Money & Currency
Polish Złoty (PLN)
Despite being an EU member, Poland has not adopted the Euro and will not do so in the foreseeable future. Payments are made in Złoty (PLN).
1 Złoty = 100 Groszy. Coins: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 Groszy, 1, 2, 5 PLN. Notes: 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 PLN.
Exchange rate (benchmark 2025): 1 EUR ≈ 4.30 PLN / 1 PLN ≈ 0.23 EUR
Withdrawing money & paying
- Card payment: Works almost everywhere — even at kiosks, markets, and in Bar Mleczny. Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted. Contactless payment (NFC) is standard.
- ATMs (Bankomat): Available everywhere. WARNING: Many ATMs (especially Euronet) offer "Dynamic Currency Conversion" — they ask if you want to withdraw in EUR. ALWAYS DECLINE and withdraw in PLN! The offered EUR rate is 5–10% worse.
- Cash: Useful for small shops, street vendors, and tips, but you can get by completely cashless in big cities.
- Exchange offices (Kantor): Found everywhere in cities. Good rate, no fees. DO NOT exchange at the airport or train station — the rate is significantly worse there. Kantory in the city center offer the best rates.
💡 Tipp
Use a fee-free travel credit card (e.g., DKB, N26, Revolut) and withdraw in PLN. This way, you save exchange fees and get the best rate. ALWAYS decline the conversion to EUR when the ATM asks!
Achtung
The Euronet ATMs (yellow, everywhere in tourist zones) are known for aggressive exchange rate tricks. ALWAYS choose "Withdrawal in local currency" (PLN) and decline the offered exchange rate. Even better: Use ATMs from Polish banks (PKO BP, mBank, ING).
