Best time to visit Poland
Generally, Poland has a continental climate, with freezing winters and warm summers. The best time to visit Poland differs depending on what region of Poland you plan to visit, and what you plan to do. Unless you plan to ski somewhere in the Polish mountains, (there are some ski slopes around Gdansk, too), you should visit Poland between April and early November. Although it still might be freezing in the morning, the days are long enough and warm.
Best time to visit Poland – best weather forecast for Poland
If you want to check the typical weather in various cities in Poland, you should visit Weatherspark. Just type in the place you would like to go to, and you will see a lot of information based on historical data. Looking for the weather forecast for the next 2–3 days, the best place to visit is Meteo.pl. Choose the UM Model and click on the map or choose the city from the list. The meteorograms may look strange at a glance, and you might need to learn how to read them. But once you learn how to read them, you will find it to be the most accurate weather forecast site in Poland.
Summer in Poland
Summer is undoubtedly the best time to visit Poland. Days are long, the temperature rises to 25–30 degrees during the day, and evenings are warm enough to spend them outside. Unfortunately – as all the people think the same way – cities and beaches are usually crowded, hotel prices rise, and it’s better to book entrance or transport tickets in advance. Many people from the south of Poland come to the north to bathe in the sea, while people from the north go to the mountains for trekking.
Winter in Poland
Winter in Poland might be freezy, and that relates to all regions. The coldest weather is typically in the north-east part of Poland (Suwalki is the coldest city in Poland). But to be honest, there is no reason to go to that part of the county during winter.
Visiting Poland in November and the following months is difficult, as days become short, the temperature falls to or below zero, and it tends to rain. Furthermore, most museums opening hours are shorter and some even close.
What might be another problem during winter, is the pollution and smog – especially in Cracow, Warsaw, and other big cities. Although the authorities try to do something about that (ban on coal stoves, limited car access to the city centre, free public transport on some days) it is still a giant concern in Poland. So if you plan to have a city trip, winter is not the best time to come to Poland. Days are short, museums usually close early, so you’ll probably spend evenings hanging out in bars.
But if you are a skier, winter is a good time to visit Poland. There are several large ski resorts in Beskidy, Sudety and Tatra mountains. Of course, they are not as large as those in the Alps, tend to be crowded, but the prices are much lower than in Germany, Austria, or France.
Best time visit to Poland – public holidays in Poland
What may influence your stay are public holidays. Those during spring or summer often turn into so-called “long weekends” – people take one or two days off to connect the public holiday to the weekend and travel. This mainly happens in May (1st and 3rd of May are public holidays), June (Corpus Christie), August (15th of August is a public holiday) and early November (1st and 11th of November are public holidays). This is not the best time to visit Poland, as most of the trains, buses, and hotels will be crowded. Usually, you need to book accommodation months earlier, unless you want to overpay while booking at the last moment.
Furthermore, remember that the summer holiday in schools begins in late June and lasts until the end of August. Accommodation might be limited then, so think about booking in advance. The winter holiday lasts 2 weeks, but in every region it starts on a different date, so that winter resorts are not overcrowded. They are, anyway. It’s up to you to decide if this is the best time to visit Poland during the summer or winter holiday – even though the weather in this period is the best.