10 of the best places to visit in Poland
One week Warsaw and Krakow
Two weeks Gdansk, Sopot, Warsaw and Krakow
Three weeks Poznan, Torun, Wroclaw, Krakow and Tatra Mountains
A tight budget Wroclaw and Poznan
Considering only about 15 per cent of Warsaw was left standing after the Second World War, it's astonishing how much of Poland's capital has been beautifully reconstructed. Linger over coffee on the terraces of Old Town Market Square, a delightful mishmash of Renaissance, gothic, baroque and neoclassical townhouses, before wandering over to the reconstructed Royal Castle that dates back to the 14th century. In the Mirow and Muranow districts that formed the Warsaw ghetto are the Warsaw Uprising Museum and the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, two of the city's most important museums.
Bask in the old-world luxury of Mamaison Hotel Le Regina in the 18th-century Mokrowsky Palace, which also squeezes in an indoor pool.
Join the eight-day Warsaw and the Baltic States tour offered by Insight Vacations, which includes two nights in Warsaw.
• Discover our full guide to Poland
Poland's cultural capital knocks you sideways with its beauty, particularly the medieval market square and Renaissance Cloth Hall — not to mention the opulence of Wawel Royal Castle. Take in the lively atmosphere of the old Jewish quarter of Kazimierz and its buzzing bars and restaurants, and learn about the history of Krakow's Jews in the Old Synagogue and Galicia Jewish Museum. Cross the Vistula River for more Jewish history at one of the city's must-see sights, the Oskar Schindler Factory.
Enjoy views of the market square from the five-star Bonerowski Palace.
Riviera Travel has a three-night break in Krakow including guided tours and the option to visit the nearby Wieliczka Salt Mine.
• Read our full guide to Krakow• Best hotels in Krakow
A glimpse into Gdansk's tumultuous history — which includes being seized by Prussia before it became a free city — gives a clue as to why Poland's principal Baltic port is so different from other cities. Its architecture has more in common with other northern European ports with which it traded during the heyday of the medieval Hanseatic League, and this cosmopolitan air is still very much part of Gdansk's spirited soul. Start in the cobbled lanes of the Main Town, rebuilt after the Second World War to look as if its gabled merchants' houses hadn't changed since the 18th century. Dive into the city's history at the Amber Museum, Museum of the Second World War and the European Solidarity Centre.
Stay in a restored waterside granary at Hotel Gdansk Boutique, home to the city's oldest craft brewery.
Fred Olsen Cruise Lines' 11-night Castles and Cultures of the Baltic trip features a visit to Gdansk on the way from Copenhagen to Lithuania.
This student-heavy city in western Poland was both the European Capital of Culture and Unesco World Book Capital in 2016, showing off its cultural credentials. Wroclaw is rather like a more relaxed version of Krakow, with a gorgeous market square crammed with colourful (and restored) gothic, baroque and art nouveau architecture. It's also a city of river islands spread along the Oder River — 12 of them — that make appealing picnic and swimming spots in the summer.
There's a lovely old-world elegance to the Hotel Monopol, set in an 1892 neo-baroque building with an indoor pool and smart rooftop restaurant.
Byway Travel has a 17-day railway tour of northern Europe that includes a two-night stay in Wroclaw.
Poznan positively hums with energy, thanks in large part to its huge student population. It's hard not to be entranced by a city whose impressive 16th-century town hall clock features two metal billy goats butting each other 12 times to herald midday. The town hall, which also houses the fascinating Historical Museum of Poznan, is just one of the many charms of Old Market Square. Look out for the arcaded row of colourful merchants' houses alongside the many restaurants and cafés filling the square.
You'll be seconds away from the Old Market Square at PURO Hotel Stare Miasto, which features a funky restaurant and terrace to go with sleek, contemporary rooms.
This Cosmos nine-day Portrait of Poland holiday includes a night in Poznan.
Poland's summertime playground has been the place to see and be seen since the days when 19th-century German royalty would promenade along this Baltic coastal resort's waterfront. Miles of sandy beaches, fashionable spa hotels, its proximity to Gdansk and the longest wooden pier in Europe mean Sopot is as popular as ever. It's here you'll find Poland's liveliest nightlife, especially along the main thoroughfare, Monte Cassino. Look out for one of Poland's quirkiest sights: the so-called Crooked House, whose psychedelically swirly façade will have your head spinning.
With its own beach and indoor pool, and the pier just yards away, the suitably named Sofitel Grand dates from 1927 and has kept much of its art deco elegance.
Viator has a day trip combining a visit to Sopot with the nearby Gdansk and Gdynia.
It'll be one of the most harrowing things you'll do, but a visit to Auschwitz and its neighbour Birkenau is a must, especially if you're staying in Krakow. More than a million people were killed by the Nazis in both extermination camps, which is shown in brutal detail in the mostly intact barracks in Auschwitz. In the second camp at Birkenau, a short bus ride away, the stark reality of Hitler's Final Solution is evident in spite of the partial destruction of the camp.
In the heart of Krakow's Jewish district of Kazimierz is Hotel Rubinstein, whose 15th-century building features a roof terrace with views of the city.
The five-day Spirit of Krakow with Newmarket Holidays includes an escorted day trip to Auschwitz.
Forming the highest range in the Carpathians, the Tatra Mountains — straddling Poland's southern border with Slovakia — are an adventure playground for all seasons. Come in the summer for superb hiking, biking, paragliding and swimming, or come in the winter for skiing and snowshoeing. Base yourself in the town of Zakopane, whose wooden villas built during the 19th and 20th centuries give off distinct fairy-tale vibes.
Soak up the stately atmosphere of Grand Hotel Stamary, a sprawling 1905 hotel surrounded by pine woods and mountain views. Its indoor pool is what you need after a day's skiing or hiking.
Explore! has an eight-day hiking tour of the Carpathian Mountains, including treks around Zakopane.
By some miracle, Torun escaped destruction at the hands of the Nazis, leaving this walled gothic town between Warsaw and Poznan more or less intact. Wander the cobbled streets of its medieval quarter past baroque townhouses, red-brick gothic churches and the ruins of a medieval Teutonic castle, and look out for the 14th-century town hall, which houses Torun Regional Museum. It even has its own Leaning Tower of Torun, a slightly tipsy-looking 13th-century fortification that's on the Unesco world heritage list. Visit the House of Copernicus, where the astronomer was born, and get a taste of life in the 15th and 16th centuries.
An 18th-century granary houses the pleasingly traditional Hotel Spichrz with beamed ceilings and an oak-lined restaurant near the castle ruins.
Take a tour of Torun as part of Trafalgar's 11-day Best of Poland holiday, which also includes Warsaw, Krakow and Gdansk.
Poland's third-largest city was a textile powerhouse back in the 19th century but fell on hard times during the 20th. Rejuvenated, renovated and reinvented, it's now a dynamic city with its old industrial complexes refashioned as shopping and business centres. Manufaktura is the most impressive example, combining shopping, restaurants, entertainment and businesses including a cinema, the Museum of the Factory and the MS2 Museum of Art.
Not surprisingly, Vienna House by Wyndham Andel's Lodz is set in a former textile factory that now includes a top-floor spa and indoor pool.
Take a private walking tour of Lodz old town with Viator to get a handle on the city's history and top sights.
• Best things to do in Krakow• Best affordable summer destinations in Europe
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Cute Weddell seals make eyes at visitors, oblivious to potential human danger, even as they laze among the Brobdingnagian whale-bone vertebrae that lie strewn around the abandoned remains of 1920s whaling stations. With rules in place to limit tourist footfall, this ultimate alternative holiday destination is perfect for travellers who prefer small group excursions and offers one of the planet's most exclusive experiences. Make it happen Lindblad Expeditions is one of the most experienced Antarctica providers, with expert lecturers on board its modern expedition ships and Zodiac boats, sea kayaks and underwater cameras ready to help you see and experience as much as possible. Best for a sense of wonderLarge, landlocked Bolivia is a place of typical South American extremes: snow-streaked mountains here, Amazonian jungle or semi-arid lowland there. Getting around can be challenging — 'the only consistency is inconsistency' goes a local phrase — so booking an escorted tour is wise. The rewards are manifold and usually include a superlative. There's cable-car-covered La Paz, the world's highest capital at 3,650m (11,975ft), and a carnival of chaotic life and silence-inducing Andean views. Flamingo-dotted Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat, is truly magical during the wet season (December to April) as rain water effects a giant mirror. And there's South America's biggest lake, high-altitude Titicaca, and its islands formed from reeds. Bolivia also excels at festivals — try Oruro's springtime La Diablada, where devils recreate the seven deadly sins. Make it happen Available year-round, this two-week highlights tour with Exodus takes small groups to Salar de Uyuni's cacti islands and spouting geysers, to amazing ancient ruins and to an ecolodge overlooking Titicaca. Best for a versatile getawayThe absence of a sensational pre-Columbian temple or colonial city enables Panama to fly slightly under the Central American tourist radar. Yet this snake-shaped country still has a wonderful range of experiences up for grabs. From slick Panama City, visitors can go sport-fishing, tackle terrific golf courses or cruise up the awesome Panama Canal. Fly west and things get wilder around the Baru volcano — one of the only places on Earth from which both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are visible. Surrounded by coffee farms, nearby Boquete is an adventure-travel capital with everything from easily-hiked trails past waterfalls to zip-lining. Panama also has some wonderful beaches: consider the Caribbean coast's San Blas islands — where simple accommodation and pristine white sand awaits — or cross to the Pacific for Islas Secas, a swanky private island resort run on solar power. Make it happen Indus Travel's 12-day Best of Panama itinerary combines the canal and Panama City with visits to an Embera indigenous village, a hike through cloud forests, dolphin-watching, waterfalls and beach time. Best for immersive counterculturePerhaps because this southernmost of the Baltic states was among Europe's last countries to be Christianised, folksy pagan traditions still pepper its boondocks. Demonic statues litter the many forests and lakes; wood-carving villages still serve mead. A different kind of counterculture, one more anchored on third-wave coffee, informs capital Vilnius, whose Unesco-listed old town has baroque churches lining twisting lanes. Cathedral Square's white belltower is especially enchanting. Elsewhere, floating on Lake Galve, witch's hat-shaped Trakai is the best of numerous castles; while the riverside spa town of Druskininkai is just a ten-minute drive from a bizarre Soviet sculpture park — The Grutas Park. But Lithuania's headline act is the Curonian Spit — shared with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. This exaggerated, oh-so-photogenic sandbar has amber-spangled dunes, pristine beaches and elk-inhabited pine groves. Make it happen Also visiting Estonia and Latvia, and starting from the Finnish capital Helsinki, Intrepid Travel's small-group tour spends six days in Lithuania. Jazz-loving Klaipeda, the Curonian Spit, the watery Aukstaitija National Park and Vilnius all feature. Best for adventurersPrincipe — the smaller isle of the two-island nation of Sao Tome and Principe, found about 135 miles off the coast of Gabon in west Africa — is finally getting overdue recognition. There are various factors: the presence of an island-wide, equatorial Unesco biosphere; the chance to see nesting sea turtles (November-February) or humpback whales (July-October); the lure of empty, paradise-like sandy beaches such as Praia Banana. Most crucial are three small, eco-luxury hotels established by South African philanthropist Mark Shuttleworth. As well as bringing good chefs and chic design, these have helped to revive the island's cocoa farms and boost employment. Local culture is encouraged, and outdoor activities — boat trips, parrot-watching walks, paddleboarding — are plentiful. Make it happen Arguably the loveliest (and least formal) of those Shuttleworth hotels is Bom Bom, which straddles two typically postcard-worthy beaches. On the tidal island between them is a good restaurant, while air-conditioned bungalows surround the palm-flanked pool. Best for off-radar safarisKenya, Tanzania and South Africa tend to hog Africa's safari limelight, but that's a good thing: it leaves authentic Malawi to savvy insiders. After decades of neglect, the non-profit organisation African Parks (Prince Harry is on its board) began rehabilitating three tracts here in 2015. Gradually, poached-out animals were reintroduced in record-breaking translocations, snares rooted out, fences formed and wonderful new lodges built. Visitors to Majete Wildlife Reserve's riparian woodland now frequently sight all the Big Five animals (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) while hippo and croc-spotting cruises sail along Liwonde National Park's Shire River, as sunsets silhouette palm trees to create one of Africa's greatest safari experiences. Trips to this charming country should also include the tea-farming Thyolo Region before finishing at huge Lake Malawi, whose sandy beaches and diving make for an appropriately relaxing finale. Make it happen YellowWood Adventures arranges bespoke safari trips to Malawi, with the suggested itinerary pairing Liwonde, Majete and an island stay on Lake Malawi with time at a tea-growing estate in the country's south. Best for unique creaturesNinety per cent of Madagascar's exceptional wildlife can be found nowhere else on Earth, including blue coua birds, cat-sized chameleons, mongoose-like fossas and the chief reason to visit: more than 100 types of lemur, from graceful sifakas to large indris. Among the best places to view the latter is Nosy Be, an island off the island that also hosts some of the Indian Ocean's dreamiest beaches and the luxury lodge Miavana. Visit between July and October for whale watching, as well. Back on the world's fourth-largest island, vanilla plantations and crater lakes add to the natural spell, as does the striking Avenue of the Baobabs stretch of road. Make it happen Available in May and November, this 17-day group tour with Jules Verne will get up close and personal with lemurs and chameleons. You'll also pause in traditional tribal villages, walk avenues of ancient baobabs and explore sacred forests. Best for marvellous monasteriesBeloved for its philosophy of Gross National Happiness, the remote Himalayan kingdom is about as authentic as travel gets. Visitor numbers are limited — with tourists required to pay minimum daily tariffs from $200 (about £150), which covers accommodation, food, transportation and guiding — and Buddhist values dominate. That extends from Cham dance ceremonies to jaw-dropping standout is the Tiger's Nest, a fairytale complex somehow teetering on a precarious cliffside. Cities such as Thimphu and Punakha host impressive dzong fortresses and markets as vertiginous valleys all around provide a dream destination for trekkers. A potent fuel for that pursuit is the national dish of ema datshi — a lively stew combining hot chili peppers and yak cheese. Make it happen With its strict travel rules and myriad local customs, Bhutan is much easier to visit if you have expert help. The experienced Wendy Wu Tours is such a tour operator, and operates a 24-day group tour here every November. Best for aquatic adventureBy common consensus, this South Pacific archipelago is reckoned tobe the world's best bet for swimming with humpback whales. Its 170-odd islands, with only a few dozen of them inhabited, are a pit stop on the colossal cetaceans' natural migration from the Antarctic, with August and September being peak time. As well as swimming trips, numerous operators run boat-based tours for those who don't want to get in the water. Make for the northerly Vava'u group of islands, where you'll also find Tonga's best white-sand beaches. Tonga also promises surfing, happily little development, a Stonehenge-style megalithic structure, and absolutely no hurry. Make it happen Seabourn comes here on one of its small, sumptuous expedition ships in April as part of a cruise which also takes in Fiji and Samoa. You'll spend two days in Tonga: one in the Vava'u archipelago and another in the capital, Nuku'Alofa — its name meaning the 'Abode of Love'. Best for big sky energy 'This is wonderful! No one told me it was like this.' So, according to legend, said the modernist painter Georgia O'Keeffe upon her first visit to New Mexico. The initial seduction for her came via this southwestern US state's mesmerising, one-off landscapes: White Sands National Park's eerie gypsum dune fields, the pink-hued Sandia Mountains, the giant Rio Grande Gorge at sunset. Beyond the Land of Enchantment's great geography, though, you'll also find an esoteric arts scene — especially in main city Santa Fe, where O'Keeffe's landscapes vie for attention with mysterious collective Meow Wolf — and a fiery food scene amalgamating Native American, Mexican and Spanish influences. Then you've got mud-brick Indian pueblos, microbreweries, a famous October hot-air balloon fiesta, Breaking Bad locations, Billy the Kid's grave and Roswell's UFO history. Make it happen Globus Journeys's group tour, Enchanted New Mexico, introduces Santa Fe, sandstone canyons, ancient pueblos, O'Keeffe's studio and plenty more of the state's highlights. Best for forest hikesUnlike Bali, there are no built-up resorts and hustling hawkers here, just lush rainforest trails, scattered waterfalls and a dramatic, Jurassic-looking coastline. The two islands may both have a Kuta Beach, but Bali's is packed with bars, malls and chain hotels, while Lombok's is a windswept zig-zag of milk-white sand meeting palmy forest. Inland, there are fewer overpriced spas and more authentic villages — hike to them along forest trails for glimpses of the Indian Ocean. And don't miss a trip to the trio of car-free treasure isles a ten-minute speedboat away: the Gili Islands, sandy circles sprinkled with chic boutique hotels and low-key beach bars. Make it happen G Adventures operates a seven-night Lombok tour for small groups. You're promised animist temples, bamboo forests and traditional Sasak weaving villages before several days of relaxation in the Gili Islands. • Most romantic city breaks in Europe• Best places in the world to go island hopping
