Piotrkowska
First-timersThe long main street and its side streets.
Łódź city guide
Things To Do In Łódź
Poland's great textile city, reinvented: red-brick factories turned into shopping centres, museums and bars, a film school that trained Polański and Wajda, and one of Europe's longest shopping streets.
1
Hostels in the city
6.7
Average, from 554 reviews
~4 km
Piotrkowska street
1948
The film school founded
€7–14
A meal
The Polish Manchester
In 1820, Łódź was a small town. By 1914, it was one of the biggest textile centres in Europe, built by Polish, German and Jewish industrialists who filled it with factories, workers' housing and their own palaces. Its Jewish community was among the largest in Europe until the Nazis confined it in the Litzmannstadt Ghetto, the last in Poland to be liquidated.
After communism, the mills closed and the city declined. It is now reinventing itself, turning its red-brick factories into cultural centres, lofts, bars and a vast shopping complex, and it has become one of the most interesting cities in Poland for anyone curious about industry, film and street art.
Łódź is cheap, unpolished and an hour and a half from Warsaw. Two days is right.
Where to stay
The centre runs along Piotrkowska street. Stay near it.
Manufaktura
IndustryThe old Poznański factory and palace.
Księży Młyn
AtmosphereThe Scheibler mill village.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 1 top-rated hostels. Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Łódź
Walk Piotrkowska, the main street, about four kilometres long and one of the longest shopping streets in Europe, lined with nineteenth-century buildings, bars and restaurants. Its pavement has a walk of fame of stars for Polish film.
Manufaktura, the former factory complex of the industrialist Izrael Poznański, is now a shopping centre, museum and square, and his palace next door is the city museum. Księży Młyn, the Scheibler family's mill village of workers' houses, is one of the most complete industrial settlements in Europe.
EC1, a former power station, houses a science centre and a planetarium. Muzeum Sztuki is one of the oldest museums of modern art in the world.
The Radegast station, from which the Jews of the ghetto were deported, is now a memorial. The Jewish Cemetery is one of the largest in Europe.
The city is covered in large murals, some of the best street art in Poland.
Free things
Free things to do in Łódź
Piotrkowska, the murals, Manufaktura's square and Księży Młyn are free.
The Radegast station memorial is free.
OFF Piotrkowska, a former factory courtyard full of bars and shops, is free to wander.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Łódź
Łódź is cheap and has a lively food scene along Piotrkowska and at OFF Piotrkowska. Milk bars and pierogi restaurants serve cheap Polish meals.
A meal is €7 to €14.
Nightlife
Going out in Łódź
Łódź has a lively nightlife, driven by students and the art and film schools. OFF Piotrkowska, in a former factory, is the centre of it, with bars and clubs in old industrial buildings.
A beer is €2.50 to €3.50.
Getting around
Getting around Łódź
The centre is long rather than compact, and trams run along much of it.
Łódź Fabryczna, the main station, is underground and next to the centre. Trains reach Warsaw in about an hour and a half.
Łódź has a small airport with a few flights; most people arrive by train from Warsaw.
Costs
What Łódź costs
Łódź is one of the cheapest big cities in Poland. Dorms start around €10. A careful day is €30 to €40.
The currency is the złoty, not the euro. Cards are accepted almost everywhere; use a bank ATM and decline the machine's currency conversion.
Safety
Staying safe in Łódź
Łódź is safe. Some areas away from the centre can feel rough at night; stay around Piotrkowska.
Emergency number is 112.
Day trips from Łódź
Most visitors come for the city itself.
Warsaw
The capital.
What's on
What is on while you are there
The Light Move festival turns the city's buildings into screens.
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Hostels
Where to stay in Łódź
The top-rated places to stay in Łódź right now, live from Hostelworld.
When to go
May to September is best. The Light Move festival lights up the city in autumn.
Jan
Cold
Feb
Quiet
Mar
Thawing
Apr
Spring
May
Good
Jun
Warm
Jul
Warm
Aug
Warm
Sep
Good
Oct
Light Move
Nov
Grey
Dec
Christmas
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros.
Prices are in złoty locally; these are euro equivalents.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Łódź travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
Is Łódź worth visiting?
Yes, for anyone interested in industrial history, film and street art. It is one of the most interesting and least touristy cities in Poland.
How long is Piotrkowska?
About four kilometres, one of the longest shopping streets in Europe.
How do I get to Łódź?
By train from Warsaw, about an hour and a half.
What is Manufaktura?
A former textile factory complex, now a shopping centre, museum and square.
How many days do you need?
Two.
Is Łódź safe?
Yes. Stay near the centre at night.
When is the best time to visit?
May to September, or autumn for Light Move.
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