Van life country guides

🇵🇱 Poland

Content

1.Our route
2.Our blog posts about Poland
3.What you need to know about Poland

Our route

Trip stats

🗓️ 4. July 2025 - 12. July 2025
🕒 Time spent: 7 d 17 h 37 m
🚐 Distance driven: 1268 km
💨 Average speed: 63 km/h
🗻 Max elevation: 716 m
📍 Overnight locations: 5

Our blog posts about Poland

🇵🇱 Poland🚐 Van life🌅 On the road

PL25.1 Gdańsk – A golden start to our adventure in Poland

Our Polish road trip kicked off in the best way possible: with the beautiful city of Gdańsk. We didn't really know what to expect. We found the perfect spot for Wilma, right by the harbour and just a stone's throw from the historic city centre. Finding a level (ish) spot proved a bit of a challenge, but we were lucky as a fellow German camper-couple was just leaving.

8 July 2025Episode #10Kathrin

🇵🇱 Poland🚐 Van life🌅 On the road

PL25.2 Warsaw's double Life – between history and high-rises

After changing our plans due to the rainy forecast in Masuria, we found ourselves in the Polish capital. We explored the colourful old town with its historic charm. As we walked through its lively squares and streets, we could feel the history.

11 July 2025Episode #11Kathrin

🇵🇱 Poland🚐 Van life🌅 On the road

PL25.3 Kraków: castles and country charm

After stopping in Warsaw, we headed south to one of Poland's most popular cities: Kraków. While many visitors head straight for the old town, we took a slightly different approach and it paid off. Just outside the city, we found a dreamy campsite on the property of a warm-hearted family who run a B&B in their historic manor house. Wilma got a shady spot under the trees, and we were greeted with open arms by our hosts, Martha and Michał.

12 July 2025Episode #12Kathrin

View of an underground chapel at Wieliczka Salt Mine

🇵🇱 Poland🚐 Van life🌅 On the road

PL25.4 Going Underground – Our Day in the Wieliczka Salt Mine

Since we were already near Kraków, we couldn't resist visiting one of Poland's most famous attractions: the Wieliczka Salt Mine. It's not every day you get to wander through a place that's been in operation since the 13th century, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage list, and has enough underground tunnels to make a mole dizzy. We joined a guided tour led by Marek, a man with a dry and dark sense of humour that made the history lessons fly by. Marek didn't just show us the mine; he brought it to life, mixing fascinating facts with jokes.

13 July 2025Episode #13Kathrin

What you need to know about Poland

🧭 Country Basics

Safety

No concerns, we felt super safe.

Cultural Highlights

Pierogi!

Language & Communication

English will get you far in cities, outside you might run into trouble, however, we always managed to communicate somehow.

Local Attitudes Toward Campers

We didn't feel especially welcome nor unwelcome - our impression was that people just don't care about it. Most people are super friendly once you start having a chat.

🚗 Getting Around

Road Quality & Driving Conditions

Road conditions are mostly excellent, however, there are many construction sites (to make the roads this awesome).

Toll Roads & Vignettes

There are no toll roads (at least not for <3.5t).

Border Crossings

Poland is part of the Schengen are, meaning no border checks when you enter from another Schengen country.

Police Attitude & Checks

We did not have any experience with the police.

🏕️ Where to Sleep

Free Camping Availability

It was very easy to find free campsites. The Polish seem to enjoy camping quite a bit, too.

Paid Campsites

We cannot comment.

Motorhome Infrastructure

It was very easy to find fresh water and dumpsites.

Camping Costs

Unknown.

💶 Budget & Daily Life

Groceries & Dining Out

Groceries are a bit cheaper than in Germany, but it depends on what you buy.

Fuel Prices

Diesel is a lot cheaper than we are used to from Germany. At the time of traveling it ranged around 1.35€/l. LPG was ~ 0.80€/l

Mobile Internet Quality

4G/5G signal strength is exceptional in most places and we didn't have any issues at all.

Laundry

We didn't do any laundry in Poland.

☀️ Climate & Tips

Best Time to Visit

I'd say pretty much all year round, it's your typical mid-European weather: wet in Winter without any real extremes, somewhat hot yet also wet in Summer.

Weather Extremes

Nothing worth mentioning.

Apps That Helped

Park4Night

Hidden Gems or Disappointments

Check out the Masurian Lake District as well as the WWII museum in Gdansk!