Poland Travel Guide

American Express -- Warsaw Lim Center, Al Jerozolimskie 65/79 (tel. 022/630-69-52; open Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 10am-6pm).

Business Hours -- Stores and offices are generally open Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm. Banks are open Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm. Some larger stores have limited Saturday hours, usually 9am to noon. Museums and other tourist attractions are often closed on Mondays.

Doctors & Dentists -- In Warsaw, the LIM Medical Center is centrally located in the Marriott complex and staffs a full range of English-speaking doctors and specialists (al. Jerozolimskie 65/79; tel. 022/458-70-00). For dentists, the Austrian Dental Center (Zelazna 54; tel. 022/654-21-16) comes highly recommended.

Electricity -- Polish outlets follow the Continental norm (220v, 50hz) with two round plugs. Most appliances that run on 110v will require a transformer.

Embassies -- U.S.: ul. Ujadowskie 29/31, tel. 022/502-20-00; Canada: ul. Matejki 1/5, tel. 022/584-31-00; U.K.: al. Róz 1, tel. 022/311-00-00.

Emergencies -- In an emergency, dial the following numbers: police tel. 997, fire tel. 998, ambulance tel. 999, road assistance tel. 981 or 9637 (Polish motoring association/PZM). The general emergency number if using a cellphone is tel. 112.

Internet & E-mail -- Internet cafes are ubiquitous throughout Warsaw, Kraków, and other large cities. Internet cafes generally charge around 2 z (65¢/40p) per half-hour of Internet use. Many better hotels now set aside at least one public computer for guests to use. A growing number of better hotels and cafes now offer wireless Internet access.

Post Offices & Mail -- The rate for mailing a postcard abroad is 2.50 z (about 80¢/45p) and a first-class letter 3.20 z ($1.05/60p).

Safety -- Violent crime is relatively rare, but theft is a serious problem. Don't leave valuables in cars overnight. Watch your pockets and purses carefully. If you're traveling with a bike, don't leave it outside unattended (even if it's firmly locked). Many hotels and pensions will allow you to take your bicycle in with you to your room.

Telephones & Fax -- Poland's country code is 48. To dial Poland from abroad, dial the international access code (for example, 011 in the U.S.), plus 48 and then the local Poland area code (minus the zero). The area code for Warsaw is 02. To call long distance within Poland, dial the area code (retaining the zero) plus the number. To dial abroad from Poland, dial 00 and then the country code and area code to where you are calling. A call to the U.S. or Canada would begin 00-1.

Time Zone -- Poland is in the Central European Time zone (CET), 1 hour ahead of GMT and 6 hours ahead of the eastern United States.

Tipping -- In restaurants, round up the bill by 10% to reward good service. Bellhops, taxi drivers, and tour guides will also expect a small amount in return for services rendered. Around 5 z ($1.70/£1) is usually enough under any circumstance.

Toilets -- Public toilets are a relative rarity, so you'll find yourself seeking out nearby restaurants or hotels and asking to use the facilities. This is usually not a problem. Some establishments will ask for 1 z (35¢/20p) for the privilege. Service stations and other places sometimes have pay toilets. The fee is usually a one-zoty coin. Some public toilets still use the older symbols to designate men's and women's facilities; for the record, men are upside-down triangles; women are circles (don't ask me why).

Water -- Tap water is generally potable and there are no specific health concerns. If in doubt, buy bottled water, which is cheap and widely available.