Winning tip: Slowinski national park

Experience a real sand desert on the shores of the Baltic, with peaks to scale and slopes to roll down on the other side. These oceans of sand have been shifting for millennia, and provide an oasis of tranquillity from the often crowded seaside resorts in Poland. Now a Unesco biosphere reserve, it's an easy five-mile cycle from Leba (take the slow train from Gdansk for even more of a feel of otherworldliness).
poland.travel/en/national-parks/slowinski-national-park
bennevis21

Krakow

The Cool Tour Company
One of the most enjoyable and informative ways to see this beautiful city is to take a four-hour cycle tour with the Cool Tour Company. Our group of four were lucky enough to have a guide to ourselves for the afternoon and he personalised the tour to suit our interests. Matheus was incredibly knowledgeable, taking us round the old town, along the river Vistula, and into Kazimierz, the Jewish district. We enjoyed cycling so much that on another day we hired bikes ourselves and cycled out along the river and through leafy suburbs to the Kosciuszko Mound, a memorial to an 18th-century Polish patriot, with great views of the city.
+48 12 4302034, cooltourcompany.com. Tours 80 zloty (around £16) per person
carolferguson

Weekend markets and more
Head for the heart of the Jewish quarter, Kazimierz. At Plac Nowy you'll find the original Rotunda market selling local produce, but at the weekends the market expands with antiques and junk on Saturdays and secondhand clothes on Sundays. You need to get there early – it starts at 5.30am. Then follow the old city wall encircling the old town – it is now Planty Park, a 2½-mile-long walk segmented with tree lined avenues and art nouveau and romantic architecture. Explore the cobbled streets and relax with the locals on the grass by the river at the base of Wawel Castle. Look out for the dragon sculpture at the entrance to the cave beside the western slope and wait patiently for a few minutes to witness it breathing fire.
fionatrowbridge

Auschwitz
We were reluctant to visit Auschwitz and Birkenau camps but I'm so glad we went. I came away feeling there isn't anyone on the planet who wouldn't benefit from having a closer look at the stark reality of such an event that is still in living history. Sobering, moving and unforgettable.
en.auschwitz.org.pl
mrsfifties

Communist tour in a Trabant
From the moment the Trabant turned up to collect us at our hotel it turned heads. Fellow guests due to go on a city tour in a coach looked on enviously as we got in our quirky transport. Our guide was very knowledgeable and gave us an interesting insight into life under communism. But the highlight by far was the car and all its quirks!
+48 5000 91 200crazyguides.com. £25pp for a 2½-hour tour
zoe_goodwin

The Tatras and the south

Zakopane
Take a bus trip out of Zakopane followed by a yomp up to Morskie Oto lake, snuggled among some of the highest peaks in the Tatra mountains. I took the horse and trap down, which included a "pit stop" for the horses – let's just say it was good for the garden. Missed the last bus so for a few zlotys joined a workmen's van to the hotel.
andrewmackembailey

Rafting into Poland from Slovakia
The Dunajec river forms part of the border between Slovakia and Poland. It's great fun to raft down the river in Poland, on the traditional rafts, but it's also possible to raft down the Slovak part from Pieniny and then cross the border on foot. The scenery is stunning and it's an unforgettable way to enter Poland for the first time. A basic web search will recommend many rafting providers. We just went to the river and found a local guide.
keenestofbeans

The west

Ostwall fortifications, Miedzyrzecz
These were a series of bunkers, tunnels and banks built in the early 1930s on what was then the German border, to resist a Russian invasion. The tunnels were up to 40 metres deep and wide enough to hold a double-track train line. In the event the Russians invaded so quickly that there was no time to fully man the defences, so they were soon overrun. See the surface ruins free of charge, or go on tours (in Polish and German only) with caving guides. The area is also a nature reserve, as the bunkers have attracted Europe's largest bat colony: over 30,000 of 12 species.
miedzyrzecz.polandpoland.com/nazi_ostwall.htm
dgam57

Poznan

The Dark Restaurant
We were led in complete darkness to our table, not knowing what would be put in front of us. The tingle of anticipation remained with us as the eerie outlines of the waitresses appeared and disappeared into the shadows. The fun of finding the food on our plates and then trying to guess what each of us was eating produced an evening of great mirth and hilarity. We tried to exchange drinks and sample one another's food but this proved challenging in total darkness.This was an unforgettable evening, a once in a life-time experience.
ul. Garbary 48, +61 852 20 57, darkrestaurant.pl
tsanders

North-east Poland

Biebrza national park
Biebrza is one of the last remaining ancient woodlands and wetlands in Europe. It is home to European bison and elk, beavers and birds like aquatic warbler and great snipe. A great place for wildlife lovers, walkers, canoeists and horse riders. A lovely place to stay is Zagroda Kuwasy on the edge of Woznawies village, alongside the forest. The evening frog chorus, numerous bats and a wonderful view of the Milky Way was complemented by good food and a welcoming staff.
zagrodakuwasy.pl. Rooms from £24pp, including breakfast. biebrza.org.pl
rogert

Baltic coast

Bryza hotel and spa, Hel peninsula
Imagine a luxury hotel on a white sandy beach with sparkling blue waters, a fabulous spa with treatment rooms overlooking the ocean, flooded with reflected light. This isn't the Caribbean, it's a stick-thin peninsula jutting out into the Baltic north of Gdynia, near Gdansk. Baltic waters are surprisingly warm in summer and the hotel's beach club looks positively tropical. On the other side of the peninsula, a few minutes' walk away, there is windsurfing and sailing and cycle trails in the woods that run its length. Battles raged here during the second world war but this has been a holiday area since between the wars. It has a strange, northern beauty but (in summer) a balmy southern climate. Delightful.
+48 58 675 5100, bryza.pl. Doubles from £87, including breakfast and (in low season only) dinner
ceejay

Sopot
Sopot's 12-mile crescent beach has the softest golden sand, edged by a promenade and cycleway and a wide variety of bars and restaurants. We adored the Pyramid bar in front of the Novotel Marina. We sat on beanbags on the beach wrapped in blankets with candles fluttering and the children paddling a few feet away in the half light. Sopot has a grand 19th-century casino fountains, piers and mock pirate ships. But more than anything it is the atmosphere I would want to bottle – joyous but not rowdy, busy but clean, full of people of all ages having a good time.
gillswaithe