Bydgoszcz, the city not to be missed
Unique museums, breathtaking architectural designs placed side by side with the Art Nouveau buildings, international festivals and the water, with its trams, boats and other vessels which entice and welcome one and all to have a ride and admire the city from the board. It's all there, in Bydgoszcz, the city not to be missed.
The Brda River, flowing through the city, is fringed by the many tourist spots, appreciated by the holiday-makers and locals alike as it does not only offer a chance to have a romantic stroll along its banks, but also see a lot of advanced hydrotechnical objects.
Undoubtedly, the strongest points of the city are countless sports events such as Triathlon Bydgoszcz, Woda Bydgoska (Swimming Competition), Wielka Wioślarska (Great Rowing Regatta), or a combination of water and music festivals, i.e. Rzeka Muzyki (the River of Music), or Bydgoszcz Water Festival "Ster na Bydgoszcz", just to name the few. Once more it's the water that brings them all to life. Should you not fancy the band play, why not head for a canoe or a water-bike and enjoy the river to the rhythm of your own taste.
When tired of fitness and sports, you can venture some sightseeing and stroll along the city to see both the antique (Polish Post Office building, Fara or Klaryski Churches) and the modern (Glass Granary Building, the Opera House or the Marina). Those tired of the water, yet inquisitive and looking for more detailed knowledge can head for one of the many museums, offering a wide variety of exhibitions, from the history of the city (the Old Granary), to the one and only Exploseum, Soap and Dirt History Museum or one of the Art Galleries dotted around the Old Town.
Surely music and film festivals also tempt and appeal to all culture-vultures, to name just the few: Bydgoszcz Opera Festival, Premiere Festival, Bydgoszcz Music Festival, Drums Fusion, Chamber Music Festival, Animocje International Animated Film Festival.
Access to Bydgoszcz has been facilitated thanks to a convenient railway and air connections, and a rich hotel and restaurant offer will satisfy even the most sophisticated tastes.
Best hotels
in Bydgoszcz
Karczma Rzym ★★★
From €49/ night
Located 6 km from the centre of Byddgoszcz
Solo travellers particularly like the location
Bohema Hotel & Spa ★★★★★
From €155 / night
Located in central Bydgoszcz,
Swimming pool, a massage parlour and a sauna
Holiday Inn Bydgoszcz ★★★★
From €70 / night
Situated in the heart of Bydgoszcz
Houses a small gym and a sauna
Hotel Wodnik ★★★★
From €62/ night
3.5 km from Opera Nova Conference
You can play squash at the hotel
Hotel Sloneczny Mlyn ★★★★
From €66 / night
2 kilometres from the city centre
Excellent breakfast, nice views.
Mercure Bydgoszcz Sepia ★★★★
From €72 / night
5-minute walk from the Old Market
Features a roof terrace with a panoramic view
Bydgoszcz
image gallery
Top things to do
in Bydgoszcz
Take a cruise along the river
The Brda River is the greatest treasure of Bydgoszcz. Clean, full of life, ideal for leisure and relaxation on its banks. Bydgoszcz looks the most beautiful from the river side. The revitalised Mill Island, renovated boulevards, treasures of Bydgoszcz architecture are best seen during a cruise by water tram. Vessels with beautiful names "Sunflower" are modern and environmentally friendly units, powered by solar energy. Thanks to them, every day hundreds of residents and tourists get to know the charms of Bydgoszcz from a completely new, magical perspective.
Learn about the “explosive” history of Bydgoszcz
A visit to the Exploseum provides extensive knowledge on military technology. A tour through its myriad, murky and concrete corridors will certainly be remembered for a long time. The secret of the mysterious ruins lay hidden in the Bydgoszcz Forest for fifty years. Only the older residents, remembering the times of the Second World War, knew that several kilometres from the operating chemical plant and newly developed industrial park, there was a place known for inhuman forced labour involving over 40,000 workers of the former DAG Fabrik Bromberg.
Take a deep breath on the Mill Island
Mill Island - the spatial heart of Bydgoszcz. A green enclave in the heart of a vibrant city. The island has not yet been seized by our greedy modern civilization. How surprising! A park and alleys flanked by old trees: chestnuts and lindens. Vast lawns, alleys with benches and the sound of water falling rapidly through the weir. Mill Island is a green oasis in the city centre (just few steps from the Old Market Square). What is more, an exhibition of the Bydgoszcz Treasure is on display here, in the European Money Centre.
Admire picturesque architecture
Part of the charm of Bydgoszcz lies in the fact that it still seems to be an undiscovered city – unexplored in terms of history, architecture and culture. And it is unexplored both for the residents and tourists. When in summer the latter walk with cameras along the streets of Bydgoszcz they make the locals realize that it is worthwhile to lift up their heads and notice the beauty of old, decorative buildings. Some of the most attractive houses were constructed by Józef Święcicki – one of the most mysterious and creative architects of the late 19th and early 20th century. His works such as the “Hotel pod Orłem” – are real jewels of architecture in Bydgoszcz.
Make soap yourself
The world’s only Museum of Soap and History of Dirt operates in Bydgoszcz. It offers interactive time travel through the history of cleanliness, dirt and soap making, which has deep-rooted ties with Bydgoszcz. In the city on the River Brda, the first Soap and Candle Production Plant was founded as early as the 18th century in today’s Warmińskiego Street. Production of the famous Persil and Cypisek laundry soap originated in Bydgoszcz. A visit to the Museum starts from washing your hands in a tub. Then visitors move to the workshop, where soap makers teach them step by step how to make fragrant soap. After the workshops, participants visit all parts of this surprising museum.
