The most underrated cities in Poland are Toruń, Zamość, Łódź, Lublin, Olsztyn and Rzeszów. Each is reachable by train or bus from Warsaw in 1.5 to 4 hours, each has a distinct draw, from a UNESCO Gothic Old Town to a Renaissance planned city, and all cost noticeably less than Kraków. Prices below are approximate, as of 2026.
Most first trips to Poland stop at Kraków, Warsaw and Gdańsk, and there is good reason: they are excellent. But the next tier of cities has quieter streets, lower prices and some of the country’s best preserved architecture. Here are six that deserve a place on your route, in rough order of how easy they are to reach from Warsaw.
1. Toruń: Gothic Old Town and Gingerbread
Toruń is a Gothic trading town on the Vistula, the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus in 1473, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its Old Town Market Square is dominated by one of the finest Gothic town halls in Poland, and the leaning Crooked Tower and Teutonic Knights’ castle ruins add medieval texture. Copernicus House costs approximately PLN 15, and gingerbread workshops at the Piernik Museum run approximately PLN 40 to 50 per person.
How to get there: Warsaw to Toruń by PKP Intercity express takes about 2 hours, with tickets from approximately PLN 65.
Local tip: arrive at Toruń Miasto station rather than Toruń Główny, because it is closer to the Old Town, and book gingerbread workshops online in summer.
Best time: late spring and early autumn. Read our Toruń city guide, the things to do in Toruń page and the food to try in Toruń guide, or book a guided Toruń tour. If you stay over, compare Toruń hotels.
2. Zamość: A Renaissance City Built From Scratch
Zamość was designed in the 1580s by the architect Bernardo Morando for Chancellor Jan Zamoyski, and it is among the best examples of a planned Renaissance town in Central Europe, listed by UNESCO. The arcaded Great Market Square, the Town Hall’s double staircase and the star-shaped bastions are all free to walk. The Town Hall tower costs approximately PLN 10, and the Regional Museum approximately PLN 12 (closed Mondays).
How to get there: there is no direct train. Buses from Lublin take about 1.5 hours and cost approximately PLN 25.
Local tip: walk the area around ul. Ormiańska (Armenian Street) to see the merchant quarter that Zamoyski founded for Armenian settlers, then request a square-facing room if you stay overnight.
See the Zamość city guide, things to do in Zamość, where to eat in Zamość and Zamość hotels. For a head-to-head with its neighbour, read Lublin vs Zamość.
3. Łódź: Red Brick, Film and Street Art
Łódź is a former textile capital whose decline left a huge stock of 19th-century brick factories, now converted into galleries, restaurants and hotels. Manufaktura, the old Poznański cotton mill complex, covers 27 hectares and is free to enter. Piotrkowska Street is nearly 5 km long and is claimed as the longest commercial pedestrian street in Europe. The Museum of Cinematography is approximately PLN 20 and EC1 Science and Technology Centre approximately PLN 25.
How to get there: direct InterCity trains from Warsaw Centralna to Łódź Fabryczna take about 1.5 hours, at approximately PLN 30 to 60.
Local tip: Radegast Station, the memorial to the Łódź Ghetto deportations, is free and about 20 minutes by tram from the centre, so add it to your day.
Our things to do in Łódź guide, the Łódź city hub and Poznań vs Łódź comparison help you plan, and you can search Łódź hotels or browse Łódź tours.
4. Lublin: A Meeting Point of Cultures
Lublin’s Old Town is one of the best preserved in eastern Poland, a tangle of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque houses where Catholic, Jewish, Orthodox and Uniate histories overlap. The 1569 Union of Lublin, which joined Poland and Lithuania, was signed here. Free sights include the Old Town, the NN Theatre Centre at Grodzka Gate, and the Majdanek memorial (open Tuesday to Sunday, allow 2 to 3 hours). The Kraków Gate city-history museum costs approximately PLN 10.
How to get there: Warsaw to Lublin Główny by Intercity takes about 2.5 hours, from approximately PLN 50 to 100, while FlixBus and PKS coaches cost approximately PLN 30.
Local tip: pair Lublin with Zamość, which is about 90 km away, and spend one or two nights in Lublin first.
See the Lublin city guide, things to do in Lublin, Lublin day trips and Lublin hotels, or take a Lublin tour.
5. Olsztyn: Gothic Castle and Gateway to Masuria
Olsztyn is the largest city in northeastern Poland, with a Gothic castle of the Warmia Chapter and a compact Old Town at the edge of the Masurian Lakeland. Copernicus lived in the castle and used the astronomical table carved into the east wing to track the equinox between 1516 and 1521. The Gothic High Gate is free to view from outside, and Lake Ukiel has a sandy beach for summer swims. Boat hire on nearby lakes runs approximately PLN 30 to 60 per hour.
How to get there: Intercity trains from Warsaw Centralna take about 2 hours, with tickets of approximately PLN 50 to 100.
Local tip: use Olsztyn as a base for lake-district day trips to Giżycko, Mikołajki and Święta Lipka, and hire a car if you want more than one in a day.
Read our Olsztyn city guide, things to do in Olsztyn and food to try in Olsztyn, then browse Olsztyn tours.
6. Rzeszów: Underground Cellars and a Baroque Palace
Rzeszów is the capital of Subcarpathia, with Baroque townhouses around its market square and a 500-metre Underground Tourist Route through medieval merchant cellars (approximately PLN 18, tours last 45 to 50 minutes). Seventeen kilometres east, Łańcut Castle has 17 furnished rooms and a coach house with more than 60 historic carriages, which needs a separate ticket of approximately PLN 15.
How to get there: the train from Warsaw takes 3.5 to 4 hours (from approximately PLN 80 to 160), while flights from Warsaw Chopin take about an hour and are often quicker door to door. PKS buses to Łańcut take 30 to 40 minutes, approximately PLN 8.
Local tip: add the coach house at Łańcut; it is the highlight for many visitors.
See the Rzeszów city guide, things to do in Rzeszów and food to try in Rzeszów, with Rzeszów tours and hotel options.
How to Choose and Combine Them
For a first trip, pick Toruń if you love medieval architecture, Zamość for Renaissance planning, Łódź for design and industrial heritage, Lublin for layered history, Olsztyn for lakes and Rzeszów for the southeast. A practical chain is Warsaw to Łódź to Toruń, then Lublin and Zamość as a separate eastern loop. Our 10 days in Poland itinerary and UNESCO sites in Poland guide show how these places fit alongside the big-name stops.