Poland: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Poland feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 388 written places.
Reserved at first, deeply hospitable once greeted; history is present and respected.
✓ Considered polite
- Greet with Dzien dobry entering small shops and offices
- Take off your hat and lower your voice in churches - many are active places of worship
- Try milk bars - subsidised canteens serving the best-value real food in Europe
- Carry some cash for markets and small towns
✗ Better avoided
- Say thank you as the card machine runs - it can be read as keep the change
- Treat wartime memorials casually - behave as at a cemetery
- Expect loud friendliness - warmth here arrives quietly
- Drink alcohol in public parks and streets - it is prohibited
Worth knowing
- Tipping is around 10% for table service
- Cards work nearly everywhere, contactless is universal
- Intercity trains are cheap and good; book Pendolino seats ahead
- Sunday trading bans close most shops - small convenience stores survive
Plugs and voltage: Wikipedia, «Mains electricity by country» (after the IEC World Plugs list), read 15 October 2026.
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Keep planning
Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.