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Sopot in Winter

 As the days grow colder, many people start to miss summer sunshine , white beaches , and fresh sea breeze.  If you are thinking of beaches as your next travel destination, where you can spend time at the beach with soft white sand between your toes and enjoy quiet time, then the Sopot beach would be your ideal place to go on holiday. So too is the Independent, a British newspaper, whose travel team have picked out Sopot beach, as one of the Quiet European Beach Destinations to visit in 2021.

Sopot is a charming seaside resort town in northern Poland, situated between Gdansk and Gdynia in the so-called Tri-City. With its sunny beaches, impressive architecture, and good location, Sopot is a fantastic holiday destination and a great starting point for Gdansk and Gdynia as well. 

Sopot is known for its longest pier in Europe. You can take a romantic walk along the longest wooden pier(Molo), extending into the Baltic sea to a length of over 511 meters. Or unwind on the white sand beach which stretches for 4.5 kilometers from the southern to the northern boundaries of the city and make up one of the most popular attraction during the summer. While It’s got a bit of cold weather now, walking along the winter beach is a great way to boost your physical wellbeing and strengthen your immunity due to its high iodine levels in the air. It’s also believed that wintertime fishing provides fresher and better quality seafood, which you can taste in many local restaurants in Sopot, a perfect place for foodies. For outdoor enthusiasts, the Baltic coastline has excellent conditions for cross-country skiing and Nordic walking with stunning views of the baltic sea. Don’t forget to visit the incredible new Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk, which is only about12 kilometers away from Sopot, you will be blown away by the experience!

? Check out our 3 Days Trip to TriCity (Gdansk, Gdynia, Sopot), explore Must-See attractions with us! 

Photo: maciekthecreator / instagram

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Kulig

Warsaw turns white wonderland after a big snowfall. Many kids love sledding on a snowy day, they enjoy sliding downhill in the snow or even just sitting on a sled pulled by their parents. But there is a better way that kids and parents can enjoy the fun of a sleigh ride together, namely Kulig! ❄️??❄️

Kulig – a horse sleigh ride, is an old Polish winter tradition as well as an activity loved by the Polish aristocracy. In the past, a procession of horse-pulled sleighs went from one manor house to another, entertained on the way with big meals and typical Polish dances. Today, the Kulig is still enjoyed by locals and tourists not only in the Polish mountains but in towns as well. For example in Warsaw, people can experience horse-drawn sleigh rides through the nearby forest and enjoy traditional sausages. In this snowy season, it’s time to have a remarkable and wonderful experience out in nature with your family and friends. Don’t miss out on the fun of Kulig while in Poland!?

? Check out our Warsaw City break 3-day tours, explore Must-See attractions with us! ?

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The Kościuszko Mound

Have you ever been to the city of Kraków? It’s one of the prettiest cities in Poland, packed with many splendid buildings and charming streets, and one can easy to capture a good picture almost everywhere in the city. But if you are looking for a spot to see the most beautiful panoramas of Kraków, the Kościuszko Mound would be an ideal place where you can enjoy views of the most characteristic places in the old city, including Wawel Castle, St. Mary’s Basilica, the Sukiennice, and the Main Square of the Old Town, while the mound itself is a meaningful tourist attraction of Kraków as well.

The Kościuszko Mound stands 34m high, surrounded by a brick fortification at its base. Constructed in 1823 in honor of Polish (and American) military hero Tadeusz Kościuszko, the mound contains soil from battlefields Kosciuszko fought on in America and Poland. People can walk along a serpentine path to the top to enjoy a panoramic view of the Vistula River and the city, or visit the adjacent 19th-century fort and see interesting exhibitions on Kościuszko’s life. As the renovation work on Kraków’s fortifications goes on, we will able to admire many completely preserved historic fortifications. Don’t miss out on the Kościuszko Mound next time you visit Poland!

With its rich history, stunning buildings, and beautiful views everywhere you look, Kraków should be definitely added to your Travel Bucket List. ? There are plenty of fantastic attractions and stories in Kraków you can discover by joining our ? 3days Krakow city break.?

Photo: Pawel Krzan

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Białystok is one of the best places to live in Poland

Do you know that Białystok is one of the best places in Poland to live? According to the latest Report on the Quality of life in European Cities by the European Commission, Białystok is a remarkably safe city that 91% of residents surveyed say they feel safe walking alone at night in the city, a figure that is well above the average of 75% across the EU. Moreover, 94% of those surveyed said they hadn’t had money or property stolen in the last 12 months, while the EU average is 83%. Besides safety, Białystok is in the top 3 on the cleanliness of the city among 83 EU cities that 92% of residents surveyed are satisfied with the cleanliness in the city.

With a population of almost 300,000, Białystok is the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship, which is known as “the Green Lungs of Poland”. Its rich natural resources and the varied landscape make contributions to a good living environment. Białystok is not only a good place to live but also an ideal place to visit.

If you are a nature lover, then Bialystok is an excellent base where you can walk deep into the wilderness of the Białowieża Primeval Forest to see the king of the forest – the bison, admire the unspoiled, wild nature of the Biebrza river valley where is home to hundreds of species of birds and other wild animals. These wonderful natural landscapes are perfect for people wanting to switch to a slower pace of life.

Besides its natural beauty, Bialystok is also full of numerous historical sites. You can start off in the historical Old Town Square known as the Rynek Kościuszki, and then visit the stunning Branicki Palace to admire its Baroque architecture and fantastic French-style gardens. Make sure to admire the Neo-Gothic Bialystok Cathedral located In the center of town, which is known for its sheer magnitude and its lofty vaults.

Photo: Wojciech Wójcik

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Warsaw was picked as the most colorful city in the world

Condé Nast Traveller UK listed Warsaw as the most colorful city in the world due to its historical Old Town features outstanding buildings in a variety of styles with rich colors such as the pink-hued Renaissance Barbican and ornate facade of tenement houses, as well as the splendid baroque palace at Wilanów which stands in starkly contrast with the dusty pastels of Communist-era apartment blocks.

Apart from all kinds of buildings, this vibrant city is packed with beautiful gardens, which cover a quarter of the area of Warsaw. Some of the city’s parks are historical, and many serve as former royal residences like the Łazienki park and Wilanów park. And don’t miss out on the unique roof garden of Warsaw University Library, where visitors can enjoy not only many green plants and colorful flowers but also a wonderful view of the River Vistula.

? Check out our Warsaw city break, you might find something you prefer. ?

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Polish museums were nominated for the European Museum Award 2021

? Congratulations to 2️⃣ Polish museums that have been nominated for the European Museum of the Year Award 2021(EMYA), which is the longest-running and most prestigious museum award in Europe.

They are the Czartoryski Museum and Thesaurus Cracoviensis, both located in Krakow, one of the prettiest and historical cities of Poland.

Founded in 1796 by Princess Izabela Czartoryska, the Czartoryski Museum is one of the country’s oldest museums and boasts the city’s richest art collection, the most famous of which is the painting “Lady with an Ermine” by Leonardo da Vinci. Apart from numerous precious paintings, the museum also has an excellent collection of weaponry and antiques from Greece, Rome and Egypt. After a thorough renovation, the museum has reopened in December 2019 as a branch of the National Museum.

Thesaurus Cracoviens is one of the first and largest modern central collection warehouses with more than 172,000 exhibits on an area of over 2000 m2, where people can not only enjoy museum collections that have had not been exhibited so far, but learn about the secrets of art conservation techniques.

In addition to the Krakow museums, there are plenty of fantastic attractions and stories in Krakow you can discover by joining our ? 3days Krakow city break.?

Photo: muzeumkrakowa.pl

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Three Kings Day in Poland

??? Today is the holiday of the Epiphany, the Three Kings day in Poland, which takes place every year on January 6th, with huge parades held in many cities welcoming the Three Wise Men who visited Jesus at his birth. The street parades are usually lead by the Kings of Africa, Asia and Europe (named Melchior, Kaspar and Balthazar) whose procession is filled with children, knights and various other characters who are dressed in beautiful costumes and indulged in the joyful festive atmosphere. And this year we can watch the parade online to get a taste of the festival today. ?http://orszak.org/

Another tradition of Epiphany in Poland is that people write ‘K+M+B‘ and the year with white chalk on the outside of their door. It’s said this tradition dates back to the 18 century and can protect the family from sickness and misfortune for the year. There is no shortage of things to see in Poland, even in winter!

Photo: FSSPX.NEWS

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21 places to go in 2021

Thanks to the list of 21 places to go in 2021 compiled by The Guardian, we got some of the new inspiration for travel destinations. And one of them is the city of Łódź in the centre of Poland.

Many people might tend to visit the big cities like Warsaw and Krakow on their first trip to Poland, but a visit to Łódź will show a completely different side of the country.

Located 120 kilometers south-west of Warsaw, Łódź is the third-largest city in Poland and famous as the former textile industrial center that grew fabulously wealthy in the 19th century. The wealth differences between rich and poor are still noticeable in the architecture of the city, where luxurious mansions stand in stark contrast to redbrick factories and old tenement houses. Over time the city boomed again after World War II and has been transformed into a modern, pluralistic and avant-garde city, which was named the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a “City of Film“ in 2017. Many of its former industrial spaces are now bars, restaurants and shops, one of the most famous of these is Manufaktura, which is the biggest shopping center in Central Europe and was built in an old factory complex that belonged to Izrael Poznanski, one of the richest businessman in Łódź. Besides, the city also features the longest promenade in Poland and one of the longest shopping streets in Europe, where people can find the best cafes, bars, and clubs in town.

Apart from its fascinating industrial heritage site, Łódź is also a multicultural city in which Polish, Jewish, German and Russian nations lived and worked together here. In an atmosphere of acceptance and tolerance, they left their mark on the early development of Łódź and become part of this beautiful city they were building together. For years Łódź had been a melting pot of four cultures and nationalities, where synagogues, tserkvas, as well as Catholic and Protestant shrines got along well with each other in peace.

Today, known for its Film School, Łódź is also a significant cultural center and aptly described as the country’s top cultural hotspot in Poland. With the distinct characters of buildings and the abundant art activities, there is no shortage of exciting things to do in Łódź.

? Check out our ? Lodz City Break? to find more multicultural heritage and charming attractions with us.

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The celebration of the centennial of Poland’s Białowieża Forest

? The oldest and largest national park in Poland, the Białowieża National Park, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. A century ago, Poland’s Białowieża Forest has been proclaimed as a National Reserve which is Europe’s only surviving primeval forest that once stretched across the European Plain, and knows for being the home to the European bison, the continent’s largest land mammal.

The Białowieża National Park situated in the north-east part of Poland close to the border with Belarus and covers a part of the Białowieża Forest extending over 100 square kilometers. It’s an ideal place for nature lovers as well as a cozy home to thousands of plant and animal species, where, people can observe the unspoiled natural environment and rare species of fauna and flora including the largest free herd of bison in the world. Not to mention the health benefits of breathing the cool fresh air in the primeval forest far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. If you are passionate about outdoor sports, there are also plenty of options to explore the park by hiking, biking, kayaking, and even taking a polish horse-drawn sleigh in winter.

? Check out the link below to read more about Europe’s last well-preserved primeval forest, The Białowieża National Park.
? https://www.visitpoland.com/europes-last-well-preserved-primeval-forest

Photo: Paweł Świątkiewicz

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The legend behind Krakow’s trumpet call

Kraków is a city filled with stunning architecture and legends, some of which have become the symbol of the city today such as the trumpet call played from the highest tower of Saint Mary’s Church in Kraków.?? ?

Like so many places in this charming city, the St Mary church is shrouded in mystery and legend. One of the well-known legends is the iconic trumpet call which is played every hour on the hour, four times in succession in each of the four cardinal directions, by a trumpeter on the highest tower of the ancient church. Although the earliest written mention of the appears of the trumpet dates from 1392, the most popular legend about the trumpet call comes from a story in the 13th century which tells a brave city guard who saved Kraków from a Tatar invasion.

Centuries ago, the high church tower served as a watchtower where a trumpeter stood guard and played the trumpet call at sunrise and sunset to give the signal to open and close the city gates or to warn the townspeople of fire or invasion. In 1241, when Mongol troops were approaching the gates of Kraków, a watchful guard noticed the enemy and blew the trumpet immediately, so that the gates were shut before they arrived. In the middle of the melody, a Tatar arrow pierced his throat and broke the alarm, but the city was saved. To commemorate the event, every day the trumpeter played the same melody from the four sides of the tower, and the tune always breaks in mid-note where the brave guardsman finished many centuries ago.

Today, the melody is not merely known to almost every Pole, but it was famous in the world after it was played by almost 2,000 trumpeters from all over the world and listed in the Guinness Book of Records in 2000. Lately, Kraków is looking for a new trumpeter to join a seven-person team and continue the 600-year-old tradition. Have you ever heard of the live trumpet call from the most beautiful market square of Kraków? I wonder how you feel about this living legend.?

If you haven‘t been to Kraków, you are welcome to join our ? 3days Krakow city break? to explore and enjoy the charm of the city.?

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