Poland has no specific laws regulating alcohol consumption. There are, however, certain restrictions as to the age and venues where people are permitted to drink alcohol. It is also worth remembering that being under the influence of alcohol is not a mitigating factor if an offence has been committed.

Drinking in public places: In Poland, it is prohibited to drink alcohol in public places, with the exception of properly licensed designated places, such as bars, restaurants, open air cafés, etc.

Underage drinking: It is strictly prohibited to sell or offer alcohol to young people under the age of 18 years. Likewise, underage drinking is not allowed in licensed bars and restaurants.

In Poland, ATMs, which operate 24 hours a day, offer far easier access to your money than banks. They can normally be found near such places as banks, rail stations, airports, supermarkets, town centres and other places popular with visitors.

The variable weather and its frequent anomalies, such as a 28-degree fall in temperature over 24 hours or a fall of more than 17 degrees in January, are the fault of the climate. The north and west of Poland enjoy a moderate maritime climate, with mild winters and fairly wet summers, while eastern parts have a continental climate with harsh winters and hot dry summers. The caprices of the Polish weather are due not so much to the mild climate as to its transitory nature. It rains... especially in summer. The rainiest month is June, while the least rainy is February. The country's driest region is Kujawy, while the rainiest is the Tatra mountains. The Silesian plain is the warmest place on the map of Poland. Here the mild winter stays just two months, while summer lasts for 100 days. Poland's coldest spot is Wizajny in the Suwalki region. Here the average January temperature is minus 4.5°C, and the winter continues mercilessly for four months. 

You can exchange money everywhere in Poland. All major foreign currencies may be exchanged for Polish money at a bank or exchange counter, (identified by the name Kantor). Over the counter exchange is available at larger hotels, at border crossings or in dedicated outlets across towns and cities.

The large Polish cities are adjusted for disabled people. It is no problem to move through the city and also use the public transport. Most buses and also the Warsaw metro are low-loaders, and at all railway stations you can use lifts. Unfortunately not all trains and trams are low-loaders, so you may require some assistance.

Headlights: All vehicles are required to use headlights, night and day all year round. Seatbelts: The use of seat belts is compulsory for front and rear-seat passengers.

Speed limits: 50km/h in built-up areas. Entry into a built-up area is marked with a white rectangular sign with the name of the town or a similar sign showing urban skyline in black; the exit point is marked with an identical sign with a red diagonal stripe. 90km/h outside built-up areas 100km/h on A-class roads (marked with a white car on blue background sign) 140km/h on motorways. The speed limit for vehicles towing caravans is 70 km/h.

Traffic lights: You are allowed to turn right when the red light is only if there is a separate green arrow light and it is on. In such case you must always let pedestrians pass first.

Parking: When leaving your vehicle in a controlled parking zone, make sure that you have paid (and displayed the ticket) as many local authorities impose steep fines and clamping charges for illegal parking. If in doubt, ask a police officer or municipal warden for help.

Drinking & driving: In Poland, the legal limit of blood alcohol content is 20 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood (much lower than in the UK, where it is 80mg per 100ml, and in many European countries where the limit is 50mg per 100ml). Driving while under the influence of alcohol (between 20 mg and 50 mg) is an offence punishable by a fine. Driving while being above the 50 mg limit is a serious offence which leads to criminal conviction and possible seizure of the vehicle. Offenders face a possibility of immediate arrest and up to two years' imprisonment.

Follow this link to find a full list of foreign embassies in Poland. During UEFA EURO 2012 special consulate points will be created, where fans from every country taking part in the tournament will have the opportunity to solve consular problems if necessary. 

Emergency 112; Police 997. For foreigners in Poland during the summer, there is a special emergency number. Call +48 800 200 300; from mobile phones, dial +48 608 599 999 (these numbers are in service from June 1 to September 30, between 10 am and 10 pm daily). Ambulance 999; Fire Brigade 998; City Guard 986.

Polish cuisine abounds in exquisite dishes and regional delicacies. Probably the most famous Polish titbit is "oscypek". But there is also "kiszka ziemniaczana" – which looks like a sausage but is stuffed with potatoes grated with bacon; "piróg biłgorajski" a dumping which in turns resembles pâté, prepared from potatoes and buckwheat groats with a bit of white sour cheese, or "żurawinówka", dense cranberry alcohol. In the region of Lublin, you can also have a taste of excellent plum jam. Apart from that, we would recommend all sorts of groats ("kasza"), very characteristic of the Polish cuisine, and popular in a limited number of places in Europe.

If foreign visitors fall ill while holidaying in Poland, they can pay to use the services of the Polish healthcare system. If they took out the appropriate insurance before they set off, the costs of treatment in Poland will be refunded when they get back home.

The Polish language is definitely not easy.

Basic pronunciation of Polish vowels: ‘ą’ sounds like ‘on’ in the French ‘bon’ ‘ę’ sounds like ‘en’ as in the French ‘bien’ ‘ó’ is an open ‘o’ sound like ‘oo’ in ‘boot’.

Basic pronunciation of consonants: ‘c’ like the ‘ts’ in ‘bits’‘ ‘j’ like the ‘y’ in ‘yeah’ ‘w’ is pronounced like the English ‘v’ ‘ł’ like the ‘w’ in ‘win’ ‘ń’ like the ‘ny’ in ‘canyon’ ‘cz’ and ‘ć’ like the ‘ch’ in ‘beach’ ‘dz’ like the ‘ds’ in ‘beds’ ‘rz’ and ‘ż’ like the ‘su’ in ‘treasure’ ‘sz’ and ‘ś’ like the ‘sh’ in ‘ship’ ‘drz’ like the ‘g’ in ‘George’ R is always rolled, and stress is generally always placed on the penultimate syllable.

Think you’ve got that? Here are some words and phrases to get you started: Civilities:

cześć (cheshch) - hi/bye

dzień dobry (jen do-bri) - good morning/afternoon 

dobry wieczór (do-bri vyeh-choor) - good evening

dobranoc (dobrah-nots) - good night

tak (tahk) - yes

nie (nyeh) - no

proszę (prosheh) - please

na zdrowie (nah zdrovyeh) - cheers

dziękuje (jen-koo-yeh) - thank you

przepraszam (psheh-prasham) - sorry

kocham cię (koham tshe) - I love you

Mam na imię (mam nah ee-myeh) - My name is

Jestem z Anglii (yehstem zanglee) - I am from

Necessities:

Gdzie są toalety? (gdjeh song toalety) - Where are the toilets?

Czy mówi pan/panipo angielsku? (che mooveepan/paneepo angyelskoo?) - Do you (male/female) speak English?

Nie mówię popolsku (nyeh moovyeh popolskoo) - I don’t speak Polish

Proszę to napisać (prosheh tohnapeesatch) - Please write it down

Czy można tu palić (che mohzhnah toopaleech?) - Can I smoke here

Jedno piwo poproszę (yedno peevo pohprosheh) - One beer please

Numbers:

1 - jeden (yehden) 2 - dwa (dva) 3 - trzy (tshi) 10 - dziesięć (jayshench)

General:

Airport - lotnisko

Train station - dworzec

pkp Bus station - dworzec pks

Right/left - prawo/lewo

One ticket to... - jeden bilet do...

First/second class - pierwsza/druga klasa

A wide variety of painkillers, vitamins and cold treatments can be bought without prescription in any Polish supermarket, drugstore or kiosk. As well as Polish-produced medicines, products from the best-known international pharmaceutical manufacturers are also readily available. To obtain medicines which have been prescribed by a doctor, you must visit a pharmacy (apteka). All major cities have 24 hour pharmacies. 

Poland’s legal tender is called Złoty (PLN). 1 złoty = 100 groszy. Coins in circulation: PLN 1, 2 and 5 and 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 groszy coins. Notes in circulation: PLN 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 notes.

The Polish name for pharmacy is “Apteka”. There are 24-hour pharmacies in all major cities including the four host cities.

The high standard of postal services in Poland means that it is easy to stay in touch with friends and family no matter how far away they are. In almost every town and village, no matter how small, you can buy stamps and find one of the characteristic red post boxes. Wherever you go in Poland, you will always be able to send a postcard or phone your loved ones back home to say greetings from Poland.   Letters posted in Poland can be sent by either priority or economy class. Priority items cost a bit more, but get there quicker. In larger towns, post offices have counters where staff can provide information in a foreign language (usually English). Post offices and agencies are normally open from early morning until evening and on Saturdays until the early afternoon. The most common opening times are 10 am to 6 pm on weekdays and 9 am to 2 pm on Saturdays. Main post offices in cities usually stay open longer, sometimes for 24 hours a day.

Shopping for a bargain may be a great holiday pastime. You will be excited to know that Poland offers a great choice of goods at affordable prices and a wide variety of local specialities and souvenirs to make your holiday even more unforgettable. If you want to bring home from Poland something special for you or your partner, you will not be disappointed - Poland has no shortage of such attractions.The streets of historic city centres are lined with art galleries and antique shops selling objets d'art, souvenirs and hand crafted goods. To buy traditional Polish food delicacies – such as real Polish ham, sausages, mushroom or home-baked bread, you should visit a farmers' market. These markets have a long standing tradition of offering a wide choice of organic products and local specialities. Those who prefer shopping in hypermarkets (including many international chains) will not be disappointed either. These shops stay open until late at night, and offer a wide range of branded Polish goods and imported consumer products. Every major city in Poland has one or more huge shopping centres. Here, all in one place, you can find many boutiques, international chain stores, restaurants, bars and other attractions providing fun for the whole family.

Although it is not illegal to smoke in many public places in Poland, there are also regulations aimed at protecting non-smokers. With an increasing number of Polish people preferring a healthy lifestyle, smoking is no longer generally acceptable. The anti-smoking lobby is gaining popularity not only by promoting a healthy lifestyle for smokers, but mainly by protecting passive smokers. A nationwide campaign has been launched to declare 31 May a 'Non Smoking Day'. Because of these concerns, smoking is now prohibited in many places. Many such places may have, however, designated smoking areas. Therefore, in restaurants, pubs, on trains, in theatres, colleges, etc. you may only smoke in such designated areas. Smoking is strictly prohibited in places marked with special signs (a cigarette crossed with a red line).