Food is another and perhaps rather surprising draw to Poland. Often written off as stodgy and greasy, Polish food is actually some of Eastern Europe's best - and you've not really been to Poland until you've had a plate full of pierogi (delicious boiled dumplings) and washed it down with one of Poland's many fine beers.

Popular local ingredients include dill, marjoram, caraway seeds, wild mushrooms and sour cream, which is frequently added to soups, sauces and braised meats. Soups play an important part at mealtimes and are usually rich and very thick. Barszcz (beetroot soup), however, runs thin and clear and is often served in cups with small hot pasties stuffed with meat or cabbage. There are several fish dishes using trout, carp and herring. Pastries, such as szarlotka (apple cake), packi (jelly doughnuts) and makowiec (poppy seed cake) can be bought at a cukiernia. Note that big cities offer a selection of other world cuisines.

National specialities:
• Bigos (sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, onions and any variety of leftover meat).
• Salted and rolled herring fillets with pickles and onions.
• Kabanos (long, thick sausages).
• Pierogi (dumplings stuffed with either meat, mushrooms and cabbage, cheese or fruit).
• Kasza (buckwheat).

National drinks:
• Vodka (wódka, in many various flavours - try krupnik and ever-popular Zubrovka bison grass).
• The best bottled beer is zywiec, a fairly strong lager-type beer.

Legal drinking age: 18.

Tipping: 10 to 15% is customary in restaurants and cafes. Tipping in self-service restaurants is not expected. Tips for porter's services in hotels and train stations are customary but amounts are at the traveller's discretion.

Nightlife in Poland is rich and exciting, taking in everything from cultural and artistic exhibitions and performances to good old fashioned vodka bars where you can eat cheap pierogi (dumplings) and drink one of the many excellent Polish beers.

The best known theatres in the country are in Warsaw and Krakow, with additional well known establishments in Zakopane and Bialystok. Muscially, the National Philharmonic and a National Opera in Warsaw are the country's most celebrated.

Cinema is very popular in Poland and cinemas can be found in all sizable towns. There is a large selection of dance clubs, bars and venues for live music in most towns. Clubs often choose to stay open until the last guest leaves. The best places for clubbing are Warsaw, Wrowclaw, Krakow and Gdansk. As well as clubbing, Poles love to spend the evenings in cosy bars and inns, where beers and, of course, vodkas, are drunk in large quantities, as well as often being places where live music is performed.

More than any thing else, arts and crafts are the main things to shop for on a visit to Poland. Particularly popular items that are widely available include glass and enamelware, handwoven rugs, silverware, handmade jewellery with amber and silver, dolls in regional costumes, woodcarvings and clay and metal sculptures. The nationwide chain Cepelia (www.cepelia.pl) is the place to head first - its shops stock a good range of local handicrafts. Another much loved item available widely is amber, especially in the north of the country in and around Gdansk. This can be sold in many forms, from large lumps to exquisitely carved necklaces.

For more standard shopping experiences, Warsaw and Krakow are the best bets. Both cities have a large number of department and clothing stores, many of which are international chains. Warsaw also has the country's best selection of art on sale, ranging from smart art galleries to informal art markets.

Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 1000-1800/2000 and Sat 1000-1300/1600. ‘Night shops' open 24 hours. Supermarkets and department stores are usually open daily 1000-1900.