Wroclaw – 7 of the Best Insider Tips

Hi Everyone,

Wroclaw is a pretty city situated in the south western part of Poland. Not well known as a tourist destination, it really is a hidden cultural gem. It was even nominated European Culture Capital in 2016.

Some say Wroclaw is the global home of Gnomes and that there is a secret underground place here where all Dwarf heads globally meet each year. We don’t know if what ‘some say’ is true or not but we do know that Wroclaw, has more than 600 Dwarf statues! More about these further down.

Wroclaw has 100 bridges, making it also know as the city of bridges, or the Venice of the north.

For me Wroclaw was an incredibly pretty city with an extreme mix of beautiful old buildings, ugly communist era buildings and fantastic modern architecture jumbled all together in one pot. Not what I would consider as a shopping city and after Krakow I was most surprised not to see any pottery shops. However there are certainly plenty of other things to see and do, not to forget some wonderful food places.

 

Wroclaw – 7 of the Best Insider Tips

1. Climb to the top of the stairs of St Mary Magdalene’s Church

Climb to the top of the stairs of St Mary Magdalene’s Church to the Penitent Bridge.

Be rewarded by a beautiful view overlooking the city from the top. Plus on your way up be sure to learn about the legend of Tekla.

“Once upon a time in Wrocław, there lived a beautiful but vain and lazy girl named Tekla. She didn’t take up any work, she only dressed up and admired herself in the mirror… read the full story here.”

 

2. Find a secret spiral staircase.

When passing tenements in Wrocław there is always one question – is there a spiral staircase inside or not.

I was told by a local to go and check this one out. It is hidden in a building opposite the Diesel building in Wroclaw and not open to the public so you have to get creative to truly discover it.

In any case there are apparently quite some hidden spiral staircases in Wroclaw, just waiting to be discovered.

 

3. Go to the Market Square and find the painted window.

Even though there are many tenement houses in the Old Town of Wroclaw, there is one that is pretty unique. It’s located at Rynek 5 street. It seems quite ordinary but when you look closely, you will see that one window of the house is fake. A simple painted window but done so cleverly that it looks real.

Wish you lots of fun finding this – it took me quite some time – hehe!

 

4. Find the 600 Dwarfs in Wroclaw.

The first Dwarfs appeared in the city in 2005. Each Dwarf has a special meaning and they were installed throughout the city as a peaceful protest against the Communist regime and to promote independent thinking.

Download the App ‘Wroclaw Dwarfs’ to help you on your hunt.
We found just over 80 and one of my last ones was just at the entrance of a strip club, making Mr FunkyForty somewhat worried as I ventured over. Luckily Spiderman was also always watching over me – smile!

 

5. There are 100 bridges in Wroclaw – each with a special story.

There are 100 bridges in Wroclaw – each with a special story. You might like to go on one of the many walking tours to discover at least the most historically important bridges.

Here is the link to a free tour.

 

6. Finish the day with an apero with a view on top of the Hotel Monopol

Finish the day with an apero with a view on top of the Hotel Monopol. We discovered the roof top bar – Terraces in Hotel Monopol whilst walking around and then looking up – haha. It is such a peaceful pretty place to have a rest from city sightseeing, have a drink and simply soak in the surrounding city views.

 

7. Hotel recommendation: Hotel Altus Palace

Hotel Altus Palace is part of the Dobry hotel chain which we really love and also experienced in Krakow. What we love is that the hotels  tend to be situated close to the centre in very historic buildings. The inside has however mostly been gutted out with some fabulous design features.

The Hotel Altos Palace is inside the  historic building of the former Leipziger Palace. Built in 1874 as the family residence of the banker Ignatz Leipziger

See current rates here.

Check here for more great FunkyForty travel tips.

 

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