What Accommodation to Choose in Poland? Our Take on 6 Stays
By Jérôme R · Visited in July 2026 · Updated · How we work
Chain hotel, flat, mountain chalet, seaside resort, hotel in the heart of the old town: our two-week road trip around Poland had us sleep at six very different places (seven bookings, 14 nights). Here is our honest feedback, place by place, with the prices we actually paid, the pros and the cons.
Our picks, city by city
A total of €2,028 for 14 nights, an average of €145/night across all categories.
Our favourite: the chalet in Ciche
True story, July 2026: we don't have a “favourite” stay: the charm of a road trip lies precisely in moving from a chalet to a city-centre hotel, then on to a seaside resort — and we had no major disappointment, from the first night to the last. If we had to keep just one, it would be the wooden chalet at Na starej drodze, in Ciche, near Zakopane: perhaps the most beautiful place we stayed on the whole trip. See our stay in Ciche.
Pros and cons, place by place
MEININGER Kraków Centrum — chain hotel, Kraków
Pros: good breakfast; the room was only ready at 3 pm, but we waited comfortably in the reception lounge; the same room cost us €141 and then €75, depending on when we booked. The hotel also tops Google Hotels for the search “where to stay in Poland”, not just for Kraków.
Cons: underground car park with few spaces and an awkward exit; on a very early departure, breakfast was not yet being served. See where to stay in Kraków.
LOFT Apartments — flat, Piotrowice (near Oświęcim)
Pros: a proper home on two levels (bedrooms, living room, terrace with a private hot tub, swimming pool), very clean, with a warm welcome; free on-site parking; everything needed to cook simple meals, with a supermarket not too far away. The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial, Energylandia and Katowice are each less than an hour's drive away: far more practical for these visits than a hotel in central Kraków.
Cons: none to report.
Na starej drodze — chalet, Ciche (Tatras)
Pros: very easy key handover; easy access along a small dirt track, with parking right next to the chalet; very well-equipped kitchen; spotless chalet; no mosquitoes.
Cons: none to report.
Ibis Poznań Stare Miasto — chain hotel, Poznań
Pros: right in the centre: you leave the car in the hotel car park and do everything on foot; indoor car park that is very easy to access and secure (code on the way in and out).
Cons: as a family of four we needed two rooms, on the same floor but not next to each other; perfect for a one-night stopover, no more. See where to stay in Poznań.
Osada Słowińska — holiday resort, Łeba
Pros: only a few units, very well equipped (we cooked there without any trouble), a smiling welcome, pool and hot tub; bikes for a modest price: the beach and dunes are less than an hour away by bike, an easy family ride.
Cons: the mosquitoes, fairly numerous, especially towards the end of the day. See where to stay in Łeba.
Hotel Wrocław Tumski — hotel, Wrocław
Pros: very generous breakfast (extra charge), served on the barge next door; a room for four on the top floor, more than enough for one night, with a view over the city at night.
Cons: hard to find; no air conditioning and only a skylight; no parking of its own (a private car park just under 10 minutes' walk away, the nearest underground car park was full); limited seating at breakfast, so go early. See where to stay in Wrocław.
Chain hotel or flat?
For short stops (1 to 2 nights), a chain hotel like MEININGER or Ibis offers simplicity and reliability, at reasonable rates (€75 to €170 a night for a family room for 4). For longer stops, a flat or holiday complex offers more space and amenities, at a cost per night that's often comparable, or even lower, once you factor in the number of people. That's what we did: a hotel for one-night stopovers (Kraków, Poznań, Wrocław), and a flat, a chalet or a resort for stays of two to five nights.
Good to know
▸ Good to know
- Hotel rates in Poland can vary a lot depending on when you book — we paid half as much for our room at the MEININGER on our last night as we did on our first.
- A flat or holiday complex becomes worthwhile once your stay in a given city runs past 2-3 nights.
- Travelling by car? Check the parking situation before you book. In our case: free on-site parking at the LOFT in Piotrowice; right next to the chalet in Ciche; in the hotel car park at the MEININGER (few spaces) and at the Ibis; and, for the Hotel Tumski in Wrocław, a private car park nearly 10 minutes' walk away.
Frequently asked questions
Is it better to book a hotel or a flat in Poland?
It depends on how long your stop is: a chain hotel works well for 1-2 nights, a flat or holiday complex becomes more worthwhile for a longer stay.
Where should I stay in Poland for a road trip?
Our six stays (chain hotels, a flat, a chalet, a seaside resort, a city-centre hotel) show a varied and generally affordable offer: €145 a night on average for a family of four.
What was your best place to stay in Poland?
None of them disappointed us, but our favourite remains the wooden chalet at Na starej drodze, in Ciche, near Zakopane.