Travel Log | Wroclaw, Poland: Christmas Markets & City Highlights

We two tourists of Australia are, on the fourth leg of our European Christmas Market Vacation. Having celebrated Christmas day in Dresden, Germany with other friends from Oz, we departed for Poland on Boxing day, by train. The story of how we got to Dresden begins here: Back to Christmas market roots in Germany (coming soon)

The first leg from Dresden to Hoyerswerda was an uneventful journey of around 90 minutes. The next leg was a little more interesting.

First Class Polish Rail (PKP) Compartment

Polish rail has a strange idea of first class travel. It's not something I normally seek out, but the upgrade for the two hour journey from Hoyerswerda to Wroclaw was quite cost effective, so why not?

Well, for starters first class means a compartment. Sounds exotic, right? Wrong. There's only two of us, which means we’ve gone from a two seat row to ourselves, to sharing with 4 other people. You be the judge.

We were staying reasonably central, in the old town - close to the Christmas market action. Getting there was an easy 10 minute tram ride and a few minutes walk, however buying the ticket was not so easy. It made sense to try the tram stop vending machine while we waited, but no matter how many credit and debit cards I tried, I could not get it to work. The on-board ticket machine allowed tap-and-go, and worked perfectly.

Since we couldn’t possibly have had enough Christmas market action yet, after France and Germany, we dropped our bags and set off. The markets in Rynek we Wrocławiu, the town square, were in full swing, and will likely continue well into January.

The first thing that struck us both, was how thirsty we were and how difficult it was to quench our thirst.

Here, unlike Germany and France, alcohol was sold by only a few central vendors, the locations of which were coveted by the entire Polish nation. It wasn't long before we opted for a more traditional source, like a pub or restaurant, or both.

If all else failed though, we knew we could return to the market for a "chunk of bread".

Wroclaw (pronounced "vrot·swaaf") is the third largest city in Poland, and is a great gateway option into Poland, particularly travelling from Germany as we did. Located in Lower Silesia on the Oder River, and built across 12 islands, there's a lot to like.

We didn't get to all the attractions on our list, but here's a curated list of those we considered:

I was very interested in the Panorama of Racławice - a 19th century canvas commemorating the battle of Racławice and measuring 114m in length by 15m high. It's displayed in a purpose built rotunda, in such a way that it blends seamlessly with the physical terrain to disguise the boundaries of the canvas.

Incidentally, a ticket to the Panorama of Racławice (which includes an audio guide) also covers entry to the Ethnographic Museum, the Four Domes Pavilion Museum of Contemporary Art, and the National Museum, which is where we headed next.

The National Museum hosts several permanent exhibitions of Silesian art and sculpture, as well as the occasional temporary exhibition, which was a collection of modern art and post industrial era artefacts when we were there. I have included some examples in the Journey Gallery, below this article.

Next we headed to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, which for an "AFC" (our acronym for churches, castles and cathedrals), was a pleasing enough church with a not so typical lookout. While there were some steps, the bulk of the elevation was covered with a lift, operated by a fellow who took great pleasure in the disconcerting "clunk", that occurred as it reached the summit.

Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Viewpoint Wroclaw

The views of Wroclaw and surrounds were well worth it, although not great on this particular day. The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is located within Cathedral Island (Ostrów Tumski), which although no longer an island, is worth a walk around as it's the oldest part of city - dating back to the 10th century. If you time your visit right, you may spot the lamplighter who lights 103 gas lamps by hand, around 20-30mins before sunset.

Next stop, the market hall or Hala Targowa. Not the biggest market I've seen, but a good selection of fresh produce and local delicacies nonetheless. Before leaving, we stopped by the craft beer & food establishment in the market hall cellar. Great ambience and good food.

We had just enough time left to visit the Four Domes Pavilion. Honestly, I felt like this was a bit of a bust. There was a modern art exhibition, which was ok, but the main part of the pavilion was unavailable for some private showing, the Centennial Hall was closed, and the staff were a little frosty.

That said, I really liked Wroclaw and could probably have stayed longer. It's a small city with both modern and medieval elements, that offers something for everyone. It's also very accessible - the old town is easily walkable, and everything else is just a tram ride away.

Our itinerary will continue with a drive through the Lower Silesia countryside to Jelenia Góra - article coming soon. I really did think we'd be wrapping up Christmas markets here, but after Jelenia Góra we headed to Poznan and they were still going..

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