Poland travel health guide
The data behind Poland's score 79.9/100 · #10 of 30
Eight metrics, scored 0–100 and weighted per the index methodology. Evidence and sources shown per metric.
| Summer heat | Low | 26°C July avg high (1991–2020) · Warsaw |
| Mosquito / vector | Very Low | No established tiger mosquito |
| Food & gastro | Low–Moderate | Salmonellosis 20.4/100k (ECDC 2021) |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Meets EU standards; older buildings' pipes → many still drink bottled |
| Doctors | Moderate | 3.42 per 1,000 · WHO/Eurostat 2022–24 |
| Pharmacies | Lower | 34 per 100,000 · PGEU/ABDA 2023 |
| Vaccinations | Hepatitis A (+TBE) | Hepatitis A; TBE (widespread) for outdoor trips |
| Emergency | 112 | 112 (police 997) |
Poland is a rewarding, well-run and largely low-risk summer destination, landing comfortably in the healthy half of our index. Its cities are increasingly popular — Kraków and Gdańsk in particular draw big summer crowds — and the medical picture is reassuring, with a couple of genuine nuances. The tap water is safe by EU standards yet many Poles still drink bottled, which deserves an honest explanation; the forests carry a real tick-borne encephalitis risk; and food hygiene, while good, warrants a little more everyday care than in the Nordics. Here's what to know, metric by metric.
Can you drink the tap water in Poland? Safe to drink
Officially, yes — Poland's mains tap water is safe and meets EU standards. It's treated, chlorinated and monitored, and the big cities stand behind it: Warsaw actively promotes its tap water (kranówka) and has installed public drinking fountains around the city, while the supplies in Kraków, Wrocław and Gdańsk are all potable. At the point it leaves the waterworks, Polish tap water is perfectly good to drink.
So why do so many Poles still reach for bottled? The honest answer is part habit and part plumbing, not a problem with the water itself. In older tenements and communist-era apartment blocks, ageing internal pipes and rooftop storage tanks can dull the taste — and occasionally the appearance — of the water by the time it reaches the kitchen tap, and a bottled-water habit carried over from earlier decades has stuck. The practical upshot: in a modern building, a hotel or anywhere with updated plumbing, drink the tap water without worry; in a visibly old building, let the cold tap run first, and if the water looks or tastes off, use bottled or a filter jug. It's a building-pipes story, not a contaminated-supply one.
For day-to-day purposes, brushing your teeth with tap water is fine everywhere, and ice and salads in reputable city restaurants are no concern. Bottled water is cheap and sold everywhere if you prefer it for taste — just note that gazowana means sparkling and niegazowana still.
Mosquitoes and insect risk in Poland Very Low
Poland's lakes, rivers and wetlands mean mosquitoes in summer. The Masuria (Mazury) lake district, the great Biebrza marshes, river valleys and stretches of the Baltic coast can all get buzzy from June to August, especially around dusk — worth packing repellent for if your trip involves lakeside cabins or camping.
The good news is that the disease risk from Polish mosquitoes is negligible. There's no established tiger mosquito, no West Nile virus and no locally-acquired dengue, so bites are an itch-and-comfort matter rather than a health threat. A DEET or icaridin repellent, long sleeves at dusk and screened or sealed sleeping quarters do the job.
As across this part of Europe, the vector risk that counts is the tick. Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is widespread in Polish forests — the north-east, including Podlasie and the Masurian region, is a particular hotspot — and the same ticks carry Lyme disease. If you'll be hiking, camping, cycling forest trails or foraging, take tick precautions seriously and see the vaccinations section, where TBE is one of two jabs worth weighing up.
How hot does Poland get in summer? Low
Poland's summers are warmer than its Baltic and Nordic neighbours — a proper warm continental season rather than a cool northern one. Warsaw averages a July high around 26°C, and heatwaves (upał) do arrive, pushing the capital into the mid-to-high 30s on their worst days; Warsaw's record sits near 38°C. It's not Mediterranean-extreme, but it's warm enough to plan around.
Where you are makes a difference. Wrocław and the south-western lowlands are often among the hottest parts of the country, and Kraków, sitting in the Vistula valley, can feel warm and still on a windless day when the basin traps the heat. Gdańsk and the Baltic coast, by contrast, stay noticeably cooler and breezier — a natural escape when the interior bakes.
During a heatwave, treat it with normal summer sense: drink plenty of water, seek shade through the early-afternoon peak, and remember that many older buildings and budget lodgings have no air-conditioning, so nights can be uncomfortable. Poland's met service (IMGW) issues heat warnings worth a glance in a hot spell. Older travellers, young children and anyone with a heart or breathing condition should take the hottest days more seriously.
Food and stomach bugs in Poland Low–Moderate
Food hygiene in Poland is good, particularly in city restaurants, but the risk of a stomach upset sits a notch higher than in the Nordics — reported salmonella rates are among the higher ones in the region — so a little everyday care pays off. Be reasonably cautious with undercooked eggs and poultry, with unrefrigerated dairy, and with food that's been standing in the heat at markets or festivals.
None of that should stop you enjoying the food, which is a highlight — pierogi, hearty soups and the excellent-value milk bars (bar mleczny) are all safe bets at busy spots with quick turnover. Because of the slightly raised food-and-water risk, hepatitis A vaccination is recommended for many travellers to Poland (see vaccinations). Pack oral rehydration sachets and favour busy, popular places where dishes are freshly cooked.
Do you need vaccinations for Poland? Hepatitis A (+TBE)
Poland is the one country of this trio where a travel vaccine is commonly advised beyond the routine ones. Keep your routine vaccines current — MMR and tetanus-diphtheria-polio especially — and consider hepatitis A, which is recommended for many travellers because it spreads via food and water and Poland's risk is a little higher than in Western Europe.
The second to weigh up is tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), worth considering if you'll spend time in the forests — particularly the north-eastern hotspots — hiking, camping or foraging; its course runs over several weeks, so arrange it in advance. Typhoid isn't routinely needed and rabies risk is low. There's no vaccine for Lyme disease, carried by the same ticks, so tick precautions matter outdoors regardless. NHS Fit for Travel or a clinician can tailor this to your plans.
Healthcare in Poland: doctors, pharmacies & the EHIC/GHIC Moderate access
Poland's healthcare is solid and improving. Doctor numbers are around 3.4 per 1,000 people and pharmacies are well distributed at roughly 34 per 100,000. The apteka, marked by a green cross, is an excellent first stop for minor ailments, with pharmacists able to advise on and dispense a good range of medicines; you'll generally find better English among younger staff and in city-centre branches.
EU visitors should carry an EHIC and UK visitors a GHIC for access to the public system (NFZ), where waits for non-urgent care can be long — which is why Poland has a large, affordable private sector. Chains such as Medicover, LuxMed and Enel-Med offer fast, modern, English-speaking appointments, often same-day. Worth planning for: Kraków and Gdańsk take huge visitor numbers in summer, so city-centre clinics and pharmacies can be busy in peak season — don't leave a needed prescription to the last minute.
For the routine things — a prescription that's run out, a UTI, a rash, a chest infection or a bout of traveller's diarrhoea — an online consultation can spare you the queue at a busy clinic, which is especially welcome in Kraków or Gdańsk at the height of the season or if language feels like a barrier.
Emergency numbers in Poland 112
The number to remember is 112 — the unified European emergency line, free from any phone and answered by English-speaking operators for ambulance, fire and police. Poland also keeps its older direct numbers, which you may still see locally: 999 for an ambulance (pogotowie), 998 for fire and 997 for police — but 112 connects you to them all.
Save 112 in your phone before you travel, and note the address or a nearby landmark where you're staying so you can direct responders quickly if you ever need to.
Travelling to Poland? Take a doctor with you.
Run out of a prescription, picked up a bug, or need advice before you fly? MobiDoctor connects you with a European-licensed doctor online — from home or from your sun-lounger.
Start a consultation →Poland travel health: FAQs
Can you drink the tap water in Poland?▾
Yes — Poland's mains tap water is treated to EU standards and safe to drink. Many Poles still buy bottled, but that's mostly habit plus the ageing pipes in some older buildings affecting taste, not a problem with the water supply itself. In modern buildings and hotels, drink it freely; in a very old building, run the cold tap first and switch to bottled if it tastes or looks off.
Can you drink the tap water in Kraków?▾
Yes. Kraków's tap water is potable and meets EU standards. As anywhere in Poland, the only caveat is the internal plumbing of very old tenements, which can affect taste — in a modern building or hotel it's absolutely fine to drink.
Why do Poles drink bottled water if the tap is safe?▾
It's largely habit and plumbing rather than water quality. A bottled-water culture carried over from earlier decades, combined with ageing pipes and storage tanks in communist-era buildings that can dull the taste, keeps many people on bottled — even though the mains supply itself meets EU safety standards.
Do you need vaccinations to travel to Poland?▾
Make sure your routine jabs are up to date, and consider hepatitis A, which is recommended for many travellers because of the food-and-water route. If you'll be spending time in Poland's forests, tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is also worth considering. Typhoid isn't routinely needed and rabies risk is low.
Is it cooler in Gdańsk than the rest of Poland?▾
Generally, yes. Gdańsk and the Baltic coast stay breezier and a few degrees cooler than the interior, making them a comfortable choice when cities like Warsaw, Wrocław or Kraków are in the grip of a summer heatwave.
What is the emergency number in Poland?▾
Dial 112 for any emergency — it's free, works from any phone and has English-speaking operators for ambulance, fire and police. You may also see the older numbers 999 for an ambulance, 998 for fire and 997 for police, but 112 reaches them all.