At a glance…
- Days To Spend: 1 day absolute max, and only if you’re passing through
- Get Around: By walking
- Get In and Out: By train
- Pay: With a bank card or cash, in Zloty
- Speak: Polish if you can, but English should suffice
- See: Old Town Square, The Dobranocki Museum, The Secession Villas
- Should you go?: No, unless you’re passing through and have tons of time spare
We stopped by Rzeszow on our way back from Lublin as it was along the way, and it’d be a waste not to go see it. We left feeling disappointed at a city that could be a great tourist attraction, but isn’t.
General Impressions
Rzeszow is located a couple of hours train ride from Krakow and Lublin, making it a perfect spot for a day trip. It even has an international airport. Despite this, the city puts very little effort into tourism infrastructure, which, in my opinion, is a huge wasted opportunity from a city that could be booming.
Transport
Getting Around
Rzeszow isn’t a big city, and you can get to the major sites on your own two feets. There are buses, but you shouldn’t need to take them.
Getting In and Out
Rzeszow has decent train connection, and this will probably be your main way of getting in and out of Rzeszow.
Drink
There are 2 local breweries located right on the main town square, Stary Browar Rzeszowski and Browar Manufaktura. Both are amazingly decorated and have a great climate for drinking, not to mention the beer was really good. Manufaktora was our favourite, mainly due to the fact that the beer was better, but the hilarious toilet decorations definitely helped too!
Money
Poland used the Zloty (literally “gold ones”). Card payment is possible nearly everywhere, and there seems to be no preference in regards to spending cash or using a card.
Language
The people of Rzesow speak Polish, which uses the Latin alphabet. English isn’t as widely spoken here as in the more famous Polish cities, but most young people should speak it.
Time
Rzeszow is small, and doesn’t have a huge amount of things to do. It’s not really worth staying the night in the city, maybe a half-day to a day when passing through to some other more interesting places in Poland.
My Favourite Spots
Old Town Square
Rzeszow has one of the prettiest town squares in Poland, better than its compatriots in Krakow or Lublin for sure. It’s a great place for photographs, and there are a few attractions located either on it, or immediately next to it.
Museum of Dobranocek
A very odd museum dedicated to Dobranocki – Polish cartoons for children. These cover cartoons from the 60s to the 2000s, and have many displays and informational plaques, as well as a cinema where you can get suprsingly into watching these cartoons. The tickets cost basically nothing, so even though the museum is very small, it’s still well worth a visit.#
The Secession Villas
A street on which a number of little palaces were built by richer Rzeszowians, which are great for a quick romantic walk, and shooting a couple of nice pictures.
Places I’d Avoid
Castle of the Lubomirskis
This is a beautifully preserved castle of a very old and important Polish noble family. Unfortunately, this is the epitome of the wasted opportunity of Rzeszow, as this historically significant site is simply a court of law, rather than a museum or other tourist attraction, as it should be.
Summer Palace of the Lubomirskis
Much like the aforementioned castle, the Summer Palace of this noble family is also a government building, despite being perfectly suited to host a museum, or as a place to learn about Rzeszow or the Lubomirski family.
Conclusion
There’s tourist potential in Rzeszow, but it’s unlikely to hold much appeal to a foreign audience, let alone in favour of other, much more interesting cities in Poland.
We May Roam 