It’s maybe not the first destination which springs to mind when you’re thinking of somewhere interesting for your summer holidays, but the wide availability of budget flights from the UK to Eastern Europe means that more of us are considering places like Poland for a summer break with a difference.

Beaches

Would you believe that Poland has some of the best beaches in Europe? The Baltic Coast in the north of the country offers wide, sandy and clean beaches which are popular with family holidaymakers as well as surfers and other watersports enthusiasts. Probably the biggest seaside resort is Sopot, Between Gdynia and Gdansk, where visitors will find lots of accommodation, restaurants to cater to visitors, and even a waterpark which is open in the summer months. Weather in Poland is similar to the UK, with average temperatures around 22C in July and August, but colder than the UK during winter months. If you’re the sort of person who is happiest on a warm summer’s afternoon in the UK, the temperature should perfect for you.

Mountains, Hiking and Biking

The most popular outdoors pursuits area in Poland is in the Tatras mountains which are in the south of the country and form a border with Slovakia.     Zakopane is the main mountain resort, and is an established tourist centre with hotels, guesthouses and campsites as well as many restaurants and bars. Three million visitors flock to the Polish Alps each year, skiing and hiking in the winter months and taking part in more unusual activities such as caving and paragliding when the weather is more favourable in the summer. Check that your travel insurance will cover you for the activities you are planning as many class sports such as mountain biking or hiking as “high risk” and you may have to take out extra cover.

City Breaks – Warsaw and Krakow

Direct flights from the UK mean that the Polish cities of Warsaw and Krakow are both popular for city breaks. Wander the streets of the old town in either city, stroll through formal parks, visit monuments, cathedrals or former royal palaces. Polish city breaks offer great value for money – a meal in an inexpensive restaurant will set you back around £5, a pint of beer around £1.50 and entry into the best museums in Warsaw around £3. One of the other advantages of going to Poland is cheap flights. Ryanair fly to several Polish airports as does EasyJet, with flights costing as little as £13 one way. Book in advance for the cheapest deals, and remember that you’ll pay extra for taking additional baggage.

Polish Practicalities

Poland is in the same time zone as most of continental Europe and is an hour ahead of the UK. The currency is the Polish Zloty, and there are approximately 5 zloty to the pound. Poland is part of the EU, which means that you can use EHIC cover here to offset emergency medical treatment. English is widely spoken in tourist areas and the main cities, in more rural areas you will benefit from having a few words of Polish or a phrasebook.