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Travel

• Current Prices

• Food & Drinks

• Metric Conversion Table

• Money

• Telephones

General information

Below is a list of common goods and services in Poland today. These prices were collected from random shops in Warsaw and are good approximations of today's prices (note: prices change frequently). Prices may vary in other cities or regions. Remember that small stores or shops are generally more expensive than big supermarkets. The quality of service and goods may vary as well.
 

General Information

The first thing to remember is that don't try to diet in Poland. This means that most of the foods are fatty, heavy, and very tasty of course!

Mushrooms

People of Poland, like other nations in central Europe, appreciate wild mushrooms. It's untrue that all kinds of mushrooms are poisonous. They are sometimes indispensable as a seasoning or they can be used as separate meal. However, there mushrooms that are poisonous. The safest route to take is to rely on restaurants or big stores. Don't prepare meals with mushrooms bought from people selling them on the side of the road.

What to eat?

To experience some of the Polish specialties, we suggest trying the following:

• soups: kapusniak (cabbage soup), pomidorowa (tomato soup), rosol (bouillon with dumplings), chlodnik (cold beet-soup, recommended on a hot day)
• pierogi: dumplings filled with meat, cheese or mushrooms
  try especially ruskie pierogi, or leniwe
• kotlet schabowy: pork cutlet - a standard for Polish dinners
• bigos: pork and beef stewed in sauerkraut

You will not find these dishes in American fast-food bars. You can also try dishes prepared from seasonal game like: wild boar, duck, deer, venison or bisons. They can be found in typical Polish restaurants.

In the past few years, well-known fast food restaurants like McDonald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken have started popping up throughout Poland. However, we recommend that you try at least one Polish cuisine. It's old tradition assures wonderful experiences. However, if you want to try other foods, it won't be too difficult to find French, Italian, Austrian or even Mexican restaurants in the larger cities. Smacznego (bon appetit)!!

Alcohol

Vodka (pronounced as voodka) is enjoyed by many in Poland. Some have said that Polish vodka is one of the best in the world. The most well-known brands are "Wyborowa", "Chopin", "Zubrowka" and "Belvedere". You may find them and others in other countries as well. Vodka should be served very cold (frozen if possible). The most popular drink is the "Screwdriver", which is a mix of vodka and orange juice. You may also try vodka with cola or vodka on the rocks (should be very cold). 

Units of measure

Poland currently uses the metric system. Below is the metric conversion table:

Weight

Lengths

Liquids

Temperature

Electricity

The standard voltage in Poland is 220 volts at 50 Hz. Please note that 110 volts at 60 Hz equipment requires a special voltage adapter! Don't try to plug in equipment that requires 110 volts without an adapter. Your life depends on it, literally!! Batteries of all kinds are available at photo shops and electrical equipment stores. If your discman, walkman, photo camera etc. requires a special type of battery, it is recommended that you take a replacement (back-up) with you. 

Exchange rates (click here)

One of the most important things to take on a trip, especially when going over seas, is money! Be up to date with current exchange rates.

General information

Polish currency name is ZLOTY (zl, PLN) (pronounced as "zwoti"). One zloty equals to 100  groszy (gr) (pronounced as "groshi". Since 1995, only two currencies in Poland exist. More about it in the denomination section below.

The inflation rate was below 18% last year and is scheduled to drop to 13% this year. Below we present images of all new bank-notes that can be met on the market along with their values and dimensions. Just click on the thumbnail to see the whole image.

Polish Money

Denomination

Since January 1st 1995 until December 31st 1996 we had two currencies in Poland: the old Polish Zloty (PLZ) and the New Polish Zloty (PLN). The new zloty came from dividing the old zloty by 10000. It means 1 New Polish Zloty equals to 10000 old. The rule to recognize the two currencies is very simple: every bank-note with more than two zeros (i.e. 1000, 50000 etc.) belongs to the old ones. You have to divide them by 10000 to get the new value. But there are two exceptions:

1) there are two bank-notes of 100 zloty value

new 100 zloty bank-note worth approx. 35 US $	Old 100 zloty bank-note, worth approx. 0.0035 US$, equals now to 0.01 new zloty (1 grosz)

2) there is an old 500 zloty bank-note which equals now to 0.05 new zloty (5 groszy) 

Note: There are also coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 50 groszy and 1, 2, 5 zloty on the market. They belong to the new currency. 

General information

In most areas of Poland the telecommunication system is based on archaic switches and it may be necessary to dial many times before you get through. Also don't be surprised when the connection fails during a conversation or data transmission. In big
towns there are more and more reliable digital switches with all features available. Polish telecommunication is now under process of modernization and soon the situation will be better. One thing to note, after choosing the number that your are dialing, you will hear a searching signal (if you hear this signal, it means that everything is OK) just wait for the connection.

You will find two kinds of pay telephones.

• Token (zeton) "A" is used for local calls and costs 0,17 zlotys
  (enough for 3 minutes of call time).
• Token (zeton) "C" is used for long distance ones and costs 1,71 zlotys.

There are 3 types of phone cards:

• 25 impulse card - for 4,80 zlotys
• 50 impulse card for 8,50 zlotys
• 100 impulse card for 17,12 zlotys

The number of telephones which run on magnetic cards (karty magnetyczne) is rising very fast, however, it may be difficult to find them in smaller towns. Before using the card you will need to break (tear) one corner to activate it. Often pay telephones are broken (especially at stations) and they just swallow a card or a token which you later cannot get back, so be cautious or ask an employee before using one. If possible, try to use hotel telephones as much as you can, but be aware of the costs before you use them.

You can buy tokens and magnetic cards at post offices and newspaper kiosks. At the post office you can also order a telephone call. In order to call abroad from Poland dial 0, wait for the dial tone, dial 0 again, then country code and the rest of the number. To phone to Poland from abroad dial international access code (different in each country), then 48 and area code in Poland (without 0 which you need to dial only if you are making long distance call inside Poland). 

Important telephone numbers worth remembering:

• Police - 997
• Fire Brigade - 998
• Ambulance - 999

Other important numbers:

• Placing domestic and long distance calls - 900
• Placing international calls - 901
• International calls, information - 908
• Directory assistance - 913

These numbers are common for Poland. The ambulance service number should be used only in emergencies like street accidents, sudden faints, heart attacks, ect. In the case of high fever or bellyaches call (in Warsaw) 628-24-24 or 621-02-21 (between 6 am and 10 pm).