Wrocław: a first-timer's guide to Poland's city of bridges

Why go

Wrocław feels like a smaller, calmer Kraków, with fewer crowds and plenty of character. Its layered history, from Silesian dukes to German Breslau, gives it a mix of Gothic, baroque and modernist architecture, and a big student population keeps cafés and bars buzzing.

What to see

The **Market Square** (Rynek) is one of the largest in Europe, surrounded by gabled houses painted in every colour and centred on the Gothic **Old Town Hall**, home to one of the oldest restaurants in Europe in its cellar. Next door, the smaller **Salt Square** has a flower market.

Cross the bridges to **Ostrów Tumski**, Cathedral Island, the oldest part of the city. At dusk a lamplighter still lights the gas lamps by hand. Climb the tower of the **Cathedral of St John the Baptist** for the view, and look for love padlocks on the Tumski Bridge.

The **Racławice Panorama** is a giant circular painting of a 1794 battle, viewed from a platform in the centre. **Centennial Hall**, a UNESCO listed concrete dome from 1913, sits beside the **Japanese Garden** and the **Multimedia Fountain**, which holds evening shows in summer. The **University of Wrocław** has a baroque Aula Leopoldina and a tower with a mathematical viewing terrace, and the **Hydropolis** water museum is great for families.

The dwarfs

More than six hundred small bronze dwarfs, or krasnale, are scattered around the city, each with a job or a personality: a firefighter, a banker, a dwarf on a laptop. They began as a nod to the Orange Alternative, a playful anti communist movement of the 1980s. Picking up a map and hunting for them is a joy for children and adults alike.

Neighbourhoods

The **Old Town** holds most sights. **Nadodrze**, north of the river, is a creative area of street art, galleries and cafés. The riverside boulevards and islands such as **Słodowa Island** fill with young people on summer evenings.

Day trips

**Książ Castle**, one of the largest castles in Poland, sits above a forested gorge near Wałbrzych. The **Churches of Peace** in Świdnica and Jawor are huge timber framed churches with UNESCO status. The **Karkonosze** mountains around Karpacz and Szklarska Poręba offer hiking and skiing.

Food and drink

Try pierogi, żurek, Silesian dumplings and roast duck, and look for craft beer bars around the square. The Christmas market on the Rynek is one of the best in Poland, with mulled wine and wooden stalls.

Where to stay

The **Old Town** is the obvious choice. Areas near the **river and Cathedral Island** are quieter and scenic, and the area around the **main station** has good value hotels and easy transport.

Getting around

The centre is walkable, trams cover the wider city and city bikes are popular in summer. Trains link Wrocław to Kraków, Warsaw, Poznań, Berlin and Prague.

Good to know

Summer evenings by the river are the highlight. Some museums close on Mondays, so check before you go.

Families

Children love the dwarf hunt, the Afrykarium at the zoo, Hydropolis and boat or pedalo rides on the Oder. The Old Town is flat and compact, which makes it easy with a pushchair, and parks such as Szczytniki give everyone space to run around on a sunny afternoon.