We were looking at a map to plan our next weekend away, and came across this lesser known city in Poland – Wroclaw, Poland’s University City. I pronounced it wrong endless times, before some of my polish friends corrected me with the right pronunciation: Vrots Wahf. So if you are on the lookout for an affordable weekend getaway in Europe, this place has it all! It’s the 3rd largest city in Poland and with a colourful town square to explore, tree lined walkways along the Odra river, you will find a real laid back vibe here. Here are my Top 3 Things I recommend doing in Wroclaw!
How to get to Wroclaw
The city is well connected by daily flights to London, Warsaw, Munich, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Dublin, as well as alternating day flights to many other countries in Europe. The flight time is only 2 hours from London and budget airlines such as Ryanair and Wizz Air service this route so you can generally get a good deal if you are travelling just for a weekend trip with no checked luggage. You can also get there by train from Berlin, which has a daily connection and takes around 4 hours.
Once you land into Wroclaw – you can take a taxi to the city centre which is around 15 minutes with no traffic (10 km) and will cost around 85 Polish Zloty (30 AUD). The other alternative with public transport is the 106 Bus from the airport into the city centre (Renoma Stop) and will cost around 5 Polish Zloty, taking around 1 hour.
Where to stay in Wroclaw
We stayed at the Wyndham Wroclaw which was conveniently located right in the city centre, only about 5 minutes walk from the Market Square so it was perfect for us staying just for a few nights. Staying in the Old Town will allow you to get around on foot to most places. You can see all the options to book accommodation in Wroclaw HERE.
Top 3 Things to do in Wroclaw
Visit the Market Square
Also called Rynek Market Square, this is the focal point of this wonderful city. The Market Square is a stunning, medieval square that dates back to the the 13th century. Stand in the middle of it and you are surrounded by beautiful colourful building, shops, cafes’ restaurants, and the odd horse and carriage.
The Old Town hall is a centrepiece of the Square. It has been in that location from 1299, and had several architectural changes over the years. It boasts Gothic and Renaissance styles, intricate stone carvings, and it also had an astronomical clock added to the façade in the 16th century. A seriously impressive and beautiful building!
Take a view of the city from up high from the tallest building in the Old Town at St Elizabeth Church. In summer and weather dependent you can also climb the very narrow 91 mt tower. The Square also host a number of markets, and one of the most wonderful Christmas Markets in Europe during November and December each year.
Go hunting for gnomes
Might sound crazy, but these little guys are pretty much the unofficial ambassadors of the city. We stumbled upon these cute little gnome statues while walking around the city the first night we arrived, and the more we looked around, the more of them we could find! Going gnome hunting in Wroclaw is a weird and wonderful way to explore the city.
The official count of these varies, come say 100, some say up to 600. The gnomes started appearing in the city in the early 2000s, to represent the anti-communist movement called ‘Orange Alternative’ that was strong in the 80s. The gnomes are depicted doing all sorts of funny things and mundane activities – they were put there for people to have a laugh and it’s guaranteed to still put a smile on your face when you see them! You can also get a map of where you can find all of them in the city at the Tourist Office in Wroclaw – so get gnome hunting!
Have a meal in one of the oldest restaurant in Europe and try one of the local Vodka Bars
Restaurant Piwnica Świdnicka
Imagine having a meal in a restaurant that has been around for over 700 years. Mind-blowing right! Located in the base of the Old Town hall, Piwnica Świdnicka dates back it’s opening to 1273, making it one of the oldest restaurants in Europe. When we visited it was only classic traditional polish dishes, it’s recently had a refurb and changed its appearance to be more upmarket. It has now an extensive beer, whisky and cocktails selection and the menu is still traditional with its staples of pierogi, Polish Sour Rye Soup and Snitzel but, with a modern twist and with some additional European dishes. You can check out their menu HERE.
Vodka Bar Pijalnia Wódki i Piwa
It’s a university city afterall so we had to try a popular bar chain with the locals, and this was well worth it. But I’ll put it out there, by no means is this the place you go for a quiet drink. The place is loud, busy and not many people could understand us speaking English. But that is just half the fun when travelling right :). The vodkas are tasty, straight out of the freezer, making them surprisingly easy to drink. This place had a huge range to choose from as well as many different types of mixed shooters. They also offer traditional, simple polish food that is certain to hit the spot like Pickled herring and Beef Tartare. You can find all the details HERE.
Book
So are you ready to travel? Hope you found my post on Top 3 tips to do in Wroclaw useful.
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Happy travelling!
