Poland’s third largest city, Łódź, is a great spot for a weekend trip.
It’s a former industrial town with impressive historic architecture, a cool creative energy and lively bars and restaurants. Here’s everything you need to know if you’re planning a trip to Łódź.
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Everything you need to know about visiting Łódź
As you probably know I do loads of research before I visit somewhere and after doing a £100 trip I figured, why keep it to myself?! So, here’s everything you need to know before visiting Łódź.
Where is Łódź?
Łódź (pronounced ‘wudj’) is in Poland, very roughly in the middle of the country, between Warsaw in the east (just under 2 hours’ drive away) and Wrocław in the west (just over 2 hours’ drive away).
Because of its industrial heritage and red-brick factory buildings, it does get referred to as the Manchester of Poland (is it just me or is everywhere the Manchester of somewhere these days?!).
In recent years, many of these former factories have had a glow up and the city is now humming with trendy bars, restaurants, galleries and shops – which makes it a great destination for a city break.
Currently London Stansted and Birmingham are the only two UK airports with direct flights to Łódź with Ryanair. From the airport, it’s about a half hour by bus into the city centre (or slightly less in a taxi).
What currency do they use in Łódź?
Poland is part of the EU but they don’t have the Euro – their currency is Polish złoty (PLN).
Prices in Łódź are generally much cheaper than in the UK, especially when it comes to food, drinks and public transport, so your money tends to go quite a bit further here.
Most places accept card payments, including contactless, even for small purchases like coffee or tram tickets. However, it’s still handy to carry a little cash just in case.
Do they speak English in Łódź?
You shouldn’t have too many problems getting by in English in Łódź – especially in tourist areas, restaurants, bars and hotels. Young people generally speak English well, and most serving staff will be able to take orders and answer basic questions.
If you stop someone in the street for directions, there’s a good chance they’ll understand at least a few key words or try to point you in the right direction.
And remember you could always learn some basic phrases like the ones below:
Dzień dobry (‘djen dobreh’) = Good morning
Dobry wieczór (‘dobreh vee-ey-chur’) = Good evening
Dziękuję (‘djen-coo-yeh’) = Thank you
Przepraszam (‘psheh-pra-sham’) = Excuse me or sorry
What are the top tourist sights and activities in Łódź?
There’s plenty to see and do in Łódź, below I’ve put some of the things I personally think are highlights.
If you have a bit more time, I’ve got a longer list with more detail over in my post The Best Things To Do In Łódź.
Piotrkowska Street
Many of Łódź’s main attractions are around the city’s famous main street. Piotrkowska Street is really long and chock full of restaurants, bars, cafés, shops and beautiful old buildings. There are also lots of cool murals and sculptures to see. It’s definitely the heart of the city’s social life.
Rose passage
This street off Piotrkowska is entirely covered in shards of mirror glass, which glitters at certain times of day. This was absolutely incredible, sadly it came out terribly in photos but it was so impressive in person.
Museum of Łódź
Housed in the former mansion of a textile factory owner, this museum showcases the history of Łódź and how the city built its wealth and identity through the textiles industry.
OFF Piotrkowska
This is a former industrial complex turned cool city hangout, with independent bars, street food spots, cafes and creative spaces. There’s a lively atmosphere both during the day and in the evening.
Manufaktura
Another former industrial setting, but much bigger and slicker. This huge red-brick former factory complex is now a shopping mall and cultural destination – there’s shops, restaurants, museums and entertainment spots like a cinema and bowling.
Hopa Lupa
The largest indoor amusement park in Europe, Hopa Lupa is a great destination for big kids and little kids alike. They have trampolines, climbing walls, obstacle courses, arcade games and more. James and I spent an enjoyable couple of hours in here!
Other highlights include Lodz City Culture Park, which is an open air museum, the Palm House, which houses varieties of plants from across the world and Art Factory, a former textile mill turned creative hub – read about these and more in The Best Things To Do in Łódź for Every Budget.
What are the best hotels in Łódź?
I’ve done a full list of my top picks of the best hotels in Lodz for every budget, but if you just want some options at a glance, check out the properties below.
Budget
Hotel Flamingo
Twin room from £23 per night
At Hostel Flamingo you’re 5 minutes walk from Piotrkowska Street. Rooms are simple but warm and welcoming, and all have a Netflix-enabled TV. Bathrooms are shared and there’s a kitchen too for rustling up budget meals.
Mid-Range
PURO Łódź Centrum from £52 per night
James and I stayed at PURO, a 4-star hotel that offers incredible value – there’s a sauna and gym, 24h reception and a restaurant that serves Asian and European cuisines. It’s a couple of minutes walk from Piotrkowska Street and less than that to Manufaktura, the city’s popular shopping and cultural destination housed in a former factory complex.
Luxe
Grand Hotel Łódź from £110 per night
Łódź is definitely a good place to splash out on a luxury stay – rooms at this gorgeous 5-star hotel start at £110 per night. The decor is straight out of a design magazine, plus there’s a restaurant on site and even a spa and pool in the basement.
What is public transport like in Łódź?
Łódź has a good public transport network made up of buses and trams. Some buses run through the night, but the trams don’t.
We found the buses and trams to be super clean and very affordable. You use one ticket per journey, which is based on the overall journey time, so you can switch between trams and buses without needing to buy another one.
There are 20-minute tickets and 40-minute tickets – and the cost of the ticket depends on which zones you’re travelling in. As a tourist, you’ll probably just need zones 1-2.
How do you pay for public transport in Łódź?
There are a few different ways to buy public transport tickets in Łódź:
- Ticket machines at bus and tram stops
- Ticket machines on board buses and trams
- Mobile apps
Paper tickets
If you get a paper ticket, you need to validate it at the start of your journey by getting it punched by the machine on board.
Digital tickets
Jakdojade is a Polish transport app that’s like a deluxe Google Maps – it works both as a journey planner and ticket app, showing you exactly which tram or bus to take and which ticket type you need, depending on your route. You then buy the ticket directly in the app (there’s a small service fee) and when you board at the start of your journey, you activate the ticket in the app.
Ticket prices
20-minute ticket (zones 1-2) – around 4.40 złoty (roughly 90p)
40-minute ticket (zones 1-2) – around 5.60 złoty (just over £1)
Where are the best places to eat and drink in Łódź?
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How much does a trip to Łódź cost?
Booking the trip: How much do flights and accommodation in Łódź cost?
A holiday to Łódź can be very affordable, particularly compared to other European city break destinations.
And prices here are lower compared to other Polish cities like Krakow and Wrocław. You can generally find reasonably-priced flights from London – especially outside peak holiday periods – and low accommodation prices as well.
On the trip: How much do food, drink and activities cost in Łódź?
Once you’re there, Łódź is pretty budget-friendly for day-to-day spending.
Eating out, attractions and public transport are relatively affordable, so, you can plan out a healthy itinerary without constantly worrying about your budget.
Here are some of the things we spent money on and how much they cost:
Item | Cost |
|---|---|
Hot meal | £3.03 |
Glass of wine | £3.84 |
Bus, 20 min ticket | £0.89 |
Tram, 40 min ticket | £1.13 |
Trampoline park entry (2h) | £12.91 |
My experience doing a £100 holiday to Łódź
To prove just how affordable Łódź is, in March 2026 I did a £100 holiday challenge. You can read all about it in my article below.
Now James and I deliberately spent very little so the whole trip would come in under £100 each. You don’t have to be so ruthless, but even if you have a very strict budget for your trip, it shouldn’t be too hard to stick to it.
And if you’re thinking – well, it’s easy to keep costs down travelling as a pair, what about a solo trip?!
That’s a fair question – but you can definitely find decent accommodation for one for a similar price here. For example, a twin room at Flamingo Hostel starts at £23 per night – that’s even cheaper than what James and I paid per head!
Everything You Need To Know About Visiting Łódź, Poland: Final Thoughts
I was really pleasantly surprised by my trip to Łódź – having no expectations I found it an authentic and welcoming city.
OK it’s not as picture-postcard as Kraków or Warsaw, but it has its own charm – and it’s extremely affordable. James and I went to uni in Manchester and I can definitely understand the Manchester comparison – it’s got a cool vibe thanks to the urban regeneration and the lively bars and restaurants.
So, if you’re looking for an affordable city break from the UK I can definitely recommend Łódź.
