Polish cities ranked among safest destinations for travel in 2020

Poland’s two major cities, Gdańsk and Warsaw, have been listed among “Coronavirus-safest destinations to visit in Europe”, a ranking of places least affected by Covid-19 according to European Best Destinations (EBD). The travel website cooperates with Europe’s tourist offices and the EDEN Network (European Destinations of Excellence) to promote sustainable tourism on the continent.

The ranking compiled by EBD takes into account factors such as the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country (up to 600 times fewer than in other European destinations) and health and safety measures implemented by accommodation providers, restaurants or shops - for example, face masks and social distancing requirements. As highlighted in the report, the listed destinations also benefit from proximity to hospitals and a higher number of hospital beds per inhabitant than the majority of European countries.

According to the authors of the ranking, “Poland is one of the most fashionable European countries and Gdańsk is one of its tourist pearls.” Warsaw, on the other hand, “is very rich and human, as are many Polish cities; its people show great respect for traditions but also for the youth”. Most importantly however, Poland has been less affected by the pandemic than a lot of popular summer destinations in Europe: “There is up to 20 times less contamination there than in the most affected countries of Western Europe. No hospital has ever been overloaded and Poland has more hospital beds per inhabitant than the Netherlands or Switzerland”.

Among other “safe” places listed by European Best Destinations are The Azores, Corfu Tbilisi, Vienna, Vilnius, Zagreb and Wild Taiga in Finland.

If you are planning a trip to Poland this year, remember to check the latest updates on travel restrictions in Europe. For more information on currect border restrictions in Poland, read our article: Poland reopens borders to EU travellers.

Would you like to get closer to nature this summer? Take a look at our list of relaxing holiday and getaway destinations in Poland.