Lublin – city break

Lublin is an inspiration, action booster, thought-provoker, and stimulant for discovery. An explosive mixture combining the past and the present. Come, feel, and experience! We suggest which attractions to choose, what to see, and what to try! The following itinerary is only a proposal; you can modify it while visiting the City of Inspiration!

Lublin can be easily reached by train, bus and car or plane. Lublin Airport is located about 20 km from the center of Lublin, in the town of Świdnik. The line connecting Warsaw with Kyiv runs through Lublin. There are also direct trains from Lublin to Berlin and Odesa and many Polish cities in Poland, such as Kraków, Warsaw, Kielce, Radom, and Zamość.

Day One: Evening exploration

After arriving and settling into your hotel, you can take an evening stroll through Lublin’s Old Town. The atmospheric tenement houses look great in the dim light of the lamps, and from Po Farze Square, you can admire the Lublin Castle and the night cityscape of Lublin.

This is also a good time to see the range of local restaurants, pubs and bars. You will find Polish, Jewish, and Italian cuisine, street food or vegan cuisine here. The restaurants offer craft beers, ciders, liqueurs, and the regional characteristic honey.

It is worth trying the various ‘variations’ on the theme of Lublin’s Cebularz, which can be found on the menu of almost every local restaurant. Try to look for places marked with the Place of Inspiration logo. They guarantee quality and a good atmosphere.

How much time do you need? 2.5 hours or more.

Day Two: Old town for a good start

A day started with fresh Cebularz and delicious coffee has to be successful. After such a breakfast, start your sightseeing with the National Museum situated in the Lublin Castle. In its courtyard, you will see the 14th-century Holy Trinity Chapel with its Byzantine-Ruthenian frescoes, unique in the world, and the Castle Tower known as the Donjon, one of the oldest buildings in Lublin with a great viewpoint. From the Castle, you will enter the Old Town through the Grodzka Gate, a passage between the Christian and Jewish cities in the past. It is worth noting the Basilica of the Dominican Order of St. Stanislaus, the Bishop and Martyr and the Old Theatre building.

Delving into the alleys and streets of the Old Town, you have to look for the Stone of Misfortune, a mural with a panorama of Lublin, the Semi-circular Tower, the ‘Cat’s House’, the photogenic Hartwigs’ Alley and other hidden treasures of the city In the heart of Lublin’s Market Square you will find the former Crown Tribunal (Old Town Hall) building, where the Lublin Underground Route starts. This is a good time to get to know the Legends of Lublin and the most famous one about „The Devil’s Paw”.

If you are interested in history and want to know more about the Kozi Gród, look at the Museum of the History of the City of Lublin. Meanwhile, another attraction will provide some much-needed exercise. There are 207 steps leading up to the Trinity Tower… but the unearthly views are well worth it. The tower also houses the Archdiocesan Museum of Religious Art. Next to it, you will find the St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Lublin.

3 hours will be enough fro this wandering. You can stop now or you can continue your walk. Walking along Krakowskie Przedmieście and its surroundings, you will find many objects worthy of attention. The New Town Hall, the Church of the Holy Spirit, the Lublin Union Monument, the Józef Piłsudski Monument, the Czartoryski and Lubomirski palaces. Further along, the royal route opens to Lithuanian Square with a fountain that dazzles with color at night and hosts multimedia shows from May to September.

I <3 Lublin

There are plenty of benches and a lot of green spaces which allow you to take a breath before exploring further. This is also the place where you will find the ‘I <3 Lublin’s sign, very popular in the photos and Facebook posts. Before exploring further, take advantage of the nearby restaurants.

Standing on Litewski Square, at the crossroads of Krakowskie Przedmieście and Kołłątaja Streets, at the end of Kołłątaja Street, you can see the building of the Centre of Culture in Lublin. The largest municipal cultural institution hosts various cultural events, with a green gallery Wirydarz, Central Café and Doslowna Bookshop.

Returning to Krakowskie Przedmieście, you can continue your walk towards the oldest park in Lublin. Heading further, take a moment to visit this park. Saski Garden is a green enclave in the heart of the big city. Now you only have to cross the street to find the Theatre Square, and see the modern building of the Meeting of Cultures Centre designed by Bolesław Stelmach. The industrial interior houses concert, theatre and exhibition halls.

It is worth taking a look inside! On the center’s roof, there is a glass-enclosed observation deck from which you will get a different perspective on the city. Don’t be surprised if you hear bees. They are the inhabitants of The City Artistic Apiary, located on this green terrace.

How much time do you need? 4 hours may not be enough.

Day Three: Rest and reflection.

The plan for today is to visit the Lublin Village Open Air Museum and the UMCS Botanical Garden. You can choose one or see both. The open-air museum is a unique place that allows you to go back in time, evoking the atmosphere of the villages and small towns of the Lublin region. It is one of the largest open-air museums in Poland. Here, you can see what the interior of a country cottage, a craftsman’s workshop, a church, an Orthodox church, or a mill used to look like.

Farm animals strolling through the open-air museum will be quite an attraction for those traveling with children. There is also an inn with regional delicacies or places to relax or picnic. The Botanical Garden is such a ‘Lublin secret garden’. It looks most beautiful in spring when everything is blooming and coming to life. However, summer and autumn are good times to enjoy nature here.

Here, you will see as many as 6,500 species and varieties of plants from all parts of the world. Trees, shrubs, flowers in the garden and greenhouses, and walking along the charming paths are great ways to relax. The garden also includes the Kościuszko Manor House and a small café.

A moment of reflection

The State Museum at Majdanek is the oldest museum institution in Europe commemorating the victims of the Second World War. It was established in autumn 1944 on the site of the former German concentration camp, commonly known as Majdanek. The Museum’s area covers 90 hectares with approximately 70 historical buildings. History is not always easy, but places like the Museum at Majdanek cherish the historical memory in us. It is worth visiting this place and looking back for a moment, reflecting on the victims of those terrible days.