We Limit our Enjoyment of Europe by Failing to Include the Great Cities of Poland in Our Itineraries

Why don't more American tourists go to Poland? I have pondered that question ever since I visited, last week, a number of popular attractions in Warsaw that were thronged with tourists from around the world, but not by more than a handful of visitors from the United States.

Yet Poland is an easily reached country that requires no visa or other paperwork from Americans. Its cost of touring is low, its people unusually friendly, and everywhere you look are castles, palaces, opera houses and theaters, resplendent squares, art galleries, shops, and restaurants with tasty cuisine.

Why haven't these lures been sufficient to attract larger numbers of American tourists? It should be remembered, of course, that Poland was a Soviet satellite until 1989, just 22 years ago, and few Americans visited the countries of the Soviet bloc at that time. Numerous Polish cities were also widely pictured as heavily damaged by bombardments and demolitions in World War II and underwent a lengthy period of reconstruction which few tourists wished to hazard. And finally, Polish history and the Polish language are little known in the United States, where colleges and universities teach French, German, Italian and Spanish but certainly not Polish.

Those problems aside, Poland should today be visited and every American tourist I recently met there was agreeably surprised by the outstanding character of the touring experience. People raved about the historic city of Krakow, the "Old City" (Stare Miasto) of Warsaw, the surprisingly pleasant Gdansk on the Baltic Sea, and numerous other locations of strong cultural and historic interest.

It goes without saying that the history and culture of Europe all make for a great travel experience. They enlarge our lives. And they are found to the same extent in Krakow, Warsaw and Gdansk as in the more familiar European cities.