Poland (the Republic of Poland) is an Eastern European country, the northern boundary of which is washed by the waters of the Baltic Sea. The nearest neighbors are the Czech Republic, Germany, Belarus, Slovakia, Ukraine, Kaliningrad region of Russia and Lithuania. Poland also has maritime borders with Sweden and Denmark.

The country is considered to be a real tourist discovery, offering its guests a wide range of entertainments, including mountain holidays, sailing and rafting, a variety of classic spa programs, and a lot of breathtaking nature and legendary historical sites, more than a dozen of which are included in the list of World Heritage Sites. Poland is also known as the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus.

The climate of Poland is temperate continental changing into maritime.

In the country’s capital, Warsaw, which is very rich in mystical gothic churches and ancient buildings, do not miss the chance to see a sample of exquisite national architecture Royal Castle, located in the Palace Square; the magnificent Belvedere Palace and Lazienki Palace and the famous Radziwill Palace, where the first concert of the young Chopin took place. In the homeland of Copernicus, the town of Torun, it is worth seeing an impressive gothic complex, named UNESCO a monument of international importance; a bit frightening architectural fancy of Polish architects, the “leaning” Krzywe Wieże; original churches of St. Jacob, the Virgin Mary and St. John, where there is a huge bell of the 16th century, called the "Trumpet of the Lord"; as well as the military fort and the Toruń Centre for Astronomy. Connoisseurs of cultural and historical heritage will be glad to visit the County Museum, located in the gothic Town Hall, and the Museum of Art of the Far East.

In the oldest Polish town of Wroclaw you can admire the ancient Cathedral of St. John the Baptist built in the Gothic style; the church of St. Martin, St. Idzi's Church, St. Bartholomew’s Church, Church of the Holy Cross, and the inclined tower of the Chapter. Tourists are also attracted by the National Historical Museum, as well as by the baroque building of Wroclaw University, with its sumptuous Leopoldinsky hall. In Lodz you can see the Jewish cemetery, which is considered to be the largest in Europe; the Cathedral of the Holy Kostka; and the Museum of History and Art. The city museums Gdynia await those who want to learn the history of the country in all details, and lovers of ancient architecture can visit the temple of the 10th century and the Golden Chapel, which contains the monuments of the first Polish kings in the city of Poznan.

The national currency is the Polish zloty.

International airports in Poland

• John Paul II International Airport Kraków–Balice (KRK), Krakow

• Katowice International Airport (KTW), Katowice

• Łódź Władysław Reymont Airport (LCJ), Lodz

• Warsaw-Chopin Airport (WAW), Warsaw

• Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport (RZE), Rzeszow

• Bydgoszcz Ignacy Jan Paderewski Airport (BZG), Bydgoszcz

• Poznań–Ławica Henryk Wieniawski Airport (POZ), Poznan

• Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport (GDN), Gdansk

Diving in Poland

Diving in Poland, as well as virtually any other diving in the so-called European style, is rather specific and better suits experienced underwater "wolves" who are able to appreciate in deep-water diving not only warm water and excellent visibility of the Caribbean Sea, but also the rough and cold beauty of freshwater lakes and ponds that are plentiful in this country.

However, things can't be all that bad. Not very good visibility and low temperature of the water is quite compensated by a lot of underwater beauties, which include interesting wrecks of the Baltic Sea, like the famous Nazi cruise ship "Wilhelm Gustloff", of a very impressive size, which later played role of a training ship and sunk in the port of Gdynia, Gotenhafen in 1945 after an attack of a Soviet submarine. According to unofficial reports, the ship sunk with more than nine thousand people aboard, including about five thousands of children. This tragedy of a global scale still worries minds of underwater adventure seekers, drawing to the 45-meter-deep ship's location more and more divers. Many wrecks are situated in the Baltic Sea near the town of Hel. In the Puck Bay you will find a deliberately sunken naval ship "Breeze", the remains of which are located at a depth of 15 meters in two hundred meters from the shore.

In Poland diving in the picturesque lakes of Warmia and Mazury is very popular. Here there is the deepest of Masurian lakes – the hundred-meter Lake Hancza, where you can swim with pikes, burbots, perches, minnows and crayfish, as well as to see an old sunken rowboat, located at a depth of 30 meters. You will also like the area of Olsztyn, where you will find quality lake diving.