With a long and fascinating history and a diverse natural landscape, there are many places to visit in Poland: Warsaw: Poland’s capital and largest city, Warsaw has been shaped by its turbulent 700-year history. The city is home to a number of fascinating history museums, including the Museum of Warsaw and the equally impressive Praga Museum of Warsaw. For classical music lovers, the Fryderyk Chopin Museum, devoted to one of Warsaw’s most famous sons, is a must see. Bear witness to the city’s most tragic moment at the Warsaw Rising Museum, which focuses on the 1944 Warsaw Ghetto rising against the Nazis, and learn more about Europe’s largest Jewish community and its great contribution to Polish society and culture at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. Though Warsaw’s Old Town was tragically destroyed by bombing during World War II, it has been reconstructed remarkably authentically, showing how it would have looked in the 17th and 18th centuries. Wilanów Palace, built by King Jan II Sobieski in 1677, is Poland’s grandest Baroque palace. Łazienki Park, a former royal hunting ground, is a treat for garden lovers. There are three main gardens, which span centuries: the 18th-century Italianate Royal Garden, the 19th century Romantic Garden and the early 20th-century Modernist Garden, home to the Art Nouveau Chopin monument. Warsaw is also richly endowed with modern and contemporary architecture. Take a look at the Art Nouveau Hala Koszyki, an early 20th century market hall converted into a foodie hub, or the Warszawa Powiśle, a spaceship-like former ticket office now operating as a cafe. Contemporary architecture can be seen at the POLIN Museum and the Copernicus Science Centre. Warsaw’s most divisive building will always be the Communist-era Palace of Culture and Science, a ‘gift of friendship’ from the Soviet Union completed in 1955. Reviled for decades, young Varsovians are now embracing the building as an icon of the city. Whatever your feelings about the building, make sure to head to 30th-floor observation terrace for panoramic views of the city. Kraków: Architecture buffs will love Kraków, Poland’s capital city until the 16th century. The Old Town combines Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Art Nouveau elements. Highlights include the 15th-century Town Hall Tower and the 16th -century Cloth Hall, on the Main Market Square; the Gothic St. Mary’s Basilica; and the Renaissance Wawel Royal Castle, home to Poland’s royal court through the 16th century. Gdańsk: The city of Gdańsk has a cosmopolitan air unique in Poland. Centuries as a major Baltic Sea port meant that the city was long home to a diverse population of merchants, while subsequently the city would move between Poland and Germany as Gdańsk/Danzig, while German-speakers would long be the majority. It’s easy to imagine the thriving medieval port when walking past narrow merchant’s houses on the Motława River waterfront. Make sure to look at the Żuraw, the largest crane in Medieval Europe. More historic buildings can be seen around the main street, Długi Targ, and make sure to visit the Gothic St. Mary’s Church. For modern history, head to the European Solidarity Centre, a museum devoted to the history of the Solidarity strikes. Outside the cities: There are a number of important historical sites located outside of the cities. Malbork Castle, doable as a daytrip from Gdańsk, was the headquarters of the notorious Teutonic Knights for over 150 years. Rural Poland is dotted with wooden folk architecture known as skansen, with 120 historic buildings preserved at Sanok’s Museum of Folk Architecture. Travellers may also wish to bear witness to the horrors of the Holocaust at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum. As one of the largest countries in Europe, Poland offers an array of landscapes. The Great Masurian Lakes, in the north-east, offers an extensive system of waterways perfect for yachting and canoeing, while the south is home to the Tatra Mountains, the highest part of the Carpathians. Awe-inspiring yet accessible, the Tatras offer a number of manageable walks for inexperienced hikers.