Hello budget travelers! With James’s for the day, we’re in Warsaw, Poland, discussing things you shouldn’t do while in Poland. Let’s dive in and explore activities that are best avoided.
Don’t call Poland eastern Europe. They prefer central Europe.
Before we start with number one, I’ll begin with number 0. The thing you need to know before coming here is: don’t tell or call the Polish Eastern Europeans. You will not make any friends saying that. If you look on a map, you’ll see that Poland is actually in the center of Europe, a little bit North, but it is the center of Europe, and they like to be called Central Europeans, not Eastern Europeans. So, I want to get that out of the way first because that’s probably your quickest way to really upset people. So remember, don’t say “Eastern Europe.”
Don’t Greet over threshold
Now when you meet Polish people, here is our second—or I guess, our first—don’t for you: don’t shake hands or say goodbye over the threshold, like in a doorway. People really don’t like that. So, you’re going to make a choice: are you in the door or out of the door when you shake hands and say goodbye? Just one of those little things.
And if you do get to meet some Polish people and they invite you to their home, when you go there, if you see they’re wearing slippers or they’re not wearing shoes, you don’t wear your shoes in the house either. It’s considered rude that way. So, just three quick little ones to start off with, just to give you some ideas of hospitality here in Poland.
Don’t skip out on learning some polish words
So, the next “don’t” for you has to do with the language. Don’t underestimate how helpful a few words of Polish will be for you during your visit here. Robin goddamn skirt down a crack of the hour off the plane or forever, because we all know that no one watches video price to explore. She’ll let your Polish fly by, and the thing is, the Polish people appreciate it. They’ve learned English, German, Russian, and stuff like that to help out the tourists. But if you know a few words in Polish, it really opens the door. People are genuinely happy, even if it’s just “dziękuję,” which means “thank you,” or “proszę,” which is “please,” or “piwo,” which is “beer.” I remember people’s faces light up, “Oh, you know Polish!” They are so happy with it, and it really goes a long way to open up the people. Because, truth be told, some Polish folks seem kind of dour and stern sometimes, and that’s one way to open them up.
Don’t worry about busting bank
Okay, now our next “don’t”: worry about busting the bank when you come to Poland. Poland is an extremely affordable country to visit. Hotels, eating, drinking, and all kinds of stuff, making merry—it is really cheap here. Also, going to museums is really affordable as well, so it’s a nice place to check out. That’s why we’re going to Krakow. They get 10 million tourists from high-end tourists alone, low-end, low-income. Not to mention, the government puts a lot of money into tourism because it’s not an expensive place to be. So, that’s a kind of cool thing.
Don’t drink in public
The next “don’t” for you kind of goes along with cheap eating and drinking. Don’t drink in public in Poland. Look, you can get arrested or fined for drinking in public. Yes, you can eat and drink at restaurants, bars, like that, no problem. But if you’re going to take some wine or local beer, which are pretty good here, and go to a park to drink there with your friends, you can get in trouble with the cops. So, make sure you do not drink in public.
To go along with that, don’t forget you need to have an ID with you all the time. If you don’t want to carry your passport with you, what I do is I’ll share my driver’s license from home and a photocopy of my passport with my passport locked back in the hotel safe. So, you do have that because the cops could ask you for it if they really wanted to. They usually don’t bother tourists, so it’s not that big of a deal, but just in case, you know.
Don’t try to pay with big bills
The next “don’t” for you is: don’t try to pay with big bills. Big bills are like 50 złotys or 100 złotys, like a 100 or 50. Use bills under 20 because people will ask you if you have anything smaller. When you go to ATMs, it gives you 50s and 100s, or when you get a beer or something like that, it’s usually 7 or 8 złotys, so you’ll have some smaller bills. When you go to museums or big stores, use the bigger bills there, the 100s and such, to break them into tens and 20s. Then you can go get your little snacks, maybe you want a little Polish donut or you want to get a hot dog or something like that. When you’re here, just grab a beer; you’ll need that change. So, don’t use the big bills here.
don’t forget to tip
Another “don’t” I have for you is: don’t forget to tip when you are here. Usually, a tip of 10 to 15% is customary, 10% being normal and 15% if the service is good. But you can look on the menu; in some restaurants, they already include that 10% tip. I remember waiting tables here on the square, and I remember that; you don’t get a bunch to the bank, so it wasn’t a big deal because it was so cheap, the tip was already included. She was very nice and helpful; I gave her a little bit extra on there, no big deal.
Okay, and going along with that, when you pay your bill, the rule is, if you don’t pay with credit card, pay with cash. If you’re going to pay with cash, put the money in the little tray and give it to them. Don’t say thank you unless you want them to keep all the money. So, let’s say you have a 110 złoty bill, and you give them a 150 złoty note; don’t say thank you or “dziękuję,” they might think it’s a tip for them. But then they’ll bring your change back, and then you leave your tip like that. So, you have those things there. What I try to do is just have the tip already there, and you might tell them, “Look, I want to pay 140 złotys,” so they’ll just take the tip from there and give you a 10 złoty back, instead of a 100 and a 50. No big deal there.
Don’t be late
My tenth “don’t” for you is: don’t be late. The Poles are actually pretty much on time, like their German neighbors. If you’re going to be late to somebody’s house you’re going to visit, make sure you call or text them or WhatsApp them beforehand, so they know you’re running behind. It’s kind of rude to be late when you’re here. I mean, we were at a museum this morning, and it was supposed to open at ten. The guy unlocked it like at 10:01, and everyone was like, “Come on, it says ten o’clock, let’s go!” So, you do have that there. Just make sure you are on time.
Don’t fall for the nature tourism propaganda
And my last “don’t” for you is: don’t fall for the nature tourism propaganda in Poland. Look, you’ll see lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of tourism videos about the nature of Poland, and there is some beautiful nature here—the Tatra Mountains in the South, by Zakopane; you can go to the Masurian Lakes in the North; there’s as beautiful as a castle there, and there’s all kinds of great nature. But if it’s your first time to Poland, focus on the cool cities that are here. Krakow is amazing with the town square, the Cloth Hall, the churches, and the Wawel Hill. Go out to Auschwitz and Birkenau; the concentration camps are a very moving experience. You can go to Gdansk in the very North and see that city; it’s beautiful. Come here and check out Warsaw, too. And you can get around pretty easily; don’t worry about getting around. I guess that’ll be another one: don’t worry about getting around in Poland. There are lots of buses and trains that go all over the place. It’s a big country, so it does take time, but don’t be too worried about it.
Anyway, there’s something else I want to mention about Poland. I actually have another blog just for Krakow that I hope you’ll check out. If you do like blogs like this, we put up budget travel tips, so please do click that subscribe button; we really do appreciate it. You can always find us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and we really appreciate those subscriptions and comments. So, I’ll say bye.
