smaller in size, but equal in charm and grandeur. There are old townhouses, a market square only second in size to Krakow's, and several islands on the Odra River with beautiful cathedrals. For great views of the old town, follow one of the many trails along the river, which will eventually cross some of the town's many bridges. For a 'uh' experience, visit the monstrous concrete exhibition complex, Centennial Hall, which is an UNESCO site. Just to top it off, the town also has a great young vibe (thanks to the many students) and therefor plenty of cheap bars to choose from.

At the foot of the Tatra Mountains lies Zakopane. During winter it’s ski resort town and during summer a base for mountain activities like hiking and mountain biking. The main stretches are lined with hotel chatels and more are getting build. Even in off season Zakopane is bustling with visitors in colourful lycra. If you don't want to hike too much, you can always take the cable car to the summit of mt. Kasprowy Wierch (1,987 m) and enjoy the views effortless. Or take the funicular up to mt. Gubalowka (1,123 m) on the other side of the valley. At the top you will have a cluster of small shops and bars - besides the amazing views over Zakopane.

Łódź (pronounced "Woodge") is an old industrial city which is under transformation. There are still lots of drap concrete blocks, but artsy murals are shooting up and old industrial buildings are putting into new use. The "OFF Piotrkowska" area is a wonderful example. Here the dilapidated factory buildings with iron framed windows are turned into hipster barber shops, bars, gastro pubs, alternative music venues, and studios. Manufaktura is another old factory complex which has been transformed, in this case to a shopping mall. Many will probably prefer the vibrant OFF Piotrkowska over the polished Manufaktura.