Natural conditions
LANDFORM
Poland is a mainly lowland country. In the north of Poland there is a lake district, abundant in natural and artificial reservoirs of various sizes and depths. On the coast you can encounter spits, coastal lakes, dunes and sandy beaches, sometimes steep cliffs. There are over 7,000 in Poland lakes with an area over 1 ha / 2.47 ac.
In the south of the country there is a highly diverse belt of mountains and highlands. The belt consists of the Sudetes, the Świętokrzyskie Mountains and the Carpathians. In the Polish Tatras there are 70 peaks above 2,000 m (6 561.68 ft) high and many caves. There are many waterfalls in the Giant Mountains.
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One of the greatest assets of Polish nature is the wildness and naturalness of many places, unique on a continental scale. Natural forest landscapes of the Białowieża Forest (inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List) and some forest complexes in eastern Poland are places that can no longer be found anywhere in Europe.
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CLIMATE
In Poland, there is a moderate climate with a transitional character between sea and land climate. In the north and west of the country, the temperate maritime climate prevails, with mild wet winters and cool summers with a lot of rainfall. Harsh winters and hot dry summers run rather in the east of the country. High weather variability in subsequent years is also appropriate for the Polish climate. With western winds prevailing in Poland, the highest rainfall occurs on the western slopes of mountains and hills. The maximum rainfall is in the summer months. Usually, weak and moderate winds blow over Poland. Strong and very strong winds occur above the sea and in the mountains, where they reach speeds up to 30 m / s (100 ft / s).
WEATHER
From a practical point of view, it is worth knowing that the weather in Poland is largely unpredictable and varied. Summers can be really hot, although temperatures are usually around 20-25 ° C, and the best time for vacation is August, usually sunny and warm, sometimes hot. In winter you can expect really bitter frosts, and the snow usually falls between November and March. The climate is changing from year to year, so it's difficult to predict when the snow will fall. It stays in the mountains mostly throughout the winter, thanks to which the ski conditions in this period are quite good, especially from December to February.
In autumn and spring the weather is very changeable - mostly between April and June and between September and October it is moderately warm, but it happens that it is snowing in April, and in October you can wear clothes with short sleeves. Nevertheless, many people consider spring and autumn to be the most beautiful seasons in Poland. Traveling at this time is less tiring, because it avoids both severe frosts and nagging heat. The climate in Poland is also characterized by the existence of transitional periods between four seasons, such as early spring or Indian summer.
Traveling around Poland, it's worth expecting everything: it doesn't hurt to carry umbrellas and sunglasses - they can be useful all year round.
