Poland Travel Guide

When to Go to Poland

To get the most out of your next adventure it makes sense to consider some of the very local factors that combine to make up what you feel is the best time to travel to a destination. Many of these factors are very personal - some people prefer to travel when the weather is not too hot, or sites too crowded - others prefer to travel when a traditional local event is taking place. Taking into account the dates of public holidays can also make sense as these may have an impact on opening times of attractions, shops and restaurants, or might affect public transport or other services. Conversely public holidays can be a time of great local festivities and celebrations providing a feast of local expressionism and culture.

Climate

Like much of northern Europe, Poland has variable weather patterns. The north and west of Poland enjoy a moderate maritime climate, with mild winters and fairly wet summers, while eastern parts have a continental climate with harsh winters and hot dry summers. The rainiest month is June, while the least rainy is February. The country’s driest region is Kujawy, while the rainiest is the Tatra mountains.

The Silesian plain is the warmest place on the map of Poland. Here the mild winter stays just two months, while summer lasts for 100 days. Poland’s coldest spot is Wizajny in the Suwalki region. Here the average January temperature is minus 4.5 °C, and the winter continues mercilessly for four months.

The Polish seasons have little to do with those marked on the calendar. The “early spring” lasts for a month from the end of February in the west or from late March around Suwalki. Spring comes to Poland from the west – the temperature rises and plants begin vegetating. The warm summer appears as early as May and lasts for around four months. Around mid-September, an Indian summer begins – it is warm and sunny, although the trees are already shedding their leaves.

Short, grey days herald the “early winter”. Six weeks later, winter proper arrives from the north-east. In Mazovia, snow falls for 30–40 days a year, while the Tatra mountains have as many as 145 days of snowfall.

Seasonality

The main season for longer trips is between May and October, when the climate is at its best. Weekend breaks can be taken at any time of year, but beware of diminishing daylight hours during November and December.

Travel during European summer school holidays is possibly best avoided if you have a choice, and seek a quieter experience in National Parks and at lakes. Naturally, Christmas and Easter are busy in Krakow and other popular places, so booking well in advance is essential to ensure you get a room in your hotel of choice. Krakow is, in fact, busy pretty-much all year round nowadays, fuelled by growth of low-cost flight services.

National Holidays

Date	Description
23 Mar 08	Easter Sunday
24 Mar 08	Easter Monday
01 May 08	State Holiday
03 May 08	Constitution Day
11 May 08	Whit Sunday
22 May 08	Corpus Christi Day
15 Aug 08	Assumption
01 Nov 08	All Saints' Day
11 Nov 08	Independence Day
25 Dec 08	Christmas Day
26 Dec 08	Boxing Day
01 Jan 09	New Year's Day

National Events

Event	Occurs	Description
Mozart Festival	June	Classical music festival in Warsaw
Summer Jazz Days	July	Festival of jazz music in Warsaw
Jewish Cultural Festival	July	Listen to Jewish klezmer music in Krakow
Czestochowa Mass	August	At the Feast of the Assumption, thousands of pilgrims stand at the walls of the Sanctuary on Jasna Gora in Czestochowa to take part in a celebratory mass.
Gdańsk's Dominican Fair	August	Stalls sell various products, and theatre in the streets
Krakow Szopki Competition	December	Krakow hosts the Szopki competition, when homemade Nativity scenes are put on show.
Polish Christmas	December	At Christmas, the most important and best-liked festival in the year, the whole family sits down at the table together. Tradition dictates that before supper, which consists of 12 different dishes, all those assembled should break traditional thin wafers, called oplatki, together.
Polish Easter	March/April	At Easter everyone gathers for a traditional breakfast at which they share eggs which have been blessed in church the day before. The next day, “Wet Monday”, the Poles wet each other with water (and in some regions, beat each other with juniper branches) as a sign of good luck.
International Highlanders Folklore Festival	August	Held in Zakopane, southern Poland, this is the oldest and one of the biggest folk events in Poland and one of the best-known festivals of this kind in the world.
Kazimierz Festival of Folk Bands and Singers	June	For over 30 years Kazimierz has been host to an important folklore event in Poland, the Festival of Folk Bands and Singers. Every June both market squares of the town on the banks of Vistula river turn into a stage for a review of authentic country vocal and instrumental music, accompanied by a unique fair of folk arts and crafts.
Kazimierz Summer Film Festival	July	Each July Kazimierz sees the arrival of cinema lovers for the Summer Film Festival. For a whole week under two big tents, and in the evenings under open skies, there are projections of films selected from the catalogues of numerous foreign and national festivals, retrospections of old pictures and presentations of independent artists.