Łowicz is the folk capital of Poland. This small town between Warsaw and Łódź is famous for its colourful Corpus Christi processions, where locals dress in elaborate traditional costumes and carpet the streets with flower petals. The tradition has been alive for centuries, and the costumes — bold stripes, intricate embroidery — are among the most recognisable in Polish folk culture.
Outside the festival season, the town is a quiet market centre with a pleasant Baroque collegiate church, the Museum of Łowicz with one of the best folk art collections in the country, and a relaxed rynek (market square) good for a coffee stop. If you are driving between Warsaw and Łódź, Łowicz is worth a detour; if you can time your visit to Corpus Christi (late May or June), it is unmissable. The Arkadia Romantic Park, 5 kilometres east, is one of the finest 18th-century landscape gardens in Poland and easily combined with a Łowicz visit.