Poland Guide
Money
Although costs are on the rise in Poland, it's still a reasonably inexpensive destination compared to Western Europe.
Accommodation is likely to be your biggest expense. Hostel beds in the main cities cost around 50–60zł; while simple double rooms in pensions and rural B&Bs start at around 90zł. Good 3-star hotels cost around 150zł for a double room in the provinces; at least double that in Warsaw, Kraków and Gdańsk.
Prices for public transport are relatively low – even travelling across half the length of the country by train or bus only costs around 100zł. Similarly, you are unlikely to fork out much more than 12zł to visit the more popular tourist sights, with half that the normal asking price.
If you are shopping in markets for picnic ingredients during the daytime and sticking to the cheaper cafés and bars in the evening, then 45zł per person per day will suffice for food and drink. In order to cover a sit-down lunch and a decent dinner followed by a couple of nighttime drinks, then a daily outlay of 100zł per person seems more realistic.
The Polish unit of currency is the złoty (abbreviated to zł). It comes in notes of 10zł, 20zł, 50zł, 100zł and 200zł; and coins in 1, 2 and 5zł denominations, subdivided into groszy (1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50).
The easiest place to change money is at an exchange bureau (kantor). Very often little more than a simple booth with a single cashier sitting behind a thick plate of glass, these can be found on the main streets of virtually every Polish town. They tend to work longer hours than regular banks (in big cities some kantors are open 24 hours a day), usually offer competitive exchange rates and rarely charge any commission.
Exchange rates at Polish banks (usually Mon– Fri 7.30am–5pm, Sat 7.30am–2pm) tend to be the same from one establishment to the next, although banks are much more subject to long queues and usually deduct a commission.
Major credit and debit cards are accepted by an increasing number of travel agents, hotels, restaurants and shops. You can also arrange a cash advance on most of these cards in big banks. ATMs are now ubiquitous in urban areas: you'll find them dotted around the main squares, outside banks and in hotel lobbies. It is now perfectly viable to arrive in the country with a plastic card and a PIN number and pull out złotys wherever you go.