7 Beautiful Polish Villages You've Never Heard Of

Most tourists flock to Poland’s popular cities and towns or mountains and lakes, leaving these tiny little gorgeous villages somewhat neglected. Away from the hustle and bustle of Poland’s top notch major tourist hotspots, you can find a real peace, charm and tranquility at these seven barely known villages. Each entry has its own unique bit of Polish rural magic, warranting more tourists than they will ever get.

Zalipie

Zalipie might be the most famous village on this list for tourists as its stunning artwork on the village’s cottages have given the place some publicity on Instagram and Facebook over the last few years. Now the secret is slowly leaking out, perhaps it won’t be long until Zalipie is a tourist attraction all of its own. For now it remains under the radar but these quaint, florally-decorated buildings are worth checking out, however ask most tourists if they’ve heard of Zalipie and none of them will have a clue. The village can be reached by bus from nearby Tarnów.

Population: 743

Zalipie, Poland

1. Szymbark

An_upside-down_house_in_open-air_museum,_Szybmark,_Poland.

Szymbark makes the list with some aplomb. Despite housing just 541 people, this little village features the world’s first “upside-down house”, which opened in 2007 and briefly made the village globally famous. The distinctive upside-down house is a fully functioning museum and what’s also fascinating is that Szymbark is a Kashubian town, meaning the locals here in the Kashubian Kartuzy region have their own unique language, culture and cuisine!

Population: 541

Szymbark, Poland

Upside-down house in Szymbark | © Tomasz Sienicki / WikiCommons

2. Kokoszkowy

Tranquil Kokoszkowy sits in Poland’s Kociewie region, just a few kilometres from the regional capital, Starogard Gdański. For a village housing just over 1,000 permanent residents, there are two major things of note, one historic and the other simply beautiful on the eye.

The first interesting curiosity about Kokoszkowy is just the pure nature in spring with its stunning yellow fields, where the local farmers grow rapeseed oil. On a day with blue skies, a walk in nature in rural Kokoskowy is delightful. Deer also graze in the village which has a lakeside walking trail to nearby Kochanka. The second big attraction is the village’s church, which dates back to the 14th-century. It is a Roman Catholic Church called Saint Barbara’s Church of Kokoszkowy. There is a graveyard beside it which is frequented by almost all the village’s residents on All Saint’s Day (November 1).

Population: 1,430

Kokoszkowy, Poland

St. Barbara’s Church in Kokoszkowy | © Northern Irishman in Poland

3. Nieciecza

It might be hard to believe but little Nieciecza has a mere population of 750 which can multiply by six when the local football team play! Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza are in the Polish Ekstraklasa, having been promoted in 2015. With Nieciecza’s low population, it means they are the club from the smallest village in history to qualify for a top-level football league in Europe, quite an achievement! What this means is that the stadium houses six times more people than the village’s population, with spectators arriving from nearby teams to cheer on Termalica!

Population: 750

Nieciecza, Poland

Termalica Bruk-Bet Nieciecza play in Ekstraklasa | © Sędzia Piłkarski / Flickr

4. Zakrzewo

While it might seem like just any other little Polish rural village, away from its charming church and gorgeous lake, Zakrzewo offers something else of beauty – music.

It is here in this tiny village that once a year there is a huge concert and festival known as the Blues Express. What’s more is that the Blues Express is a festival that starts in Poznań and finishes in Zakrzewo – the festival has six different venues and music lovers go from venue to venue on a personalised train. The festival lasts long into the evening down by Zakrzewo’s pretty lake, attracting Blues fans from all over Europe.

Population: 1,620

Zakrzewo, Poland

Zakrzewo | © Northern Irishman in Poland

Złotokłos

Złotokłos is a small village not far from Warsaw, best reached by bus from Piaseczno. Why is it famous? Two reasons. One is that there is a famous Polish Biscuit Factory based here, Złotokłos Biscuits are popular all over the country.

Secondly, for a small village it also boasts a decent football stadium and local team Perła Złotokłos are a great team to watch live in a peaceful setting.

Population: 1,349

Złotokłos, Poland

5. Równia

Równia is a village in south-eastern Poland which is famous for its church, known as Cerkiew Opieki Matki Bożej w Równi. It was a Greek Orthodox church dedicated to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos and has been a Catholic church since 1976. It was probably built at the beginning of the 18th-century and has been renovated a few times, most recently in 1975. This distinctive and unusual church sits in loneliness on the edge of the village with fields in behind.

Population: 480

Równia, Poland

Rownia Church | © Beentree / Wikicommons

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.