Have you noticed that everyone is talking about Poland? With cheap flights being offered from UK regions such as the North West and North East, maybe it is time to find out what all the fuss is about for yourself.
Here are three destinations that are waiting to be discovered:
KATOWICE
This well-connected Upper Silesian town has risen in prominence thanks to its convenience as a hub for getting to other Polish cities. With cheap flights available from many UK cities, it has also become a useful European outpost for many businesses. However, Katowice has much more than business to offer. It is home to three cultural gems: the Wyspianski Silesian Theatre, Silesian Philharmonic and the Silesian Museum. Not just that, but it has a wonderful collection of parks and gardens, including the very popular Silesian Culture and Refreshment Park.
GDANSK
Steeped in a 1,000 year-old Polish-German history and capital of the Pomeranian Voivodship, Gdansk has a popular and picturesque Old Town that welcomes as many tourists as the more established destinations of Krakow and Warsaw. With stunning architecture, its historical routes remain central to what Gdansk is about. However, thanks for a strong academic profile, it also has a young European feel and with a strong and expanding economy, it has just as much modern culture to offer something to all generations.
WROCLAW
Found along the Odra River, the Lower Silesia capital has drawn comparisons with Venice as well as being described in some quarters as the new Krakow. This, in part, is down to the availability of cheap flights from the UK and a sharp rise in visitors over the last few years. It is home of a popular university, which like Gdansk, gives the city a youthful atmosphere. Its rich history, involving its ownership by four different countries, coupled with its vibrant nightlife and cultural attractions - including cafes, restaurants, and hotels - mean Wroclaw is a modern and interesting city that more and more people are starting to explore.
Gdansk is the city where the first shot of World War II, fired by Hitler’s German forces from the Schleswig Holstein, echoed around the world. The name was Danzig at the time, and about 100,000 residents perished in the battle between Germany and the Soviets who came to the rescue of Danzig in 1945. The ancient city nearly destroyed, eventually fell under Polish rule, and began to rise from the ashes with a new name, Gdansk. The Gdansk shipyards became the battleground, for the 1980 Solidarity revolution fought in Gdansk, as the name Lech Walesa, became a household name around the world.
Today, Gdansk is a city of growth and expansion, a tourist city with many hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars, nightclubs and shopping centers. Museums, monuments, art galleries, concert halls and the Opera House are some of the places to visit in Gdansk. Entertainment sites across the city are enjoyable some nights, and unappealing to some on other nights. Always check the type of entertainment in the bars and clubs each night, before going, to avoid undesirable offerings.
Buses are available for transport in the city, and surrounding cities such as Sopot and Gdynia. Both cities form a triangle with Gdansk, as sites to explore while visiting in Gdansk. There is no shortage of things to do, and places to go and see in Gdansk. The city is like many cities of Eastern Europe, a mix of the old and the modern and all filled with the romance of the past, in the palaces and castles amidst ancient surroundings.
