We didn’t know what to expect when we made our way to Wroclaw. It’s not a city we had ever heard much about. In fact, we would probably not have found our way here at all had we not had a family connection with the place. But find it we did, and we are so glad we did!

Wroclaw is a fantastic place to chill out and just enjoy being in Europe. We had a fabulous 4 days in this city. If you are looking for a European city packed full of attractions then Wroclaw will not be for you. However, if you are looking for a city that is just lovely to hang out, have a drink and some food in a beautiful, atmospheric Old Town square and like quirky Wroclaw attractions, like dwarfs, then Wroclaw is perfect for you. Especially if you like a bargain destination.

After a 4 week journey through 6 countries, we were so happy to be somewhere we could just enjoy with no pressure.

Below, you will find out guide to what to do in Wroclaw, our thoughts about visiting Wroclaw with kids, getting from Warsaw to Wroclaw by bus, getting around Wroclaw and other things you might need to know to plan your own visit.

Top things to do in Wroclaw

Wroclaw is not a place packed full of must see attractions. However, if you are looking for what to see in Wroclaw there are some nice places to go and Wroclaw things to do – and you can start as soon as you arrive by looking out for Wroclaw’s dwarfs! More below.

I do have one warning before I start – if you go to one of Warsaw’s tourist information branches be aware that you need to pay for brochures!

Old Market Square

The first things to do see in Wroclaw are all in this main square – it is a great one! The second oldest in Poland, it makes for quite a sight and had a great atmosphere whenever we visited, although Sunday evening was our favourite time. At this time it was full of people, kids playing, balloons, bubbles.

The square is large and has different parts – it feels like it goes on and on. It’s also scenic and really all up one of my favourites in the world.

One of my favourite parts about this square was that it wasn’t overpriced. We often have to avoid eating in these main areas in Europe due to the price tag but we ate and had a drink here every evening. We just loved it.

There are also many historic buildings to visit around the edges of the square.

Dwarf hunting

As much as I loved the centre of Wroclaw there was one thing better – all the dwarfs that are spread throughout this city! The dwarfs actually started as a protest to communism and now make for our favourite of Wroclaw’s tourist attractions.

It is so easy to find dwarfs and it is especially good for kids. S found the first two within 5 minutes or our arrival. Many are on the ground so it makes it extra easy for little ones and the kids often found them before us.

Each has a different personality and it was a lot of fun looking out for them as we explored and also as we went about ordinary life. It added to the experience of having dinner when we would catch sight of a dwarf and it is such an effective way to entertain preschoolers – and adults for that matter.

You can buy a map of the dwarfs at the tourist information centre which I recommend.

Aquapark Wroclaw

Aquapark Wroclaw is one of the super fun places to visit in Wroclaw. It is great. There are pools, gym, saunas etc but the best part is the Recreation Park which has water slides, a wave pool, lazy river and a great kids zone with play areas indoor and outdoor. The majority is indoor though, which makes it a good attraction to visit in poor weather.

It’s probably the best water park I have been to for young kids. Everything seemed made for them. For example, the lazy river is only 70 cm deep so Mr 3 was able to stand everywhere – he absolutely loved it. There are many flotation devices including little blow up life jackets, noodles, kick boards and rings for kids that worked very well for us. There are also many young kid water slides including some more thrilling ones outside.

I probably would not enjoy this if I went without kids – there are so many kids I would probably find it annoying! But with young kids, it is absolutely perfect.

There are also lockers with armband use, a pool bar and reasonably priced food. It’s easy to get there on tram 8 or 9 from central area. You can find more information here.

Wroclaw Zoo

The oldest zoo in Poland is located in Wroclaw and we planned to visit this attraction. Unfortunately, however, S ended up splitting her forehead open and we ended up in emergency instead! I can say that we were very impressed with our treatment in Wroclaw hospitals. However, I can’t give my impression of Wroclaw Zoo. If you are interested in visiting yourself, you can find more information here.

Accommodation in Wroclaw

As usual, we stuck to holiday rentals and were able to get a great deal in Wroclaw using HouseTrip.

We stayed in a compact one bedroom apartment just a block from Old Market Square that was just perfect for us. It had great internet, a washing machine and was fully equipped. I do warn you that it is up 5 flights of stairs though!

Unfortunately, the apartment is no longer on HouseTrip but you can find it on airbnb here. Sign up here first to get US$25 free credit.

Eating in Wroclaw

One of the best parts about Wroclaw not being so touristy was that this was reflected in the prices. It was much cheaper to eat in Wroclaw in a superb location than other cities we have been to in Europe. This meant that even on our small budget, we were able to eat in the main square area every evening and enjoy some beers as well.

Everything we ate was good, but we had no stand out meals. I can definitely recommend a vegan cafe, Vega, which had great food and prices in the main square.

Getting to Wroclaw

We took a Polski bus from Warsaw to Wroclaw. This was cheap and easy – it only cost about $5 each.

The main train and bus stations are about a 1.5km walk to the Old Town or you can catch a tram – look for tram 8 or 9. And watch out for dwarfs on the walk in!

We flew out of Wroclaw and on to London. Ryanair has cheap flights into Wroclaw. Our host at our HouseTrip place drove us to the airport for a small fee.

Getting around Wroclaw

There are many trams and buses in Wroclaw. There can be ticket machines onboard. However, we never got these to work. There are some ticket machines across the city but they are not as prevalent as in Warsaw, so I suggest buying a ticket whenever you see one. Only under 4’s ride for free here although we never saw anyone checking tickets.

Wroclaw with kids

This is actually the perfect destination with kids as there is no pressure to go visit a myriad of museums! The kids absolutely loved dwarf hunting and the Aquapark and I am sure they would have loved the zoo as well!

Budget

We kept to our usual budget of 80 Euros a day for four of us in style. Wroclaw is great value.

Our verdict

As you can already tell, we loved our time in Wroclaw. It is low key, beautiful, atmospheric and less touristy than other places we have been. There is nothing not to love!

Our only problem came in the way of an accident – S hit her head on the table in our apartment and needed stitches! I am happy to report that we found the medical facilities excellent and so cheap! The hospital we took her to initially turned out to be the wrong one so they transported her by ambulance to another one, sirens blaring and all! They fixed up her head and the whole experience only cost US$50. Bargain!

If you are looking for somewhere to just enjoy a European city, then Wroclaw should be on your list.

Read more about visiting Poland and why you should go to Warsaw. If you are travelling on to Prague, you can read a guide to Prague here.

Tags:  Poland Travel Blog