Poland is a seemingly quiet country which hosts a wide variety of multicultural restaurants, colourful picturesque towns and the breathtaking High Tatra mountains. The number of tourists visiting Poland each year has been slowly on the rise over the last decade from not just neighbouring countries but now international visitors and it’s clear to see why.

Tragically Poland found itself in the middle of WWII with monuments and museums scattering the country paying respect to those who lost their lives and celebrating Poland's remarkable survival. On this speedy road trip through southwest Poland, we spread our time across Kawkow, Wroclaw and the ever-important visit to Auschwitz. We uncovered delicious food, saw market squares that Disney would be proud of and gained a greater understanding of the country's harrowing history.

Day 2 Kraków → Gilwice

Time to wake up and enjoy your last few hours in Kraków. If breakfast isn't included in your accommodation the town has plenty of amazing brunch spots to test out. We headed to Napnap Café for some Shakshuka before hitting the road towards the main purpose of our trip to Poland, a visit to Auschwitz.

The drive to the town of Oświęcim will take around 75 minutes by car or a little longer if travelling by coach on a guided tour. All visits to Auschwitz must be done with an organised guide and you will be able to select your time slot online if booking independently. This is not only to preserve the buildings but it adds so much depth, insight and greater understanding which is essential for all visitors. You will start at the Auschwitz site which will take around 90 minutes with a short 30-minute break for lunch before heading to Auschwitz II Birkenau for another 90 minutes. Our time there absolutely flew by and was extremely memorable and eye-opening. All guides are from the local area and had either family or friends who were killed there during WWII and their knowledge is unparalleled to anything you can read online or are taught in schools.

After an afternoon that will stick with you forever, it’s was time to head off in the direction of Wrocław. After a long day it's best to have a night stop in the town of Gliwice. Although a small town we had a good time at a help-yourself beer bar called IBU Craft Beers. You load up what looks like a travel card with however much you wish to spend and use this to tap on a large central machine to select the flavour you wish to try. After testing out some unique and unusual favours I would recommend heading over to Olio pizza 5 minutes down the road. The girly interiors might not be everyone's cup of tea but the food and drinks were great.

Stay: £ - Apartament Gliwice

Eat + Drink: IBU Craft Beers + Olio pizza

Do: Auschwitz

This short road trip across southwest Poland only touches the tip of what the country has to offer with so many undiscovered places such as the cute coastal city of Gdańsk or the vibrant capital of Warsaw. Once you begin to unwrap the layers of this seemingly reserved society you will start to gain a greater insight into some of the world's darkest history and find a country that has redefined itself as a symbol of hope.

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