
This site's tour
Old Town and island walk
Group, pay as you wish
- Length2.5 hours
- MeetsFredro monument
- GuideEnglish
Locate your stop
Old Town and Ostrow Tumski walk in English
★ 4.8 · 408 guest ratings
Map of 46 stops
Select a route, then tap a marker or stop to see its note and open Google Maps.

Meeting point of this site's walking tour; the statue came from Lviv and has stood here since 1956.
Google MapsOldest part from 1299; the Museum of Bourgeois Art inside has free permanent exhibitions.
Google MapsIn the House Under the Golden Sun; open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-5pm.
Google MapsA smaller square; its building at number 4 came through the war almost unharmed.
Google MapsGothic church with a viewpoint at 75 m, reached by stairs.
Google MapsThe Aula Leopoldina, built 1728-1732; closed on Wednesdays, about PLN 28.
Google MapsOn University Square since November 1904.
Google MapsThe library that came from Lviv; open Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00.
Google MapsBuilt 1226-1232; the Penitents' Bridge at 45 m, 247 steps up.
Google MapsBuilt 1908-1909 on parabolic arches; Monday to Saturday, 8:00-18:30.
Google MapsCast in 1902, lost in 1945, back on the square since June 18, 1998.
Google MapsAt Rynek 14; Monday to Saturday, 09:00-19:00.
Google Maps
Wroclaw's main railway station, south of the Old Town.
Google MapsThe main bus station, beside the railway station.
Google MapsWroclaw's airport, west of the city center.
Google MapsMeeting point of this site's walking tour; the statue came from Lviv and has stood here since 1956.
Google Maps
Head of the Dwarf Council, on Swidnicka Street since 1 June 2001, once an Orange Alternative activist.
Google MapsA pair forever rolling a granite ball meant for the street; made in 2005.
Google MapsThe Blind One and the Deaf One, on patrol for architectural barriers.
Google MapsThe kindness dwarf by the fountain; November 21st is his day.
Google MapsThe glutton on a huge plate; rubbing his belly is said to bring luck.
Google MapsBy the Hansel and Gretel houses, near the legendary entrance to the Dwarf City.
Google MapsKeeps watch in Jatki, the old butchers' lane; among the first figures of 2005.
Google MapsBehind bars in Wiezienna Street, by decision of the Dwarf Council.
Google MapsPole climbers peering down from the lamp posts of Salt Square.
Google MapsKeeper of the Ossolineum's books, by the railing in the Ossolinski alley.
Google MapsThe Oder Washer, hero of the flood legend, at the water's edge by the Sand Bridge.
Google MapsOnce worked at the Maria Mill; lives near Tumski Bridge.
Google MapsThe Tumski Lamplighter, keeping the island's lights on.
Google MapsDwarf maps, souvenirs and gifts, right next to the Town Hall tower.
Google Maps
The crossing to Sand Island and the boulevard to Tumski Bridge.
Google MapsGothic church on Sand Island, by the boulevard.
Google MapsThe Bridge of Love, its turquoise railings heavy with padlocks.
Google MapsThe lamplighter passes here at dusk lighting the gas lanterns.
Google MapsA remnant of the Silesian Piasts' castle, the best preserved part of it.
Google MapsChurch on the way from the cathedral to the botanical garden.
Google MapsFree to enter; tower at 97 m by elevator, PLN 25 normal.
Google MapsLate Romanesque church from the early 13th century.
Google MapsFounded in 1811; open daily 1 April to 31 October.
Google Maps
The 1000 Years of Wroclaw exhibition: 25 halls, over 3000 objects.
Google MapsPainted for Lviv in 1894, shown in Wroclaw since the 1980s; PLN 50 normal.
Google MapsA woman carrying books, made in 1998 for those who fought the flood of 1997.
Google MapsBadly damaged in the spring of 1945, during the siege.
Google MapsA dozen life-size bronze figures descending under the pavement.
Google MapsMeeting point of the Third Reich and World War Two walking tour.
Google MapsExhibition on the city in 1945-2016, in the depot where local Solidarity began in 1980.
Google MapsMax Berg's concrete hall of 1913, on the UNESCO list.
Google Maps© OpenStreetMap contributors, map data
An Old Town Wroclaw walking tour from the Fredro monument past the Town Hall, Salt Square and the church towers to the University and the Market Hall, with times and fees.
Editorial team, wroclawwalkingtour.quest · Updated November 9, 2026 · 8 mins to read
Basics
An Old Town Wroclaw walking tour almost always starts on the Market Square, the Rynek, and for good reason. The city's portal calls it among the largest market squares in Poland, and the Polish Tourism Organisation counts it among the biggest in Europe.1,7 Around it stand 60 colorful townhouses, each with its own story, and in the middle sits the Town Hall block.8 Give yourself time to walk all of its sides before diving into the lanes.
The square is a pedestrian zone, and that makes it pleasant to cross at any hour. Private cars may enter only in exceptional cases, so arrive by tram: the Rynek, Zamkowa, Swidnicka, Galeria Dominikanska and Olawska stops are all a few minutes away.9,10 Visitor information sits at Rynek 14, open every day except Sunday from 09:00 until 19:00.11,12 Ask there for a city map before you set off.
Our group walk gathers in front of the Fredro monument, a statue that first stood in Lviv and has been here since 1956.13 It is an easy landmark, so it also works if you are meeting friends. Count Fredro's pen is often stolen, the city's portal admits, so do not be surprised if he holds nothing in his hand.14 From here every stop in this guide is within a short walk, and the map on this page doubles as a Wroclaw walking tour map.
Plan your stops
| Sight | Opening | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Town Hall museum | Closed Monday23 | Permanent exhibits free15 |
| Pan Tadeusz Museum | Tuesday to Sunday30 | The poem's manuscript29 |
| Aula Leopoldina | Closed Wednesday6 | About PLN 285 |
| Penitents' Bridge | All year34 | 247 steps, no elevator35 |
| Market Hall | Monday to Saturday20 | A working market19 |
| Ossolineum | Monday to Friday36 | Library from Lviv37 |
Days and fees as the venues and Visit Wroclaw list them; check before you go, as hours change with the season.23,15,30,6,5,20
The Old Town Hall is the jewel of the whole square. The Polish Tourism Organisation calls it among the best preserved in the country and dates its oldest part, the consistorium, to 1299.2 The city's tourism portal ranks it among Europe's leading examples of late Gothic civic building.21 Walk around it slowly: the facades change on each side, with gables, oriels and pinnacles to look for.
Inside is the Museum of Bourgeois Art, and its permanent exhibitions are free; you pay only for temporary shows.15 Look for the Great Hall with its cross-ribbed vault.22 The museum is closed on Mondays, so plan the visit for later in the week.23 In the cellar, the Polish Tourism Organisation points out what it calls the oldest bar in Europe.24 A drink there under Gothic vaults is a classic end to a walk.
Right by the Town Hall, look for the small bronze bear fountain. It was cast in 1902, stood on the square from August 17, 1904, was lost during the fighting of 1945 and came back on June 18, 1998.25,26,27 Water runs from the bear's nostrils.28 On the west side, the Baroque House Under the Golden Sun holds the Pan Tadeusz Museum and the manuscript of Mickiewicz's poem; it is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-5pm.29,30
Step off the south-west corner of the Rynek and you are on Salt Square, Plac Solny, a smaller square ringed by cafes. Its building at number 4 is among the few in the Old Town to have come through the wartime bombing almost unharmed.39 Look up at the lamp posts: the Slupniki Solne, a gang of dwarfs, peer down at passers-by from them.16 A mummy now in the Museum of Man was found in 1945 in the cellar of a pharmacy on this square.40
Back on the Rynek, head for the north-west corner, where St Elizabeth's Church rises behind the houses. The narrow townhouses there, called Jas and Malgosia, Hansel and Gretel, were both built in the 15th century.17 For 500 years a stone arch has joined them, and the passage under it once led into the churchyard.41,42 The fairy-tale name is believed to date only from after the war, but it suits them perfectly.43
From there turn right into Jatki, the old butchers' lane. Butchers and slaughterhouses worked here from 1242, and the lane still feels apart from the busy square.38 Its bronze animals, a goose, a goat, a pig and a piglet among them, belong to a monument that honors the animals of the old trade; the first were cast in 1997.44 The Butcher dwarf keeps watch nearby, and children usually find him before the adults do.45
Shape your walk
Choose by time, budget and how much you like stairs.
If I have one free hour
Circle the square and the Town Hall
Its permanent exhibitions are free to enter.15
If I want a view
Climb St Elizabeth's tower
The viewpoint is at 75 m, by stairs.3
If I avoid stairs
Save the view for the cathedral
Its tower at 97 m has an elevator.32
If I love interiors
Visit the Aula Leopoldina
If I want a guide
Book the Old Town walk
2.5 hours from the Fredro monument.
Ways to walk it

This site's tour
Group, pay as you wish

Private
Your group only

Indoor
Audio guide and entry
The Old Town has several viewpoints, and the city's portal lists their heights for you. St Elizabeth's tower reaches 75 m and is climbed by stairs, the Penitents' Bridge between the towers of St Mary Magdalene sits at 45 m, and the terrace of the Mathematical Tower at the University is at 42 m.3,4,31 Further out, the Sky Tower deck sits on the 49th floor at about 200 m, reached by elevator.33
St Elizabeth's is a Gothic church from the early 14th century, and its 90-meter tower was finished in 1525.65,93 The climb is 304 stairs on a narrow, winding staircase, and the city's portal warns that it is quite exhausting.94,95 The church has suffered repeatedly, and a fire in 1976 burned its roof, part of the vault and the organ.96 Choose a clear day: the view of the square below is worth it.
St Mary Magdalene, east of the square, was built between 1226 and 1232.68 Its footbridge, the Penitents' Bridge, sits 45 meters up and is reached by 247 steps, with no elevator.35 It is open all year, from 10:00 to 20:00 in summer.34 The name comes from a legend about a young woman named Tekla, cursed to sweep the bridge forever.97 If you prefer not to climb, the cathedral tower on Ostrow Tumski, at 97 m, has an elevator.32
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The route in order
North of the square, the long main University building stretches along the river bank, facing the water on one side and the city on the other. Its great hall, the Aula Leopoldina, was built in 1728-1732 and named after Emperor Leopold I, who founded the University in 1702.66 The University calls it a unique secular monument of the late Baroque.18 Its painted ceilings, portraits and sculpture cover almost every surface.
The hall belongs to the Museum of the University of Wroclaw, set up in 1992, which also includes the Oratorium Marianum and the Mathematical Tower.98,99 Entry to all the halls is about PLN 28 on a normal ticket.5 The museum is closed on Wednesdays, the last tickets are sold 30 minutes before closing, and audio guides are offered in English, German, French and several other languages.6,92,100 Its collection includes a sky globe from 1699.101
Outside, the bronze Fencer fountain has graced University Square since November 1904.67 A short walk east along Szewska Street brings you to the Ossolineum, the great library that came from Lviv after the war, open on weekdays from 09:00 to 18:00.37,36 If you want to see the University with someone who knows its rooms, a 45-minute visit with an audio guide starts at the Fencer fountain, from €16.
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Since 1242, there were slaughterhouses and butcher stores at the place where Old Jatki Street is now located
Before you set off
From the University, walk east to the Market Hall on Piaskowa Street. It was built in 1908-1909 as a reinforced concrete hall carried on parabolic arches, a daring design for its time.19,102 It still works as a real market, open Monday to Saturday from 8:00 to 18:30 and closed on Sundays.20 It is also on the tourist trail: the city's portal says up to 30-35 groups pass through each day.103
Across the road, the Sand Bridge leads to Sand Island and its Gothic church. Here the Old Town ends and the river begins, and the noise of the square fades behind you. A riverside promenade then leads you along Sand Island toward Tumski Bridge, the cathedral filling the view ahead.69 On it, a model of the city's waterways helps blind and visually impaired visitors understand the course of the river.104
This is the natural place to turn your Old Town walk into a full day out, with the river as the dividing line. Tumski Bridge and Ostrow Tumski, where the city began, are a few minutes away, and our group walk joins the two districts in a single 2.5-hour outing.105 Our Ostrow Tumski page continues from the bridge with the island's churches, its garden and the man who lights the lamps.
Use the Old Town panel of the map above: it numbers the stops in a sensible order. Start at the Fredro monument and the Town Hall, loop through Salt Square, then go north past St Elizabeth's and Hansel and Gretel into Jatki. From there walk to the University, along Szewska Street to the Ossolineum and the Market Hall, and end at the Sand Bridge. The St Mary Magdalene tower is a short detour east of the square.
Because the Old Town is compact, a printed or saved Wroclaw old town walking tour map is all you need; the Tourist Information Center on the square is the place to ask for one.12 Mind the opening days before you plan the order: most museums close on Mondays, and the University museum closes on Wednesdays.106,6 Mid-week mornings are calmer for photos, while evenings on the square are lively, warm and lit up.
If you would rather have someone explain the facades, there are guided options for every budget. At the budget end, our pay-as-you-wish group walk starts from €17 for 2.5 hours. A private 2-hour Old Town walk with 310 reviews starts under the Town Hall and continues to the University, the Market Hall and Ostrow Tumski, from €143. For tired feet, a 1-hour e-car ride with a dwarf theme starts from €12.
FAQ
Our group walk sets off from the Fredro monument there.
That part is the consistorium, a meeting place.2
Only temporary exhibitions need a ticket at the Museum of Bourgeois Art.15
It opens Monday to Saturday, 8:00 to 18:30.20
Sources
New to Wroclaw? Ask a real person about the walk.