Poland by campervan: food and supermarkets
Where to buy food in Poland, which supermarkets to use, opening hours and practical tips for eating on the road. What to know before you go.
Published 18 September 2026Last checked 19 September 2026
Currency
Polish złoty
PLN, not the euro. 4.36 zł to €1 on 18 September 2026
Language
Polish
Latin alphabet with nine extra letters
Driving
Right
Motorway 140 km/h, but 80 km/h over 3.5 t
Power
230V, type E
A Schuko plug fits the socket
Alcohol
0.2 promille
An offence from 0.2, a crime above 0.5
Emergency
112
Mountain rescue 601 100 300
Food and shops
Food and shops
Plan your shopping around Sunday. Polish law bans trading on Sunday, and only eight Sundays in 2026 are trading Sundays: 25 January, 29 March, 26 April, 28 June, 30 August, and 6, 13 and 20 December. On every other Sunday the supermarkets are shut. Petrol stations, pharmacies, bakeries, cake shops, florists and restaurants stay open, and so does any shop where the owner is behind the counter in person.
Where to shop
- Best value: Biedronka or Lidl.
- Full range: Kaufland, Auchan or Carrefour.
- Camper access: Auchan and Kaufland stores on retail parks are easiest with a campervan.
What eating out costs, reported
- Cheap restaurant meal
- 40 zł
- Draught beer, 0.5 l
- 15 zł
About 9.40 euros. Reported range 25 to 60, Numbeo September 2026
About 3.50 euros. A bar mleczny lunch comes in under this
Trading Sundays in 2026
| Date | Why it is a trading Sunday |
|---|---|
| 25 January | Last Sunday in January |
| 29 March | The Sunday before Easter, which falls on 5 April in 2026 |
| 26 April | Last Sunday in April |
| 28 June | Last Sunday in June |
| 30 August | Last Sunday in August |
| 6 December | First of the three Sundays before Christmas |
| 13 December | Second of the three Sundays before Christmas |
| 20 December | Third of the three Sundays before Christmas |
There is one more date to know. On the Saturday immediately before Easter Sunday, 4 April 2026, trading is banned after 14:00. That is the single busiest shopping morning of the Polish year, and the shops close at two.
Where to shop
- Biedronka is the one you will see most often, in towns and in villages, and it is where most of Poland shops.
- Lidl and Kaufland are the German chains, bigger stores, easier car parks, a wider range.
Eating without getting it wrong
- Bar mleczny, milk bar. Subsidised canteen food, ordered and paid for at a counter, no service, cheap. Lunchtime only in most towns.
- Obiad is the main meal and it is eaten in the early afternoon. A kitchen at 17:00 may have run out of the good things.
