COMMUNICATION
Phone
The country code is 0048 in Poland, a country located in Europe according to aceinland. Telephone cards for public telephones can be purchased at petrol stations, post offices, hotels and at kiosks. Emergency numbers: Police 997, emergency number 112 and fire department 998.
Cellphone
GSM 900/1800 and 3G 2100. Mobile phone companies (all dual band 900/1800) include Plus (Internet: www.plus.pl), t-mobile (Internet: www.t-mobile.pl) and Orange (Internet: www. orange.pl). International roaming agreements exist. The network coverage is almost nationwide. It may be worth buying a local prepaid card.
International roaming can be used within the EU at the Euro tariff. Customers of all European mobile network operators automatically make all calls in and from other EU countries at the Euro rate. However, the Euro tariff does not apply to other mobile communications services such as SMS, MMS and data transmission.
Internet
Internet providers include SuperMedia (Internet: www.supermedia.pl) and T-Mobile Biznes Polska (Internet: biznes.t-mobile.pl/pl/). There are internet cafes in larger cities. Many cafés, restaurants, hotels and other public places also offer free internet access either wirelessly via Wi-Fi or at a fixed internet terminal (overview at www.hotspotlocations.com). Wireless surfing is possible in Krakow thanks to WiFi routers. Some cities and resorts also have free Wi-Fi hotspots. Mobile surfing in the Internet is made possible, among other things, by Goodspeed Wi-Fi hotspots (Internet: goodspeed.io/de/index.html).
Post Office
Letters within Europe (priority letter or standard letter) are on the way between 3-7 days. Poste restante items can be sent to all post offices in the country. Post office opening times: Mon-Sat 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Some main post offices in larger cities are open 24/7.
Radio
Since the use of shortwave frequencies changes several times over the course of a year, it is advisable to contact Deutsche Welle customer service directly (Tel: (+49) (0228) 429 32 08. Internet: www.dw-world.de) to request.
SHOP
Overview
Glass, enamel, hand-woven runners, silver items, hand-made jewelry, folklore dolls, wood carvings, and clay and metal sculptures.
Shop opening times: Mon-Fri 6 a.m.-6 p.m. / 7 p.m.
NIGHTLIFE
Introduction
There are discos in almost all of the larger cities and night clubs in Warsaw. With its 17 theaters and three opera houses, the capital reflects the country’s great music and theater tradition.
CULINARY
ACCOMMODATION
Hotels
Most of the international hotel chains are represented in Poland. Advance booking is recommended in the main season. Further information can be obtained from the Tourist Office in Berlin (see addresses) and the Polish Hotel Association, ul. Nowogrodzka 44 m 2, PL-00-695 Warszawa (Tel: (22) 622 69 91 / -93).
Camping
Poland has over 200 campsites. 75% have 220 V electrical connections and some have 24 V connections for caravans. Laundry and dining rooms, grocery kiosks and restaurants are also part of the standard equipment.
Campsites are divided into two categories. In the 1st category, each parking space is at least 100 square meters, the space is illuminated and the reception is manned all day. The season lasts from mid-May to the end of September. With the ID of the camping association (FICC) you get a 10% discount. More information from the Polish Camping and Caravanning Association (Polska Federacja Campingu i Caravaningu), ul. Grochowska 331, PL-03-838 Warszawa (Tel: (22) 810 60 50).
Other accommodation options
There are around 1200 youth hostels. Further information from the Polish Youth Hostel Association (Polskie Towarzystwo Schronisk Mlodziezowych), ul. Chocimska 28, PL-00-791 Warszawa (Tel: (22) 849 81 28).
A total of around 4,000 farms offer holidays in the countryside. A large number of them are members of the Polish Rural Tourism Federation. The organization’s logo, a stork on the roof, guarantees a good standard of quality. Further information from: Polska Federacja Turystiki Wiejskiej Gospodarstwa Goscinne, ul. Wspolna 30, p. 544, PL-00-930 Warszawa (Tel: (602) 45 91 37).
MONEY
Currency
1 zloty = 100 groszy. Currency abbreviations: Zl, PLN (ISO code). Banknotes are available in denominations of 200, 100, 50, 20 and 10 zł; Coins in denominations of 5, 2 and 1 Zl as well as 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 Groszy.
Note: According to experts, it is not foreseeable when the euro will be introduced in Poland, as the country is currently unable to join Exchange Rate Mechanism II, the preliminary stage of the euro introduction, due to economic problems.
Credit cards
MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club and Visa are accepted in hotels, restaurants, large stores, supermarkets, travel agencies, airline agencies and petrol stations. Amounts should be paid in zloty, as this gives you the better exchange rate. Details from the issuer of the credit card in question.
ATMs
EC / Maestro card / Sparcard
With the EC / Maestro card and PIN number, cash in the local currency can be withdrawn from ATMs across Europe. Before withdrawing, you should inform yourself about the current exchange rate, as it can be up to 10% different from an interbank exchange rate. In many European countries it is also possible to pay in shops with the ec / Maestro card. Cards with the Cirrus or Maestro symbol are accepted in Europe and worldwide. Further information from banks and credit institutes. The same applies to the German Sparcard, the successor to the postal savings book as a means of procuring currency in other European countries. With the Sparcard and PIN number, cash can be withdrawn from European ATMs with the Plus logo.
Attention: Travelers who pay abroad with their bank customer card and want to withdraw money should find out about the possibilities of using their card from their bank before starting their journey.
A maximum of 1000-2000 zlotys can be withdrawn from ATMs per day.
Bank opening times
Mon-Fri 7.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sat 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Foreign exchange regulations
For travelers inside and outside the EU, there are no restrictions on the import or export of national and foreign currencies, but there is an obligation to declare cash from the equivalent of € 10,000 (including travelers checks, other currencies or checks made out to third parties).
Currency Exchange
Foreign currencies can easily be exchanged at the border crossings, in banks and exchange offices as well as in larger hotels and travel agencies. In exchange offices (cantor) there are no fees, it is advisable to inquire about the exchange rate beforehand. To get the best exchange rate, you should change or withdraw in the country and in zloty.
