Fancy a second breakfast? Then Poland is the right place for you! There, a small snack with bread, sausage, cheese and vegetables is absolutely common. It’s just as common to eat pizza here with plenty of ketchup on it. But it can also be better: in 2021, Poles took first and third place in the competition for the best Neapolitan pizza, beating out 700 competitors from 50 countries.

Probably not to everyone’s taste: In Poland, a little more ketchup is allowed. Photo: Adobe Stock

Food in Poland – Culinary roller coaster ride

You won’t find pizza on the menu at Piwnica Świdnicka in Wroclaw. Founded in the second half of the 13th century, the restaurant is one of the oldest in Europe and was open continuously between 1273 and 2017. Since the beginning of July 2022, the restaurant once again serves its guests. They also serve zurek, a solid soup served in a hollowed-out loaf of bread.

On the road, however, you’re more likely to stop at one of the 230 roadhouses. The most popular food there: Hot dogs. Some of the profits generated here go back into road construction.

Polish specialty: Zurek, served in a loaf of bread. Photo: Adobe Stock

Land of lakes and bisons

Have you noticed the many lakes left and right along the roads? No wonder, Poland is one of the countries with the most lakes in the world. In Europe, it ranks second after Finland. In terms of animal diversity, Poland is even in the lead. There are still free-living bisons, the heaviest land animals in Europe, bears, wolves and lynxes.

Steep roads and high mountain passes are also not uncommon in Poland. The highest pass road is part of the Sudeten Highway and takes you up to 925 meters above sea level. The steepest road leads through the Krkonoše Mountains and confronts you with 20 percent incline.

The landscape and its inhabitants are always hidden in Poland when you drive into one of the numerous tunnels. The longest is the Warsaw Expressway Tunnel at 2,335 meters. 24 others are over 100 meters long and nine additional ones of this category are under construction.

Traffic control by a teddy bear – that sounds much nicer! Photo: Adobe Stock

Attention – It’s forbidden to sound the horn

Not only in tunnels, but always and everywhere you should have your dipped headlights on. Otherwise you could be fined. The same applies if you honk between 10 pm and 6 am. This is only permitted if it cannot be avoided for safety reasons. At all other times, the horn is a popular and frequently used means of expression in Poland. By the way, the Polish truckers like to call the policemen who control the observance of the regulations teddy bears.

Have you ever encountered a bison on your tours? And how do you feel about pizza with ketchup? Write it in your comment!