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When is the best time to visit Poland?

Travel advisory

The information on this page is based on historical averages and may not reflect current conditions. Please check with local authorities for the latest travel advice.

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The best time to visit Poland is anytime between May and September. These months bring the year’s warmest and wettest weather, with the chance of rain increasing throughout the summer months.

Late spring (MayJune) has its cool days and warm days, with highs ranging from 15–19°C and much less rainfall than during the summer. So for lovers of the great outdoors, it’s the perfect time to visit. Poland’s most renowned areas of natural beauty include Zakopane in the foothills of the High Tatras, and Białowieża Forest on the Belarusian border, where wild bison and wolves roam free. During July and August, tourists and locals flock to the beach resorts of the Baltic coast to bask in temperatures of 20–24°C. There’s always a risk of rain, but on scorching days a bit of wet weather brings respite from the heat – especially if you’re visiting inland cities like Warsaw, Poznań or Kraków.

High season is also the best time to soak up some Polish culture. Calendar highlights include Lajkonik Pageant and the Jewish Culture Festival – both starting in June in Krakow – as well as Warsaw’s International Street Arts Festival, held in July, and Four Cultures Festival in Łódź during September.

Monthly weather and travel tips for Poland

The first weeks of the new year are very quiet in Poland. The excitement of Christmas and New Year’s Eve has been and gone – but the sub-zero winter temperatures remain, keeping people indoors as the snow falls. So, you’ll certainly need to bundle up if you plan on visiting in January, which, despite the cold, still has its merits. Down in Zakopane for example, the ski season is in full swing. Surrounded by gleaming white mountains, you’ll be able to explore the High Tatras via Nordic cross-country skiing routes leading from resorts like Szymoszkowa and Nosal.

If you’re averse to skiing, then perhaps a wildlife safari in Bialowieza Forest could tempt you instead. With fresh snow on the ground, spotting wild bison, elk and even wolves is made a lot easier – but be sure to do so with a local and licensed guide. A pair of sturdy walking boots will be essential for exploring rural areas.

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Poland stays ice-cold during February, with temperatures rarely pushing past 0°C. The days are short-lived, but crisp and dry when the sun is up. As in January, the best way to make the most of the winter is to head to the south’s picturesque ski resorts. With reliable snow cover, they offer pistes for skiers of all levels from beginner to advanced. However, the slopes reach peak capacity during the half term break, so you might want to book around these dates. The south’s snow-coated Carpathian Mountains can also be explored on foot – but you’ll need snow shoes and a good guide to lead the way.

On the Thursday before the beginning of Lent, the cold weather is confronted with a calorific festival known as ‘Tłusty Czwartek’, or ‘Fat Thursday’ in English. Celebrated nationwide, its purpose is simple: eat as many fatty, sugary doughnuts and pastries as possible before fasting begins.

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Winter’s freezing temperatures finally relent in March – but not by much. You’ll still need plenty of layers to keep warm when braving daytime highs of 0–4°C, whether you’re skiing in Zakopane or exploring the likes of Warsaw or Kraków. It’s not until the end of the month that you’ll start to notice the first tentative signs of spring, with sudden showers and thawing grass. So be prepared with a waterproof jacket and resilient footwear.

Crowds will have thinned out a bit in the southern ski resorts, so now is a good time to take advantage of off-peak rates. Alternatively, check into Warsaw for ‘Retro Weekend’ – a three-day swing and blues festival taking place at the beginning of the month. Poznań’s Short Waves Film Festival also takes place in March, consisting of short film screenings in cinemas all over the city.

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After the long winter chill, Poland wakes up to longer days, warmer climes and sunnier skies in April. It’s a sign of good things to come in tourist hotspots like Gdańsk, Kraków and Wrocław, which see numbers pick up as the month wears on. Down south, April signals the end of the ski season – and the beginning of a long wet period due to increasing rainfall and melting snow. Rivers in rural regions can swell in these conditions, so pack for wet weather and keep an eye on the forecasts.

Palm Sunday and the following Easter weekend are highlights of the month anywhere in Poland. Expect religious parades, egg-painting rituals and elaborate cakes lining the shelves of bakery windows. Other key events in April include Restaurant Week, the Cracovia Marathon and a day of remembrance on 19 April to honour those who died during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943.

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May marks the start of Poland’s high season, but visit sooner rather than later and you should still beat the crowds. Daytime temperatures jump into the mid-teens, while city flowers bloom creating vibrant scenery to admire from the outdoor terraces of restaurants, cafés and bars. You can also find drumming woodpeckers and other migrating birds chirping throughout Poland’s forests during May, with trips to the wetlands of Biebrza Marshes in high demand. The southern regions remain very wet heading into rainy season, so best pack your waterproofs and an umbrella.

With the spring weather comes a string of cultural celebrations across the nation, starting with Florianski Fair in Warsaw's Praga district in May. Expect live music, arts, crafts and lots of local food. A few days later, the small city of Częstochowa brings together religious music from different faiths, while down in Kraków the Film Music Festival and the nationally celebrated Juvenalia carnival run back-to-back at the end of the month.

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You can count on June for very warm but also very wet weather through much of Poland, particularly in Zakopane and Warsaw. Temperatures can reach into the thirties on the hottest days, so don’t leave your base without sunscreen and sunglasses – and you might want to stuff a raincoat in your backpack just in case. If you’re on a city break, a good tip is to visit top attractions as early as possible, before the midday crowds arrive.

The highlight of the month for many locals is Corpus Christi – considered the third most important religious celebration after Christmas and Easter. The best place to watch the festivities unfold is Łowicz, where participants circle the main square and cathedral while kitted out in colourful folk costumes. Other notable events include Wrocław’s Good Beer Festival, Poznań’s week-long Malta International Theatre Festival and the Jewish Culture Festival held in Kraków at the end of the month.

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Overall, July brings heat and intense humidity to most of Poland, with average temperatures of 22–25°C and frequent rainfall. The likes of Warsaw and Kraków can become overcrowded with visitors, so it’s best to book accommodation well in advance. Alternatively, you could join the locals on the breezier beaches of the north coast. Located between Gdynia and Gdańsk, Sopot is Poland’s most popular summer resort. For quieter beaches, head further west to Łeba, Ustka and Międzyzdroje near Wolin National Park.

July is also the month that the music festival season properly ramps up. Headlined by global superstars, Gdynia’s Open'er Festival draws thousands of pop and indie rock-loving revellers in the first week of the month. Meanwhile, the capital hosts the International Street Arts Festival – its largest outdoor event – plus a series of concerts for Warsaw Summer Jazz Days. And come the end of the month, Kraków’s streets ring with the sound of folk music from the Tatra Mountains during the Crossroads Traditional Music Festival.

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Despite the unpredictable weather in August, tourist numbers peak throughout Poland at this time of year. Each day could bring either radiant sunshine or torrential rain. As in July, your best chances of the former will be along the north coast in Baltic beach resorts like Sopot, Dębki and ‘Hel’ – a certain misnomer when lying flat on the beach’s idyllic white sands under a clear blue sky. You could also avoid the crowds by heading to lesser-known towns like Toruń, Malbork or Olsztyn, gateway to the rolling hills and wetlands of Warmia. But be prepared for rain.

During most of August, Gdańsk will be celebrating its centuries-old Dominican Fair – a huge event involving live music, street artists and traditional shops and stalls. Poznań also holds a huge food celebration called Good Taste Festival in mid-August, and come the end of the month, the Sopot International Song Festival is held in a beautiful open-air arena while the Polish capital pulls out all the stops for its Singer’s Warsaw Festival.

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As summer winds down and schools reopen, crowds start to thin out in the major cities and average temperatures slip into a cooler range of 14–16°C. There’s still enough sunshine in the coastal resorts, so pack light and take sunscreen if you want to snatch a beach break before autumn sets in. Meanwhile, retreating rains in the south make September a great time to go hiking in the Tatra Mountains and Bieszczady National Park.

There’s also time for a few more cultural events before summer makes way for autumn. In Łódź, the Four Cultures Festival highlights its historical diversity with performing arts from Polish, Jewish, Russian and German cultures. Down in Wrocław, locals enjoy a series of classical and folk music concerts during Wratislavia Cantans. Elsewhere, the small town of Biskupin hosts one of Europe’s largest archaeological festivals. Expect displays of ancient artefacts accompanied by medieval music, activities and reenactments of famous battles.

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October is a quiet month, yet among the best to visit if you want to avoid wet weather and overcrowding in hubs such as Kraków, Gdańsk and Warsaw. Full of medieval churches, castles and squares, these cities are primed for exploring in autumn, before the biting cold weather arrives. However, it does start to get chilly as the weeks go by – especially after dark – so you’ll need to wear plenty of layers in the evening.

Further south, the deep autumn colours of the forests are enhanced by crisp blue skies. Rainfall is rare too, making October the perfect time to explore the hilly national parks. The High Tatras are guaranteed to impress, and it’s only a 20-minute drive from Kraków to OjcówPoland’s smallest national park and home to a ruinous hillside castle. Events wise, there’s not too much going on in October, but Katowice’s Rawa Blues Festival and the Warsaw Film Festival are notable standouts.

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Temperatures dip below 5°C in November, and depending on where you visit, there may be quite a lot of rain too. So, packing warm and waterproof clothing is essential. The only areas where rainfall isn’t so common are in the far south – at least not until the end of the month, when snow starts to appear in place of the golden canopies. Further north, the small town of Kazimierz Dolny is another great spot to take in the autumnal colours, particularly from high walls of its 13th-century castle.

1 November, is All Saints Day and a national holiday. What follows on 2 November is known as All Souls' Day, bringing international musicians to the clubs, bars and churches of Kraków for Poland’s oldest jazz festival. The other national highlight of the month falls on 11 NovemberPoland’s Independence Day, or St. Martin’s Day, as it’s known in Poznań. Here, the locals go one step further, turning out for colourful parades and feasting on sweet St. Martin’s croissants.

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The merry run-up to Christmas is the perfect distraction from the gloomy skies and freezing cold temperatures that December brings to Poland. Festive markets light up town squares all over the country, but Warsaw’s Barbican Christmas Market is the pick of the bunch. Set against a glowing red-brick rotunda, the market is packed with stalls selling traditional crafts, pastries and mulled wine to keep you warm as you wander through.

In Kraków, December kicks off with Christmas Cribs – a competition to see who can build the most amazing Christmas crèche. There will be snow on the ground just about everywhere, so be sure to take your warmest winter clothes and a pair of waterproof boots. Take your skis too if you’re headed further south – the winter sports resorts near Zakopane will be back open for business, with pistes for all levels and rustic mountain lodges available to rent. There’ll be parties and fireworks galore on New Year’s Eve, plus a special concert at the Kraków Philharmonic.

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Weather and temperature in Poland

Poland has a typical European continental climate with four distinct seasons that remain consistent throughout the country. May is generally warm and dry, luring travellers to major destinations such as Kraków, Wrocław and Warsaw. With minimal rainfall and thinner crowds, you can usually wander the streets of these historic cities unperturbed by the thought of getting wet or having to queue for entry into the main attractions.

Summers are comparatively hot and wet, so best spent in coastal towns and cities like Gdańsk and Gdynia, where the sea breeze provides welcome relief from the humidity. You could also cool off with a cruise through the Masurian Lake District in the north for spellbinding scenery and the chance to swim in freshwater lakes. The main cities can get very hot and crowded during the summer months, so are best avoided.

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Warsaw High 0°C 2°C 8°C 14°C 19°C 22°C 26°C 25°C 19°C 13°C 8°C 3°C
Low -4°C -4°C -1°C 4°C 9°C 12°C 15°C 14°C 10°C 5°C 3°C -2°C
Rainfall 17 days 15 days 14 days 13 days 13 days 14 days 15 days 13 days 13 days 14 days 16 days 18 days
Kraków High 2°C 3°C 8°C 15°C 19°C 22°C 26°C 25°C 19°C 14°C 9°C 4°C
Low -3°C -4°C -1°C 4°C 9°C 12°C 14°C 14°C 10°C 5°C 3°C -2°C
Rainfall 17 days 15 days 14 days 13 days 13 days 14 days 15 days 13 days 13 days 14 days 16 days 18 days
Wrocław High 3°C 4°C 9°C 15°C 19°C 22°C 26°C 26°C 20°C 15°C 10°C 6°C
Low -1°C -2°C 1°C 5°C 9°C 12°C 15°C 14°C 10°C 6°C 3°C 0°C
Rainfall 17 days 15 days 14 days 13 days 13 days 14 days 15 days 13 days 13 days 14 days 16 days 18 days
Gdańsk High 1°C 2°C 7°C 11°C 17°C 19°C 23°C 23°C 18°C 13°C 7°C 4°C
Low -3°C -3°C -0°C 3°C 8°C 11°C 14°C 14°C 10°C 6°C 3°C -0°C
Rainfall 17 days 15 days 14 days 13 days 13 days 14 days 15 days 13 days 13 days 14 days 16 days 18 days
Zakopane High -1°C -1°C 4°C 9°C 13°C 17°C 20°C 20°C 14°C 11°C 7°C 1°C
Low -7°C -8°C -4°C 1°C 5°C 8°C 11°C 10°C 6°C 2°C -0°C -5°C
Rainfall 17 days 15 days 14 days 13 days 13 days 14 days 15 days 13 days 13 days 14 days 16 days 18 days
Poznań High 2°C 3°C 9°C 14°C 19°C 21°C 25°C 25°C 19°C 14°C 8°C 4°C
Low -2°C -3°C -0°C 4°C 9°C 12°C 15°C 14°C 10°C 6°C 3°C -0°C
Rainfall 17 days 15 days 14 days 13 days 13 days 14 days 15 days 13 days 13 days 14 days 16 days 18 days

Weather data provided by Forecast.io

Cost of stay in Poland

Want to travel smart? Here, you can check out the average cost of accommodation per night in Poland.

    0 44 88 132 176
  • £76 Jan
  • £78 Feb
  • £77 Mar
  • £81 Apr
  • £80 May
  • £87 Jun
  • £87 Jul
  • £86 Aug
  • £84 Sept
  • £79 Oct
  • £77 Nov
  • £91 Dec
    0 44 88 132 176
  • £54 Jan
  • £53 Feb
  • £51 Mar
  • £53 Apr
  • £57 May
  • £67 Jun
  • £79 Jul
  • £76 Aug
  • £59 Sept
  • £53 Oct
  • £52 Nov
  • £76 Dec
    0 44 88 132 176
  • £22 Jan
  • £23 Feb
  • £24 Mar
  • £26 Apr
  • £26 May
  • £30 Jun
  • £30 Jul
  • £30 Aug
  • £26 Sept
  • £23 Oct
  • £24 Nov
  • £30 Dec
    0 44 88 132 176
  • £110 Jan
  • £107 Feb
  • £99 Mar
  • £95 Apr
  • £86 May
  • £91 Jun
  • £105 Jul
  • £102 Aug
  • £81 Sept
  • £84 Oct
  • £90 Nov
  • £150 Dec
    0 44 88 132 176
  • £63 Jan
  • £60 Feb
  • £52 Mar
  • £52 Apr
  • £50 May
  • £56 Jun
  • £65 Jul
  • £64 Aug
  • £53 Sept
  • £49 Oct
  • £48 Nov
  • £74 Dec

The best places to visit in Poland

Check out some of the most popular cities, places to visit and things to do in Poland!

What other travellers say about their holiday in Poland

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