New Year’s Eve in Poland – 5 reasons why!

1) Party!

Polish people really can drink and know how to have a good time. From small and affordable traditional shot bars to craft beer and cocktail bars to rooftop nightclubs, Poland has something to offer to any kind of partier. There’s a plethora of the bars and clubs that will be having NYE themed parties to choose from. If you really can’t decide on a venue or just want to hop around bars and clubs, Warsaw and Gdansk have NYE themed pub crawls for an extremely affordable price.

2) Budget Friendly & Easy On Your Wallet

Poland’s currency is the Polish Zloty. Poland is an extremely affordable destination for many travellers. Combine that with NYE, where pre-fixed menus are usually over-the-top expensive; not in Poland. For example, on the high-end, a nice, pre-fixed NYE meal for two with alcohol will only put you back €45 at most. A standard dinner and drinks will only cost you less than €20 and alcohol is dirt cheap (€1 vodka shots, €2-3 pints of beer, €5 fancy cocktails) and available 24 hours a day. For those of you craving some extravagance but have always been apprehensive due to a budget, you can end 2019 sightseeing and partying around one of Poland’s cities in a limo (starting from €22 per person) or helicopter at a budget-friendly price.

3) Escape The Crowds

We all know that the major European cities like London, Paris, and Berlin are going to be a zoo on New Year’s Eve! Taxis will be nearly impossible to hail and Uber surge prices will be over the roof! Save yourself the aggravation and head over to Poland where most of the crowd are fun-loving locals! To be quite honest, all of the Polish cities are so compact that walking is certainly not out of the question [just remember, no open bottles while walking :)].

4) Christmas Markets

The best thing about Christmas times are definitely Christmas Markets. You can walk around all bundled up, looking at the lights with a mulled wine in hand, munching on delicious Polish goodies such as pierogies, kielbasa, and pączki (donuts). Check out the Christmas Markets in the Old Towns of Krakow, Warsaw and Gdansk- they are absolutely magical!

5) Winter Wonderland in the Mountains

The southern parts of Poland offer various skiing/snowboarding destinations for the active traveler. Unlike the Swiss and Italian Alps, skiing/snowboarding in Poland is quite affordable. For those of you non-ski/snowboarders, never fear. You can still immerse yourself in the mountains and have a wintery, snowy time in the picturesque town of Zakopane. Zakopane is THE Polish go-to for a winter getaway. Grab a hot chocolate or mulled wine and ring in the near year all cosied up by the fire in the wintery wonderland of the Polish mountains.

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Green City

The most ecologically-minded city in Poland in 2019, according to Forbes, is Katowice. This may come as a surprise given the coal pollution in this mining region, but looks can be deceiving.

Forbes examined the operations undertaken and the money spent on ecological ventures, combating smog, testing air quality and financing a system of urban bicycles.

Katowice, the centre of a huge urban agglomeration, has been investing in green projects for a few years now. In 2018, the city authorities spent nearly PLN 9.8 million on replacing heat sources to reduce smog, and installed 127 air quality meters and 75 urban bicycle stations.

Katowice has been strongly advocating low-emission public transport for a while. In 2016 – 2018, the city added 90 state-of-the-art buses that meet the EURO 6 pollution standards at a cost of PLN 100 million. Keep it going, Katowice!

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Polish scientist in a historical expedition to Mount Everest

Geographer Mariusz Potocki was one of the people who participated in the unique expedition to Mount Everest. Their mission was to create the highest weather station in the world and collect the ice core at an altitude that had never been done before.

A team of scientists who climbed the highest peak in the world, led by experts from the National Geographic Society and Tribhuvan University in Nepal, installed two weather monitoring stations at 8430 meters and 7945 meters. The data collected by the transmitters are intended to help researchers better understand how rising global temperatures affect the melting rate of glaciers. The team also collected an ice core sample at an altitude of 8,020 meters, which will help scientists study the characteristics of mountain precipitation and atmospheric composition in pre-industrial times.

The almost two-month expedition involved over 30 scientists from around the world, including seventeen researchers from Nepal and one Pole, Mariusz Potocki.

Potocki is a geographer and glaciologist, i.e. a researcher of glaciers. Since childhood, his passions were geography and chemistry, but after high school he decided to focus on the first one, choosing studies in this field at the University of Warsaw. During his studies, he took part in many expeditions, during which he did a lot of valuable scientific work, but this did not provide him with a place for doctoral studies. His candidacy was rejected because the faculty wanted to focus on developing research in the field of socio-economic geography, not physical, which is Potocki’s domain. That’s when he decided to quit everything and go to … Antarctica, where he was waiting for him to work at the Polish Polar Station Henryk Arctowski.

At the end of his a year and a half stay, the station was visited by CBS television, which was preparing material about glaciers. Fate wanted her to be accompanied by prof. Paul Mayewski from the University of Maine, who, after getting to know Potocki, offered him doctoral studies at his university, which the Pole gladly agreed to. The rest is history – 10 years later Mayewski and Potocki conquered Mount Everest together during an expedition organized by the National Geographic Society

source: National Geographic

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世界饺子节

在科学文化宫，你将有机会尝到水煮的，油煎的，烘焙的，填满肉馅儿、蔬菜、水果的，甜口或者辣口的，还有无麸质的各种饺子。 这将是一次绝妙的机会，可以一次性品尝到各种美味的饺子。

跟中国人很像的是，波兰人对饺子一样情有独钟。而在这次味觉盛宴上，你不仅可以尝到当地特色饺子，还可以品尝到全世界各种各样的饺子，了解到不同地域饺子的特点。

你将有机会品尝到：

  • 波兰时蔬手工水饺
  • 印度咖喱角
  • 中国包子
  • 西藏馍馍
  • 意大利卡尔佐内
  • 格鲁吉亚卡里饺

以上只是本次盛宴其中的一小部分。不论你是肉食主义者还是素食主义者，每个人都将在这里找到自己的最爱！来一盘美味饺子做主食，再选一份作为甜点。如果你对麦麸过敏，组织者还特意准备了无麸质的水饺供你选择！

每个人都可以选用自己最喜欢的方式来加工饺子，或水煮，或油煎，或焙烤都可以。

全球饺子盛宴将于12月1日举办，从12点开始到19点。门票5兹罗提，12岁以下儿童免门票。

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皇家花园灯光节

维拉诺夫宫又称夏宫（波兰语：Pałac w Wilanowie）位于波兰华沙维拉诺夫区，由橘园、宫殿和公园三部分组成。最初由波兰国王约翰三世所建，始建于十七世纪，是一座典型的巴洛克式宫殿建筑。随着宫殿的扩建，这里也结合了多种建筑风格，包括波兰庄园、意大利庄园和法国庄园的特色，颇具“太阳王”路易十四的气势，有着“波兰的凡尔赛宫”之称。

皇家花园灯光节

就好像是冬季的专享福利，今年维拉诺夫宫的灯光节又如期而至啦。当夜幕将至，迎着黄昏来到维拉诺夫宫，首先映入眼帘的是一条长75米的灯光隧道，伴着优雅的音乐引领着游客进入历史悠久的宫殿。

庭院中还能看到装饰着彩灯的17世纪凉亭，一直延伸到国王冬季的花园。漫步在两旁架满葡萄藤的小路上，观赏橘园里一片的火树银花。

走到皇宫背面，还可以与灯饰画框合影，把冬日里这份温暖的光珍藏在心中。这里也是观赏梦幻音乐花园的最佳场地，花园位于巴洛克式花园的低层露台上，从高层露台正好能包揽这场灯光秀同时聆听美妙的古典音乐。

随着园中不断新增的灯饰，最大的灯光展将于12月初在玫瑰园完工。届时将有6000多支变色花朵在夜晚盛开，犹如彩绘的地毯，还有灯饰喷泉为景，如银河般的泉水在夜中闪闪发光。

除了灯光秀，每周末还将有举办3D灯光投影表演，非常适合全家一起游览参观。

小提示

开放时间：2019年10月19日 – 2020年1月23日，每天16:00-21:00，20:00后停止入场，其中2019年12月24和12月31日不开放。

图片出处：Muzeum Pałacu Króla Jana III w Wilanowie

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科学文化宫

华沙最著名的地标性建筑物位于这个城市的正中心，在欧洲最大的广场上拔地而起。

这座摩天大楼是俄罗斯人民送给波兰的礼物，由约瑟夫·斯大林提出建筑，整个工程动用了3500多名工人和苏联工程师。

该建筑最初被叫做约瑟夫·斯大林科学文化宫，随着波兰向民主过渡期间建筑名称才随之改变。斯大林设定的法规和共产主义艺术品也都在此期间被铲除。

就建造而言，科学文化宫是欧洲第二高的建筑，也是世界上最高的钟楼之一。整体高234米（767英尺），拥有3288个房间，其中包括3个剧院，1个游泳池，1个博物馆和波兰最大的能容纳3000人的会议厅。游客可以乘坐电梯到30层的露台欣赏华沙城市全景。

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World Dumpling Festival

Cooked, fried, baked, stuffed with meat, vegetables, fruit, sweet and spicy, gluten-free – these are just a few of the many types of dumplings you’ll have the opportunity to try soon at the Palace of Culture and Science. It is an amazing opportunity to discover all kinds of dumplings during this tasty feast.

Dumplings are mainly known in Poland, BUT! you can try different kinds all around the world. You will have the opportunity to see how it is prepared in individual regions on December 1.

You will be able to try:

  • Polish home-made dumplings with seasonal stuffing,
  • Indian Samos
  • Chinese baobao
  • Tibetan momo
  • Italian calzones
  • Georgian Khinkali.

And these are just a few of the many options available. Everyone will find something perfect – whether you prefer meat or vegan! Choose savory ones for main course and try one of the sweet ones as a desert. Are you allergic to wheat flour? No problem, the organizers ensure that gluten-free options will be available as well!

Everyone will be able to taste dumplings prepared in his favorite way – boiled, fried or baked.

The dumplings feast will take place on Sunday, December 1. Specialties from around the world will be available from 12.00 to 19.00. Event fee is 5 PLN. Entry to the World Dumplings Festival is free for children up to 12 years old.

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The most beautiful national parks in Poland

The list of Polish national parks includes the following parks: Babiogórski, Białowieski, Biebrzański, Bieszczadzki, Drawieński, Gorczański, Kampinoski, Karkonoski, Magurski, Narwiański, Ojcowski, Pieniński, Poleski, Roztoczański, Słowiński, Świętokrzyski, Tatrzański, Wielkopolski, Wigierski and Wigierski National Parks – “Warta Mouth”, “Bory Tucholskie” and the Table Mountains.

Each of them is worth seeing, because each has its own unique atmosphere and qualities not available elsewhere. We have chosen our top 5!

1. Tatra National Park

The Tatra National Park is not only the king of Polish national parks. This is our national treasure. Even a one-day stay in the Tatras threatens with a strong and lifelong addiction: from fabulous views, from live culture and from adrenaline, which is triggered during hiking on some trails.

2. Białowieża National Park

It is a cross-border park (one part is in Poland and the other in Belarus).  This park is inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. This park combines two rare aspects: the world’s largest population of wild bison and the last primeval forest in Europe. In other words, it is a real treat for those who want to see how the herds of North American bison looked like, whose bison are close relatives. The second group of tourists who should visit the park are archeology lovers. Only here you can feel the atmosphere of the times when the Neolithic population lived in close symbiosis with nature and the forest was their second home.

3. Wigry National Park

The landscape of the Wigry National Park is not the result of a violent cataclysm, but the tedious, almost imperceptible work of glaciers, which once covered the areas of the northern borders of today’s Augustów Forest. These glaciers have visited this part of Poland eight times, each time destroying everything in their path and leaving their deep mark on the landscape. The park’s current appearance is breathtaking. The most valuable part of this secluded oasis of greenery is Lake Wigry, whose depth exceeds 70 meters. It is a paradise for those who love water sports like sailing, fishing or kayaking.

4. Pieniny National Park

The most visited park in Poland. One of the reasons is the famous Dunajec gorge and the opportunity to admire the whitewashed Pieniny peaks from the deck of a raft. While the richness of the plant and animal world cannot be surprising (after all, it is a national park), what distinguishes the Pieniny particularly is their landscape values, and more precisely their uniqueness on a national scale.

5. Ojców National Park

Ojców National Park is a perfect combination of unusual geological forms (e.g. Hercules Mace), caves in which our ancestors hid from predators thousands of years ago and monuments such as castles in Pieskowa Skała and Ojców. The location of so many attractions on such a small area makes it a great way to relax for many residents of Lesser Poland and Silesia. A trip to the southern areas of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland can be safely described as a journey to a completely different world.

 

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Royal Garden of Light

The next season of the Royal Garden of Light is about to begin. The Museum of King Jan II Sobieski’s Palace in Wilanów invites everyone for the opening weekend, during which special attractions will be waiting for all visitors. Wilanów Park decorated with light decorations will be on display from October 19.

Unusual installations will soon light up the park next to the Wilanów Palace. You will be able to admire The Royal Garden of Light loved by Warsaw residents from October 19. It was visited by almost 300 thousand people last year.

The light exhibition on this day will be open longer – from 17 to 23. For this evening, the Museum of King Jan III Sobieski’s Palace has planned additional attractions for visitors, the details of which are to be revealed soon.

In the following days – from October 20 to October 31 – you will be able to visit the garden between 17-21. From November 2 to February 23, it will be open from 16-21.

In addition to the permanent exhibition on weekends, you can also watch mapping shows. They will take place on Saturdays and Sundays at 17.30, 18.30 and 19.30.

Admission to the garden on Saturdays and Sundays costs PLN 20 (reduced ticket: PLN 10). But if you come during week days you pay less for the entrance – 10 PLN (for reduced price: 5 PLN). Children up to 7 years old can visit the Royal Garden of Lights for free.

Tickets can be bought on the website of the Palace in Wilanów or on site, at the museum ticket office (from 17-20). Sales starts TODAY!

Picture source: https://rodzinnykompas.pl/miejsca/krolewski-ogrod-swiatla/

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Restaurant Week 2019

Who doesn’t love a good meal in an elegant, but cozy atmosphere? During two October weeks (16-31.10) you can enjoy best polish restaurants in very fair (festival) prices!

How does the festival work?

Top Chefs prepare their signature 3 course meals during this delicious festival. Thanks to this event you are able to discover hundreds of polish highest quality restaurants. Experience unforgettable moments surrounded by your family and friends.

How to take part in the festival?

It’s super easy and quick! You can book a table online. Choose your city, amount of guests, date and hour. Each city has a big choice of various restaurants, for example this year in Warsaw you can choose from 79 places. Dinner with family, romantic date or a friends night out? You can have it all!

The prices are really reasonable – only 49 zł per person! They claim that already 575 000 guests took part in the event. This year’s motto is “Respect food” which focuses on the big issue of food waste. The mission of the Restaurant Week is to promote polish independent cuisine and restaurants. It is an amazing opportunity to discover top places in great prices!

Don’t hesitate and Visit Poland for a delicious adventure!

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