If you are traveling to Poland or you are looking for the best cities to live in Poland, you may be surprised that there are almost 1000 cities to choose from!
Even though Poland isn’t the biggest country in the world, there are many amazing Polish cities that are worth discovering.
For some nationalities, especially Americans, Australians, or Canadians, the size of the cities in Poland may be funny.
The largest Polish city (when it comes to the number of inhabitants) is Warsaw, the capital, with 1.765 million citizens. Poland’s smallest city is Opatowiec with just… 313 people living there!
In this article, I will try to answer the question of what is the best city in Poland. I will provide the independent ranks and studies, as well as my subjective opinion!
Table of Contents
Best Cities To Visit In Poland
If you want to visit Poland, you will probably think of going to one (or more!) of the 16 capital cities in Poland.
FYI Poland is divided into 16 voivodeships, each has its own capital/main city.
Here are the top 5 most frequently visited cities in Poland.
Kraków
You probably won’t be surprised that Kraków is number 1 on the list of the best cities to visit in Poland!
This vibrant place has it all: beautiful Old Town, rich history, delicious food, and lots of tourist attractions.
Kraków has been ranked as the best city-break destination for many years.
Kraków is pretty close to Zakopane, the heart of the Tatra Mountains, which is a runner-up in this rank (number 6th out of 10 most frequently visited cities in Poland).
If you are visiting Kraków, check out my other posts about this beautiful city:
- best places to visit in Kraków
- useful Kraków tips for first-time visitors
- best tours in Kraków
- fun facts about Kraków
- best day trips from Kraków
- where to eat in Kraków?
- best beaches in Kraków and around
- the most romantic things to do in Kraków
Warszawa
The capital of Poland is one of the most diversified and vibrant places in the country. It was voted the best European Destination in 2023!
It’s where everyone can be whoever they want! If you are worried about racism in Poland, it’s probably the safest place you can go.
Warsaw has been ranked one of the best places in Europe for foodies. Not only can you try traditional Polish food there but also dishes from many other countries in the world.
If you are interested in the history of Poland, visit the Warsaw Uprising Museum, or the National Museum. Stroll down Krakowskie Przedmieście and admire the colorful old town.
If you want to relax, visit Wilanów with its beautiful castle and park!
Gdańsk and the Tricity
I love Gdańsk! No wonder it’s one of the best cities to visit in Poland.
Located by the Baltic Sea coast, it has pretty beaches as well as a heartbreakingly beautiful old town.
Gdańsk is a part of Tricity together with Gdynia and Sopot.
If your time in Poland is limited, and you really want to see the Baltic Sea, Gdańsk is your place to go!
Wrocław
Located in southwestern Poland, Wrocław belonged to Germany for many years. Its colorful old town, delicious food, and rich culture, makes it a really interesting place to visit.
It’s pretty close to the border with Czechia and Germany, so it may be a good stop of your Eurotrip.
I’ve published a series of blog posts about Wrocław, if you want to read them, simply click the title:
- best things to do in Wrocław
- where to eat in Wrocław?
- where to stay in Wrocław?
- best street art in Wrocław
- best day trips from Wrocław (in Poland and abroad)
Poznań
It’s a capital of Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) located in the center of Poland.
Poznań is famous for its beautiful old town with the billy goats showing up everyday at midday. The famous St Martins croissants (rogale świętomarcińskie) filled with white poppy seeds, originate from Poznań.
I love Poznań! It’s so colorful and vibrant.
Some of the other cities worth visiting are:
Best Cities To Live In Poland
Do you want to move to Poland? After visiting 50+ countries in the world, I still think Poland is one of the best places to live!
It’s very easy to find cafe with stable WiFi, the prices are relatively low, the weather is always interesting (we have all 4 seasons of the year), and it’s not difficult to communicate in English when in Poland.
It’s hard to give you a simple answer to the question about what’s the best city to live in Poland. It depends on your expectation.
Warsaw
According to Arcadis and Business Insider, the best place to live in Poland is Warsaw.
Is it really? It’s also the city with one of the highest traffic in Poland. As a Pole born and raised in Poland, I’ve never wanted to live in Warsaw. I have friends who live there and love it and friends who moved back to their hometowns because they were too tired of the hustle and bustle of the Polish capital city.
The best things about Warsaw are:
- many cultural and sports events going on every day
- the international airport that makes it easy to see the entire Europe; flights are cheap and it’s doable to fly on a city break to a different place every weekend
- it’s safe
- public transportation is one of the best in Poland, Warsaw is the only city with metro (subway)
- it’s located in the heart of Poland, so you can get anywhere in the country in less than 5 hours
- there are many job opportunities for foreigners
The cons of living in Warsaw:
- high traffic
- hustle and bustle of the big city
Toruń
In this rank, Toruń won the second place. If I had to choose between Warsaw and Toruń, I’d chose Toruń for sure!
The size of this city is perfect- it’s not too small and not too big. Based on a survey of residents, Toruń is one of the best cities to live in Poland, when it comes to mental and physical well-being.
Toruń is located in Northern Poland, halfway between Warsaw and Gdańsk.
Zielona Góra
The name of this city literally means “The Green Mountain” and it says it all!
Zielona Góra is one of the largest cities in Poland but it’s not covered with skyscrappers. The city is located very close to the border with Germany in central-west Poland.
It may be a green and beautiful city but if you want to travel around, you may be disappointed. The airport in Zielona Góra is not well-connected with other cities in Europe.
Rzeszów
My hometown! I made a concious choice to live here and I love it!
The size of Rzeszów is perfect. You have all the facilities of the city and the feeling of the countryside.
Rzeszów is less than 1,5h drive from Kraków and close to the beautiful Lancut castle and the Bieszczady Mountains.
It’s also the largest Polish city close to Ukraine. In the past, I’d say it’s great because you can go on a city break to Lviv. Today I am saying it’s great because it’s the best-protected city in Poland.
There are many Polish and American soldiers watching the city 24/7, so it’s really safe in here right now.
The other places that have made it to the list of the best cities to live in Poland are:
- Kraków
- Poznań
- Wrocław
- Gdańsk
- Bielsko-Biała
- Olsztyn
- Koszalin
- Lublin
I’ve written about most of them earlier in the text.
So… what’s the best city in Poland?
In my subjective opinion it’s Kraków. Both to live and visit.
Then it’s Gdańsk, Wrocław, Warsaw, and Poznań. These are my top 5!
7 Responses
Thanks for the overview of Poland cities. At my age I know I will not be able to make the trip but enjoy the views and comments you have supplied.
You’re welcome, Mike :).
It was great hearing something about Rzeszow because that’s where my mom came from. Dad came from Tarnobrzeg. I enjoyed reading about Poland. My one regret is not visiting it in my younger years. I can speak the language although not fluently and understand it. Growing up my parents always made kielbasa, pierogi and kapusta. Thank you for all the information about Poland.
Thanks for your comment, Leona! That’s great that you speak Polish 🙂
We just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge all the hard work and effort you’ve been putting in lately. Keep up the amazing job, you’re doing great!
Thanks!
Visited Poland again in the summer and would say Poznan is not a place to visit until all the construction work is completed. The centre is like a building site!