Wroclaw has one of the biggest Christmas Markets in Europe. It is also home to over 600 bronze gnomes scattered around the streets.
Travelling to Wroclaw
We flew to Wroclaw in the month of November from Manchester Airport with Ryanair which cost £29 return plus extra for seats and case which added another £30 each. We mainly went to Wroclaw to visit the Christmas Market. Private transfers from the Airport took around 30 minutes.
Accommodation
The apartments we stayed in were Riverside Apartments booked through Booking.com. It was a one-bedroomed apartment with a sofa bed, dining area and fully equipped kitchen. Although the apartments were described as having a river view there wasn’t much of the river to be seen. The apartment was on the top floor and the building did not have a lift therefore we wouldn’t recommend it for anyone who has any mobility issues as it was up 8 flights of stairs. The location of the apartment was close to public transport. It was also about 15 minutes’ walk from the main square of Wroclaw. Although the apartment was basic it met our needs and the location was good.
Christmas Market
The Christmas Market is set up across the main square. It is lovely during the day but looks even prettier at night when all of the stalls are lit up. Basically the market is centred around the square but due to the sheer size of it, it stretches way outside of the square and along the side streets. There are so many stalls selling a variety of items such as hats, gloves, food and drink, and souvenirs. It was so interesting seeing the different local foods and items for sale.
Straightaway we tried Meat Pierogi (which is a bit like a meat dumpling) as they looked so good. This is a must try when in Poland. We subsequently tried Paczki which is similar to a doughnut but we found this a bit too sweet for our taste. Overall there were so many Polish foods to try which all looked good but we did not manage to taste a lot of them. There are several places that sell various flavours of mulled wine served in little mugs shaped like boots.
It is thought the idea of putting the mulled wine in boots comes from the Western Christian tradition that on St Nicholas Day (5th December) children put boots out for their presents to be put into. Obviously we had to try most of the flavours of the mulled wine which were all different – our favourites were the red wine based ones. Additionally they served hot chocolate and coffee with rum which was also very nice. The hot drinks were needed as it was very cold.
It was lovely just wandering around the market and looking around the different stalls. There is also a lovely smell from the market that is a combination of the sweet doughnuts, sausages and the mulled wine. It always makes you feel hungry even if you are not wanting to eat due to the nice smells. It is a great atmosphere and definitely puts you in the Christmas spirit.
Places of interest
There are lots of interesting places to visit in Wroclaw away from the main square. We went to Otrow Tumski (Cathedral Island) on a beautiful crisp, sunny day. This is the oldest part of Wroclaw. It is just a short walk from the square and well worth visiting. You can go into the Cathedral and walk around free of charge. You can also walk halfway up to the top of the Cathedral but if you want to go to the very top then you have to pay a small amount to do so.
We also went to see the sculptures in Wroclaw of people sinking into and rising out of the ground (“Przefscie” which translates to “Passage”). These statues were built in memory of people that were killed or went missing during the period of martial law in Poland that occurred during the 1980s.
We also spent a short time looking for the bronze gnomes that are scattered around the streets of Wroclaw. It isn’t clear exactly how many of them they actually are. You can buy maps and brochures to try and track them all if you have the time to do so. It would take some time as there are said to be over 600. A lot of the gnomes are sponsored by businesses therefore you will find many of them outside their premises.
Dinning out
There are many places to eat and drink in Wroclaw catering for every taste and budget. Besides the traditional polish restaurants there are the typical chain restaurants, fast food restaurants, and others specialising in the usual Italian, Spanish and French cuisine. There are also many take away places where you can get your curry or kebab fix if you need it.
Many people on an evening if not eating at the Christmas market would spend the time over a meal and a bottle of wine at one of the restaurants.
Basically we ate at the Christmas market as this is why we were in Wroclaw. Also we ate at a French Bistro/Cafe called FC Nalesniki which is just a short walk from the Market Square. We had savoury pancakes which were delicious and a soft drink each which came to less than 10 Euros. There were a few bars around the square which did not get really busy. We went to a Irish Pub called Pub Guiness. There was live music on each night. This bar was busy both during the day and of an evening. It is only a short walk from the Market Square. Prices were similar to those in the UK.
Summary
To summarise Wroclaw is a beautiful place both day and night. This was our first visit to Wroclaw for the Christmas market therefore can not comment on what it is like in the summer months but we are sure that it would bring a different experience to the visit. We especially loved the Christmas Market and its atmosphere. Previously we have been to the Christmas Market at Gdansk before but we preferred Wroclaw. It snowed whilst we were there which made it feel really Christmassy. The snow did get quite heavy at times, particularly on the night before we were due to leave so we were a bit worried if this would affect our flight, but we needn’t have done so. Nothing changed due to the snow; everyone went about their business as usual unlike in the UK when everything comes to a standstill.
Images
Things to do
- Visit Cathedral Island
- Visit the Market Square
- Visit the Royal Palace
- Visit University Botanical Garden
- Visit Ractawice Panorama
- Visit the Christmas Market
- Visit Rrzefscie (Passage)
- Search for the Bronze Gnomes
Top Tips
- Look on Skyscanner for cheapest flights.
- If going for the Christmas Market remember this normally starts on the last weekend in November.
- When booking somewhere to stay check the location. We felt that is was better to be close to the Market Square.
- Ensure you take warm clothing if going for the Christmas Market.
- The Christmas Market is also great for children. Aswell as the stalls it has a small fun fair.
- Check out other places we have visited in Poland. Gdansk
- Check out the weather for best time to visit.
Weather
| Temp – Celsius Rain – mm | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| High Temp | 3 | 5 | 9 | 15 | 20 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 8 | 4 |
| Low Temp | -4 | -3 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 1 | -3 |
| Rainfall | 30 | 25 | 35 | 30 | 60 | 60 | 95 | 60 | 45 | 35 | 30 | 30 |
| Number of days | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
