What to see in Wrocław in 1 day

The Rynek, the market square, marks a good start to the day: surrounded by coloured buildings rebuilt after the war, it hosts the Gothic town hall, one of Poland's largest, with its tower climbable for a view over the old city's roofs.

Strolling between the city-centre lanes you easily encounter the krasnale, the bronze gnome statues born as tribute to a 1980s peaceful protest movement and today become a widespread visitor treasure hunt game.

Crossing the Oder on one of the many bridges you reach the Ostrów Tumski, the cathedral island, the city's most ancient core, where street lamps are still lit by hand each evening.

For lunch, the halowe, the covered markets of the centre, offer a taste of Polish cuisine before resuming the city tour.

The Centennial Hall, a masterwork of early 20th-century reinforced concrete architecture and a UNESCO site, is surrounded by a park with a multicoloured fountain that illuminates in the evening.

The Aula Leopoldina, the Baroque assembly hall adorned with allegorical scenes, is instead open to the public as one of the city's most decorated historic halls.

With evening, returning to the Rynek, venues beneath the arcades of the square lend themselves to dinner, with the coloured façades illuminated all around.

The Market Square, the gnomes, and Cathedral Island are enough to convey Wrocław's fairy-tale side, while the afternoon choice between the Centennial Hall and the Leopold Room adds its architectural or academic side.

A boat ride along the Oder and a complete hunt for krasnale remain chapters for a second visit. Seeing the colorful houses of the Market Square reflected in the arcade windows captures Wrocław in a single glance.