Podlaskie Voivodeship · Poland
Białystok travel guide
Białystok is a city in Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland, home to about 290,000 people.
- Best months
- May, June and August
- Nearest airport
- BQT124 km · Brest International Airport
- Currency
- PLNzłoty
- Time zone
- Europe/Warsaw
- Language
- Belarusian, Kashubian, Polish
About
About Białystok
Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area.
Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Białystok
See
- Branickis' Palace
- VI High School – King Sigismund Augustus
- Pałac Tryllingów
- Historical Museum
- Jewish Heritage Trail in Białystok
- University Life Center in Białystok
Do
- Białystok City Stadium
- Memorial Museum Siberia
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Białystok
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Białystok are May, June and August. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 24 °C; July is the wettest, with about 85 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Białystok: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Brest International Airport (BQT), about 124 km from the city centre in a straight line.
Getting in
The closest Polish public international airport is the Warsaw Chopin Airport in the capital, located some 200 km away. This airport is served by most major normal and low-budget airlines. The convenient way to get to Białystok from there is to take a bus no. 175 to the Warsaw city centre and then take a train or a coach to Bialystok. There is a coach connection from the airport operated by PlusBus. Although the coach spends less time in Warsaw and therefore arrives in Białystok quicker, the prices can be twice as high and you have to book your tickets in advance.
Getting around
As a city, Bialystok has a rather small area considering its big population - it is the second most densely populated city in Poland after Łódź. Most of the sights worth visiting are in the strict centre of the town, so you won't be likely to use the public transport a lot. The exception is the south-eastern district of Dojlidy with a couple of palaces worth visiting. There is an extensive bus network that covers the whole city.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
BQT · Brest International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Białystok
Eat
Wherever you are in Poland, you must visit one of the milk bars: they offer genuine Polish cuisine for a very affordable price. Białystok has a couple of them: Podlasiak and Słoneczny in the city centre (the latter being unusual for serving beer too), and Topolanka a bit further on the north from the centre on the Wasilkowska street. Expect a decent range of regional cuisine and a very mixed clientèle: students, families with children, businessmen and occasionally even homeless people. There are numerous kebab, hamburger and zapiekanki (garlic bread with tomato sauce, meat, cheese and mushrooms) stands by the railway and bus stations and in other places in the city centre.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Białystok: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Białystok?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Białystok are May, June and August. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 24 °C; July is the wettest, with about 85 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Białystok?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Brest International Airport (BQT), about 124 km from the city centre in a straight line.
What currency is used in Białystok?
złoty (PLN).
Nearby
Destinations near Białystok
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.