Think of Poland and you might mistakenly default to an image of grey skies and a blanket of snow. Yes, the winters are cold but, as with most eastern European countries, the summers are pleasantly warm. And both spring and autumn are also great times to visit this country of contrasts.

The weather can vary greatly from day to day. But through the summer months, warm sunshine is the norm, with temperatures climbing comfortably into the 20s Celsius on most days. In fact, when southerly winds arrive, 30-degree heat is not unusual. However as humidity builds, so thundery downpours can briefly interrupt the sunshine.

Summer nights are warm and balmy, but as autumn approaches they soon cool off. September and October can often be bright and comfortably mild before the winter chill arrives by November.

Temperatures fall quickly as the year ends, and from December to February, the thermometer at the capital Warsaw is hovering close to freezing by day with sharp overnight frosts. The mountainous areas of the south are, of course, colder, and this is where skiers enjoy the bulk of the winter snow.

Severe cold periodically sweeps in with an east wind from Russia, when temperatures can fall as low as -25 Celsius by night. But this Siberian air is typically dry and clear.

Through March and April, temperatures can fluctuate dramatically from day to day, before Poland finally emerges into spring warmth and the countryside blossoms into life as May arrives. This makes late spring a favourite time to visit.

Quick facts about

Poland

Capital:

Currency:

Warsaw