Cheap flights to Poland

Sandwiched between Russia and Germany, Poland’s history has often been turbulent, going from kingdom to commonwealth (with Lithuania) to independent country (after the First World War). Following the Second World War, it fell under Soviet rule for 40 years or so until it overthrew it in 1989. With its accession to the EU in 2004, Poland has become more accessible to travellers, and many young Poles have sought work in other parts of the EU.

Thanks to numerous cheap flights to Poland, its cities have become must-sees. Krakow, the former capital in the south, is a splendid city more than 1,000 years old. Warsaw, the capital, has beautiful parks, wide boulevards, and an old quarter that was rebuilt after the war by volunteers using maps, old paintings, books, and the rubble of buildings flattened during the war.

Natural wonders include Bialowieza Forest where the last of the European bison roam; the Polish Tatras mountains, shared with Slovakia in the south, and Masuria, the land of 10,000 lakes.

Search and compare: cheap flights to Poland

Poland climate

Summers in Poland average a mild 19 degrees, but the interior can be much hotter. Winters can be extremely cold, especially inland from the Baltic Coast, where temperatures average -5 in Warsaw. It rains throughout the year, particularly in the southern mountains.

When is the best time to fly to Poland?

The climate in Poland is a tourist’s dream – warm summers, blue-skied autumns and snowy winters.

Peak season:

May to September. July and August are the busiest holiday months. Flights to Poland should be booked as far in advance as possible.

Off season:

The winter months, unless you are a skier. Szklarska Poreba, in the western part of the Karkonosze Mountains, Szczyrk and Zakopane, in the foothills of the Tatras, south of Krakow, are the best-known resorts. Elsewhere, the winter months can be very dreary and very cold.

Search and compare: cheap flights to Poland

Getting around Poland

LOT, the national carrier, offers domestic Poland flights – Gdansk, Bydgoszcz, Szczecin, Poznan, Zielona Gora, Wroclaw, Lodz, Katowice, Krakow and Rzeszow.

All the major car-rental companies are represented here – Avis, Budget, Hertz, Europcar – but road quality varies somewhat.

PKP, the Polish State Railways, offers service on three types of trains: intercity, eurocity and expresses. The country is well connected with good services from Warsaw.

PKS, the Polish Car Transport Company, offers intercity bus services. There are also lots of private bus companies that offer services throughout the country.

Warsaw has a good underground train system. Trams operate in several cities including Warsaw, Krakow, Lodz, Poznan, Wroclaw, Szczecin, Katowice.

How long is the flight to Poland?

The duration of flights to Warsaw from Hong Kong varies. From Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), you can expect flights to Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport (WAW) to take as little as 23h and up to 47h, depending on stopovers. Most flights include two stops, although some return routes only have one stopover. Chopin Airport is in the Wlochy district, which is 10 km south-west of Warsaw's city centre. Flights to Warsaw's other international airport, Warsaw Modlin Airport (WMI) generally have three stopovers, with the journey taking around 60h. This airport is located 40 km north of the city centre. Flights travelling from Hong Kong to Krakow's John Paul II Kraków-Balice International Airport (KRK) take between 15h 25min and 29h 10min depending on the stopovers.

Where can you get direct flights to Poland from?

Sadly, there are no direct flights to Poland from Hong Kong. Flights to Warsaw Chopin Airport generally have two stopovers in different cities, ranging from two hours to over 10h. Popular routes include stops in Doha and Frankfurt with Qatar Airways and KLM or via Singapore and Zurich with Singapore Airlines. Other airlines that fly between Hong Kong and Poland include Cathay Pacific, Swiss, Lufthansa, and LOT. For cheap flights to Poland, fly to Warsaw Modlin Airport, but expect a longer journey with three stopovers using multiple air carriers. Some of these routes may be slightly cheaper, however, you have fewer options to choose from. The route generally flies via Doha, Amsterdam, and Dublin with long stopovers in each city. Flights from Hong Kong to Krakow include stopovers in Bangkok, Amsterdam, Doha, Istanbul, Munich, and Warsaw.

What is the best way to travel around Poland?

In order of preference, it's recommended that you use the trains, bus, or hire car to travel around Poland. There are four different types of train, namely express, inter-city, fast, and local. Inter-city trains are recommended for travel between the big cities as they are faster. An average train journey from Warsaw to Krakow takes three hours. The second choice would be bus travel, which services the entire country. The main bus companies are the nationally run PKS or privately managed Polski Express. Large cities in Poland have a well-developed public transportation system using buses, trams, and a metro line in Warsaw. Small towns use the local and regional bus services. car hires are also available from the major cities and airports and are an option from city to city.

What are some things to do in Poland?

To get the most out of your Poland flight deals, follow in the locals' footsteps in the cities by enjoying the green spaces and restaurants. During summer in Warsaw, you can attend a free Chopin Concert at Royal Łazienki Park on Sundays, and enjoy a leisurely walk down to the Vistula riverside for a drink. Make sure to sample a vodka shot, the favourite drink of the Poles. Polish cooking is also something to try. Dishes like beetroot and buckwheat, and freshly picked apples, onions, and mushrooms. Hearty soups, borscht, dumplings, beef, and goose dishes are popular and usually served with sauerkraut and gherkins. The museums in Warsaw are world-class and worth visiting to honour their tumultuous history. Other cities to visit include Kraków, the seaport city of Gdańsk, and the town of Oświęcim, known for the infamous extermination camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau, which is now a memorial and museum. For those who love the outdoors, Poland has national parks classified as Biosphere Reserves and World Heritage Sites across the nation, such as Białowieża National Park and Słowiński National Park.

Do I need a passport or visa to fly to Poland?

All travellers to Poland require a valid passport with a few empty pages. Hong Kong passport holders do not require a tourist visa for visits of up to 90 days.

What is good to know if travelling to Poland?

• Zamosc, in southeastern Poland, is a beautiful Renaissance town dating from the late 1600s. It was built by a wealthy landowner, Jan Zamoyski, who set up, essentially a country within a country to escape paying royal taxes. Zamoyski employed an Italian architect (Bernando Morando) to design this ideal town often called Padua of the North. The Old Town is a Unesco World Heritage Site.
• Several of Poland’s Old Towns are on the Unesco list including Krakow (see the Royal Castle and Cathedral on Wawel Hill as well as the medieval Old Town); Warsaw, painstakingly and beautifully reconstructed after the Second World War; Wroclaw, another Old Town that was reconstructed after 1945. Gdansk has a postcard-perfect Old Town and is also home of the Solidarity movement. The town of Torun, about 200km from Warsaw, is the birthplace of Nicholaus Copernicus, Poland’s most famous scientist. After Krakow, it is the city with the largest number of Gothic monuments and architecture in Northern Europe. Toruń is also famous for its gingerbread, and for its leaning tower, which has a vertical deviation of 1.40 metres.
• Sun and ski. Bathe and bask on the Baltic coast. Poland has several popular beach resorts including Sopot, which has Europe’s longest pier (500m/1640ft). Off-season, between November and May, it is still possible to pick up amber on the beaches in the Gulf of Gdansk.
• Zakopane, in the alpine-like Tatras mountains, is Poland’s winter capital. The most popular areas are Kasprowy Wierch and Gubalowka. Snow lasts until May and after that, it is a popular spot for hiking.
• Natural Poland can be enjoyed in the Bialowieska Forest and Miedzyzdroje, where the bison and deer roam free. The Slowinski National Park, a Unesco World Biosphere Reserve, has moving sand dunes. The wind pushes dunes from 2 to 9.5 metres each year. The Masurian Lakes Plateau has more than 4,000 lakes and is one of Central Europe’s largest forested areas.
• If you are planning to visit Poland and still need to find a hotel in Krakow, a hotel in Warsaw or a hotel in Gdansk, visit trivago to compare deals and reviews.