The 10 Best Things To Do in Katowice, Poland
Katowice is a great city located in southern Poland. It’s a great place to visit if you want to visit a much quieter city, and it also has great transport links to other places. Read on to find out about the amazing things Katowice has to offer!
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Contents:
Is Katowice worth visiting?
Is Katowice worth visiting? Yes! Katowice is a great place in Poland to visit for plenty of reasons. There is plenty of history in Katowice, so if you’re a history lover, then you will love exploring the museums and looking at the architecture.
What’s more, is that although Katowice is a city, there is also lots of nature and parks that surround it – and it truly has something for everyone. There are plenty of shops and shopping centres that are cheap and have lots on offer for whatever you’re looking for.
Katowice is also worth staying at if you want to stay somewhere cheaper than Krakow, as many hotels are less than £25 per night! It is also very easy to get to wherever you would like as there are lots of amazing transport options, such as trams, trains and also an airport. Tickets from Katowice to Warsaw can cost as little as £3 on the train – have I convinced you yet? If not, keep on reading…
The History of Katowice:
Katowice has a very rich history, so much so that you could spend days reading up about it all. It first started as a small farming and industrial village in the 13th century, which is a bit unbelievable if you see the size of it now!
It was annexed by Prussia in the mid-18th century, and Prussia had hoped that Katowice would be the centre of the Germanization of Silesia. In March 1921, over 85% of the city’s population voted to remain in Germany, while the population in the surrounding rural district voted 56% in favour of Poland, and the allies couldn’t decide on where the new border should be.
In 1939, it was annexed by Germany, meaning many of the historical monuments were destroyed, the Polish language was banned, and many of the street names were changed to German names. In 1941, most of the Polish and Jewish populations were expelled. It was finally liberated by the Red Army in 1945.
In 1953, the Polish communist government renamed it ‘Stalinogród‘, which means ‘Stalin Town’ in English. However, the community never accepted it, and the name Katowice returned in 1956.
How to get to Katowice:
How do you get to Katowice? Fortunately, Katowice is very easy to access. It is located in the South of Poland, about an hour from Krakow and about 40 minutes from the border of Czechia by car.
Katowice has an airport, simply called Katowice Airport (KWT). It’s located 30 minutes away from Katowice by car, but there are other ways to access it, such as by bus, tram, or shuttle.
There is also a train station located in the centre. There are links to so many places, such as Warsaw, Vienna, Berlin, Prague, Moscow and Minsk – so what’s holding you back from visiting?!
The 10 Best Things To Do in Katowice:
1. Silesia Park
Okay, so technically Silesia Park, also known as Park Śląski, is in Chorzów – not Katowice, but it’s very easy to get to and definitely worth a visit! Silesia Park is such an excellent way to spend a few hours relaxing and exploring as there are lots of different things to do and see here that will be covered below.
Silesia Park is twice the size of Central Park in New York City, so it’s unmissable and definitely one of the best things to do in Katowice! There are lots of places to eat in the park, often serving grilled food and ice creams but it’s also a great place to have a picnic too.
2. Silesia Zoo
Located in Silesia Park (told you there would be some more of these!), Silesia Zoo is such an interesting zoo to visit. Entrance costs 26zl for a regular ticket and 13zl for a discounted ticket from the 1st March – 31st October, and after October both types of tickets cost 13zl.
Personally, I found the zoo a little better than Warsaw Zoo, but only because the layout was easier to follow. There are many animals here at the Silesian Zoo, such as elephants, giraffes, bears and lions. A visit here would take around 1.5 – 2 hours in total to see all the animals.
3. Museum of Katowice History
The Museum of Katowice History is the perfect place to visit to learn about the history of Katowice more in-depth (and definitely way better than how I summarised it earlier 😉 ). There are lots of permanent and temporary exhibitions at the museum, as well as events that are often held there that visitors can partake in.
The Museum of Katowice History costs 8zl for a regular ticket and 4zl for a reduced ticket. Visits to the museum take about 1 hour in total.
4. Legendia Silesia Amusement Park
Legendia Silesia Amusement Park is the oldest amusement park in Poland, as it was opened in 1959. Today, it has around 38 attractions for guests to enjoy, such as a few rollercoasters and other rides. Ticket prices can change depending on the type, but generally, an online regular ticket is 129zl for people aged 12+.
There are also restaurants and cafes on-site, so you don’t need to worry about food as you will be well looked after at Legendia Silesia Amusement Park! It’s a brilliant place to spend a few hours, especially if you’re visiting Katowice with kids – and it’s located in an accessible place – Silesia Park!
5. Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park
The Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park is an open-air museum located in Silesia Park, showing the different types of agricultural buildings located all over Silesia. It is over 20 hectares big and is a great way to spend a sunny morning or afternoon learning all about the buildings.
A regular ticket costs 15zl and a reduced ticket is 10zl. The Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park is open from May-August.
6. Planetarium Śląkie
Planetarium Śląskie is the first such facility in Poland, established in 1955 and has recently been modernised making it one of the most modern science parks in the world! There are lots of cool exhibitions at Planetarium Śląskie, such as the Planetarium Hall and even an ‘In Space’ Flight Simulator.
Tickets are often free, and booking online is highly recommended as it is a very popular attraction and gets booked up beforehand.
7. Museum of Silesian Uprisings
The Museum of Silesian Uprisings is a very informative museum dedicated to preserving items related to the Silesian Uprisings and wanting to educate others. There are 3 floors in total full of information and things to discover that you may have never known before. The museum often holds different types of events to enjoy, so it may be worth checking out what they have on before you visit to plan accordingly.
Tickets cost 10zl for a regular ticket and 6zl for a reduced ticket. Admission is also free on Sundays, and an audio guide can be purchased for 10zl.
8. Gallery of Fine Arts in Katowice RONDO
The Gallery of Fine Arts in Katowice RONDO is a must-see for art lovers! Every month there are lots of different art exhibitions to explore and interpret. It has been open since 2007 and ever since then, has had over 200 inspiring exhibitions and has had lots of special guests visiting.
Admission to all events is free, so it’s a good thing to add to your itinerary if you’re visiting Katowice on a budget.
9. Stadion Śląski
Stadion Śląski is also in Chorzów, but it’s easy to get to, and worth a visit so I’m including it in this list. Overall the stadium’s maximum capacity is 55,211, and there are often lots of sports events, mainly football.
When there aren’t sports events on, you can take tours of the stadium with different price ranges such as 29zl for a long tour and 19zl for a short guided tour. If you’re a thrill seeker, you can also do bungee jumping too!
10. Jump City
Jump City is a trampoline park in Katowice. It’s a great choice if you have energetic kids and want to let them go crazy for a few hours. There are lots to do here, such as the massive jumping pillow, an inflatable amusement park, a climbing zone, basketball trampolines and more.
Tickets for Jump City cost 35zl an hour, and you have to purchase socks for 7zl if you don’t have the special grippy socks already.
I hope this has inspired you to visit Katowice! What would you like to do the most? What did you do when you visited? If you liked this post, you might also like:
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