Poland

Amber-and-silver jewelry. The places to buy this jewelry are shops in larger cities. Gdansk, on the Baltic coast, where the amber is mined, has a reputation for having the widest quantity of shops and the greatest variety of the jewelry. Some good quality jewelry shops can be found on Mariacka Street in the Main Town (Glowne Miasto). In Warsaw, head to the jewelry stores in the Old Town (Stare Miasto) and along the Royal Way (Krakowskie Przedmiescie and Nowy Swiat). For the best buys in Krakow, start off by combing jewelry stands in the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) at the Main Market Square (Rynek Glowny).

Boleslawiec pottery. This pottery comes in an amazing variety of forms, shapes, and designs. It's available in many larger kitchenware stores across Poland, folk art shops (known as Cepelia), and an increasing number of Boleslawiec factory outlets in the large cities.

Woodcarving. This popular form of folk art, created by homegrown artisans, has seen a strong revival over recent years. The products are mostly carved and painted religious figures (sometimes charmingly naïve), such as Madonnas, saints, and angels, but also secular sculptures of persons and animals. Buy them at Cepelia folk art shops, folk art galleries, folk culture festivals, or directly from the artisans. One of the best-known folk culture festivals is the Festival of Folk Bands and Singers in Kazimierz Dolny, during which stalls in the main square sell crafts, including woodcarvings. The festival occurs annually in late June.