Dzień dobry
jen DOH-bri
Good morning, good day
The polite greeting from morning until late afternoon, in shops and with strangers
Travel guide
Learn Poland before you go
A land of wide plains, Baltic beaches and Tatra peaks, with royal Kraków, rebuilt Warsaw and a long, brave history.
CapitalWarsaw
CurrencyPolish złoty (zł, PLN), divided into 100 groszy
Official languagePolish
Drives on theRight
Calling code+48
10 phrases to learn
In Polish. Capital letters show the stressed part. Tap the heart to practise a phrase later.
Dobry wieczór
DOH-bri VYEH-choor
Good evening
Greeting someone in the evening
Dobranoc
doh-BRAH-nots
Good night
Saying goodbye late at night or before bed
Do widzenia
doh vee-DZEH-nyah
Goodbye
Leaving a shop, a restaurant or people you don't know well
Dziękuję, dobrze
jen-KOO-yeh, DOHB-zheh
Fine, thank you
Answering 'How are you?'
Nazywam się...
nah-ZI-vahm sheh
My name is...
Introducing yourself, with your first name and then your surname
Nie ma za co
NYEH mah zah tsoh
You're welcome, it's nothing
Answering when someone thanks you
Przepraszam
psheh-PRAH-shahm
Excuse me, or I'm sorry
Getting someone's attention, getting past people, or apologising
Czy ktoś tu mówi po angielsku?
chi KTOSH too MOO-vee poh ahn-GYEL-skoo
Does anyone here speak English?
Before asking for help
Nie mówię po polsku
nyeh MOO-vyeh poh POHL-skoo
I don't speak Polish
When someone speaks to you in fast Polish
At the table
- Before a meal people wish each other 'Smacznego' (enjoy your meal).
- When glasses are raised, Poles say 'Na zdrowie!', which means 'to your health'.
- Lunch, or obiad, is the main meal of the day and almost always begins with a soup.
- On Christmas Eve many families prepare twelve dishes, all without meat. Fried carp is the traditional main course.
- It is polite to bring a small gift when invited to a Polish home. Flowers are a good choice, but always an odd number, as even numbers are for funerals.
- It is polite to ask whether you should take off your shoes when you enter someone's home.
Local tips
Złoty, not euro
Poland is in the European Union but uses its own currency, the złoty (zł). Cards are accepted almost everywhere in the cities. If you change money, private exchange offices called kantor usually give fair rates, but those at stations and tourist hot spots often charge more.
Careful with 'thank you' when paying
A tip of about 10% is usual in restaurants when you are happy with the service. But if you hand over money and say 'Dziękuję' (thank you), it is understood as 'keep the change', so only say it when you really mean that.
Most shops close on Sundays
Poland bans most trading on Sundays, apart from a few special shopping Sundays before big holidays. Supermarkets, malls and most shops are closed, but restaurants, petrol stations, bakeries and some pharmacies stay open. Plan your shopping for Saturday.
Validate your ticket
On trams and buses, validate your ticket in the machine at the start of your journey. Inspectors give fines for tickets that have not been validated.
No drinking in the street
It is illegal to drink alcohol in public places such as streets and parks, and police can fine you. Enjoy your beer or glass of wine in a bar, café or restaurant garden.
Emergency numbers
Call 112 for any emergency, from any phone. Poland also keeps its own older numbers: 999 for an ambulance, 998 for the fire brigade and 997 for the police.
Driving and walking by the road
Drive on the right. The alcohol limit is very low, 0.02%, so it is best not to drink at all before driving. Outside towns at night, walkers and cyclists must wear something reflective.
Mountain weather changes fast
Many trails in the Tatras and other southern mountains are easy enough for a day walk, but take a waterproof jacket, good shoes and something warm, as rain and cold can arrive suddenly.
Dishes to try
- Pierogi (pierogi): Half-moon dumplings of soft dough, boiled and often then fried in butter. Favourite fillings include potato with curd cheese and onion (pierogi ruskie), sauerkraut with mushrooms, minced meat, or sweet fruit in summer.
- Bigos (hunter's stew) (bigos): A rich stew of sauerkraut and fresh white cabbage slowly cooked with several kinds of meat and sausage, dried mushrooms, prunes and spices. It is served hot with rye bread or potatoes.
- Gołąbki (stuffed cabbage rolls) (gołąbki): Soft boiled cabbage leaves wrapped around a filling of minced pork or beef, onion and rice or buckwheat groats, then baked or simmered in a tomato or mushroom sauce.
- Potato pancakes (placki ziemniaczane): Crisp pancakes of grated raw potato, onion, egg and a little flour, fried in oil. They are eaten with sour cream, apple sauce or sugar, or in the mountains with a spicy goulash poured on top.
- Breaded pork cutlet (kotlet schabowy): A slice of pork loin beaten thin, coated in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and fried until golden. It is a classic Polish dinner, served with boiled potatoes and cabbage or a cucumber salad.
- Sour rye soup (żurek): A tangy, creamy soup made with soured rye flour, flavoured with garlic and marjoram and served with white sausage, bacon and halved hard-boiled eggs. It is sometimes served in a hollowed-out loaf of bread.
- Clear red borscht with 'little ears' (barszcz czerwony z uszkami): A clear, ruby-red beetroot soup with a gentle sweet-sour taste, served with uszka, tiny dumplings filled with wild mushrooms. It is the classic first course of the Christmas Eve supper.
- Chicken broth (rosół): A clear golden broth slowly simmered from chicken or beef with root vegetables, served with very thin noodles and chopped parsley. It is the classic start to a family Sunday dinner.
Cities to see
- Warsaw (capital): The rebuilt Old Town and Royal Castle, The mermaid, symbol of the city, Chopin's heart in the Holy Cross Church.
- Kraków: Wawel Castle and Cathedral, The Main Market Square and Cloth Hall, The trumpet call from St. Mary's Basilica.
- Gdańsk: The Long Market and Neptune's Fountain, The European Solidarity Centre, St. Mary's Church, a giant of brick.
- Wrocław: Hundreds of little bronze dwarfs, The Market Square, The Centennial Hall.
- Poznań: The Renaissance Town Hall, Poznań Cathedral, Saint Martin's croissants.
- Łódź: Piotrkowska Street, Red-brick factories turned into shops and lofts, The National Film School.