Poland – useful information

Capital city: Warsaw

Area: 312,685 km2

Population: 38,646,023

Language: Polish

Religion: Catholics 95% (ca. 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox, Protestants, and others 5%

Currency: 1 zloty (PLN) = 100 groszy

Time zone: Central European Time (solar time of the 15 °E meridian). Eastern European Time is observed in summer (solar time of the 30°E meridian)

Climate: moderate with cold, cloudy, and temperate winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent precipitation and thunderstorms.

Weather in May;

(coming soon)

Neighbours: Belarus 605 km; Czech Republic 658 km; Lithuania 91 km; Germany 456 km; Russia (Kaliningrad Region) 206 km; Slovakia 444 km; Ukraine 428 km

Traffic regulations:

Vehicles drive on the right-hand side of the road. Maximum speed: 50 km/h in a built-up area between 5 am to 11 pm and 60 km/h between 11 pm and 5 am, 90 km/h outside the built-up area, 110 km/h on express motorways and 130 km/h on highways.

Foreign drivers may use driving licences issued by their respective countries or international driving licences within six months of the date of crossing the Polish border. Fastening seat-belts in the front and in the rear of the car is mandatory. Cellular phones must not be used during driving but hands-free sets are allowed.

Polish roads are not in the best condition. Special attention must be paid at open level crossings. Next to Greece, Poland has the highest ratio of road accidents.

A ticket for traffic violations may cost from 50 to 500 PLN.

Fuel prices:

(coming soon)

Accepted pay cards:

In Poland you can use pay and credit cards of all the major worldwide organisations gathering card issuers, such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Diners Club. Cards bearing logos of these organisations may be used, apart from non-cash payments in selected shops and service-providing institutions, for drawing cash in a network of ATMs located throughout the country

Emergency Phone Numbers:

From stationary phones:

997 - Police

999 - Ambulance

998 - Fire Brigade

From mobile phones:

112

Currency and conversion rate:

The name of the Polish currency is "zloty". Money exchange is easy. You can do this in every bank or in an exchange office.

Conversion rate:

Rough conversion rate zloty/Euro/USD:

1 Euro – 3.8 zloty

1 USD – 3.2 zloty

1 zloty (PLN) is 100 groszy. Banknotes come in 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 PLN. Coins come in 10, 20, 50 groszy and 1, 2, and 5 zlotys. Most hotels accept payment also in Euros or USD.

Banks in Poland are opened most often from 8 am or 9 am through 4 pm or 6 pm. You can pay with a credit card in most shops and restaurants. Grocery shops are usually opened from 6 am through 7 pm; super- and hypermarkets are usually opened until 9 pm. In major cities and towns shops opened around the clock can easily be found.

Many young Poles have at least a smattering of English, slightly older Poles know German and Russian better.

ter