Poland by Campervan: Itinerary, Tips and Useful Information

In this article we’ll take you with us to discover Poland, a land that won us over from day one. We visited it aboard our van and focused on the eastern part of the country, exploring it from south to north, in July 2022. You can follow this itinerary by car too, or use part of it if you decide to travel by plane: in that case you’ll find detailed information about the country and a short itinerary in the dedicated article, which you can find here.

Itinerary

In this section you’ll find a daily diary with all the stops of our adventure. If you want to read our itinerary in short, you’ll find it here, while if you want to know our thoughts on the country and especially the unmissable stops, you can click here.

Day 1: our first stop, arriving from Slovakia, was the town of Zakopane, a famous tourist spot offering plenty of amenities both in summer and winter thanks to its position among the mountains. The main street is a constant string of outdoor and sports clothing shops, souvenirs and restaurants, but we even found ourselves walking next to deer (which tried to attack our dog!  ) looking for food!

Day 2-3: after visiting a small wooden church across from the car park, we ventured out looking for a spot immersed in the Tatra Mountains. We found our own little corner of paradise at the car park of two ski lifts. All around us, nothing — just the mountains. A genuinely peaceful stop with no facilities, but with the chance for beautiful walks.

Day 4: we had to leave due to sudden severe bad weather  . Along the road you can buy local cheese (Oscypek), but with the heavy rain we couldn’t stop or find any open shops. We stayed at a makeshift car park in front of a church.

Day 5: we visited the church and the village, then headed to Kasina Wielka for lunch with a view. With the downpour picking up again, we got moving towards Kraków, where the next day we’d meet Paolo’s parents, arriving by plane. Along the way we took the chance to fill up on water at a campsite not far from the city and to stock up at a large, convenient Carrefour. For the night we stayed overnight for free beneath the walls of Kraków’s castle.

Day 6: waking up at the foot of Kraków’s castle is priceless, except for the price of the daily parking ticket, if we really want to be mercenary about it. Having hugged part of the family, we started our visit of the city, strolling through tidy, clean streets all the way to the beautiful main square, overlooked by the Cathedral with its spectacular interior. Don’t miss it, admission is free. Having admired the area around the castle, the golden dome and the fire-breathing dragon statue, we headed to the Jewish quarter. Here the atmosphere is different from the rest of the city. Almost more authentic, more real. A bit run-down, very rich in detail, with styles blending in perfect balance. We tried street food at a small neighbourhood market, with a kind of bruschetta topped with mixed ingredients ( here  you can see our thoughts on it), then we had dinner at a small restaurant serving pierogi, dumplings filled with meat, potatoes and mushrooms, or spinach. All served with caramelised onions. A unique flavour!

Day 7: we headed to the small village of Zalipie, known for its houses painted with floral patterns, crossing the Polish countryside, which is nothing short of harmonious: impeccably farmed fields, small houses decorated with gardens full of flowers, well-kept, easily drivable roads. A pleasant discovery. Reaching the first painted building, we walked a loop of about an hour, then got back on the road, heading to the Salt Mines, where the animals obviously couldn’t come in. The guided tour we booked on site was, in our opinion, interesting, with a genuinely folksy guide. The temperature inside is constantly damp and there are numerous steps to go down, but the Cathedral carved in salt   is truly remarkable: thinking about the hours of work to create such a work of art, the attention to detail, the patience of such meticulous work underground without seeing daylight for hours, you can’t help but marvel. If you want more information about it, click here  , or if you want to see how much fun we had, you can watch our video.

Back in Kraków, a wonderful sunset welcomed us on the bridge connecting the Jewish quarter to the rest of the city. For dinner we decided to try the typical pierogi again, along with beetroot soup with boiled eggs (borscht), at a very characteristic underground venue.

Day 8: we’d call this a timeless day, or rather, a day that left us at the mercy of suspended time. We arrived in Auschwitz mid-morning. Obviously the animals stayed in the campervan all day, so our first task was finding a car park that would stay shaded for a few hours. We took the free shuttle provided by the municipality to reach Birkenau, from where we began our visit to these places of memory.

We could have joined an organised tour, but we preferred silence and taking our time to process information that’s well known but sometimes tucked away in the back drawers of things that make you feel a bit worse. We stayed a couple of hours in that place, where so many people arrived and from which they never returned. During our lunch break we moved to the town of Oświęcim, a few km away. It’s strange to think that near such a hell there was a whole world of people living a normal existence, when beyond the barbed wire and the walls of those buildings, humanity no longer existed. In the late afternoon we crossed the second threshold, under the sign “Arbeit Macht Frei”. On the way back we stayed silent. We took Paolo’s parents to their hotel and looked for a spot for the night on the shore of a small lake, heading towards Opole.

Day 9: we visited Opole, Poland’s capital of music, in the morning. In the afternoon we moved to Wrocław, or Breslau. We used the campervan service point at the stadium, then moved into the city, where we discovered there are more than 200 statues depicting gnomes in the most varied activities and poses (curious? click here  ). Of course they all have their own historical meaning, tied to opposition to the authoritarian communist regime, and today they’re a genuine attraction, complete with treasure maps to go hunting and find them all. We preferred to find them by chance, in front of a doorway, near a manhole, on a windowsill. The buildings of the historic centre are well kept, with harmoniously coloured façades, and every district seems to want to leave its own mark. We had our last dinner together with Paolo’s parents at a very characteristic little restaurant.

Day 10: leaving Wrocław, we headed into the Polish countryside, following genuinely picturesque roads. We had to stop for the night in the car park of an old manor due to problems with the campervan (find out here  why).

Day 11-12: having found a garage not too far away, we asked for help, unfortunately in vain. We decided, though, to stay one more day surrounded by that calm, quiet countryside, and we found a perfect car park, close to the main road but not too close, with a forest behind and a small lake in front.

Day 13-14-15-16: leaving the countryside, we headed to Poznań, where we’d booked an appointment at a specialised garage that fixed our problem  . Here we met a girl who acted as a bit of a guide for us, inviting us to her home to eat savoury pierogi and sweet ones with strawberry jam and plain yogurt, taking us to do yoga in the park and to an exhibition of local artists. We then spent the whole afternoon with two local guys who recommended our next destination for the following day. For the night we stopped near a small lake.

At the time of our visit, Poznań’s historic centre was under renovation; from the images we expect it to be nicely restored and, by 2024, a little gem to visit. Not far from the centre there’s also a green area dotted with murals created by various artists.

Day 17: after saying good morning to a couple of fishermen who’d arrived at the pier, and reaching Toruń, birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus, we strolled along the well-kept streets of the city, reaching the riverbank. We stayed for free during the day (free since it was Sunday) near the station. We slept in a forest that night (watch out for wild boar!).

Day 18: at this spot, discovered by chance on road maps, we found a small wooden observation tower offering a wonderful 360-degree view over the surrounding area. In the late afternoon we reached Gdańsk. We stayed overnight for free near the harbour, with the town centre reachable on foot via a drawbridge (watch the opening times). Dinner with genuinely noteworthy pizza  at Pizzarium, with a wonderful welcome (plus a great comparison  ).

Day 19: we walked far and wide through Gdańsk’s little streets, genuinely a little gem. Then we moved to an outlying area full of murals to reach nearby Sopot for the night. We stayed overnight for free.

Day 20: having left Sopot and Gdynia, which in our opinion aren’t especially worth it (not very authentic and full of hotels and accommodation facilities), in the evening we reached a free car park in Puck, overlooking the Baltic.

Day 21-22: a couple of days’ excursion to Słowiński National Park, sleeping for free halfway through. Animals aren’t allowed, so arm yourself with patience looking for a shaded car park if you’re planning to leave them in the vehicle all day. The admission ticket covers the whole park for the day; you can cover many stretches by bike, renting them on site, use the shuttle buses or walk. There are plenty of car parks. We particularly loved the 40-metre-tall Łącka dune overlooking the Baltic ( quite a sight!  ) and the walk to the fossilised coal. We stayed overnight for free in Poddąbie.

Day 23: leaving Poddąbie, a small seaside resort on the north coast, offering a lovely walk through the pines leading to the beach, we reached another village, Ustka, full of murals, before heading to a spot lost in the countryside, Postomino. Just fields, a small lake and a pier.

Day 24-25: we moved to the shore of another stretch of coast, at the Mielno marina, where we made friends with some German travellers. We stayed overnight for free surrounded by groups of curious foxes. From this town you can also take a ferry to the other shore.

Day 26-27: we visited and stayed in Grzybowo and Nowogard, destinations chosen to break up the trip. In particular in Nowogard you can take a lovely walk along the shore of a lake.

Day 28-29: we visited Szczecin, taking in the whole city by following the red line painted on the pavement marking all the main points of interest. We stayed overnight for free near the harbour, across the Oder. The next day we left this wonderful country  !

In Short

Below are just the stops. We always stayed overnight for free.

Day 1: Zakopane

Day 2-3-4: the Tatra Mountains

Day 5: Kasina Wielka, Kraków - stayed beneath the walls of Kraków’s castle, free at night, paid during the day.

Day 6: Kraków

Day 7: Zalipie, the Salt Mines, Kraków

Day 8: Auschwitz, Birkenau

Day 9: Opole, Wrocław

Day 10-11-12: Rydzyna - due to technical problems with the van

Day 13-14-15-16: Poznań

Day 17: Toruń

Day 18: Gdańsk

Day 19: Gdańsk, Sopot

Day 20: Gdynia (not worth it), Puck

Day 21-22: Słowiński National Park, Poddąbie

Day 23: Ustka, Postomino

Day 24-25: Mielno

Day 26-27: Grzybowo, Nowogard

Day 28-29: Szczecin

Roads

Poland has a vast road network, including motorways, national and local roads, all in nothing short of “perfect” condition. We always drove on national and local roads with no trouble, even in the more rural areas.

Services and stops

Unlike other European countries, it’s not that easy to find equipped stopover areas, and it’s especially hard to find water fill-up points. You will, however, find plenty of public fountains to fill bottles and water bottles. Alternatively, you can ask campsites to just use the paid facilities.

Free camping in Poland isn’t allowed, but stopping over in your vehicle is permitted. This is why we never had trouble sleeping for free, always fully respecting our surroundings.

read also Travelling to Poland: Everything You Need to Know and Itineraries

Reflections and unmissable stops

From the very first moment we loved Poland, which is why we genuinely recommend considering this country for your holidays, whether by campervan, car, or making use of public transport and facilities.

In our opinion, the unmissable destinations, as far as the western part of the country goes, are:

• The Tatra Mountains: they offer some of the most spectacular natural landscapes in Central Europe, along with numerous hiking trails, mountain bike routes, ski slopes, and the chance for climbing, kayaking and rafting.
• Kraków and the salt mines: stunning and rich in history. There are numerous historic sites to visit, including the Market Square in the historic centre, Wawel Royal Castle, Wawel Cathedral and the Jewish quarter of Kazimierz. The salt mine, a few kilometres from the city, is a gem! Kraków is easily reached by plane from Italy.
• Places of memory: Auschwitz has become one of the strongest symbols of the Holocaust and the Nazi genocide. Visiting the concentration and extermination camp can help you better understand the horrors of the past and the severity of the atrocities committed. We highly recommend the visit.
• Wrocław, or Breslau: a lively city, pleasant to visit — you’ll genuinely feel like hunting for the many little gnomes scattered around.
• Poznań: a city rich in history and culture, with many monuments and museums to visit, such as the Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul, the Old Market Square, the National Museum of Poznań, the Museum of Contemporary Art and many more.
• Toruń: worth a visit to discover a city out of time. It’s worth getting lost in the medieval city that gave birth to Nicolaus Copernicus.
• Gdańsk: a city with extraordinary architecture, with numerous well-preserved historic buildings, also known for the Solidarność trade union movement.
• Słowiński National Park: did you know there’s a desert in Poland? Then you absolutely must visit this park! Once you’ve climbed the 40-metre dune, you’ll find yourself facing a breathtaking landscape.

Our vlog

In the video below you can relive our entry into Poland, or find the full series at this link  .

Our maps