Poland was a popular return when I searched for budget friendly countries in Europe. We knew very little about it, but that was the case with so many of the places that we added to our itinerary. Wroclaw was an add based on location and price of lodging. It would help us break up the train trip from Prague to Krakow and we found a great spot right in the city center for $30/night.
The fog hung out with us most of our three days in town. We got a few minutes of sunshine (evidence in the photo above) but it didn’t matter to us. The city was a perfect stop for us and we fell in love.
4 Reasons Wroclaw was Memorable
A New Hobby
While searching for things to do in this city, we happened to watch a story on Instagram about geocaching. We never really understood how it worked before and decided to try it. It was the best way to get out and explore. Each geocache is loaded with historical information. Our first two tries were pretty rough. There were so many people around and we had no idea what we were looking for. The third one was located in a really cool garden that served drinks and we were able to take our time looking. Once you find one, you’re hooked. We wandered all over town finding all kinds of really cool art features, beautiful gardens and amazing stories about the locals while spending $0.
The Food
In the land of meat and potatoes, we figured we’d be stuck eating a lot of PB&J sandwiches. That couldn’t have been further from the case. We found some amazing food and it was super affordable. Justin enjoyed his favorite meal of that month in Wroclaw.
Some places to check out:
- Wroclaw Market Hall – Great place to shop for produce and specialty items.
- Targowa – Craft Beer & Food – Great salads for vegetarians and great beer selection.
- Piwnica Świdnicka – right in Old Town and has more traditional options.
- The Pancake Place – A menu with a long list of pancake options. The picture below shows our two options. It’s a strange little USA themed shop but we were not disappointed.
- Federacja Wina – If pizza is on your mind, this cozy little spot has tons of options.
- Corso Wine Bar & Restaurant – Next to the pizza place, this place was our savior the night we arrived. Huge plates of pasta helped fight off the hanger of a long travel day.
It was nice to be able to eat out every day without breaking our budget. It’s one of the reasons that this city was a favorite for us.
Colorful Old Town
So many European cities have an “old town” but Wroclaw shot to the top of our favorites list. The buildings are so beautifully colorful. Red, pink, green, yellow buildings that look like they are out of a fairytale. While the buildings are beautiful, the most magical part of this specific old town is the missing crowds. It is the first place we’ve visited that wasn’t jam packed with tourists. It didn’t matter what time of day you were walking through, it was never busy. Don’t worry though, there is enough action for good people watching during happy hour.
Dwarves Everywhere
A little background first. During the communist regime, there was a group of protesters in this area called the Orange Alternative. They were a group that used silliness and ridiculous methods to peacefully protest. It was successful because the police had a hard time opposing the silliness of these protests.
The dwarves were a symbol. The police would paint over anti-communism messages and then this group used dwarves to fight back. You could find hundreds of graffiti dwarves throughout Wroclaw in the 1980’s.
After the fall of communism in 1989, the protesters were no longer active. The city decided to put up one statue to commemorate the movement in 2001. Now there are over 250 in the city and you can spend days just walking around looking for them. Maps and guides are available at most tourist shops, but you can find many of them by just wandering around.
It is a great adventure to take while in the city. Read more about the dwarves here.
Some Wroclaw Details
Find a place to stay here. Anything close to Old Town would be perfect. The entire town is walkable, but the public transportation is plentiful and easy as well.
The main train station is about a 30 minute walk from the middle of old town. It’s a quick train ride from Warsaw or Krakow and easy to add to any Poland itinerary.
The language is insanely difficult. Learning “thank you” took us a lot of trial and error, but the people we met were so friendly and helpful. Most people spoke English here, so it was easy to navigate for us.
Lastly, they do not use the Euro here. You can easily exchange money at the train station or just come prepared with Zloty. Most restaurants we visited took credit cards, but it’s always good to have some cash.
Is Wroclaw on your list?
Tell us if you’re planning a visit to this beautiful city. We would love to follow along and see photos.
