Mistakes everyone makes in Wrocław

Most mistakes in Wrocław are small and easy to avoid once you know about them in advance. People pay for a map that's free as an app, spend a Monday in front of a closed Centennial Hall, and squeeze Książ Castle into half a day it doesn't fit into. That last one costs the most — a whole day lost on the road to the castle and back.

1. Paying for a dwarf map at the info centre

The tourist information centre sells a paper map of the dwarfs, but there's also a free app, "Go Wrocławskie Krasnale", that the city features on its own site and that covers far more figures than the paper map. Skip the paper and download the app before you head down Świdnicka Street, where Papa Krasnal, the first of the city's more than a thousand bronze figurines, stands.

2 daysExactly where the dwarf-hunting starts on day one:Wrocław in 2 days →

2. Saving Monday for Centennial Hall

Centennial Hall is shut on Mondays, and anyone who takes the tram out to it that day arrives at a locked door. That day belongs to the Old Town, which closes nothing; the Racławice Panorama is open on Mondays too from April to October, but outside that season, November to March, it's shut on Mondays as well.

3. Driving into the Old Town or onto Cathedral Island

The streets around the Rynek are partly pedestrian, and cars practically don't enter Cathedral Island — the bridge and the narrow lanes are in practice reserved for pedestrians. A car doesn't save anything there, it just needs somewhere to park. So the city is walked, with a tram only out to Centennial Hall.

Getting aroundThe full route from the airport into the centre, no car needed:Getting around Wrocław →

4. Mixing up the cathedral entry with climbing the tower

Walking into the cathedral itself on Cathedral Island is free. Climbing the tower is a separate item, paid on its own; anyone who doesn't know that in advance ends up with a longer queue and an extra cost they hadn't planned for.

5. Książ Castle in half a day

The journey there alone takes about 1 h 30 each way, leaving too little time for both the castle and the Project Riese tunnels underneath it. A half-day trip means Świdnica. Sobótka and the Ślęża climb need a full day, same as Książ.

Day tripsHow long each of the three trips takes:Day trips from Wrocław →

Where to stayWhich area to sleep in:Where to stay in Wrocław →

FoodWhat to eat and where:What to eat in Wrocław →

BudgetWhat a day costs:What Wrocław costs →

When to goWhich month to pick:The best time to visit Wrocław →

Hidden gemsWhat the guides skip:Wrocław beyond the itinerary: a reservoir, a garden, a cemetery and a viewpoint →