Practical Information for visiting Masovia

Coverage for mobile networks is comprehensive, with 5G across Warsaw and strong 4G throughout the region, from Orange Polska, Play, Plus and T-Mobile.

As an EU country, roaming from another EU or EEA plan works at domestic rates. Prepaid SIMs are inexpensive for everyone else and sold in any kiosk or supermarket.

Wi-Fi is free and fast in hotels, cafes, the metro and on intercity trains, and Poland’s fixed broadband is good.

Warsaw has a large IT sector and is a comfortable place to work remotely, with plenty of cafes that expect it.

Contactless payment is near-universal, which matters more than connectivity for most visitors.

Warsaw is a safe European capital with low violent crime, and Masovia generally is safe. The risks are ordinary.

• Pickpocketing on crowded trams, at Warsaw Central station and around the tourist centre, particularly in summer.
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• Taxi overcharging at the airport and station by unofficial drivers; use an app or an official rank with posted rates.
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• Drink-related trouble in the nightlife streets late at night; Warsaw drinks seriously and the atmosphere can turn.
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• Winter: ice on pavements, and genuinely dangerous cold in a bad snap if you are underdressed.
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• Air quality on still winter days.
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• Ticks in the Kampinos forest and the countryside from spring to autumn, carrying encephalitis and Lyme disease.
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• Trams: quiet, fast and they do not stop quickly. Look both ways.

Healthcare is good, with modern hospitals in Warsaw and a large private sector — Medicover and LuxMed clinics are quick and inexpensive for visitors. EU and EEA visitors are covered by the European Health Insurance Card for state care; everyone else needs insurance.

Vaccinations: routine cover. Tick-borne encephalitis is present in Poland and worth considering if you plan to spend time in the forests; Lyme disease is common. Check yourself after walking in Kampinos or any woodland.

Pharmacies — apteka — are well stocked and pharmacists knowledgeable, with some open around the clock in Warsaw.

Tap water is safe and of good quality in Warsaw; many people still filter it out of habit.

Winter air quality matters for asthma on cold windless days.

Alcohol: Polish vodka is served in generous measures and toasts come quickly.

At the memorial sites, behave accordingly. This is the single most important point in Warsaw. The ghetto monuments, the Umschlagplatz, Pawiak and Treblinka are places of mass murder. Dress and behave as you would at a grave, and do not take smiling photographs.

Churches are in active use and Poland remains a religious country; dress modestly, stay quiet, and do not wander during mass.

Greetings: dzien dobry on entering a shop or a lift, and do widzenia on leaving. Poles are formal with strangers and use titles; first names come later than in English-speaking countries.

Toasting: na zdrowie, with eye contact, and vodka in one.

Give up your seat on public transport for older people; it is expected and noticed.

Flowers as a gift should be an odd number and never chrysanthemums, which are for graves.

Alcohol in public places is prohibited and fined.

Emergency numbers: 112 across the EU, or 999 for ambulance, 997 for police, 998 for fire. Operators on 112 speak English.

Medical. State hospitals treat emergencies; EU and EEA visitors should carry an EHIC. Private clinics such as LuxMed and Medicover are fast and reasonably priced for anything non-urgent, and used to English-speaking patients.

Pharmacies post the nearest all-night one in the window, and Warsaw always has several open.

Lost documents: report to the police for a record, then contact your embassy — almost all are in Warsaw, which makes replacing a passport comparatively straightforward.

In the Kampinos forest, trails are marked but the park is large and flat with few landmarks; download a map, and note that phone signal is patchy in the interior.