My husband and I booked a very last minute trip, child free, to Szczecin, Poland. We had no idea what there was to do there but we’d found some cheap flights from Liverpool that coincided with the dates my mum had said she would babysit so we booked it and went off to explore. We had a brilliant time and managed to fit loads in to our 36 hour trip, finding lots of interesting places, hidden gems and loads of rich history. If you’re looking to do something similar then here is a little bit more about Szczecin as a place and our recommendations for 6 things to do in Szczecin, Poland, if you are short on time.
Szczecin is a historic city in northwestern Poland, it is situated near the Baltic Sea and along the Oder River, close to the German border. It is known for its unique blend of Gothic, Baroque, and modern architecture, as well as its rich maritime heritage and vibrant cultural scene. In my opinion the best way to see the city is on foot, it’s easy to navigate and we walked everywhere with ease which meant we kept finding new places, but the public transport in Szczecin is pretty good with lots of buses and trams running throughout the city if you prefer not too walk. If you do walk however then be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the street art, it is much less graffiti and much more works of art compared to what we get back home and it is dotted all over the city, including in car parks and on abandoned buildings.
1. The underground tours
One of the best things to do in Szczecin and the first thing I would recommend to anyone visiting the city is the underground tour. It is a self guided tour which lasts about 1.5 hours and costs about £10 each, although you can upgrade to a guided tour if you want. The tour is underground and starts in (under) the train station, we struggled to find the entrance but if you enter the train station and go out on to the platform and turn left you will see some steps leading down which is where you will find the ticket office.
The tour itself is split in to 3 sections. The first is mainly you walking through the tunnels and reading lots of information about what the tunnels were used for. I wont leave any spoilers but I will say this was fascinating and harrowing at the same time and my favourite part of the tour.
The second section focuses on the Cold War and is more like displays that demonstrate what certain areas were used for and is specific to that time, again it is very interesting.
The third section is a little odd. It’s the selfie section and has lots of opportunities for you to take selfies or photos with props, some related to what you have just been reading about some not so much, definitely fun for any children you have with you and great for creating content for Instagram or tik tok too.
For me this was well worth the price and it really made me appreciate all the architecture around us in the city even more when you realise what had gone on prior. If you are arriving from or leaving to the airport via train then I would recommend tying this in with your travel times as it is just a short walk from the train station and can easily be done with a back pack on as we did it after checking out of our hotel on route to catch our flight home.
To answer some questions – yes it is under ground but it is not very dark, it is not claustrophobic and you only need to wear a hard hat if you are really tall, we didn’t actually see anyone down there wearing one.
2. Cafe 22
Café 22 is a stylish coffee house situated on the 22nd floor of the Pazim building. Its circular design and floor-to-ceiling windows provide a 360-degree panoramic view of Szczecin’s skyline, making it the perfect place for a breather, some refreshments, and to plan the rest of your trip. We enjoyed the view with a coffee and a slice of pistachio cheese cake and can highly recommend both. The prices are slightly higher than other cafes in Szczecin but still affordable especially when you consider the view. A coffee was £4 and the cheesecake was about £7 a slice but they are very big slices,we shared one between the two of us. If you love a good view then this is a must see.
3. Waly Chrobrego
Wały Chrobrego, also known as the Chrobry Embankment, is the riverside promenade in Szczecin. It has beautiful views of the Oder River and the city’s port and stretches approximately 500 meters with lots of places to stop, relax and just soak up the views along the way. It was constructed between 1902 and 1921 under the supervision of Wilhelm Meyer-Schwartau and was originally named Hakenterrasse after the then-mayor Hermann Haken. Following World War II, it was renamed in honor of Poland’s first king, Bolesław I the Brave (Bolesław Chrobry).
The promenade is adorned with lush gardens, sculptures, and monumental buildings that reflect the city’s rich maritime history. Notable landmarks include the National Museum, the Maritime Museum, and the Modern Theatre, although we didn’t visit any of these attractions it was nice to see them so centrally located and easy to access all in one place. We did however have a lovely walk along the promenade, taking in the views and people watching and would recommend that you head down there too. You can opt to do more than we did, or just soak up the atmosphere and grab a coffee, the choice is yours but the location is a must visit. If we visited again we definitely book a boat trip, unfortunately due to it being April there was only one boat trip a day and it clashed with our flight times so we were unable to book.
4. Shopping Centre
If you want to grab a few bargains or gifts for your loved ones back home then head to Galaxy, the main shopping centre in Szczecin. It has a great range of shops, some you will recognise and others you wont, selling everything you could possibly need at great prices. The shopping centre itself is also nice just to look round with a big fountain in the middle and lots of places to stop for a coffee if needed. Szczecin isn’t really geared up to tourists, which is actually really nice, but it does mean they you won’t find the usual souvenir shops so buying gifts can be tricky, we just grabbed some Polish sweets for our kids and I’m glad we did as we didn’t see much else during our trip – my advice would be do the same and don’t waste your trip looking for magnets, tea towels and postcards as they aren’t as common as on other city breaks.
5 Pomeranian Dukes’ Castle and the Bell Tower
The Pomeranian Dukes’ Castle is in the Old Town of Szczecin and is something that is probably on everyone’s must see list when they visit. It is a beautifully restored Renaissance fortress that once served as the residence of the ruling Griffin dynasty. It is free to enter and offers another insight into the history of the city. On our visit we were surprised to find that the bell tower was open, apparently this only happens in April so we did feel very lucky. It cost about £2.50 to climb the steps to the top of the bell tower and take in the views of the city from yet another view point, magical. The walk up the steps was hard but so worth and if you are in Szczecin in April I highly recommend doing this as long as you don’t have mobility, breathing or heart issues.
If you would rather enjoy the Pomeranian Dukes’ castle with your feet firmly on the ground then be sure to check out their website for a list of events as it is often used to host cultural events for locals and tourists. During our stay they were setting up for one of their Easter outdoor events in the central square of the castle grounds. There was a big stage for music and lots of local markets selling everything from crochet teddies to honey, cheese and pastries around the sides.
6. The Museum of technology and transport
The Museum of technology and transport is a little out of the city center at the old tram depot, it’s walkable from the city centre but it’s also on a train line if you don’t want to walk. It costs about £10 each and although it was smaller than we expected it was interesting to see. It has lots of old cars, bikes and trams from Poland and if you’re interested in cars like my husband is then you will thoroughly enjoy it.
There is also a second side to the museum which is for children only, we didn’t use this as we didn’t have ours with us but we were told it was more hands on activities and also a play area so might be worth a look if you are looking for things to do in Szczecin with children.
Although not on our official things to do in Szczecin list we would recommend that if you are walking back from the transport museum to the city centre that you cross the road and walk back through the Juliana Falata Park. It’s a lovely walk by the water surrounded by peaceful greenery and beautiful flowers. Again if you have kids this would be a great place to let them burn off some energy and let out some noise after being well behaved and probably rather quiet in the museum!
A bonus must do in Szczecin f the weather is nice and you have the time is to enjoy a drink on the top promenade at one of the restaurants, there is one on each end and both have lovely eating areas with great views of the river.
Top tips for food in Szczecin
Treat yourself to at least one donut from the street seller near cafe 22. They worked out at about £2 each are were absolutely incredible so many flavours to choose from. We tried the kinda brueno one and it was incredible.
If you are looking to keep the cost of food down on your trip then we would also recommend getting one of the hot dogs you will see everyone eating. These can be bought form the supermarkets and cost about £4 each with a drink, much better than any hot dog we have ever eaten in the UK.
I hope you find this list of things to do in Szczecin helpful and if you have any questions or want any more recommendations then feel free to head to my instagram account and send me a message.
We only had 36 hours in Szczecin but if we ever return then we would also like to try the following
- The happy museum – it looks great fun and perfect for those that love creating content.
- The central cemetery, also know as the largest Cemetery – the grounds are said to be beautiful and peaceful and perfect for a nice stroll.
- National museum – the history buff in me loved the underground tour so much that if i was to return I would love t learn more about Szczecin during and after the war and how it rebuilt itself.
- A Boat trip – as mentioned it was just poor planning that lead to to us not doing a boat trip on this visit but it would be the first thing I book if we were to return.
- The rose garden – if we came in summer in I would love to see the rose garden in full bloom as I imagine it will be breath taking.