April - May

The shoulder season begins in Poland in earnest at the end of March, and continues through the end of April. Temperatures are rising throughout the country, and the ski season will be over in the Tatras as the precipitation in that portion of the country is going to transition from snow to rain. The rest of the country should see drier conditions. It is recommended to visit the north and central parts of the country at this time, and save any outdoor activities in the south of the country for the summer or autumn. Warsaw, Gdansk, Wroclaw and Poznan in particular become far more vibrant as the temperatures warm up.

Temperatures in the north and northwest of the country will start out in the low-to-mid 50s in early April, rising to the mid-60s by the end of May. Lows will rise during this time from the upper 30s to upper 40s, respectively. Similar conditions can be found in Torun and Poznan in the west-central part of the country. Bialystok will warm from the mid-50s in the day and mid-30s at night in April to upper 60s for highs and mid-40s for lows by late May. Warsaw, Lodz and Lublin will see similar temperatures. Wroclaw, Krakow and Zakopane will begin their rainy seasons early, with this region peaking in June and July with regard to rain chances. Wroclaw and Krakow will see temperatures similar to Central Poland, while Zakopane will still be a tad cooler. Zakopane`s highs in April are in the low 50s and in the low 60s in May, on average, with lows in the mid-30s to low 40s.

Holidays and Festivals:

March or April - Easter Sunday (Niedziela Wielkanocna). National holiday in Poland.

March or April - Easter Monday (Poniedzialek Wielkanocny). National holiday in Poland.

Late April - Krakow Marathon, Krakow

May 1 - May Day (Swieto Pracy). This holiday is officially called State Holiday (Swieto Panstwowe). However, it is unofficially called May Day (Swieto Pracy), and coincides with International Workers` Day. Workers are celebrated with parades and parties in the morning and early afternoon. National holiday in Poland.

May 3 - Constitution Day (Swieto Konstytucji Trzeciego Maja), celebrating the May 3rd Constitution which was signed on this day in 1791. Coincides with the Day of Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Poland. National holiday in Poland.

May 8 - Victory Day (Narodowy Dzien Zwyciestwa), established in 2015. Similar celebrations used to be held on May 9 in Poland, when it was still a Communist state. Victory Day celebrates the surrender of the Nazis on May 8, 1945, ending World War II in Europe. National working holiday in Poland -- most businesses should be open on this day.

May or June - Pentecost Sunday (Zielone Swiatki). Seventh Sunday after Easter. You will see houses decorated with green branches; the homeowners are decorating in this manner to hopefully bring the household blessings in the coming year. As this holiday always falls on a Sunday, it is not widely known that it is considered a non-working day, as all Sundays are already non-working days and holidays falling on Sunday do not give the right to another free day. National holiday in Poland.

May or June - Corpus Christi (Boze Cialo). Ninth Thursday after Easter. This is a Catholic church holiday, and most of the country will be attending mass in the morning and then walk in a procession near their church. You will see hundreds, if not thousands, of such processions across Poland on this day. National holiday in Poland.

Late May to early June - Krakow Film Festival, Krakow. First held in 1961, it is one of Europe`s oldest festivals dedicated to short films such as documentaries, animated shorts, and more.