Wrocław with Us

Wrocław is the largest city in the Silesia region of Poland. It lies on and around the River Oder and, as it is only a few hours by train from where we were based during our family holiday, we spent a night in the city to explore this fascinating place.

We stayed at Wrocław Centrum Hotel, which, as the name suggests, is pretty central and a short walk from the main train station. Our room overlooked an ivy-covered church, had air conditioning and plenty of coffee, and giant shower and comfy beds. The hotel itself has its own restaurant, a roof terrace, and a kids playroom that we had difficulty extricating Oli from! It's also situated next door to a huge shopping centre, the tram routes, and was a straight-line route into Old Town, so it was the perfect base for us to set off into the city.

Our five favourite family things to do in Wrocław

Explore the main square of Old Town (and dine at Pierogarnia)

The defining feature of Old Town is the magnificent Town Hall, a 13th century masterpeice that stands surrounded by a large open space and other stunning buildings and churches. We didn't have time to do the tour, but Oli loved watching the street performers, and playing with bubbles in the square, while Taz and I marvelled at the blend of different architectural styles and buildings.

As with any tourist centre, get there early for the best chance of crowd-free pictures, and to snag a front row terrace table at Pierogarnia. As we ate, we had an unobstructed view of the beautiful Gothic Old Town Hall, which we enjoyed along with traditional placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes), salad, and a very morish lemon beer!

I could have spent the whole day just in this small part of the city, as there are so many side streets, markets, covered walkways, shops, restaurants, churches, historical sites and museums to discover, but I'd recommend visiting on a cooler day as a four-year-old in the hot sun of a city does not make an ideal companion for walking about the streets!

Go on a Gome Hunt

Scattered across Wrocław, over 100 little gnomes hide among the streets and buildings of this stunning city. You can pick up a trail map from the tourist office and hunt down the Krasnale while learning about the history around their site. We didn't use the map, so it was delightful every time Oli spotted one of these unique statuettes peeping up at us. And, being closer to the ground, she was often much quicker than we were to spy them!

Interestingly, though, these dwarves have a very recent, and much more political history than just being a tourist draw: During the 1980s, Poland saw martial law imposed, repressive government, and censorship. One of the resistance groups that emerged, The Orange Alternative, would graffiti over communist propaganda, with absurd art which included fairytale creatures, highlighting the ridiculousness of the messaging. The Krasnale had particular staying power in the collective imagination, and over the years became a symbol of anti-fascism, independence, and resistance, and when Poland gained independence, the first gnome, Papa Kransal, was installed as a tribute to the movement.

In the early 2000s, artist Tomasz Moczek began planning the miniature gnome trail across the city, and estimates vary between 160-300 are to be found hiding around Wrocław.

Discover the Muzeum Iluzji

Tucked away on a side street of Wyspa Piasek, in what looks like an apartment building, is the Muzeum Iluzji - the Museum of Illusions. Spread over several rooms, almost every aspect is completely interactive and engaging; visitors are encouraged to try out the installations. Staff are on hand to explain the inner workings of the illusions, and there are multi-lingual labels beside each piece as well. Oli absolutely loved this find - playing with everything and getting completely involved with the games and sets.

An adult ticket starts from 55zł (£10.60 at time of posting) while a family ticket costs 145zł (just under £28) and children under 3 get in for free.

Visit the churches of the City Islands

With twelve islands and over 300 bridges, the River area is one of the most fascinating areas to wander through (and get a bit lost in!) Each island has something unique and fun, ranging from beach-style cafe bars, buskers singing in front of towering monuments, unique art installations, and markets popping up here and there.

We crossed Most Piaskowy to Wyspa Piasek, Sand Island, and stepped into the Church of Our Lady on the Sand, which was stunning, though we were only able to get into the foyer of the church that day. Next we meandered our way over the famous Tumski Bridge to visit the Cathedral Island and lit a candle in the impressive Cathedral of St John The Baptist.

It's worth noting that, as a very Catholic country, Polish churches have a strict etiquette and clothing policy (usually covered knees and shoulders, and men must remove hats); you won't be permitted to sightsee during mass or a service, and many churches only allow tourists into the vestibule or foyer.

Spend a day in the park at Hala Stulecia

The Hala Stulecia, Centennial Hall, is a UNESCO site to the east of the city centre, and while the Szczytnicki Park and hall are beautiful in their own right, we made the short tram journey to watch the 7pm fountain show.

Set to classical music (though other shows use dance, pop, or film music, and themed shows also take place) the Wrocław Fontanna Multimedialna show was fifteen minutes of gorgeously choreographed water and light displays which had us all transfixed. The shows are free to attend and run most nights throughout the summer months. There's a large cafe next to the fountains, and we also discovered an inflatable play park along the path, which cost the equivalent of around £2 for entrance, and was Oli's favourite part of the whole break!

---

Wrocław is becoming one of the most popular destinations in Poland, and it's easy to see why. We were only there for two days so we've barely scratched the surface of what's on offer for families, and I'm looking forward to a time when we can go on family city breaks without Oli getting bored and whiny within ten minutes!

So, if anyone has any top tips for surviving city breaks with bored kids, send them my way!