Travel Guide Poland - inspiration for your travels

A famously hospitable and friendly country, Poland is one of Europe's great travel destinations with wonderful food and many unique experiences to offer, from the shores of the Baltic Sea in the north to the peaks of the Tatra Mountains in the south. Having endured a somewhat turbulent past, this pivotal central European nation never fails to surprise its visitors with a wealth of interesting places and a myriad of amazing attractions. Poland is also home to vast national parks, snow-capped mountain ranges and picturesque lakes, with seemingly endless roads cutting a glorious passage through the country's verdant terrain.

Spanning the Vistula River, Warsaw rose like a phoenix from the ashes after World War II and today stands proud as the capital of Poland. The city has much to see and do for visitors, including the National Museum (which includes a number of works of art that came from Adolf Hitler's private collection) plus dozens of other museums on subjects as diverse as posters and caricatures. With over a thousand years of history, Krakow was the capital of Poland up until the seventeenth century and today is a stylish, cosmopolitan city that attracts curious travellers from all over the world. Mercifully untouched during World War II, the city is perfectly preserved and overflowing with history, monuments and culture.

With over 24,000 pick-up locations in 180 destinations, Auto Europe has all the right solutions for your next car rental in Poland. You can collect your vehicle at a choice of exciting locations, such as Poznan and Katowice. Our prices are the cheapest on the market and we offer the widest choice of vehicles of any other car hire company, so book your vehicle with us today and start planning your trip to Poland. And if you're curious to know what other travellers think about our products and services, why not visit our Poland car hire reviews page to see their ratings and read the comments they posted for extra peace of mind. Besides that, if you need any help whatsoever with your booking, please call our very experienced rental agents on +44 123 3225 114 and they will be very happy to assist you in. Please also consult our Poland driving guide for tips on getting around, tolls, driving distances, etc.

With Auto Europe's Travel Guide Poland you'll find lots of tips on how best to get around this magnificent country, as well as detailed information about the best places to visit during your trip.

Consult the Poland travel guide topics listed below and take a look at each page for information on a specific aspect of travelling in Poland.

• Poland Car Hire Guide - This guide offers you a full overview of everything you need to know about hiring a car in Poland.
• Poland Driving Information - Learn helpful information about driving in Poland. From tips and driving laws to speed limits, parking and more.
• Poland Fleet Guide Options - Information about our car hire options for your trip to Poland.

Road trips with my car hire in Poland

Poland is blessed with some of the best road-trip possibilities in the whole of Europe. Drivers are spoilt for choice both in and away from the big cities, with a range of options available in all parts of the country. For great scenery, you simply can't beat the Giant Mountains and the lush green countryside around Lower Silesia south of Wrocaw, while the lakes north of Warsaw and the coastal areas to the west of Gdansk are other very popular choices. The following section provides a few suggestions to get you started on your great motoring adventure in Poland.

The Gdansk-Warsaw-Poznan triangle is arguably one of the most enticing road-trips in central Europe. Taking in three magnificient cities on one exhilarating journey, you can start and finish in the capital, Warsaw, or set up a base on the Baltic's long, sandy coastline outside Gdansk. Each of the cities is a top tourist destination in its own right, so if it's urban culture and fine architecture you're looking for, then this is the itinerary for you.

Poland's scenic south-western region encompasses the beautiful city of Wroclaw, which is so rich in history and culture it's worth at least a day or two's sightseeing before moving on. Capital of the picturesque Lower Silesia province, the city is the perfect base from which to explore the surrounding areas, with the short journey to the nearby city of Wabrzych a particularly enchanting add-on. Wrocaw is also a great starting point for discovering Poland's two famous wooden 'Peace' churches, one at Swidnica and the other at Jawor, which are around 400 years old and still looking absolutely astonishing.

The historic city of Jelenia Góra is a natural set-off point for a visit to the wonderful Karkonosze National Park and Poland's famed Giant Mountains. But first, make sure you spend some time admiring the town's medieval architecture and well-preserved baroque town square. The park itself holds many attractions and the drive through its lush landscape and pretty little villages is a real joy. The nearby town of Kodzko is an additional highlight for people visiting the region.

Close to the Slovak border lie the Tatra mountains which form a large part of an immense national park. The whole area is crying out to be explored with your car hire in Poland, particularly the glorious foothills around Rysy, the country's highest peak. Besides a succession of streams, waterfalls and mountain lakes, you'll have the chance to explore caves (over 600 in all) of which Wielka Sniezna is the longest (23km) and deepest (824m).

Another must for road-trippers visiting Poland is the Bialowieza Forest Reserve in the east, Europe's largest remaining section of preserved primeval forest. Besides being a paradise for bird-watchers, it is a natural habitat for bison and many other large creatures who feel perfectly at home in this wonderful UNESCO World Heritage site. Don't miss the charming village of Bialowieza located deep inside the forest where an open-air museum displays windmills, huts, a small chapel, barn, sauna and many other fine examples of wooden architecture.

What to do in Poland

Whether your plan is to enjoy the vibrance of Poland's large towns and cities or immerse yourself in the natural splendour of its pristine lakes, beaches, parks and mountainscapes, you'll always benefit from the warmth and generosity of the Polish people, whose sense of hospitality and strong community values are deep-rooted aspects of the country's customs and traditions. Fascinating cities like Gdansk and Wroclaw are as alluring as the capital, Warsaw, but wherever you go with your low-cost car hire in Poland you'll be travelling through some of the most striking scenery in central Europe.

• Warsaw: The Polish capital is a fine example of what to expect on your travels, most notably its old quarter which is a span of history from the 13th to the 20th centuries. Here you'll find a delightful mix of medieval architecture with several Gothic and colourful Renaissance buildings situated amidst centuries-old merchant houses all huddled together in the city's most popular square. Don't miss the Historical Museum of Warsaw, home to one of Europe's most impressive art collections, nor the Adam Mickiewicz Museum of Literature which pays homage to Poland's most famous poet and writer.


• Krakow: One of the oldest places in Poland, Krakow's history stretches all the way back to the 7th century. Perfectly intact, its Old Town is blessed with picture-postcard buildings from medieval times and both Wavel Castle and historic Kazimierz quarter are classified as UNESCO World Heritage sites. The city is also home to over thirty museums (don't miss the Wawel National Art Collection) and more than forty urban parks, including the popular Lasek Wolski forest.


• Ojcow: Located 10 miles from Krakow, the small village of Ojcow is the gateway to the Ojcow National Park, a heavily forested area with an abundance of interesting natural features, including hundreds of caves, towering limestone cliffs and two enchanting river valleys. Besides two important museums (one of which is part of the National Art Collection), one of the park's key attractions is the Trail of the Eagles' Nests which links more than 20 castles and watchtowers, including the Renaissance-style Pieskowa Skala Castle and the ruins of an old Gothic castle.


• Auschwitz: Located about an hour west of Krakow, the Auschwitz–Birkenau concentration camps are a stark reminder of Poland's horrific past. From 1942-1944, almost a million Jews were brought to these camps from German-occupied countries, the majority of whom sadly lost their lives in the gas chambers. Visitors can join guided tours of the camps, which consist of around 300 barracks, the camps' notorious crematoriums and hundreds of other preserved buildings.


• Schindler's Factory: More wartime memorabilia exists at the former enamel and metal factory run by Oskar Schindler, the subject of Steven Spielberg's award-winning 1994 film. Now a museum complex, Schindler's former office (and a substantial part of the factory floor) is now a branch of the Historical Museum of the City of Krakow, while another section of the building has been converted into the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Frequently Asked Questions about travelling in Poland

In the following section you'll find a selection of our most frequently asked questions regarding car hire in Poland, as well as a few phrases that might help you on your travels. We included advice on which vehicles are best suited to a road-trip around the country, plus essential visa info and the kind of electricity supply you'll find when you get there. Should you need help with any aspect of your trip, please give our rental specialists a call on +44 123 3225 114 and they'll be happy to assist you. In addition, you'll find lots of other car hire-related advice and information in our popular travel tips section where we cover a wide variety of topics ranging from full protection to all the rules and regulations regarding minimum and maximum age requirements and any driving restrictions that might be useful on your travels.

Useful Links

Poland Travel Information

Gov.uk Poland Travel Advice