Polen

Eat

Poles take their meals following the standard continental schedule: a light breakfast in the morning (usually some sandwiches with tea/coffee), then a larger lunch (or traditionally a "dinner") at around 13:00-14:00, then a supper at around 19:00.

It is not difficult to avoid meat, with many restaurants offering at least one vegetarian dish. Most major cities have some exclusively vegetarian restaurants, especially near the city centre. Vegan options remain extremely limited, however.

thumbnail|right|Pierogi

Drink

thumbnail|right|Polish people drink more beer than any other alcoholic beverage

Poland is on the border of European "vodka" and "beer culture". Poles enjoy alcoholic drinks but they drink less than the European average. You can buy beer, vodka and wine. Although Poland is known as the birthplace of vodka, local beer seems to have much more appeal to many Poles. Another traditional alcoholic beverage is mead. Polish liqueurs and nalewka (alcoholic tincture) are a must.

You must be over 18 years old and be able to prove it with a valid ID to buy alcohol, and this is strictly enforced.

Sleep

Poland is catching up with Western Europe when it comes to availability and standards of lodging. Many smaller towns and locations less frequented by tourists still offer very little choice of accommodation and the existing providers make use of it rather by offering low standards than charging extortionate prices. In large cities, both in hotels and hostels, you can expect staff to have reasonable command of English, and often other foreign languages. In less frequented locations, the language barrier may be a problem.

Stay safe

The European unified emergency number 112 is being deployed in Poland. By now, it certainly works for all mobile-phone calls and most land-line calls.

There are also three "old" emergency numbers that are still in use for land-lines. These are: Ambulance (Pogotowie): 999, Firefighters (Straż Pożarna): 998, and Police (Policja): 997.

Municipal Guards (Straż Miejska), dial 986, is a kind of auxiliary Police force found only in large cities. They are not armed and their role is primarily to cope with parking offences and minor cases of antisocial behaviour.

thumbnail|right|When in trouble, report immediately to the police (Policja)

Stay healthy

Tap water is safe to drink in entire Poland. If you stay in any larger settlement, there is no reason to worry about water quality. The only complaint may be excessive chlorine treatment and the resulting unpleasant smell. However in some rural locations residents may prefer to source water from wells, which usually will be contaminated with iron and unsafe to drink. Poland relies heavily on coal and wood for home heating, and thus has a serious smog problem, which is particularly pronounced in winter and in the southern regions, especially in mountain valleys.

Go next

The land border can be crossed to Germany, Czechia, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Lithuania. Traffic to Belarus and the Kaliningrad Oblast is severely restricted as of 2025.