Institute of Geography and Regional Development

June 4, 2021 by Amit Chandra

Student life in Wrocław is one of those unique experiences that no experience seeker should miss. With all its scenic and quiet escapes, Wrocław city never ceases to amaze you. The Lower Silesian capital is a region of immense possibilities, which every student in Poland must know.

In our previous blog, we focussed on the efficiency and student-friendliness of this city. Now that you know the most popular things about Wrocław that make it an apt Polish city for higher studies, we have come up with some quick and vital life hacks for every student living in Wrocław.

It’s always satisfying to do the homework in advance. The research gets tricky when you’re travelling to an unknown land different from yours. This blog includes travel hacks, general travel tips, and shopping know-hows of travelling to Wrocław, Poland. As one of the most attractive destinations in central-eastern Europe, Wrocław in Poland is beautiful, affordable, and attracts students from across the world. With cheerful Polish people, bustling city squares, excellent local transport, and fairly cheap prices (compared to western Europe & Nordic countries), Wrocław proffers every student a fair share of excitement and joy.

Photo courtesy: Whistling Hound

Numerous international students who choose to move to Wrocław for full-time or Erasmus studies face frequent issues finding suitable accommodation, affordable stores to buy groceries, cheap/ second-hand appliances, clothes, and other utility stuff. While walking the streets of Wrocław, you may stumble upon many such stores, where you can get groceries, appliances, and other everyday essentials at a great price.

So, if you are someone looking for some nice and easy life hacks on settling down in Wrocław, this blog can prove to be quite helpful for you.

Travelling and getting around in Wrocław

1. Use an UrbanCard for hasslefree travel in Wrocław

Photo courtesy: Whistling Hound

Are you new to the city and find the tram prices quite affordable? Get an UrbanCard if you are a fan of public transport. That way, you have unlimited access to any tram or bus in Wrocław. As a student in Wrocław, you can avail yourself of tram/bus tickets at a heavily reduced price. The UrbanCard can be purchased from any ticket vending machine across Wrocław.

Photo courtesy: Whistling Hound

The machine supports multiple languages, including English, which is a foreigner-friendly option. You can use a debit card, cash, or BLIK option to pay for the ticket.

Protip: If you don’t want to bother yourself by looking for the ticket machines, you can buy a ticket or UrbanCard using your smartphone. All you need to do is install the UrbanCard app or visit the UrbanCard website.

Some popular ticket options are 24-hour, 48-hour, weekly, monthly, 3-month, 6-month, yearly, and semester plans.

2. Student discount/weekend ticket for travelling around Wrocław

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Wrocław, being the capital of the Lower Silesian region, has excellent rail and road connectivity with nearby touristic spots in Lower Silesia, Poland. Students in Wrocław have a unique opportunity to explore the best of Poland located in southwestern Poland. There are plenty of places near Wrocław that make for top tourist attractions in Poland. The enormous nature & rich architectural preserves of Poland has left millions of tourists fascinated. Lower Silesia in southwestern Poland sharing borders with the Czech Republic & Germany is a traveller’s delight.

Photo courtesy: Whistling Hound

If you’re a nature and architecture enthusiast, you can buy a weekend ticket from the Wrocław Główny (Main Railway Station) for as low as 49 pln, valid from Saturday until Monday morning. But keep in mind that a student’s discount is 51 percent which can be way cheaper than any return journey ticket. Do your math before settling for the best option. 

Some of the quickest and the most popular getaways from Wrocław for everyone: 18 Best Places Near Wrocław For Everyone Planning A Quick Escape From The City

3. Must know the basic Polish phrases

It’s always nice to learn some basic Polish words/phrases. It can act as a good gesture when you’re visiting new people at the supermarket, restaurants, cafe, or ticket counter. Dzień dobry(good day/good morning), do widzenia(goodbye), dobry wieczór(good evening), miłego dnia(have a nice day), dobranoc(good night), proszę(please), przepraszam(excuse me/I’m sorry), and dziękuję(thank you) are some of the keywords that I’d recommend you to learn before travelling to Poland.

4. Know the popular places to hang out & chill in Wrocław

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Wrocław is a Polish city endowed with terrific architectural & natural heritage, lush greenery, exceptional trails, and pulsating nightlife. Odra river prettifies the city carving out the stunning fragments into the shape of numerous islands that stay awake all night during summer and are abuzz with party people until dawn. There is a labyrinth of nature areas in the city perfect for a quick picnic and chilling with friends, everything that a student in the city can ask.

Photo courtesy: Whistling Hound

Some of the popular experiences for every tourist/student in Wrocław are:

1. Go kayaking in Stara Odra.
2. Explore the National Museum, Panorama Racławicka, and Hydropolis.
3. Spend relaxing time in one of the most popular nature parks in the city (Botanical Garden (free entrance to the student of University of Wrocław)Japanese Garden, Szczytnicki Park).
4. Watch the panoramic city view from Katedra, Mathematical Tower Of Wrocław University (Wieża Matematyczna), Bridge of Penitents, Sky Tower.
5. Experience the best of Wrocław nightlife at Wyspa Słodowa & Tamka, city beach bars, and pubs and clubs in the Rynek region.
6. Watch the fountain light show at the Centennial Hall.

Must read: Best Of 48 Hours In Wrocław – Venice Of The Eastern Europe

Finances & grocery

5. Don’t miss these places to shop in Wrocław

Photo courtesy: Whistling Hound

For every student in Wrocław, Biedronka must be the go-to store for groceries. With their cheap and great price and great options to choose from, it is not just the ideal place for students to shop in Wrocław but also for those on a trip to Poland. Among others, Lidl, Auchan, Dino, and Kaufland are the major supermarket chains in Poland that keep bringing attractive offers from time to time.

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There are some other fabulous places to shop in Wrocław that you must check out. Pepco, Flying Tiger, Second-Hand shops named Vena. The good thing about Vena stores is that they have a fixed price for everything in the shop on specific days. So, there’s a good chance that if you make it to the store when fresh stock arrives, you may end up buying yourself some fancy cloth or jacket worth hundreds of zlotys for a throwaway price of 5 or 10 zlotych.

6. Always exchange money from Kantor Cent in Wrocław

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Avoid currency exchange shops at the airport or random Kantors across the city. If you're new to Wrocław, Poland, try carrying some Euros/Zloty in hard cash from your home country, and make sure that you go to Kantor Cent to exchange your money. The Kantor Cent in Rynek has a reputation for providing the best value for money. Even if you go elsewhere in Poland, always look for the shop labelled as Kantor Cent shop, at least in major Polish cities. Optionally, for expatriates and students in Wrocław, the ING bank is also a great option. The ING bank application gives you a decent exchange rate.

7. Double-check grocery store timings before national Polish holidays & selected Sundays

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As a foreigner in Poland, it gets tricky to figure out public holidays. There is some major holiday streak like Christmas and Easter when almost all the shops are closed. If Sunday gets suffixed or prefixed or sandwiched between holidays, it gets quite troublesome for any student. It is, therefore, recommended to keep in mind the Polish holidays. And identify how supermarkets in Wrocław function. Starving in such festive times isn't a good idea.

8. Cheap food in Wrocław

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Food is essential, but cheap food places are a blessing for every student. There are places in Wrocław where you can order the cheapest food at an incredible price. To start with, look for the food outlet named Bar Mleczny Miś.

You can find a great breakfast and lunch menu. For example, you can order some great fried chicken, bigos, traditional pork chop, Russian dumplings, fresh salads, all at an unbelievable price. The food served here is healthy and delicious.

Address:  ul. Kuźnicza 48, Wrocław

Hours:  Mon-Fri: 07:00–18:00, Sat: 08:00–17:00

There are other similar food outlets with the more or less similar price that are worth checking out.

Bar Mleczny Mewa:

Address: Bolesława Drobnera 4, Wrocław

Hours: Mon-Fri: 09:00–17:00,

Bar Smak:

Address: Świętego Wincentego 14, Wrocław

Hours: Mon-Fri: 09:00–18:00, Sat: 09:00–14:00

Lepione Kuźnicza: Here, you can order food by weight, and they have a student discount.

Address: Kuźnicza 42, Wrocław

Hours: 11:00–19:00 (all days)

Similarly, there are Express Oriental, Asian fusion restaurants across the city where you can order lip-smacking food at a great price. Don’t forget to check for student discounts at most of the eateries and restaurants in Wrocław.

Photo courtesy: Whistling Hound

If you are a coffee lover, head over to McCafe in McDonald’s on Mondays for coffee for 2 zlotych.

Mobile internet & conveniences

9. Local sim card & free wifi in Wrocław

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Buying a local sim card in Poland is the first thing every student/foreigner must do after arrival in Poland. The mobile internet in Poland is cheaper compared to other European Union nations. For a starting price of 20 pln or 4.5 EUR per month, you can avail unlimited calling, text messages to any number inside Poland and 35 gigabytes of internet data in Poland (2.5 gigabytes of data in other EU countries).

Besides the authorised stores of mobile service providers, sim cards can also be purchased from Zabka stores by merely providing them with your passport as document proof. Easy and hassle-free!

Don’t forget to make the best use of free wifi in public places & city centre! The city centre region and other popular public places in Wrocław have a strong public wifi network. Public wifi is a big blessing for everyone who has just moved to Wrocław

Protip: Use the high-speed Eduroam internet from the University, free across Europe

10. Popular websites & Facebook groups for Wrocław

If you consider relocating to a different country or city, your smooth transition to that place can significantly depend on your level of research about that place and its residents. With a labyrinth of information and a massive base of Wrocław expatriates, all you have to do is find the right channel, forum, social media group, or website that caters authentic information to everyone new in the city. Wrocław city expatriate community, mostly living around for work and studies, is quite active - online and offline. It is, therefore, recommended to look up your essentials: recommendations, accommodations, goods, or services on these online platforms.

While there are authentic websites like Olx, Gumtree, and Allegro selling cheap second-hand stuff in excellent condition, there are plenty of active Facebook groups where you can find almost anything and everything on your everyday needs. Any student moving to Wrocław can find essential commodities concerning house buying/rent, utilities, interior decor, appliances, and clothes in these popular online marketplaces if they keep a close eye on the group activities.

Here are some of the popular Facebook groups that you must consider joining before you arrive in Wrocław:

1. Wroclaw Expats (for any information about living in Wrocław)

2. Sprzedam Kupię Zamienię Wrocław (buy/sell/exchange)

3. Giełda Rowerowa Wrocław (second-hand bikes buy/sell)

4. SecondHandy we Wrocławiu (second-hand stuff)

5. WROCŁAW NA WYNAJEM - mieszkania, pokoje. (houses and apartments)

Every student in Wrocław must take a note of the above, and suddenly you will realise that life in this city will be so easy and fulfilling! Follow us on social media, Facebook & Instagram, for uninterrupted access to more such exciting content on life in Wrocław.