However, during the coronavirus pandemic, when international travel became more difficult, many Poles discovered that traveling around Poland can be just as exciting and perhaps even more surprising. Many people act in accordance with the popular saying, “You praise what is foreign, but do not know what is your own,” believing that everything foreign is better. It turns out, however, that such people know nothing about many of Poland’s beautiful corners.
Traveling around Poland is also cheaper than traveling around other European Union countries. This article will focus on the financial aspect. We will present the prices of organized holidays, renting a room for a self-planned vacation, transport, and eating in restaurants. We will focus on relatively budget-friendly options to show that holidays in Poland can be genuinely inexpensive.

Organized holidays

For people who do not want to worry about anything during their vacation and want to relax fully, organized holidays are the best solution. We reviewed the offer of one popular travel agency and found these options:

  • Świeradów-Zdrój – 7 days in the Sudetes for PLN 655 per person. The price includes breakfasts, an indoor pool, a cryochamber, and a location ideal for mountain walks and cycling.
  • Unieście – an 8-day seaside holiday with two meals included for PLN 999 per person. The hotel offers views of the sea and Lake Jamno.
  • Świeradów-Zdrój – 7 days in a spa town in the Western Sudetes with full board for PLN 1,014 per person. The hotel offers guests a spa area with an indoor pool.
  • Sopot – 4 days in a modern hotel right by the sea for PLN 1,050 per person.
  • Boguszów-Gorce — an offer for people looking for a longer holiday. Fourteen days in the Sudetes with breakfast for PLN 1,799 per person. The modern hotel has a wellness area with an indoor pool and two bowling lanes.
  • Ustka – 8 days near the sea with all-inclusive service for PLN 2,275 per person. If that is too much, the hotel also offers a three-day all-inclusive stay for PLN 650 per person.

Accommodation

Finding a room independently is, of course, cheaper than an organized holiday. It is not difficult, either: the internet is full of websites offering short-term accommodation, such as booking, or long-term accommodation, such as Rentola. These websites have filter systems that allow you to select your desired location, amenities, budget, meals, and more. To help you estimate the expense you need to plan and assess how much a vacation in different parts of Poland would cost, we checked the prices of renting a double room for one week in various popular Polish cities. The prices below apply to the entire stay for two people and are the lowest prices we managed to find:

  • Warsaw – a budget room 11 kilometers from the center for PLN 756, or PLN 825 for a family room 6 kilometers from the center.
  • Kraków – a one-bedroom apartment 3 kilometers from the center for PLN 946.
  • Gdańsk – a double room with a sofa bed 1.5 kilometers from the beach for PLN 703.
  • Wrocław – a room with a double bed and shared bathroom 3.5 kilometers from the center for PLN 977.

These are currently the lowest prices in Poland’s most popular large tourist cities. We remind you that these prices are for two people for an entire week. What is more, they are in-season prices, with a booking made only two weeks in advance. Looking for accommodation further ahead can result in even better prices. You can also find a lower price in large cities if you choose a bed in a shared room rather than a private room.

Affordable accommodation can also be found in Poland’s beautiful tourist regions outside the major cities. As with the large cities, below we provide the lowest prices for a double room rented for one week:

  • Tatras – Białka Tatrzańska – a room with an extra bed and an outdoor hot tub for PLN 524.
  • Bieszczady Mountains – Hoczew – a room with two single beds for PLN 524.
  • Masuria – Gołdap – an economy room for PLN 640.

Transport

When traveling around Poland, the most convenient means of transport is a car. With current fuel prices, it is unfortunately a relatively expensive way to get around. Assuming a fuel price of PLN 7.50 and fuel consumption of 10 liters per 100 kilometers, driving those 100 kilometers costs PLN 75. Thus, for example, a trip from Warsaw to Gdańsk will cost around PLN 250 one way. The same route can be traveled by train for PLN 70 per person one way. Therefore, even with three people traveling by car, the cost of the train is still lower.

Food

Food is one of the biggest expenses during a vacation. Currently, the average price of lunch for one person is around PLN 30–40, although it can be higher in tourist destinations. If you want your vacation to be as inexpensive as possible, you can look for accommodation with a kitchen and prepare some meals yourself. Such accommodation will probably be slightly more expensive, but when calculated as part of the total cost of the vacation, it will prove cheaper.