Health
In general medical facilities and standards of health care in Poland are good.
European Union (EU) citizens, carrying a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) will receive free emergency medical treatment in Poland. Non-EU citizens should check if there is a reciprocal agreement for free medical care between their country and Poland. If there isn't one, travelers are recommended to purchase a travel medical insurance.
Tap water is normally chlorinated and safe to drink. If it tastes unpleasant (mostly due to chlorine), drink bottled water which is available and inexpensive. Milk is pasteurized, dairy products, meat, poultry, seafood, fruit and vegetables are considered safe to eat.
Safety
Poland is a relatively safe country for tourists, but just like many other central and western European countries, suffers from some petty crime incidentals like pickpocketing. This is a problem mostly in big cities (Warsaw probably being the least safe in Poland) and in crowded places like main train stations. In general, using common sense precautions should be enough to avoid dangers.
More serious could be car theft (although declining in the past years), mostly done by organized gangs that smuggle stolen cars through the eastern border. If you're driving a car with foreign number plates (or an expensive one) you should definitely use secure parking at least at night.
Emergency phone numbers in Poland:
Police - 997
Fire - 998
Ambulance - 999
Road Assistance - 981
Poland is implementing the general emergency number for mobile phones 112, but in some areas it may not work yet.
Poland Gallery
There are 5 pictures in our Poland gallery. Click the thumbnail to enter.
