Time
In the summer there are two hours of difference between Wroclaw and Greenwich, in the winter one.
Food and drink
In Wroclaw's Old City you can have delicious and cheap food in plenty of small snack bars with some great sandwiches and Italian cuisine. If you prefer to have a seat in an elegant place, Splendido Restaurant is well-worth a visit at Świdnicka Str. If you would like to try some great locally brewed bronzy beer, you cannot miss Spiż at City Hall in Market Square.
Typical Polish dishes are: bigos - cabbaged cooked with mushrooms and different kinds of meat (originally Lithuanian), pierogi - dumplings (popular in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Poland), buckwheat with pork scratchings (popular in the regions mentioned above), as well as pickled cucumbers and cabbage, known for ages in the cuisine of Northern Slavic. Polish cuisine is often associated with a variety of soups, too. Borsch with meat-stuffed dumplings has been adopted straight from Lithuanian cuisine. Sour rye soup with raw sausage called Zalewajka have been known for centuries among all Northern Slavic. Flaki (Polish traditional meat stew), czernina (duck blood soup), cabbage soup, beans soup, chicken soup, mushroom room can neither be forgotten on the list of Polish delicious soups.
Among traditional elements among Polish dishes you can also find some newer ones. Many of them are inspired by French and German cuisine. In spite of this, the Polish consider them local and often have them as if they were a part of original national tradition. Well-known schabowy practically equals to German Schweineschnitzel . Western import are also pork knuckle and sausage (in Poland it has lots of varieties). A famous steak (cooked veal in horseradish sauce) has been imported from French cuisine as well as purée and mizeria , fresh cucumber and sour cream salad. While you are visiting, gingerbread is also worth trying, once a specialty of Hanseatic League cities.
Climate
The climate in Wroclaw is temperate, under the influence of Atlantic and continental air masses. The summer average is about 24 degrees Celsius, sometimes rising over 30, the winter average is minus 1 degrees Celsius, falling down to minus 10 at times. Wroclaw is a typical urban island - the average temperature in the city is higher by 5 degrees Celsius than in the surroundings. Summer is the longest season in Wroclaw, it last 114 days among which about 40 are hot days with temperature above 25 degrees Celsius. The statistics claim that the temperature falls below zero only 28 days a year.
Holidays and free days
On religious and public holidays all shops are closed, except for shopping points at petrol stations. On some of them restaurants, cinemas, theatre and museums are closed, too. Summer vacation in Poland is in July and August, most theatre are closed during this period. During the rest of the year theatres are normally closed on Mondays. On Sundays shopping malls and supermarkets are open as well as 24/7 shops.
All shops are closed on the following holidays: 1 January - New Year, 6 January - Epiphany Easter (Sunday and Monday, moveable feast), 1 May - Labour Day, 3 May - Constitution Day, Pentecost (Sunday, moveable feast), Corpus Christi (Thursday, moveable feast) 15 August - Assumption, 1 November - All Saints, 11 November - Independence Day 25 and 26 December - Christmas Days.
Shopping
In Wroclaw there are many shopping malls open daily, e.g. "Arena" at 66 Komandorska Str. (Mon-Fri 9am-8pm, Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 10am-3pm), "Park Handlowy Bielany" at 5/1 Czekoladowa Str. (Mon-Sat 10am-9pm, Sun 10am-8pm), "Magnolia Park" at 58 Legnicka Str. (daily between 9am-9pm). In Old City there are lots of souvenir and antique shops, too.
City for children
In Wroclaw there are many places where children will not get bored. First of all, Wroclaw Zoo is worth a visit, being the biggest zoo in Poland. Prices: regular ticket 25 PLN, discount ticket 15 PLN, family ticket (2 adults and 2-3 children) 70 PLN. Children up to 3 are free of charge. Wroclaw's specialty are little dwarf figures place in the streets which are becoming more and more numerous. Children will have great fun trying to track them on the pavements, at municipal lamp posts and in some other unexpected places. Currently there are over 70 dwarf figures in Wroclaw. If you find half of them, it will be a great result. Each dwarf is an individuality. Among them there are Sleepyhead, Halberdier, Tastetrotter, Bibliophile, Pigeon Fancier, Theatre Dwarf, Little Sisyphus, Highwayman, Dumpling Dwarf and plenty of others. There are organized trips in quest for dwarfs. You can get more information on the website .
In Wroclaw there is also fun centres for children such as "Ginolandia" at 216 Strzegomska Str. or "Fabryka pomysłów i zabawy" at 60 Szkocka Str.
