• Hotel Karmel (Kraków): This lovely family-run inn, tucked away on a quiet street in the former Jewish quarter of Kazimierz, is a total surprise. From the warm and smiling receptionist at the front desk to the parquet flooring and the crisp linens on the beds, everything about this place says quality.
  • Premiere Classe (Warsaw): This French-run chain came up with the novel idea of offering clean, modern rooms the size of a cubicle for a fraction of the price of other hotels. Sure, the rooms are microscopic, but the beds are big and comfortable, the bathrooms are clean, and the hotel location is just a couple of tram stops from the main sights.
  • Castle Inn (Warsaw): A restored 16th-century inn that's clean, priced to please, and has a wacky, theatrical side, to boot. The effects are created by bold colors and an eclectic blend of antique and modern furnishings.
  • Pensjonat Szarotka (Zakopane): This quirky 1930s mountain chalet is the perfect place to try to tap into Zakopane's funky, artistic past. The squeaky stairways, the cozy little reading room with a fireplace, and the evocative black-and-white photos on the wall will remind you of your grandmother's house.
  • U Pana Cogito (Kraków): One of the best hotel bargains in Kraków is a remodeled former rectory about 15 minutes by foot from the city center. The modern rooms don't have loads of personality, but they are spotlessly clean and quiet.
  • Wenecki (Czestochowa): A bargain hotel offering inviting, even beautiful, rooms with hardwood floors and big comfortable beds. The reception is welcoming, and the overall effect is actually much nicer and more comfortable than the most expensive hotels in town.
  • Angelo (Katowice): Plan to arrive on the weekend to slip in under 100€ a night for a posh and arty room that would cost at least twice that anywhere else. Everything is brand new, from the splashy interiors to the big flat-screen TVs.
  • Liburnia (Cieszyn): A cross between a business hotel and a boutique at prices you'd expect to pay at a pension. The mattresses are thick and comfortable, and the cotton-thread count in the sheets is well above the average at this price point. The in-house Italian restaurant is one of the best places in town to eat.
  • Hotel Savoy (Lódz): A likeably rundown, turn-of-the-20th-century hotel that feels perfectly in sync with Lódz's "seen better days" aesthetic. Don't expect a charming boutique; this is a pure time-warp property (the kind of hotel that might appear in a noir detective novel). If you've got a bit more to spend, try the tonier Grand Hotel around the corner -- all of the Old World charm, but without the creaky floors and antiquated plumbing.
  • Tourist Information Office (Tarnów): The Tarnów city tourist information office rents out the rooms above the office at some of the cheapest rates you'll find in the whole country.
  • Pensjonat Sioo Budy (Biaowieza National Park): This is homestead living for those wanting a taste of rural life without forsaking clean toilets, hot showers, and espresso. The owners, folk-history enthusiasts, have fashioned four traditional chalets around a garden of apple trees, flowers, ferns, and fluttering butterflies.
  • Oberza Pod Psem (Mazury): Get a taste of Mazurian village life at this charming cottage. The owners are conservationists and champions of folk culture who salvaged the century-old wooden buildings here to open up a restaurant, a folk museum, and an inn.
  • Kamienica Gotyk (Gdansk): Ordinarily, you'd expect to part with a fortune to enjoy the hotel's setting in Gdansk's oldest house and on its loveliest street. Breakfast on the petite patio in the shadows of St. Mary's Church adds to the sense of history. Book well in advance.
  • Vincent Pensjonat (Kazimierz Dolny): An enchanting, family-run pension, situated about 5 minutes from the center of town.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.