Nowy Sącz

Founded by King Wenceslaus II in 1292, Nowy Sącz is one of the oldest and beautiful towns in the Lesser Poland region. This laid-back town lies in the extensive mountainous valleys, between the hills of the Beskid Sadecki, Beskid Wyspowy and Beskid Niski.

Thanks to its beautiful natural surroundings, the town has become an excellent base for outdoor enthusiasts to explore picturesque Beskidy and Pieniny. There are many outdoor leisure activities to choose from, you can go hiking and biking along the numerous tourist trails in the Beskid Sądecki mountains, or enjoy water sports at the Klimkówka Lake among the Low Beskids. With its refreshing climate and wonderful scenery, Nowy Sącz is the “tourist Mecca” of the Beskid Mountains.

The town has managed to retain its medieval layout to a great extent. It features one of the largest Market Squares in Poland, second only to Kraków’s. Not far from the square you can see the gothic church of St Margaret’s dating from the 13th and 14th century and a beautiful “Dom Gotycki” (Gothic House) which houses the Nowy Sącz District Museum. In the suburb of the town, there are also a few decent attractions, most notably its large Sadecki Ethnographic Park. It’s the largest open-air museum in Małopolska, situated on the borders of the town, presenting wooden architecture and traditional folk culture of all ethnic groups living in this part of Poland.

Moreover, a visit to Nowy Sącz is also a perfect opportunity to explore the culture of the Low Beskids. Hidden among the mountains are beautiful wooden Orthodox churches, at present, often turned into Catholic churches, with characteristic three onion-shaped towers.

While you are visiting Kraków, be sure to stop by here, for the Nowy Sącz is less than 2 hours drive from Kraków. ?

Photo: Nowy Sącz

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The vaccinated travelers will be allowed to enter Poland without quarantine

? As countries around the world start using vaccines, travel restrictions are slowly being lifted. There are a handful of countries including Poland?? that are beginning to ease quarantine requirements and reopen their destinations? for travelers who can prove their vaccination.

That means persons who had been vaccinated against COVID-19 are exempted from obligatory quarantine after crossing the Polish borders (on the basis of a certificate confirming vaccination against COVID-19). Meanwhile, persons with a negative SARS-CoV-2 test result are exempt from obligatory quarantine, but the test must be taken before crossing the border and is only valid for 48 hours from the time the result is received.

The UK magazine Lonely Planet has recently published an article about the current restrictions in Poland on its website and highlighted the beautiful and unspoiled area of the country, including its lush forest, vast moving dunes, a long chain of mountains, interlinked placid lakes, and so on. Poland would be the ideal place to revive your appetite for travel in a post-pandemic world. ✈️ ??

? Details on entry regulations can be found on the Polish Government’s website.
? https://www.gov.pl/web/coronavirus/temporary-limitations

? If you want to explore this stunning country, please feel free to contact us.

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Museum of Second World War

Gdansk’s most prominent tourist attraction, the Museum of Second World War has formally reopened to the public following an almost 3-month closure. Gdansk has long been a tourist hotspot, not only for its stunning architecture and rich history but also for the fact that it was the city where the first shots of WW II were fired.

Located beside the Raduni Canal, the Museum is 40.5 meters high and tilted toward the ground at a dramatic slant angle. It features trapezoid-shaped facades, three of which are clad with red concrete, making it a visually appealing sight to behold. The design of the building is meant to reflect the connection between the past, present, and future. The past refers to the underground, the present refers to the square surrounding the building, the future refers to the part of the building above the ground.

The core of the Museum is a 5,000 square meters permanent exhibition located 14 meters under the ground that is composed of three main narrative blocks – “The Road to War”, “The Terror of War” and “The Long Shadow of War”. In order to reflect the profound effects of war on different aspects, these three areas are divided into 18 sections that each of parts focuses on different themes with a remarkable range of exhibits and arranged in chronological order.

The museum has large collections of artifacts, many of them personal effects donated by private individuals, that bring the personal tragedies of World War II to life. You can even walk into a huge mock-up of an interwar Warsaw street, spot a Sherman tank standing between the dilapidated walls, and see a room filled with thousands of endless photo portraits of those who perished in the Holocaust.

The Museum of Second World War was extremely informative that it will take at least 3 hours to cover it all, while for war buffs, it’s easy to spend a whole day there. The museum is such an impressive place that objectively reflects the tragic experience of WW II and full of remarkable artifacts, which are also combined with modern technology and elaborate dioramas. It defiantly worths a visit and you will be blown away by the experience!

?Join our trip and discover Gdansk with its stunning architecture, rich history, culinary highlights as well as energetic and modern cities.

? 3 days trip to TriCity (Gdansk, Gdynia, Sopot)

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Bieszczady National Park in Winter

If you are looking for a place somewhere far from crowds and the hustle cities, the Bieszczady National Park is an ideal destination for you to visit. Widely recognized as the wildest and most secluded range in Poland, the Park is the third-largest one of the 13 Polish national parks that people can find inner peace there and free from the different concerns, worries and troubles. Especially in this long and snowy winter, you will marvel at the snow-covered forest there that looked amazing and seemed full of magic and wonder and awe. 

Most tourists come to Bieszczady Mountains for hiking and there are several well-marked hiking trails that are rated between moderate to difficult with amazing mountain views. However, one thing to note is, you should always be aware of the weather condition and prepare the appropriate clothing and equipment in advance.

The highest point in the park is Tarnica, reaching a height of 1,346 meters, which is the highest peak in the Western Bieszczady as well as one of the Polish Crown Peaks. From the top of Tarnica, you may see all the grassy mountain pastures covered by snow, the panoramas of the snow-capped Ukrainian Carpathians as well as the highest summit of the Eastern Bieszczady. 

However, in addition to the splendid views, the Park has much to offer, one of the highlights is the Wooden Orthodox Churches. A walk along the wooden architecture trail will take you through some of the most culturally exciting parts of the Park that boasts a series of wooden churches. Apart from the wooden churches, there is also one made out of stone in Łopienka village which is abandoned after the II World War.

By day, feast your eyes on peaceful nature, beautiful mountains, various wild animals and charming wooden churches that date back to the year 1799. By night, you can also find the darkest sky in Europe where the stars shine the brightest all around the world that means you can see more than 7000 stars with the unaided eye at night here under favorable conditions. There is no doubt that Bieszczady National Park is an ideal destination for nature lovers. 

Photo: Tomek Lodowy/summitpost.org

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Lenno Castle in Poland

Lower Silesia boasts one of the greatest concentrations of palaces and castles in Poland as well as in Europe. You will marvel at the sheer number of them. Some of the sites have been converted into hotels or museums, but there are still many castles that have remained almost untouched for centuries, one of which is the historic Lenno Castle.

Built in the 12 century, Lenno Castle is located on Zamkowa mountain near the town of Wleń in Lower Silesia, southwestern Poland, also known as Wleński Gródek, is the oldest brick castle in Silesia as well as one of the oldest castles in the country. It was a favorite residence of Hedwig of Silesia and his wife, Duchess Jadwiga, who was canonized as a patron saint of Silesia. The history of the castle may date back to the 10 century, and it has been expanding regularly and been fortified its defenses, but the castle was not spared during the Thirty Years’ War. From that time the building remains in a state of permanent ruin from the mid-17th century.

After the war, there’s a new palace built in the south of the castle, while the castle had not yet been rebuilt. However, thanks to its romantic location and picturesque views from Castle Mountain, the castle was becoming a local tourist attraction as early as the late 18th. Today, from the observation platform at the tower, you can enjoy a sweeping and breathtaking view of the Karkonosze mountain range. With restrictions are being eased cautiously in Poland, the castle has reopened and ready to welcome the visitors.

Photo: Artur Kowalczyk, Polska Zachwyca ©

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Discover Zakopane

Since the easing of restrictions was imposed last Friday, Poland’s winter capital of Zakopane has again become a major tourist hotspot and was filled with joy and laughter. 

Zakopane is a charming town in the south of Poland, beautifully situated in a pictorial mountain valley and surrounded by majestic snow-capped peaks of the Tatra Mountains. Known for hiking in summer and skiing in winter, Zakopane is an attractive city to visit and stay. With its clean air, breathtaking landscapes, various winter sports and unique highlander culture, Zakopane has captured the hearts and minds of tourists around the world. There is no shortage of things to do in Zakopane, especially during the snowy winter. 

This lovely town is an excellent place for all winter sports enthusiasts, for it offers ski slopes of varying difficulty that are suitable for people of all ages and levels. Apart from skiing and snowboard, it also offers a great opportunity to experience Polish traditional horse-drawn sleigh rides in the Tatra National Park which is right next to the Zakopane, and enjoy picnics at the bonfire. Moreover, Zakopane is also known for its highlander culture which is on display in many respects of the town, including its unique folk music, very characteristic wooden villas, delicious regional cuisines and beautifully ornamented traditional costumes as well as the most hospitable people you can imagine. It would be a wonderful experience to live in lovely wooden chalets, to taste traditional Highland cuisines, and to enjoy shopping along Krupowki Street for traditional leather Highland shoes and socks. 

Zakopane is a lovely resort that offers the perfect mix of the magnificent sights of nature, unique culture, various sports and shopping all in one place, everyone will find something for themselves! Don’t miss out on all the fun adventures in the Zakopane!?

? Check out our tour package to make the best of your time in Zakopane with us! ?

? Ski break in Zakopane ✨✨???⛷?? ❄️☃️?

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Polish hotels to reopen

Polish hotels, cinemas, theatres and operas will reopen on February 12th at maximum half capacity as the pandemic has stabilized. Moreover, outdoor sports facilities including ski slopes, swimming pools and outdoor pitches will also be allowed to reopen. By then, tourists will be able to visit various museums, to admire castles and palaces, to spend some happy time at ski slopes and snow parks in Zakopane, to indulge in incredible sights and fascinating cultures as well as to get a good night’s rest in a comfortable hotel.

Now is still a good time to visit Poland, for there is a lot to do there in the most charming season. Searching for the largest herd of wild bison in the snow-covered Białowieża forest, taking a horse-drawn sleigh ride next to Poland’s bustling cities, or hiking up to the highest peak of Karkonosze to admire the breathtaking view of the snow-capped mountains, all these thrilling experiences will make you fell in love with this beautiful country.

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Fat Thursday

? Tomorrow is Fat Thursday, known as Tłusty Czwartek, which is probably the sweetest day in Poland. Many people will make time to feast on “pączki” (doughnuts). On this particular day, you may notice that loads of people stand in the line at the sweet shop to buy this Fat Thursday’s specialties! It’s the best opportunity of the year to indulge in sweet foods and to eat pączki guilt-free.

?? Pączki are in essence a kind of doughnut but still different from the similar sweets made in other countries. The most traditional and popular pączek is round, fluffy, filled with delicious jam, and topped with powdered sugar, icing, or glaze. According to folklore, eating at least one pączek on Fat Thursday guarantees happiness and prosperity throughout the year. It’s probably the easiest way to pursue happiness. Are you ready to gain your happiness? ✨?✨

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The Polish Table

There are many ways to get to know about a country, travelling is definitely one of the most popular methods. But there is another fun way to learn about a country’s culture, in addition to travelling, and that is to taste its unique cuisines, what its inhabitants eat every day. So I highly recommend the book “The Polish Table” by Magdalena Tomaszewska-Bolałek, who is the author of many publications and the recipient of various awards including the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. The book is dedicated to the history and evolution of Polish cuisine and cooking, and it combines a wide range of recipes and beautiful illustrations with the fascinating history behind local cooking.

?”The Polish Table” is now available as a free PDF download on the Bunkatura website! What a nice gift for all gourmets around the world to explore Poland through a wonderful adventure of culinary culture.

? Feel FREE to download
? The Polish Table (English) – https://bunkatura.pl/the-polish-table
? Mesa polaca (Spanish) – https://bunkatura.pl/mesa-polaca

Photo: The Polish Table

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The Most Romantic Places In Europe to Visit

???Valentine’s day is right around the corner, which means it’s time to get chocolate and flowers. But beyond the perfect Valentine’s Day present, you might be thinking of a romantic place to spend a wonderful day with people you love. Thanks to Forbes, which has picked out the 16 Most Romantic Places In Europe to Inspire your Valentine’s Day, you can start planning your romantic trip now.

Gdansk, a romantic seaside city in Poland, is among the 16 most romantic places. It features extensive white beaches, rich culture, a variety of food, and is far from the beaten track and the crowds as well. In addition to a magnificent view of the Baltic Sea, there are plenty of impressive attractions that are worth a visit, including the largest port crane in Europe, one of the three largest brick churches in the world, and one of the most photographed streets and squares. You couldn’t ask for a more strikingly beautiful and colorful main street than Duga and Dugi Targ, the thoroughfare of the Main Town (Gówne Miasto). Walking along the Royal Route in Gdansk, from the Golden Gate at the western end to the magnificent Green Gate at the eastern, the colorful frescos on the burgher houses and townhouses will keep your eyes darting about. With a history spanning over 1,000 years, Gdansk is such a vibrant port city combining culture and history with attractive modernity. There is no shortage of things to see throughout the year.

?This year, surprise your loved one with a trip to a romantic and beautiful seaside city, Gdansk.

? If you haven‘t been to Gdansk, you are welcome to join our ? 3days Tricity Break to enjoy the charm of the most popular seaside destinations in Poland.

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