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Until recently, Katowice has been known as the mine industrial center in southern Poland. You can still see mine shafts and so-called “familoks” (workers’ houses), yet the city’s atmosphere has been changing. Today, it’s the capital of culture, good food, and modern architecture.

For years Silesia and Katowice have been identified with mine industry. Lately, the city attracts tourists not only with fantastic and world-renowned architectural projects and successful revitalization of post-industrial buildings, but also with cultural events, museums of the region’s history, and delicious local cuisine.

Everywhere in Katowice, you can see that the city undergoes a deliberate transformation. Just go to the futuristic arena complex called “Spodek” or, situated next to it, Culture Zone with black as coal International Congress Center, monumental NOSPR (Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra) building, and the Silesian Museum built in the former mine area. Take your time in the last spot, as it has one of the best European interactive exhibitions, where you surely won’t get bored.

If you’re looking for historic buildings, go to a modernistic part of the city located near railway tracks. There, following the Route of Modernism, you’ll have a chance to admire the buildings of Silesian Parliament and Silesian Voievodship Office, as well as the tenements and villas typical for the 1930s. Don’t forget about visiting Nikiszowiec, atmospheric and trendy city district. It’s a former workers’ quarters with clinker brick buildings with many excellent restaurants, coffeehouses, and art galleries. Outdoor events attracting crowds also take place there – check out “Fair at Grandma Anna’s” in summer, “Art Market” being a part of the naïve art festival, and “Christmas market” in winter.

If you like fun, you just can’t miss Mariacka Street, close to the city center near the main train station. This is where best clubs, pubs, and restaurants serving the world cuisine are located. See yourself and feel the atmosphere of a never-ending party!

Poznan – one of the oldest city in Poland – is located in the Western part of the country, in the Greater Poland Lake District. Archaeological research shows that the first people put their feet in this area in the Palaeolithic era. All we know about them is that they were reindeers’ hunters.

The first settlers appeared on this land between the 5th and 6th century BC. Historians claim that it might have been Poznan, where the christening of Poland took place in the year 966. Before that happened, Slavonic people Polans had been leaving here and some of famous polish traditions like painting eggs, carol singing or spring cleaning originate from them. Even though today they are solely recognized as Christian customs.

The most known symbol of Poznan are two billy-goats fighting with each other every day at midday on the Town Hall’s tower. They first appeared there in 1551. The other characteristics image of the city are multi-coloured town houses, here and there covered with painter’s sketches.

In Poznan you can also find the youngest castle in Europe – The Caesarean Castle build in 1910 for the King of Prussia, Wilhelm II. Adolf Hitler wanted this place for his headquarters and thus in 1939 renovation works were started. Many rooms were redecorated and have their functionality changed. The castle is open to visitors both days and nights. Palace Górków, a noble residence from the Renaissance, today holds the Archaeological Museum. Back in the day, it used to have a rooftop terrace with a fish-pond.

After a whole day of sightseeing you can catch a breath in the Citadel’s Park. Among green spaces and trees, you will find there fortresses’ walls, cemeteries, a monument in the honour of soldiers fighting for Poznan in 1945 or the Museum of Armature, which is located in the remains of the Fort Winiary from the 19th century.

If you want to try traditional polish food, it is worth visiting Wiejskie Jadło restaurant. In the menu you can find polish dumplings, sour rye soup in bread, meat-stuffed cabbage or duck with apples. A journey-back-in-time experience waits for you in café Proletaryat. It is designed in communistic style, and also serves alcohol and food typical for communistic times, such as herrings, pickled cucumbers, pork fat or bread with lard.

Founded most probably in the 11th century borough is now a bit underestimated city full of architectural contrasts. In its landscape blocks of flats are dominating, that are in odds with beautiful surroundings of Rynek (the Main Square). What’s worth seeing in Rzeszow?

We recommend to start sightseeing from the old part of the city, which is Rynek, in which central sport there is located an outstanding and monumental town hall in neo-gothic and neo-renaissance style. It is there, where the best restaurants and cafes are located and also cultural events take place. It is worth also to take a walk through cosy streets departing from Rynek, like Kopernika, Słowackiego, Kościuszki or 3 Maja, which is the city’s main boardwalk. „Paniaga”, as locals call it, is a modern heart of the city with numerous historical buildings, shops, restaurants with beer gardens. Especially eye-catching are the Church of St. Cross with its snow-white façade and churches of St. Wojciech and St. Stanisław. What’s interesting, citizens of Rzeszow love so much this oldest and the most representative street of the city, that each year in May they threw a feast in its name.

If you have in you an urge to discover, then definitely go for sightseeing of Podziemna Trasa Turystyczna (The Underground Touristic Route) opened in 2001. The entrance is near Town Hall from the side of Słowackiego St. (Rynek 26). After getting through it, you will find 400 metres of renovated, underground corridors, through which you will reach 40 rooms that used to serve as basements for goods. During one-hour trip you can also see numerous exhibits, that were discovered during archeologically works and listen to interesting stories of the guide on the turbulent history of Rzeszów. The route is open to visitors the whole year around, entrance is every full hour and ticket costs 6,5 zlotys per person.

In the cuisine of Sub-Carpathian region – the one, in which Rzeszów is located – the most famous are “proziaki”, baked flat-pies from flour, sour milk, soda and salt. They are served in inns, on markets or during traditional harvest festival. We recommend also trying a dish named “hałuszki”. These are delicious small noodles made from potatoes with egg, cooked on boiling water, served with milk, butter or onion. Popular are also “kołduny”, oval dumplings from potatoes with filling made of cooked potatoes, cheese with onions baked on fat. Rzeszów is a perfect place for tasting the most famous polish dishes – pierogi (dumplings), gołąbki (meat-stuffed cabbage) and żur (sour rye soup) – which, according to locals, are best served exactly there. Where to eat? In restaurants: Konfitura at 8 Słowackiego St., Wesele by 23 Rynek St. and Karczma Wacławówka at 7 Strażacka St.

A tour of the underground bunker, vintage cars, and the most delicious sandwiches with bread baked on the spot – certainly, Szczecin will surprise you at every turn.

The 13th-century city of Szczecin lies in northern Poland, not far from the border with Germany. The first signs of a settlement date back to the 8th century. Over hundreds of years, Szczecin was developing as a port city and a trade center. It changed from Polish to German hands and back again many times.

Architectural richness of the city square is a remnant of the past. It was here that hay was traded in the Middle Ages (hence the name – Rynek Sienny / Hay Market Square). Visit the History Museum in The Old Town Hall to see how complicated the old times were.

To get closer to the past, head for Podziemne Trasy Szczecina (Szczecin Underground Walk). The shelter located under the railway station is capable of holding up to 5,000 people. There are 3 routes to choose from – the World War II route, the Cold War route (you’ll explore the times of the Polish People’s Republic), and the flashlight only “Tour with a thrill.” The ticket office is at the train station, on the platform 1.

If you are really into machines, you can’t miss the Museum of Technology and Transport. You can take a closer look at amazing vehicles, such as Stoewer V5 – the first German car with front-wheel drive – introduced in 1932 or motorcycles and motorbuses from the Communist era. There are even the prototypes of vehicles that never made it to production, e.g., the Beskid, a successor of the Polski Fiat 126p (nicknamed “Maluch”/ “Toddler”).

When you get hungry, grab a bite of famous bagels from Bajgle Króla Jana, near the Old Town. The place specializes in sandwiches with bread baked on the spot, served with various toppings. Soups, salads, and desserts are also worth trying.

Isn't it time for dinner? Wyszak Browar Rodzinny (Wyszak Brewery) offers local cuisine, merging Polish and German culinary traditions. You can pick here, e.g., soused herring (matjas) in oil with onion and dill, roasted white sausage of in-house production with fried sauerkraut, and obatzda – a type of cheese spread given with a pretzel and onion rings. In the evening, chill out along the boulevards. In fine weather, pubs and eateries set up beer gardens and play club music live.