Poland

Poland is the Central European country that most people underestimate. Within a few hours by train you can go from a reconstructed Warsaw old town, rebuilt with great care after the Second World War, to Kraków's huge medieval square, to the red-brick castle at Malbork and the Baltic port of Gdańsk. Cities are lively and walkable, food is hearty and cheap, and the history is deep and sometimes painful, told honestly in excellent museums. Add the Tatra mountains in the south, the lake country of Masuria and Europe's last great lowland forest at Białowieża, and you have a country that suits city breaks, road trips and hikers alike.

Talking points

• Warsaw's Old Town looks centuries old, yet it was painstakingly rebuilt after the Second World War and is now a World Heritage Site.
• Kraków has one of the largest medieval market squares in Europe, and a salt mine nearby with chapels carved from salt.
• Malbork is a vast brick castle of the Teutonic Order, among the biggest of its kind.
• The Tatra mountains give you real alpine hiking, and the town of Zakopane is a good base.
• Prices for food, drink and museums are generally lower than in Western Europe.