Lodz guide: Where to eat, drink, shop and stay in Poland's up-and-coming city

Discover one of the coolest European cities you’ve probably never heard of

Lodz has transformed from drab to fab since the Second World War (Getty/iStock)

Dubbed the “Polish Manchester”, Lodz (pronounced “Woodge”) has undergone a dramatic makeover in the past decade – and there are still a few layers of slap to come. Poland’s third-biggest city was a 19th-century industrial powerhouse before falling into a post-war slump, known as Grey Lodz.

Now it’s back and brighter than before. Derelict buildings are transformed with murals. Textile mills are now villages with hotels, boutiques, restaurants and al fresco bars. Brilliantly, because it attracts more business than leisure travellers, flights and hotel rates are lower at weekends; Lodz is a real bargain.

What to do

Celebrity watching

Outside the neo-Renaissance Grand Hotel you’ll find “Holly-Lodz”. This Walk of Fame has pavement stars for Roman Polanski, a graduate of the city’s film school, and pianist Arthur Rubinstein. Further south, a bronze statue of Rubinstein’s piano sits outside his childhood home at Number 78.

Park life

The city’s first public park, Zrodliska, was founded in 1840 as a meeting place for cotton-mill workers. A factory orchestra played regularly on the bandstand, watched by crowds sipping vodka and juniper brandy. Now you’ll see families picnicking on the grass or wandering around the Palm House. Built to protect trees dating back 140 years, the roof occasionally has to be raised as they grow.

Izrael Poznanski’s Palace (Getty/iStock) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Go on an art hunt

The new and improved Lodz is full of colour if you know where to look. Peek down Rose Passage to see an old weaver’s cottage, spruced up with mosaic blooms that sparkle in sunlight. Take a seat with The Creators of Industrial Lodz – a bronze statue of the city’s three major mill owners around a table – and explore the most attractive stretch of Piotrkowska, which, at 2.6 miles, is Poland’s longest street. At the junction with Pilsudskiego, glance up and left to see the city’s biggest street art mural. A love letter to Lodz, it depicts the town hall, Liberty Square and a wooden sailboat.

Peruse a palace

The 19th-century Izrael Poznanski’s Palace is a grand example of the city’s eclectic architecture, with neo-Renaissance and neo-Baroque details. The residence of Lodz’s second-richest citizen – who built the textile factory that’s now shopping, dining and entertainment complex, Manufaktura – the vast, vault-ceilinged rooms inside are just as impressive, as are the sculpture-dotted gardens. Entry 12 zloty (£2.50).

Piotrkowska is Poland’s longest street (Getty/iStock) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Two galleries for the price of one

Just 16 zloty gets you entry to MS1 (msl.org.pl), with 20th- and 21st-century art spread across four floors and a focus on Polish culture, and the more conceptual galleries of MS2, with floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows between each floor. The combination ticket also includes entry to Herbst Palace, once home to one of Poland’s wealthiest industrial families.

Where to stay

Vienna House Andel’s Lodz is the best hotel in town. Within the glowing tangerine bricks of a former weaving mill (part of the Manufaktura complex) are 277 chic, design-led rooms. Snoop Dogg has stayed in the presidential suite, complete with a vertiginous staircase leading to a library and terrace. Doubles from €117 (£103), room only.

Hotel Stare Kino was built on the site of Poland’s first permanent cinema, and each of the 22 characterful rooms represents a different film theme. In the Promised Land suite, for example, one wall features a still from the 1975 film directed by Andrzej Wajda. Doubles from £46, room only.

Hotel Stare Kino is cinema themed (Hotel Stare Kino)

Where to eat

Brunch

MITMI Restobar (facebook.com/MITMIrestobar) has tables spilling onto food hub OFF Piotrkowska. Late breakfast (“brunch” is yet to catch on) is served 11am-2pm on Sundays. Order fluffy, brioche-style buns topped with eggs and pretty much anything else you fancy, or cottage cheese, pepped-up Polish-style, with radish and spring onion.

Lunch

Koperek Bistro (facebook.com/KoperekBistro) at 2 Roosevelta is where locals go for traditional Polish home-style cooking. A typical meal of beetroot soup with stuffed “ears” (dumplings), breaded pork chop and potatoes costs just 13 zloty.

Lokal Restaurant does vegetarian and vegan fare (Lokal Restaurant)

Dinner

Join Lodz residents at Lokal Restaurant (facebook.com/lokallodz) at 61 Sienkiewicza for Polish small plates, live music and vegan/vegetarian options. Small plates 5 zloty, mains around 30 zloty.

Meanwhile Klub Spadkobiercow (klub-spadkobiercow.com.pl) is a warren of polished parquet floors, intimate dining rooms and crisp tablecloths, tucked upstairs in neo-Renaissance Goldfeder’s Palace at 77 Piotrkowska. Mains such as goose fillet with a tangy pomegranate sauce are around 45 zloty.

Where to drink

Perch outside Piwoteka (facebook.com/PiwotekaNarodowa) at 6 Sierpnia. Only small-batch beers, brewed onsite or from local producers, are served in this tiny pub. Try Lactobacto, a refreshing sour beer, or – if you’re feeling brave – the ominously named Killingskiego. This oatmeal stout infused with habañero chilli is best sipped slowly (and with caution).

SkyFLY Bar offers top-notch cocktails and views (Vienna House)

Grab a cocktail with vodka, apple and honey at SkyFLY Bar for the best views across Lodz. Housed in the city’s coolest hotel, Vienna House Andel’s Lodz (viennahouse.com), this chic, rooftop bar with twinkling terrace is something of a rarity in this flattest of cities.

Where to shop

OFF Piotrkowska is a pedestrianised square with independent restaurants, bars, food trucks and local stores on the site of a former cotton mill. Try Pan Tu Nie Stal for beautifully packaged T-shirts and covetable notebooks, Bardzo rozsadnie for vintage posters and quirky souvenirs, and Peggy’s Boutique for Fifties-style frocks.

Mainstream shops, including MAC Cosmetics, H&M and Hugo Boss are found in the sprawling mall at Manufaktura.

OFF Piotrkowska is Lodz’s answer to Shoreditch (Getty) (Getty Images)

Architectural highlight

Look out for the House of Schichts on Piotrkowska, dripping with Art Nouveau details. The neo-Baroque domed House of Sheibler is also worth a gander.

Nuts and bolts

What currency do I need?

Polish zloty

What language do they speak?

Polish

Should I tip?

Tipping is expected for good service in restaurants – around 10 per cent is the norm.

What’s the time difference?

Lodz is one hour ahead of the UK.

What’s the flight time from the UK?

Lodz is a two hour and 15 minute flight from London.

Public transport

Lodz is best explored on two feet or two wheels. Register for the public bicycle-hire scheme (lodzkirowerpubliczny.pl) for 20 zloty to use bikes from 148 stations around the city. Free for the first 20 minutes, 1 zloty for an hour, 3 zloty for the second hour and 5 zloty for each subsequent hour.